It's not all about speed

[Sparky Guy]

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.

Hard is a relative term. There are physical limitations that each pitcher has. Just like running. Not all pitchers can throw 70 mph, or 100+ mph in MLB. Not all men can run as fast as Usain Bolt.

The statement should read "Some girls do not reach their maximum potential."

 

[BT3100]

Hard is a relative term. There are physical limitations that each pitcher has. Just like running. Not all pitchers can throw 70 mph, or 100+ mph in MLB. Not all men can run as fast as Usain Bolt.

The statement should read "Some girls do not reach their maximum potential."

I agree with your statement. My point is that I think most girls who want to can increase velocity with proper training and conditioning.

 

[grcsftbll]

My daughter works on her speed, but her strength is command and control.

Mine too. She's on the high side of speed for 10U from the numbers I've seen but she's not nearly the fastest pitcher I've seen at her age. But she has excellent location and spin. I think she'll be really good at movement pitches once we have the extra distance. That said, she also works on speed drills and is happy when she gets a new record. It's just not our main concern.

However, I did finally see, in person, a 10U pitcher throwing 50s in games in this weekend. She was pitching for the Louisville Lady Sluggers. Unfortunately, it was against us. We fouled off a few but zero hits. She was the fastest pitcher I've seen in person yet at our age level. Our girls couldn't touch her. Unlike a lot of girls who are that fast at this age, she also had a change up. She was a really big girl, the kind who gets "check her birth certificate" comments. She was pretty impressive. I don't know what they were calling, no idea if her location was good or not but at her speed it didn't really matter against us. lol

 

[FP26]

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!

DD has same challenge. And having smaller hands doesn't help that, IMO. She will use both in games at various times to give the hitters more to think about. The flip gives her a bigger speed difference, but the C has better accuracy. Still working on both...

 

[Westwind]

I have been fortunate to see some top level college pitchers pitch in person this spring. The best have both speed and movement combined that you can't appreciate until you see it in person. I was shocked at how much movement Megan Betsa had on high 60's mph pitches. I watch those same pitchers on tv and it does not translate.

The other thing that the best pitchers have is change of speed on off speed pitches. Curve balls etc that seem to have 2-3 different gears. Like Sparkyguy said, the change in speed kills. Good hitters looking out of sorts, making non solid contact. It really works. Changing speed doesn't get talked about enough at lower levels.

 

[FastPitchCat]

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.

can you share your insane training? what type of running and conditioning does she do and how often?

 

[quincy]

DD is P. Maybe biggest game of her young life P threw 30 MPH, she was not even close. She did cheer sitting in dugout though.

 

[lhowser]

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.

I hear this all the time. Could a few people ask their DD's (if they are pretty accomplished players) if they would read this follow through difference as part of their at bat. My DD (16U, last summer hit .500 summer ball and we played in most of states best tourneys) says she wouldn't see that because of how quickly the ball gets to her. She is seeing ball not pitcher follow through. theoretically it seems possible. Do real players see it. I am just curious.

 

[riseball]

I hear this all the time. Could a few people ask their DD's (if they are pretty accomplished players) if they would read this follow through difference as part of their at bat. My DD (16U, last summer hit .500 summer ball and we played in most of states best tourneys) says she wouldn't see that because of how quickly the ball gets to her. She is seeing ball not pitcher follow through. theoretically it seems possible. Do real players see it. I am just curious.

As usual the theory and the reality are very different. I have found that most hitters even those considered "elite" are unable to process and capitalize on this information. The main reason for keeping all pitches looking the same is to promote overall consistency.

 

[Rocketech1]

I hear this all the time. Could a few people ask their DD's (if they are pretty accomplished players) if they would read this follow through difference as part of their at bat. My DD (16U, last summer hit .500 summer ball and we played in most of states best tourneys) says she wouldn't see that because of how quickly the ball gets to her. She is seeing ball not pitcher follow through. theoretically it seems possible. Do real players see it. I am just curious.

This is a good question. I know Hillhouse is a big proponent of making every pitch look the same but he played the game against men's elite batters. His thought is that batters are trying to gain an advantage, whether it's recognizing the grip, pitchers not hiding the ball as long possible in the backswing, or identifying a different follow through for different pitches.

As a pitcher, why not TRY to keep all the pitches look the same. IMO, the batters peripheral vision can pick up the hands finish after release even if they are focusing on the ball.

Buttermaker- my DD also has a flip change but she finishes more like a rollover drop which puts side spin on the changeup. Her arm and hand finishes low and towards her left hip, in a similar position as her other pitches. Just something to consider...