Pitch Calling - High or Low?

[Towny9]

Is your coach a former baseball guy? Things may have changed in the last 10 years, but historically you would not see a two-sign system in baseball, and rarely saw an “up” sign (which usually was a thumb or sometimes a high glove pump in the instances where it would be used). Pitchers typically just decided when to work up on their own, and normally that was only a fastball up and in.

At 12u, the old baseball approach might work, but once a pitcher has a legit rise ball, I can see why a two-sign quadrant approach would be easier, so as to throw the low and high rise. But besides the rise (or a “fastball” if a pitcher has no rise), I am not sure there is a softball pitch that you would normally ever go “up” with—at least not regularly enough to have a separate sign.


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I think you hit the nail on the head what I have been thinking reading this thread. As a former baseball guy and pitcher my coaches rarely wanted the ball up in the zone. The rare occasions being when we were climbing the ladder for effect. I have heard a lot of baseball coaches including the ones who coached me say the same mantra over and over - Inside means inside and outside means down.

 

[Rolling Hard]

I really don't believe in low rise all or high dropballs. I know some pitcher throw them but at 12u? I want the ball moving away from the strike zone not into it. Although I do occasionally like an inside CB to righties from right handed pitcher. Batter thinks the ball is going to hit them in the elbow but gets a called a strike.

 

[uncdrew]

What is pretty common? For a coach to have 5 different calls for East/West locations and Zero calls for North/South? Ummmmm, I will need some convincing of that.

Our last three travel ball coaches had it, as does one of her friend's team that we picked up with. Perhaps it's a local, young age thing.

... and if you think 1-5 for location is complicated... perhaps you're not as smart as a 12 year old.

My way of saying it's not complicated at all. There is zero complication with our pitch calling.

 

[El Oso]

Our last three travel ball coaches had it, as does one of her friend's team that we picked up with. Perhaps it's a local, young age thing.

... and if you think 1-5 for location is complicated... perhaps you're not as smart as a 12 year old.

My way of saying it's not complicated at all. There is zero complication with our pitch calling.

Lol!!!!!

 

[djcarter1966]

Here is my deal with calling pitches. Stand behind your pitcher tell them to throw pitches and you will tell them the location using 4 quadrants high away, high in, low away low in. After 30 pitches or so if she can hit the spot you call over 60% of the time you are wasting everyone's time and just stroking parents egos. In this case I just tell my pitcher to try and stay low and away as much as possible and pray for the best. I will have a cue for just get it over the plate. Also might have a cue for a change up but everything is just window dressing. Especially at 12 year old of lot of people are wasting time. Now once you have a real pitcher who can hit their spots and has 3 pitches that she actually has command of I go full speed ahead with type of pitch and location on a 9 quadrant system called every pitch and oh by the way it's never at age 12 and rarely at 14 (usually a good 2/3 pitch 4 quadrant system is more than enough for a good 14 YO pitcher).

 

[uncdrew]

Thanks all. I do really like the quadrant system. I'll bring it up in conversation with my DD and her coach (separately). Also will ask DD's pitching instructor, who we simply haven't seen since the question popped into my head.

 

[mmeece]

I mean does anyone pitch a low riseball or a high dropball much? And our change-ups are not pitched high either.

This probably answers most of your question. I called pitches for several years and gave in/out but did not call high/low very often. I let the pitch itself and the pitcher dictate that. Very few pitchers will effectively throw a high dropball. If I had a REALLY good riseball pitcher we would work it on 3 levels, but I normally had my pitchers work their rise at the top of the zone, or had a call for out of the zone as well. I never wanted a change up high, and only called fastballs when I just really needed a strike, so I didn't call high/low for those either. I always let my pitchers throw their curve or screw at the height they felt comfortable with. I guess if you are throwing a BUNCH of fastballs or have a really good riseball pitcher high/low becomes more important, but most of the time I just didn't feel like we needed it. There is also something to be said for letting the P work her own game to some extent.

 

[_MIA_]

Thanks all. I do really like the quadrant system. I'll bring it up in conversation with my DD and her coach (separately). Also will ask DD's pitching instructor, who we simply haven't seen since the question popped into my head.

One thing I will say though is that perhaps it isn't such a horrible thing to let her call at least part of the game...

 

[Rick M]

It’s been a couple of years since I called pitches in a game, but I still use the same signs for DD in lessons and practice sessions, and it works pretty well.

Two signs: one for pitch and one for location. Instead of quadrants, I typically just used up, down, in, and out. My philosophy was along the lines of “miss in one direction,” so a pitch called high should be reasonably over the plate. A pitch outside should be at the belt, etc.

A drop outside would be low, a rise inside meant up & in. An inside curve was trying to break over the plate. I also used different fingers for pitch and location. 1-4 was pitch type, location was index or pinky, fist or five down.


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[uncdrew]

One thing I will say though is that perhaps it isn't such a horrible thing to let her call at least part of the game...

Agreed. When she's on the bench she sits next to the coach and he explains (as he has time) why he is calling certain pitches. So she's learning strategery.