DD will be going into her first season of TB (11U)as pitcher. She came from a team where she was continuously reminded to "slow it down and just throw strikes." Although her current PC has tried to reinforce the idea that yes, accuracy and control are important, but she also needs to "throw hard." We are looking for any help or suggestions on changing her mindset so that each pitch she throws that is not a strike, is not the end of the world. She seems to be wearing her heart on her sleeve when she is in the circle.
Mindset for pitching
- Thread starter Larapitch
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- Nov 29, 2009
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Ok... There are two camps on this. One says slow it down to throw strikes, then learn how to throw it harder. I'm in the opposite camp. Throw the ball hard and learn the release point while performing near 100%. I've had some students who've been taught the slow down thing and what I find is when they are under pressure they slow the ball down too much with varying results. Most of the results are bad. The ball usually gets hit hard or their timing is so off they can't get near the strike zone.
This needs to be done in the off season. You can't make changes to a pitching motion and expect a pitcher to perform in games. It's not going to happen. It's too much to ask. What you need to do with her is to push her to throw the ball hard on every pitch. You have to work with a developing a strong leg drive, quick hips along, balance and sound mechanics that allow her to develop the correct timing. This takes time. It takes time bring all of these elements together while working at a high level without the focus being strikes. Once all the mechanical components come together the release timing comes as a natural part of the learning process. The key is whoever is working with the pitcher must not stress strikes at the beginning. They will come later. The other thing you need to do with an 11U pitcher is explain to her what the goals are and the necessary steps required to get there. Once she understands what's going on she'll practice with purpose instead of just being told to do something. That is the absolute key when it comes to teaching a girl how to pitch. Kids are much smarter than many adults give them credit for.
There is a lot of pressure on a player to perform and it is very difficult for them to change how they play. All you can do is make sure the Manager and her are on the same page. She needs to ignore all the other noise.
That might mean her disappointing other Teammates, with is very hard.
She needs to understand and support her long-term goals then stick with them.
That might mean her disappointing other Teammates, with is very hard.
She needs to understand and support her long-term goals then stick with them.
A college coach recently told my DD that she should have a goal of throwing 50% of her pitches so that they will be called strikes. The other 50% will either be chased or be balls. He pointed out that sometimes you have to come off the plate, to change the view point of the batter, and other times you are looking for them to swing at a bad pitch, and sometimes you just miss.
My girl had a hard time with keeping her emotions in check. She would either get mad at herself or mad at the ump. I used to tell her to take her time, clear her head and then pitch. Well after some really long innings, I realized she wasn't taking the extra time to clear her head, she was just reliving her bad pitch. So we went to a new tactic. Get the ball in your glove and be pitching in less then 10 seconds. The increase in pace didn't give her as much time to think about the last pitch and she was throwing more strikes as a result.
Coach-n-Dad
Crazy Daddy
- Oct 31, 2008
- 1,008
- 0
A good pitcher will not be concerned with what has already happened. She needs to focus ONLY on the next pitch and know what the situation is (what is the count, where are runners at, what is the play if I get the ball, etc...). This is a very difficult thing for some girls to command while in the circle.
There are MANY girls that can throw strikes and balls; there are FEW girls that can pitch.
There are MANY girls that can throw strikes and balls; there are FEW girls that can pitch.
I think your DD first has to learn to throw hard while learning the mechanics. If she learns to throw strikes slow she will have to relearn to throw faster later. But what is throwing hard? 100%, 90%, 80%. I believe that you don't want to force the ball you want to throw it and control it. So maybe hard at 11 years old may be 80% or 85% where she is working hard yet not forcing the ball. As she gets older and stronger she can increase to 90 - 95%. as for throwing a ball, there is nothing wrong with throwing a ball. A walk is not good but a ball is not bad. If you throw 3 strikes out of 6 pitches, the batter may be out or have hit the ball where your defense can make a play. That is 50% balls/strikes for each batter. If she walks a batter, its not the end of the world. I have found that if a pitcher has more strikeouts than walks she can still be in the game with a chance to win. Pitchers usually put the weight of winning and loosing on their shoulders but have to evaluate their own performance. If she pitched well and lost not to be overly hard on herself and if she pitched bad and won to not be too excited. She can only control what she does, work hard and use your defense. She is only 11 and it is still a game to be played not worked.
- Jul 26, 2010
- 3,554
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In my experience, the kids that are taught to "low down and throw strikes" at 10u, are the same kids that are throwing rainbows in 12u, and the same kids that are no longer pitching at 14u. The kids that throw hard at 10u but are less then accurate throw hard and more accurate at 12u and are the starting pitcher in 14u.
Your choice as to what your daughter wants to get out of softball pitching.
-W
Your choice as to what your daughter wants to get out of softball pitching.
-W
