My 9 yr old has put in a lot of work over the last yr. We bought Hillhouse's video and watched online clinic. Everythings lookn good, stride and circle straight. Using gravity to finish. good finish. Stayn open (most of time) until release. starting to get good rotation on ball, popin the glove and Striking girls out. In the off season should we work on the flip change, peel drop, or should we wait till she's older/more experienced?
Mechanics lookn good! What next? Peel or Change
- Thread starter Dragoncoach
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- Jul 26, 2010
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Work on hitting her spots first. When she can pitch consistently inside or outside while avoiding the middle of the plate, then teach her a change-up.
That said, there is not much harm in teaching her the release for a changeup (just not the whole pitch) so long as it doesn't confuse her fastball release.
-W
That said, there is not much harm in teaching her the release for a changeup (just not the whole pitch) so long as it doesn't confuse her fastball release.
-W
What do you mean about popping the glove? The glove should not hit the hip.
- Jun 21, 2010
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I assume this means hitting the catcher's mitt hard.
- May 13, 2008
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A changeup should be in every pitcher's repertoire; the sooner the better.
As far as learning the peel drop, if you're following Bill's instruction on the video you already have the basic mechanics down. Just release a little sooner at the back pocket.
As far as learning the peel drop, if you're following Bill's instruction on the video you already have the basic mechanics down. Just release a little sooner at the back pocket.
If she has some decent control and speed on her fastball, I would introduce the change-up now for two reasons: a) she might start getting bored with the same pitching drills and practices used just for her fastball. Introducing a new pitch is something new, exciting, challenging for her to work on. At this age you need to keep it FUN otherwise the girls get bored quickly. b) At 10U, a good fastball with the occasional change-up will be very effective. I disagree with starsnuffer, I don't see any downside to introducing the full mechanics for the c/u.
With the flip change, have her start by throwing it in a bucket 10 or 15 feet away, progessively make it farther away as she gets better at making it into the bucket consistently. Pretend there is a star at the back of DDs hand that she shows the catcher when she releases the pitch. You can even roll up socks and use a full length mirror to pitch to, this way she can see the back of her hand at release. You want to "sell" the pitch and her mechanics should look like she is throwing the fastball, everytime. My DDs teammate used to slap her leg with the glove everytime she threw the c/u (but never with the fastball), don't do this since batters might pick up on the cue.
Make sure you continue to practice the fastball, but introduce the change-up into your practice schedule. It will take some time for her to be consistent with it but it will be time well spent. I'll never forget the first time my DD struck-out one of her own players in practice. With two strikes, she threw the c/u and the batter ducked down out of the way as the ball floated in for a perfect strike down the middle the plate. The batter was completely fooled and thought the pitch was going to hit her.
Lastly, make sure she only throws the c/u to the best hitters, the weaker batters will probably struggle with the fastball anyways so do not throw them a slow pitch (c/u) that they can handle. When she gets good with it, have her learn to know when to throw it and when not to. I like my pitchers to be as self-sufficient as possible when in the circle, so they can think for themselves during the game.
Catchers mitt, sorry.
- May 7, 2008
- 174
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I'd start teaching the change. Tooooo many kids live till 13-14 on a fastball especially if they face weaker teams most of the time and do not put enough time into the change. I encourage the kids to get good enough with their change to throw it at 3-2. The first time they do this and see a batter either watch dumbfounded or spiral themselves into the ground they think its the greatest invention since ice cream.
Socal is right though, top four batters only for the change with weaker batters.
Socal is right though, top four batters only for the change with weaker batters.
Change up is definitely going to help her out. Remember that change doesn't have to be a flip change. Your DD may be able to change speed simply by changing up her grip but still keeping everything else pretty much the same so she can really groove those mechanics well.
Agree with cshilt - if using Bill's info, peel drop is already "there" it's just a matter of release. If your DD is like mine, she may actually throw it by "accident" if she releases a little earlier than she's "supposed" to on a particular pitch. My DD has gotten a lot of batters to swing over that or ground out weakly.
Good luck to your DD!
Agree with cshilt - if using Bill's info, peel drop is already "there" it's just a matter of release. If your DD is like mine, she may actually throw it by "accident" if she releases a little earlier than she's "supposed" to on a particular pitch. My DD has gotten a lot of batters to swing over that or ground out weakly.
Good luck to your DD!
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