It's not all about speed

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Jun 3, 2015
92
0
So freshman DD #1 JV pitcher just completed her 3rd preseason game in the circle and the AC pulls my wife aside as says "how come our other pitcher (#2) throws a little harder than your daughter but gives up many more hits?" My wife calmly explained to him that pitching is much more than speed and that movement, location and pitch sequences have a lot to do with the success of a pitcher.

Welcome to HS ball!

Can I get an AMEN!!

My daughter's first pitching coach was all about command and control, which has paid off with our daughter. She's not the fastest pitcher, but she can place that ball and it moves!!
 
Last edited:
Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
Can I get an AMEN!!

My daughter's first pitching coach was all about command and control, which has paid off with our daughter. She's not the fastest pitcher, but she can place that ball and it moves!!

Since my DD started pitching at 7yo, her pitching coaches and I have tried to teach her the skills to be a "pitcher" not just a "thrower". These skill sets have served her well over her softball career so far.

On a side note, last night the Varsity coach asked her to pitch to the V team in practice to keep her skills up and told her she was really close to making the team as a freshman but wouldn't have got much playing time as they already have a very good, junior D1 committed pitcher. Probably the right decision as she is getting lots of playing time in JV.
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
Sydney Littlejohn would seem to be a great example of this concept. Saw her pitch at 14u and if you were walking by a game she was pitching you might not give her a second look. She gave good teams fits. You wouldn't know why unless you stood behind the backstop where you could see movement and location.
 
May 3, 2014
2,149
83
I agree with speed not being the end all, but unfortunately almost every college coach at showcase events carry some sort of radar equipment. One of my pitchers from last year could throw 57-58 but relied on her drop and curve that gave hitters fits. She is at a d3 school because D2 really just showed no interest.

Here is one of my current pitchers. We have been working on tunneling pitches. Left is drop / right is change. Clip is synced to release as best as possible.

j2YFH6.gif


First 5-10 feet trying to make pitches look the same

8BTnFz.gif
 
Mar 28, 2016
164
18
Speed allows for a bigger margin of error. A slower pitcher needs to be within a couple inches of hitting her spot, otherwise its a ball or a blast. A faster pitcher can miss by 3-4 inches and sometimes get a way with it.
 
Apr 28, 2014
2,316
113
Why not work harder to improve speed? I remember a girl 2 years ago who was a "spin pitcher" she had little velocity. Her PC told her not to worry about speed and that command and control were good enough. She quit playing softball over the winter.
Fact is that a girl can make significant increases in speed if they want to work for it. May not be a popular point of view but it's true.
DD was challenged in the last 6 months to improve her speed. She has made very good progress but it took a ton of effort and insane training both in running and conditioning. I never thought she would be able to improve so quickly. If she can do it any girl can. Oh and her mechanics have come a long way too.
I am not a believer in the thought that some girls just don't have what it takes to throw hard. That's a fallacy.
 
Jun 3, 2015
92
0
Why not work harder to improve speed? I remember a girl 2 years ago who was a "spin pitcher" she had little velocity. Her PC told her not to worry about speed and that command and control were good enough. She quit playing softball over the winter.
Fact is that a girl can make significant increases in speed if they want to work for it. May not be a popular point of view but it's true.
DD was challenged in the last 6 months to improve her speed. She has made very good progress but it took a ton of effort and insane training both in running and conditioning. I never thought she would be able to improve so quickly. If she can do it any girl can. Oh and her mechanics have come a long way too.
I am not a believer in the thought that some girls just don't have what it takes to throw hard. That's a fallacy.

My daughter works on her speed, but her strength is command and control.
 
Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
I agree with speed not being the end all, but unfortunately almost every college coach at showcase events carry some sort of radar equipment. One of my pitchers from last year could throw 57-58 but relied on her drop and curve that gave hitters fits. She is at a d3 school because D2 really just showed no interest.

Here is one of my current pitchers. We have been working on tunneling pitches. Left is drop / right is change. Clip is synced to release as best as possible.

j2YFH6.gif


First 5-10 feet trying to make pitches look the same

8BTnFz.gif

Thanks for sharing. While I agree that every pitch should generally look the same, this pitcher's change up finish is significantly different (high finish) than her drop ball. The better hitters will recognize this difference between the two pitches.
 
May 3, 2014
2,149
83
That'a a great point. We have been working on a C change but she throws it a little too fast at this point and don't know if it is game ready. The flip comes in about 10-13 mph slower and just dies near the plate. Always something to keep working on!
 
Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
What a lot people fail to address is the change of speeds on the same pitches. Throwing curve or drop at speeds that vary by 3-4 mph lets the ball do different things and move differently from the hitter's perspective. 4 mph slower can be close to 2 feet in the timing the hitter needs to make solid contact. I tell my pitchers they just need to fool the hitter by a 1/3 of the width of the ball to induce a routine ground ball or pop up.
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,481
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top