Hello all, I am a new softball Dad and I couldnt be happier. My daughter started playing last year on rec. league and did well enough batting and fielding to be asked to join a traveling team. She did an incredible job for being a first year player.IMO. This fall she asked me if she could take pitching lessons. So I found a reputible pitching coach in our area and started the long painful process of becoming her battery mate behind the plate. I love the fun we are having and she seems to enjoy it. My concern is that I dont know if she is cut out for pitching. Everything she has ever done has come easy to her but this seems to be more of a challenge. Can I get some feedback from all of you softball parents on what to expect the first couple years. I support her 100% and we have a great relationship. her pitching coach has told me that she will be a very good pitcher. I sometimes wonder to myself if that will be the case when I am chasing balls and healing bruised shins.LOL. I would like to hear some stories from you guys so I know that I am not the only father that has went through this. I know that it is very hard to learn and I have been patient I just want to make sure that I am not going to lead her down a dead end road. Thank you and God Bless
newbie Dad needs advice on 9 yr. old pitcher
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- Nov 29, 2009
- 2,973
- 83
I've often heard people complain that pitchers are coddled. In a way it's true. If it was easy then everyone would do it. If your SS goes down you can move another player into the spot. If your pitcher goes down you can't just move someone into the position. It has to be another pitcher.
When I start with a new student I tell the parents that learning how to pitch is like running a marathon. It is a long process that can vary in time depending on the girl. I make it clear that it's also a bunch of forward and backwards steps. The girl will be doing something well till something new added to the motion and she has to readjust everything to move forward. The key word is patience. Yes, balls will go EVERYWHERE!!!! She will start by throwing 1 out of 10 right. Slowly that number increase and she develops the proper muscle memory to control the ball. Remember, she is also in a changing body as well as trying to learn a new skill. It takes time. Don't panic. As long as she's having fun and wants to learn you're miles ahead.
You say her well known pitching coach says she'll become a good pitcher. If he says so I would tend to believe it. I can work with a younger girl for a few weeks and tell if she has what it takes to pitch well. There are basically 4 types of kids who want to learn how to pitch. You have those who see the pitchers getting all the attention and want some of the same. They will try it for a little while and figure out it's too much work to do it well. There are kids who want to learn. The have all heart and desire but nature did not bestow them with physical skill set to excel at it no matter how hard they work at it. There are those who posses the work ethic and enough of a skill set to be average pitchers. Then there are the naturals. These are the kids who have the physical skills to take what is shown them and put it to use almost instantly. The are fluid, strong and quick. They make teaching pitching easy and a lot of fun. Out of the last group you'll find 1 in 20 who has it all and then some coupled with ability to handle the mental side of pitching.
When I start with a new student I tell the parents that learning how to pitch is like running a marathon. It is a long process that can vary in time depending on the girl. I make it clear that it's also a bunch of forward and backwards steps. The girl will be doing something well till something new added to the motion and she has to readjust everything to move forward. The key word is patience. Yes, balls will go EVERYWHERE!!!! She will start by throwing 1 out of 10 right. Slowly that number increase and she develops the proper muscle memory to control the ball. Remember, she is also in a changing body as well as trying to learn a new skill. It takes time. Don't panic. As long as she's having fun and wants to learn you're miles ahead.
You say her well known pitching coach says she'll become a good pitcher. If he says so I would tend to believe it. I can work with a younger girl for a few weeks and tell if she has what it takes to pitch well. There are basically 4 types of kids who want to learn how to pitch. You have those who see the pitchers getting all the attention and want some of the same. They will try it for a little while and figure out it's too much work to do it well. There are kids who want to learn. The have all heart and desire but nature did not bestow them with physical skill set to excel at it no matter how hard they work at it. There are those who posses the work ethic and enough of a skill set to be average pitchers. Then there are the naturals. These are the kids who have the physical skills to take what is shown them and put it to use almost instantly. The are fluid, strong and quick. They make teaching pitching easy and a lot of fun. Out of the last group you'll find 1 in 20 who has it all and then some coupled with ability to handle the mental side of pitching.
My DD just turned 11 this month and has been taking lessons for a little over a year. Last year, she pitched in Spring and Summer Rec with some success, but wasn't ready to pitch for her TB team. She turned the corner this past August. I noticed her able to correct bad pitches during lessons and practice in the backyard. One pitch in the dirt, next one down the middle. A pitch way inside, the next one down the middle. From there, she improved her mechanics and learned a couple of change up grips. Now, she's picked up her speed a bit and is poised to be the #1 on her TB team this Spring.
If your daughter is enjoying it, you're doing everything right. Be patient and supportive, don't get caught up in MPH or strike to ball ratio. Just encourage her to pay attention to her PC and try her best. The rest will take of itself.
...and think about getting a set of shin guards.
If your daughter is enjoying it, you're doing everything right. Be patient and supportive, don't get caught up in MPH or strike to ball ratio. Just encourage her to pay attention to her PC and try her best. The rest will take of itself.
...and think about getting a set of shin guards.
daughter is a pitcher. My shins are so sensitive it hurts to put my socks on. I guess I should use my glove instead of me shins LOL!. Keep working with her 4 times a week and focus on location because speed will come with age. When my daughter was that age she was ready to pitch when I got home from work. I got my glove and to the backyard we went. I had plenty of holes in my side door because of errant pitches but that is a small price to pay because she had a passion to pitch. Dont neglect the other aspects of the game like I did. Keep her hitting and fielding because you never know what the future holds. Enjoy this time and take pictures. It goes by far too quickly.
- Feb 17, 2011
- 201
- 16
for the most part pitchers are not born, they are made at home on your own time. the only thing that will make a good pitcher is reps., and lots of them. encourage her to throw hard, focus on the mechanics, and develop a thick skin. in addition to a very specialized skill set a pitcher must have the proper mindset also. those that drop out either cant handle the pressure or dont have the desire to put in the time that is needed to obtain the skill set. you know your dd better than anyone and you must sense that she is enough of a competitor to handle this journey you two have embarked upon. yes it will be a journey for both of you. you will be blessed with more one on one time with your daughter than a dozen other men you know who have daughters combined so enjoy... they are women before you know it.
A bit an aside: if you don't want to get the full catcher's leg guards, then get a pair of soccer shin guards. They're cheap, light, and you can just keep them in your bucket.
At ages 9 - 11 (your dd is 9) it is not wasted time to have her try to pitch even if she doesn't turn out to be one when she gets older. it is fun, it gives her a discipline, it lets you and her spend quality time together, gives her a dream. Depending on her physical stature she should be developing some consistency as a 10 year old and her velocity and accuracy should start to match or exceed the average pitcher of similar age in your area. Between 10 and 11 you'll begin to sense a bit better about her progress by comparing her to other players her age that are successful. She should be at or around their level. 11 - 12 in my opinion would be around the time to start to more seriouslly evaluate her interest because the years following the talent really starts to seperate. 9 is very young...enjoy and post her video on this site so others can tell you if she is mechanically headed in the right direction. The term reputable pitching coach is subjective. You want to make sure she is on track.
- Oct 19, 2009
- 638
- 0
Wait till she bounces one just right off the corner of home plate and it splits your jaw. My 9yo did that to me last month. I've been punched in the nose by full grown men that didn't hurt as bad as that did. My ears quit ringing after a couple weeks. Not sure if I'm persistent or just dumb but I still catch her without catcher's gear.
As far as whether she's cut out for it, you don't know if you don't try. Just like everything else some kids pick it up faster than others. I know one girl who's been going to lessons almost two years and works with her parents routinely and still couldn't find the strike zone with a team of blood hounds.
As far as whether she's cut out for it, you don't know if you don't try. Just like everything else some kids pick it up faster than others. I know one girl who's been going to lessons almost two years and works with her parents routinely and still couldn't find the strike zone with a team of blood hounds.
My dd became pitcher by default their first year of playing cause she was the only one that could lob the ball close to the plate. When they called us to play ball for the first time...i got her out in the yard and would lobbed the ball to her from 5 yds away...she lobbed it back. I thought how cute and fun. Same with batting...lob and if she made contact wahooo!
Then the first game came...there was a little miniature professional girl... pitching the ball like crazy for the other team. Who knew you could do that in softball? I didn't.
Four years later she can hold her own with that little pitcher from back then. You don't know till they have put in the time and effort.
Mad hornet: I had been wearing shin guards but in our indoor facility, they have the plate on hard rubber matts....after one close call of the ball hitting the corner lip and nearly knocking me out...i wear the face mask too now. Your going to have to go to it sooner or later...may as well stay safe now.
Then the first game came...there was a little miniature professional girl... pitching the ball like crazy for the other team. Who knew you could do that in softball? I didn't.
Four years later she can hold her own with that little pitcher from back then. You don't know till they have put in the time and effort.
Mad hornet: I had been wearing shin guards but in our indoor facility, they have the plate on hard rubber matts....after one close call of the ball hitting the corner lip and nearly knocking me out...i wear the face mask too now. Your going to have to go to it sooner or later...may as well stay safe now.
