mental aspect

[bigboyk]

While we seem to spend countless hours discussing the technical aspects of pitching, I think sometimes we overlook the the mental frame of mind it takes to be a quality pitcher. My DD (12u) played on a travel team with a loud overbearing coach that she actually feared, he would warn her before every game that if she walked 2 batters she was coming out. Every time she walked a batter she would look over at the bench to see if she was getting yanked. Any ball that got by the catcher was a wild pitch. She eventually told me she really didn't like pitching anymore. So, after a long talk we decided to leave the team and take a break, after two weeks she said she would like to play again. We went to a couple of tryouts and found a coach that she had pitched against and he really wanted her to play with his team. After a fall season and now beginning a spring in 14u she and another pitcher split pitching time and she is a different kid. The coach has confidence in her and she has confidence in herself now. And yes, we beat out old team in a big regional tourney, I was very proud!!
I think I've read it here before " For a boy to feel good he must play well, for a girl to play well she must feel good".

 

[ang4yanks]

BigBoyK...

I've seen it and my child experienced it. Coach had his focus on winning over athletic development of pitcher. Sad, sad, sad. Giving a pitcher the freedom to allow baserunners and turn that into a positive challenge to work themselves out of trouble is the very thing that sharpens confidence, skill, and thriving under adversity. That coach was feeding your dd a pregame message that he didn't believe in her and had no confidence in her ability. How in the world is an athlete going to develop her game and positive self-concept (ESPECIALLY in puberty) under that type of leadership. So happy she identified it and your family supported the change.

Good luck!

 

[sluggers]

Giving a pitcher the freedom to allow baserunners and turn that into a positive challenge to work themselves out of trouble is the very thing that sharpens confidence, skill, and thriving under adversity.

That is silly.

At HS varsity, college or high level travel ball, walking batters will and should get the pitcher pulled. You walk batters against the good teams, and you will lose.

 

[Jojo]

You should always pitch with confidence, you've got no business in the circle if your not confident enough to think you can win the game.
Now getting this confidence......
This is where the pitcher and the coach need to be on the same page. The coach needs to have confidence in the pitcher, in younger ages if a coach sends out a pitcher with a statement, you get 2 walks and your coming out, well then your not sending her out with much confidence. In HS/college, I wouldn't even say it like that. It would be more like, "This is an important game, I know you can do this, Sally is going to stay warm in case you get into trouble, and you and I both know a walk in this game can be a lot of trouble."
When they are younger you do need to find a good fit between your DD and her coach. Some kids thrive under threat and discipline, others don't. Just remember to find the one that gets the MOST out of your DD, not just the one that makes her happy.
She isn't going to be able to pick her high school coach, by then it's her job to give the coach the confidence he/she needs.

 

[Dave D]

I agree with Ray--in my time as a HS coach, I rarely let a pitcher get beyond 3 or 4 walks in a game if I had someone I could go to (sadly, not always the case).

With my 14U B team last year, we had three first year pitchers (plus a more experienced #1). We all worked hard to develop them athletically IN PRACTICE, then gave them a chance to develop their skills and game acumen in tourneys. I put all of them on a four walk/7 walk limit. 4 in any inning got them pulled and they knew it. 7 in a game was it, too. Sure, we sacrificed some Saturday and consolation games to their experience building, but it has paid off going into this year. The girls pitched last year with the knowledge that there was a performance standard they would be held to (not a very high standard, but a standard, nonetheless). This summer, the stakes go up, and the girls know about it going in. They compete with one another in practice to have the lowest total #of walks and hits given up. Walks count double. While I don't want them grooving pitches just to avoid walks, I'd rather they threw it over the middle than two feet high or wide. What do others think? What's a good walk limit (if any) to put on your pitching staff?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Buy Mental Fundamentals, Baseball, Softball. It is excellent. Authors Karl Kuehl and John Kuhl. It is getting an outstanding review on another site.


http://www.coachbuy.com/

 

[ang4yanks]

That is silly.

At HS varsity, college or high level travel ball, walking batters will and should get the pitcher pulled. You walk batters against the good teams, and you will lose.

Sorry Sluggers, isn't the case. My dd is 14yrs old and pitching Varsity HS Ball in addition to a travel team. She walked one, one reached on an infield error and came back to strike out the next three batters in order. I have seen it numerious times and constant improvements. The coach believes in his team, the athlete believes in themselves and pitchers are developing under adversity. Her ERA is .61..Ray. We are blessed by coaches who know her potential and where her recovery line is...Her era is .61 and the team is 7-1. Strong, well qualified team members is providing a very exciting season! I am sure you are stating the exception and not the rule, Ray...

 

[bigboyk]

I think it is stupid to tell a 12 yr old kid that if you walk 2 batters I'm yanking you. There is enough pressure without being told that before you walk out to the circle. I was told that we should have secretly taped the coaches actions throughout a game and send it to them. I'm sure that they would be shocked at what they would see, but the same could be said for some parents as well!!!

 

[Amy in AZ.]

bigboyk, I have you have hit upon a new business idea. You could set up a tent at tournaments, film coaches and parents and sell the videos to people that can then exploit the coach, etc.

I know for certain, if someone has a video camera on me, I suddenly become the smiling diva of softball.

 

[batsics1]

Setting a walk limit isn’t coaching it is managing and there is a big difference. A manager sets performance expectations; a coach evaluates performance.

Softball is about right now, this pitch. A pitcher worried about getting pulled if they walk another batter is pitching to the future. It is every bit as dangerous as worrying about the last pitch that the batter bounced off the fence.

A coach evaluates the performance: is the umpire squeezing the zone; is the pitcher consistently missing high; are the batters reading her pitches, etc.? A coach evaluates the performer: is she frustrated; scared; battling? A coach makes decisions based on their evaluation of the situation.

Setting walk limits is a crutch and a trap. It appears to be fair to all the pitchers, but it’s not. A coach should be willing to pull the ace without giving up a walk if she has lost her cool and allow another pitcher to continue even if she has walked several batters when she is battling. A coach needs to accept that they will get burned from time to time on their decisions and learn from every decision. A coach helps a player to understand why the decision was made and helps the player learn from the experience.

Setting specific limits or expectations for a player is a prescription for disappointment. It places the focus on results which are in the future. Results happen because a player is totally focused on the moment. A player worried they will get benched if they don’t get a hit or walk another batter will always be at a disadvantage.