Mental Part

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Nov 4, 2008
9
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not sure what to do my DD, a junior in hs, been throwing 5 years, seeing the same pitching coach for the last 2 years, according to the coaches REVFIRE she is throwing 59 - 62, spinning her rise ball 22 - 24RPS, her rise hops ...
she has a good change, a decent drop and screw ..
anyway when she faces a team she knows is less than her's she blows them away,several perfect games this summer, this last weekend she is throwing against a GOLD team, several college coaches in the stands, she doesn't get out of the second inning, speed down, nothing breaking, can't hit the strike zone?? what do i do??
 

halskinner

Banned
May 7, 2008
2,681
0
What direction was the wind coming from at the time she was pitching??

If it was blowing from her TO the catcher, not much movement would happen, more than likely. Blowing from the catcher to the pitcher, should have been breaking well.

Playing in a location that has high humidity can make the ball feel heavy and act that way also.

Might not be a mental thing at all.

Hal
 

BLB

May 19, 2008
173
18
Regarding breaking pitches, Hal is absolutely correct. The wind direction has an very important bearing on the amount of break on different pitches.

First of all, an athlete must have a short term memory on certain things and a long term memory on other things. She must discover what fits where. A few things can effect a pitcher's speed and effectiveness. She must learn to evaluate and determine what effected her pitching regardless of whether it was a good outing or a bad one (but especially if it was a bad one). What was different between a good outing and this one then put together a plan of action that would address the problem. Some of the reasons could be muscling up/too much tension which leads to diminished speed and control. This can be a result of wanting to throw too hard, anxiety, lack of confidence which leads to anxiety, etc because of the situation. Gold team and college coaches present!!! A plan of action usually involves good communication and mental prep among other things. Doing a search and finding a good book on mental training can be a very good start. As you probably know, mental training is extremely important at the elite level. It teaches many things including ways to handle the on site situation and things that are beyond your control. Also, some athletes need to work on this part of the game even more than others. Just my humble opinion.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
So, do you guys suggest that she tell the college coaches to pitch her only on low humidity days when the wind isn't blowing? Get real...

Your DD isn't as good as you thought she was. It happens--in fact, 100% of daddies think their DD is better than she is.

First, you have to check your assumptions. Take her to a baseball academy and use the *SAME* speed gun the baseball scouts use. Some softball pitching coaches use inaccurate speed guns.

As to the breaking pitches, she only has one real breaking pitch. A mediocre drop ball equals *no* drop ball. Curves and screws are cute pitches, but they have marginal value. For the rise ball, how do you know it "hops"? Who says? You, as a daddy, cannot evaluate her pitches rationally. Your pitching coach may not be telling you the truth. Take her to someone else and asks for an evaluation.

If everything checks out and she really does throw the way you say she does, then you have a different problem.

(1) She could be giving clues about her pitch. Have someone else catch, and you simply watch. Have her throw a rise and then a fastball. Have her rotate pitches for a while, and then have her start throwing random pitches and see if you can tell what she is throwing before she the ball leaves her hand. The fix could be something so minor as to have her turn the ball over in her glove before throwing a fastball.

(2) She may know how to throw, but not how to pitch. Pitching requires adapting to the umpire's strike zone and knowledge of "how to get a batter to swing at bad pitches". There is method to learning an umpire's strike zone and what to do about it. She can't cry about bad umpires--it doesn't help. She has to adapt. Perhaps she also doesn't have the kind of control she needs.

(3) She could have become so nervous that she couldn't pitch. There is a whole science about getting peak performance for important games. It basically comes down to forgetting about everything but the execution of the pitch. A good rise ball is a good rise ball whether the batter swings or not. A good fastball is a good fastball even if the ball gets hit for a home run. She only controls throwing the ball. She does not control what happens after the ball leaves her hand. So, she has to focus on making each pitch perfect.

(4) She had a bad day. It happens.
 

halskinner

Banned
May 7, 2008
2,681
0
"So, do you guys suggest that she tell the college coaches to pitch her only on low humidity days when the wind isn't blowing? Get real..."

No. An experienced pitcher would want low humidity and a strong wind in her face. If you had ever pitched you would know that.

We can only hope that her Dad takes advice from someone that has experience playing the sport and not someone that gained all their knowledge setting in front of a TV watching videos.

The condition of the ground inside the circle can have a MAJOR effect on performance also, especially accuracy. However, the only ones that realize that fact are the ones that actually pitched. Everyone else is just somebody that watched someone else pitch and their advice should be taken as such.
 
Nov 4, 2008
9
0
first thanks for the replies ...

i sort of agree with slugger on the weather thing i think, i little strong maybe ...

and i am sure i am bias torwards my DD ...

but, as i stated in my original post she did really throw several perfect games this summer in tournaments, not against GOLD teams but perfect is perfect ...

and our pitching coach is using the new REVFIRE it seems to have good credentials ...

regardless wether he is a liar or not ...

i have held the device and watched the readings myself ...

thanks again for the replies ...
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
Hal, I didn't say that the weather did not affect pitching. Re-read my post. I said that a pitcher can't blame the weather for a bad performance. It was bad weather for both pitchers, correct?

Not all softball is played in southern California. In Chicagoland, playing with a 20 mph wind in the snow is a fact of life. Denny Throneberg wouldn't call off practice if it rained because he thought he might have to play important games in the rain.

Good pitchers control what they have in their ability to control, and don't worry about what they cannot control. They adapt.

As far as my pitching credentials go, I've trained one D1 all-conference pitcher. I also have a DD who was all-conference in basketball and has an NCAA championship ring. So, I probably more about what it takes to be successful in college sports than most pitching coaches. Pitching coaches do less than 1% of the work in developing a pitcher, and some then try to take 100% of the credit.
 
Aug 15, 2008
3
0
Just a little too testy in here. Although this is the first real urinal comparison I've come across on this forum.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
leap13, after your last post, I think I understand the situation a little more. Your DD threw against a Gold team and she didn't do as well as against regular teams and you want to know, "Why?"

Good hitters are much more disciplined than bad hitters. Also, a 62 mph fastball isn't going to get by a good hitter. In college, a 65 mph fastball isn't fast enough.

Against good hitters, a pitcher has to (1) determine the strike zone of the umpire and (2) pitch on the edges of that strike zone. A pitcher can't put anything down the middle of the plate because the good hitters will kill it. Additionally, good hitters will foul off pitches on the edge of the strike zone. A pitcher has to be able to hit all four corners of the strike zone, and she to do it over and over and over again. Against good hitters, a pitcher must have exceptional control or she will be in big trouble.

For example, a normal at bat is 4-5 pitches against a bad hitter. Against good hitters, the pitch count will go up to 8 or 10 pitches. If a pitcher can only hit the edges of the strike 50% of the time, then the batter will walk. So, the pitcher has to have extraordinary control or she will start walking batters.

Breaking pitches are effective against good hitters. BUT, most pitchers that have a breaking pitch can't throw it effectively in a game. E.g., most riseball pitchers start the riseball out too high, so the good hitters simply lay off anything up. (Your DD was probably scouted by the opposing team, and they knew her tendencies.)

To get a good hitter to chase the junk, the pitcher has to first show that she can in fact hit the corners of the umpire's strike zone.

Once the pitcher shows that she can throw strikes on the corners of the zone, then the fun begins. Now the batters have to try to swing at inside and outside pitches that are low or high, and the batters become vulnerable to the junk.
 

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