10u, worry about location, location, location. Breaking pitches are pointless at 10u. If you want a riseball, just throw some high heat. If you want a curveball, just throw some outside corner heat. Drop ball? Yep, low heat.
Pitch Calling
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10u, worry about location, location, location. Breaking pitches are pointless at 10u. If you want a riseball, just throw some high heat. If you want a curveball, just throw some outside corner heat. Drop ball? Yep, low heat.
- Aug 21, 2008
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Ray, I would love to see Monica's actual quote about throwing "fastballs". And even if so, that's the exception the proves the rule.
Of course there are issues with umpires, strikezone's, etc. Ray, don't forget... just like your daughter was 11 years old pitching on the field while you were cheering her on, I was also 11 and on the field doing it myself. And there's no magic bullet for what to do if an ump isn't calling a pitch that should be a strike a ball. Adjust and adapt, that's all I can say. Anyone who is good enough to have a pitch that moves so much that it isn't a strike would surely be good enough to throw one that is a strike. And sometimes the umpire just plain sucks.
Using 10U as our sample for this is not fair. First of all, in many cases, if a pitcher can simply throw a ball 35-40 feet they will get 15k's per game by girls afraid to swing the bat. My point is, why not start them with the drop ball NOW and never let them utter the word Fastball? I guess this one will be answered right after someone tells me why girls aren't taught how to call their own games from behind the plate and always have to look into a coach for the pitch. Of course then they'd have to get rid of those nifty wrist bands.
Bill
Of course there are issues with umpires, strikezone's, etc. Ray, don't forget... just like your daughter was 11 years old pitching on the field while you were cheering her on, I was also 11 and on the field doing it myself. And there's no magic bullet for what to do if an ump isn't calling a pitch that should be a strike a ball. Adjust and adapt, that's all I can say. Anyone who is good enough to have a pitch that moves so much that it isn't a strike would surely be good enough to throw one that is a strike. And sometimes the umpire just plain sucks.
Using 10U as our sample for this is not fair. First of all, in many cases, if a pitcher can simply throw a ball 35-40 feet they will get 15k's per game by girls afraid to swing the bat. My point is, why not start them with the drop ball NOW and never let them utter the word Fastball? I guess this one will be answered right after someone tells me why girls aren't taught how to call their own games from behind the plate and always have to look into a coach for the pitch. Of course then they'd have to get rid of those nifty wrist bands.
Bill
- Nov 3, 2012
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Sluggers,
Would it be fair to say Monica Abotts fastball still has some top spin. Its not just a straight pitch?
Would it be fair to say Monica Abotts fastball still has some top spin. Its not just a straight pitch?
- May 17, 2012
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How else will they execute my brilliant master plan without a wristband?
Heck yes they need wrist bands, they look at them to appease me and do what they want.
The OP was asking about 16U or HS varsity....
IMO a ball with zero movement is a batting practice pitch... As for a bullet spin fastball, this could be used as an 0-2 pitch if thrown 2-3 balls high in the zone to hopefully get the batter to chase. But otherwise, stick with movement pitches and stay low in the zone.
IMO a ball with zero movement is a batting practice pitch... As for a bullet spin fastball, this could be used as an 0-2 pitch if thrown 2-3 balls high in the zone to hopefully get the batter to chase. But otherwise, stick with movement pitches and stay low in the zone.
- Sep 29, 2014
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I always thought it was kinda hard to throw the ball straight. I taught myself several years ago so I could better teach kids and throw BP and my DD wanted to catch so it was win,win,win. My pitch always seemed to have a little tail on it, as Bill said why would you want to throw it straight?
I do think it is important though at young age to teach location. If you call low and outside and your pitcher can't hit that spot more than half the time then why are you even calling pitches. At 10U and 12U I would stand behind the plate and call four quadrants high/inside, low/outside etc. and if the pitchers could not hit the spots I was calling about 3 out of 4 times I would not call pitches what was the point...only thing I would do was call change ups occasionally but I would teach the catcher and they would catch on themselves most of the time.
I do think it is important though at young age to teach location. If you call low and outside and your pitcher can't hit that spot more than half the time then why are you even calling pitches. At 10U and 12U I would stand behind the plate and call four quadrants high/inside, low/outside etc. and if the pitchers could not hit the spots I was calling about 3 out of 4 times I would not call pitches what was the point...only thing I would do was call change ups occasionally but I would teach the catcher and they would catch on themselves most of the time.
- Feb 7, 2013
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Monica Abbott throws 75mph, she is definitely the exception to the rule. Would be curious to ask her catcher if Monica has any movement to her pitches? My guess is she does and can spot her locations very well.
As a side note, freshman DD plays JV and does not throw her "fastball". The only time she throws a "fastball" is as the first warm-up pitch for about 10 pitches. After that its all about working on the movement pitches.
As a side note, freshman DD plays JV and does not throw her "fastball". The only time she throws a "fastball" is as the first warm-up pitch for about 10 pitches. After that its all about working on the movement pitches.
- Nov 3, 2012
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In Softball, if you throw a fastball correctly, you're really throwing a dropball. Its a peel drop. Ive had coaches call for a fastball when by DD pitches, but she throws it hard and tries to get as much 6-12 topspin as she can on it. In our own personal lingo, "dropball = fastball".
As she gets older and better, she sometimes flattens it out and locates it on a corner and can put some curve on it but less drop. Yes, I think it gets hit a little more and its something she's learned on her own. But it is more of an adjustment when the ump wont give the low outside strike at the knees.
As she gets older and better, she sometimes flattens it out and locates it on a corner and can put some curve on it but less drop. Yes, I think it gets hit a little more and its something she's learned on her own. But it is more of an adjustment when the ump wont give the low outside strike at the knees.
