Left Handed Pitcher

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Nov 18, 2013
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Thank you everyone for the advice. She does have a solid bat and can play CF as well, but she is not as fast as she should be at CF in my opinion. There is no school ball as a option till next year. She will put in the work to pitch, and see how she develops. I think right now she has self doubt because she is starting a little older than most kids. After reading suggestions I think playing on a team she will get to pitch on is then best fit for her. Thanks everyone!

I’d have a talk with her to see what she likes about softball the most, particularly her current team. Moving down to a lower team will come at a price. Does she like playing top competition? Is giving up the coaching and commitment of the girls on her current team to be a pitcher worth it? Will she be happy on a team where school dances and weekends at the lake might trump softball? Will she mind playing alongside kids whose first love is basketball and softball is just to keep them active? Does she have the patience and desire to teach other kids who might be new to the sport? It very well could be that pitching will become her first love and she wants to do whatever it takes to get there. If that’s how she feels, a B team is perfect. If she’s not in it 100%, there’s a lot of issues to consider if she drops a level.
 
Apr 28, 2014
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Can't add much more except one thing.. Pitching will tear your heart out as a parent. You will experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It's an emotional rollercoaster like none other in any sport. It puts a huge amount of stress on the family and can help to make everyone stronger or break open some pain points. It will also require a ton of work on you and your family. It takes a village to develop a pitcher. That said there is nothing quite like seeing a shy kid develop into a warrior in front of your very eyes. As a dad I've learned that being a teenage girl can be very tough, but having to put in the time, effort and work it takes to become a successful pitcher helps develop the skills it takes to overcome many of the struggles that life can throw at a young woman. It's a crazy ride, but for us we wouldn't have it any other way. Good Luck and post here often!
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
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Orlando, FL
Do not think for a minute that your DD is starting too late. At her age she if she is properly motivated she will progress quickly. I would much rather work with someone like your DD who is a clean canvas than a kid with years of ingrained bad habits and misconceptions. It is a lot more work to tear the house down and rebuild than to build it right the first time.
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,612
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Do not think for a minute that your DD is starting too late. At her age she if she is properly motivated she will progress quickly. I would much rather work with someone like your DD who is a clean canvas than a kid with years of ingrained bad habits and misconceptions. It is a lot more work to tear the house down and rebuild than to build it right the first time.

So true.

I'm very happy/fortunate that my DD started pitching with a professional coach. The 4 pitchers on our 10U travel team all take group lessons and the two who had pitched before had to overcome a lot of bad habits, whereas my DD simply had to do what he instructed.
 
Aug 21, 2008
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I'm not really able to add much that hasn't already been said. But those who have advised that pitching isn't a "part time" thing are absolutely right. It has to be a lifestyle, not something you dabble in if you want results. In this game, the more you touch the ball, the harder you need to work!!! So, pitchers and catchers need to work twice as hard as others in reality. Personally, when I was a young pitcher (12-18 years old) I pitched EVERY DAY trying to get better. I lived, dreamed, slept, breathed, ate, and poured my heart into pitching. I didn't do my best at school because I was too obsessed with fastpitch, pitching, etc. Obviously looking back I wish I had done better, but I may not have done what I've done, gone where I've gone and become who I am if I did things differently. So she has to want this.

Bill
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,612
113
My daughter played rec ball and transitioned to travel early because she was very competitive at a young age. At 8U she joined a travel team that had a bunch of natural athletes. My daughter is NOT a natural athlete. That team was very good and even won a 10U C level tournament at 8U. By 10U they won the State Open Tournament.

We decided that if she wanted to continue to play at a high level she either needed to be a catcher or pitcher. Teams always need a good catcher or pitcher. Even a mediocre pitcher can stay around longer and be utilized. She was not very good at first and her team had a flamethrower and was a natural. One mother even said, "Either you have it or don't", referring to pitching ability.

My daughter quickly shot up in height (and is still growing). With great coaching she became the teams #1 pitcher by 10U. By 11U other teams were recruiting her to play for them. She is now the #1 on the best A team we could get her on. (IMO there are only 2 other teams better, and she's trying out for one in a month).

Being tall definitely helps. They have longer levers and that equates to speed. But by 14U a pitcher can no longer blow fastballs by every girl. Speed and movement become important. But speed is an important part of the equation. Being lefty helps too. Being fast and lefty, well, it's a great combination. The #2 on our team is tall and lefty, but doesn't have as good spin. So your daughter has 2 traits that can't be learned or taught, being tall and lefty!

If your daughter wants to pitch, the only way to get better is to pitch. She won't get better at pitching playing first base. The only girl I know who throws as well as my daughter (and is lefty) is on the number #1 team in the area. Your daughter has two important traits already that can't be taught....tall and lefty!

How does she feel about changing teams so often? I see that a lot of my daughter's joy comes from the game, but a lot also comes from the teammates. She's 9. Perhaps that fades some as they age.
 
Jan 4, 2019
30
8
I'm not really able to add much that hasn't already been said. But those who have advised that pitching isn't a "part time" thing are absolutely right. It has to be a lifestyle, not something you dabble in if you want results. In this game, the more you touch the ball, the harder you need to work!!! So, pitchers and catchers need to work twice as hard as others in reality. Personally, when I was a young pitcher (12-18 years old) I pitched EVERY DAY trying to get better. I lived, dreamed, slept, breathed, ate, and poured my heart into pitching. I didn't do my best at school because I was too obsessed with fastpitch, pitching, etc. Obviously looking back I wish I had done better, but I may not have done what I've done, gone where I've gone and become who I am if I did things differently. So she has to want this.

Bill

Thank you for the feedback. We struggled finding anyone who knew your methods in our area. Most everyone taught HE and one guy taught more of the forearm fire style. Once we found someone who at least talked about the whip we were able to get her some help. She is pitching right now 3-4 nights a week and will get pitching time playing on the C team. We were able to work it out where she will guest as 1st base with the A team to keep the other skills up. She is all in and working hard.
 

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