Live pitching during practice??

[Hollyrockartist]

Would love to know what y'all's opinion on this is. DDs school ball team has been practicing all summer and started every day this week. Tonight was the first night that the batters have seen live pitching. The pitchers haven't been pitching to them - have been using a pitching machine. The pitchers, I guess, work with a private instructor, so do not pitch during practice. Would it not make sense for both the pitchers and the players to use live pitching during practice? Please, someone who knows something satisfy my curiousity! I have been wondering about this for weeks...

 

[Amy in AZ.]

If you are asking, should your own players pitch to their own teammates in practice? Then, I say "no." I do not do it.

I have someone else throw some sort of live pitching.

 

[andyh64000]

What age? And amy why not?

 

[amanda_cake]

For my school team, we use the pitching machine a lot. Every once in a while, we'll hit off live pitching.

For other teams I've played on, some had living pitching either by player or coach at every practice. Another team--all pitching machine. Pitcher=#1 in league, folks at All Stars always thought it was funny when they had her pitch to her regular season teammates. Happened to me a couple of weeks ago, I could probably count on my hands the number of times I'd hit off of her. For our reg season team, we just don't do it.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

You either are having batting practice or pitching practice, not both. I do not want my pitchers or students throwing 200 pitches to their own team (you would be surprised how quickly it adds up.) I do not want the pitcher to get hit by a line drive during practice and I want her throwing 100% all of the time. There is just too much of an opportunity to get hurt or end up messing around.

 

[andyh64000]

I see your point. I think simulated games for a few innings can be helpful though at younger ages but especially as they get older I would hate to see them get hurt.

 

[SoftSocDad]

Amy's got the wisdom of the ages, but even among the 'new age' set , this just isn't done.

The pitching is live, as in non-machine, but it's handled by a coach and/or spare position player, never the actual pitchers.

I guess there's the occasional intra-squad scrimmage, but that's a one-time 'show me what you've got' sort of event that wouldn't be repeated on a weekly basis.

 

[SnocatzDad]

I'm with most here. One time this season we did live pitching is a spot where I felt it would be of the most value and it was 100% pitchers trying to strike out kids, batters trying to get hits of the pitchers. Catchers called balls and strikes and you got an at bat, not BP. 2 other times I did live pitching to work on bunt execution (offense and defense) and again it was real at bats, not pitch to me til I bunt BP.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Snocatz has it right, I believe. You want your pitchers to get some time throwing to pitchers, but generally they get enough of that during games.

Men can learn to pitch to these girls, with the sling shot method. Move up close, use a lot of balls, keep a net in front of you and move the girls through quickly, after about 5 pitches.

But many times, the pitcher throws and throws to a batter that isn't swinging and then, you decide to give her "one more" - and everyone else on the field is standing.

Good question, rockartist.

 

[Wookie]

Seeing only maching pitching will make the batters great - at hitting perfect pitches. How many coaches want their pitchers to throw right down the middle? The batters must learn to see and hit a variety of pitches - inside, outside, high, low, etc. And the pitchers must learn to throw to batters during game-like situations, which means a live batter every once in a while. We have pitchers who can't throw inside during a game because they're afraid to hit the batter or when they do they lose their emotional control. If you're afraid of having your pitcher get hurt, get a screen. And I want my pitchers to try to strike out the batters, and the batters to rip the pitches - don't we want them both to do that during a game? They need to practice under conditions as similar to that of a game as possible. But there does need to be a mix involved - just like we use tee's, soft toss, side toss, etc.