Pitch Calling

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Nov 22, 2016
57
8
As a coach of a 14u Competitive team im getting the honor of calling pitches this upcoming season.
Wanted to get other coaches opinion on the how many types of pitches do they want their pitchers to throw?
I like to have our pitchers throw 3 different type ( fastball, change-up, and either drop, curve, or screw ).

Love to hear other coaches thoughts on the matter?
 
Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
THere is a lot of good stuff in here.


Amanda Freed: How to Set-up A Batter

I think the strategy of setting up a batter is becoming a lost art. There is a difference between mixing pitches and setting up a batter. When you set a batter up, you are actually setting the batter up to chase the pitch you want them to. If you set a batter up correctly, you can get them out on any pitch, even if it's their "favorite pitch."

If you are neither a pitcher or catcher, this may not seem like it applies to you, but I am going to tell you how I would analyze you before and during your at-bat.

Pitchers and catchers, what do you look for?

On Deck: What does her swing tell you?

1) Is it long and loopy? Slow hands?
-Think jam her inside and up. Chances are she cannot get her barrel around on time.
Be careful with change up and away pitches. It is easier for someone with slow hands to get her barrel on an outside pitch.

2) Does she swing on a high plane or a low plane (meaning, does her barrel stay level by her shoulders or drop down below her waist)?
-If it's on a high plane, keep the ball low, preferable low and in. Chances are she will have a difficult time dropping her barrel to hit the low inside hard.
You're goal is to get her to hit it off of her shin. Mean I know, but that's the game.

3) When she's getting ready to get into the box, does she look anxious and a little tense? Is she really fidgety?:
- If she is really high-strung getting into the box, she is probably pretty impatient. I would definitely try and throw her off balance with change ups. Either start her off with a change up or something tight in, make her pull it foul. Don't paint the black on this pitch, aim for her hands. She just may have enough adrenaline in her to take it over the fence if you hang it. A GOOD inside pitch thrown in the right situation is extremely difficult to hit hard and fair.

When she steps into the box, look for…

1) Foot positioning.
- Open stance: (front foot towards third if it's a righty, first for a lefty)
Chances are she is either having trouble keeping her front side in on the pitch, or she is protecting herself against the inside. Check to see if her body becomes closed at the time of the pitch. If she gets closed, JAM HER IN. If she gets the barrel on the ball she will most likely jam herself, or pull it foul.

Closed stance: (front foot towards the plate) I would live inside on her. She is most likely looking for the outside pitch and protecting herself from getting beat on it. Go down and in, up and in, and make her fist herself out to the shortstop. Just watch to make sure that she doesn't step in the bucket when she strides. But again, in this case, a good inside pitch will still be difficult for her to hit hard and fair.

2) Hand positioning:
- Low hands: Probably swings fairly level, but again, check on deck or warm-up swings.
Be careful with the flat plane pitches (screw and curve) unless they have some up and down movement. Will probably have better success on the rise ball as well.
- High hands: I'm guessing she's pretty loopy so I'm going to jam her tight to start off and find out what the plane of her swing looks like because it could really go either way. She may have a straight rise ball swing, or a long, looping drop ball swing.

3) Box positioning:
- Front of the box: If she's in the front, I think that means she anxious. She is trying to bring more pitches into her strike zone. I'd go with jamming her and working in the change up.
- Back of the box: She is either not seeing the ball well, or she is very patient and wants you to bring the ball into the strike zone. Work ahead of the batter (first pitch strike) and go with your best moving pitches.

There are so many other tips that you learn from watching and studying batters.
As I go through the pitches that I would likely throw in certain situations, it is important to remember that this doesn't mean that you abandon every other pitch and just stick to one or two. It just means that we've identified a "weakness" and we've got to expose it.

There are many situations where you learn to throw to the batter and not the plate. What I mean by this is if the batter is standing a fairly good distance off the plate, of course you automatically assume that she will have a difficult time reaching the outside pitch and is probably looking inside. What I am going to do is start her off outside and get a strike (hopefully?) Let's say she swings but looks pretty bad. The next pitch I am going to go right back at it, just a little further out and see if she'll bite. She leans in, but takes the ball off the outside corner. Now I've got her leaning to the outside. I know she doesn't like that pitch but I've got her thinking that I'm living on the out. She moves just a little closer to the plate, not much, and now I am throwing to her hands. Not to hit her obviously, but I'm throwing just below her hands through her belly button. I know she's off the plate and looking to protect the inside but I'm throwing to her, not the strike zone. She will do one of three things. She'll turn on it hard and pull it foul, she'll jam herself into an out, or I'll force her back off the plate a little more. Remember a good inside pitch is difficult to hit hard and fair. Good inside does not necessarily mean a good strike. Now, I go back out to finish her off. Sounds like fun, huh?

On the other hand. There are situations where you don't even need to waste time or pitches. You start a girl off low and in and she fouls it between her legs. Clearly she had a difficult time with that pitch so now you go with the same pitch, just a little further in and a little lower. This is not a waste pitch. You want her to see it as the same pitch. She takes a not so pretty cut over the top, again. Now she's frustrated and thinking, "gotta protect," so you go right back at it, a little lower and a little farther in, maybe almost in the dirt. If she doesn't go for it, you've definitely got her thinking, and have set her up for the out, or change up.

We joke out here that there is a 90/10 rule when it comes to listening. 10% of everything you hear is actually heard and processed. The other 90% just goes in one ear and out the other. So if you remember anything from this article, I want this to be your 10%. Every pitch you throw must serve a purpose. For example, if I know absolutely nothing about a batter as she steps into the box, I've got to use that first pitch to gather as much information about her as possible. I like to start with a good inside pitch or a change up. Remember how we define that good inside pitch, and I like to keep the change up low and away. That is how I am able to gather the most information. If you throw a pitch right down the middle, or even on the inside part of the black and the batter does nothing but watches it, what have you learned?
Throw every pitch with a purpose.

Set the batter up to hit, or miss, what you want. Guess what, sometimes it slips or you make a bad decision. Big deal. Learn from it but keep plugging along. Remember, these are all just suggestions. I know not everyone has "all the tools" but you can make the best possible situation out of what you have! Take control of your own game and you'll be more confident.

Amanda
User avatar
ontheblack
Posts: 2355Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:27 pm
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
If you are going to call pitches the FIRST thing you have to do is assess your pitchers. It doesn't do you any good to call pitches they can't throw and can't control.

I would use a quadrant system and have your pitcher throw pitches to each quadrant with each pitch. If she isn't hitting spots around 75% of the time IMO you are probably just wasting time calling pitches (although there is something do be said for making them try to hit spots I guess). You have to understand each pitchers strength and weaknesses again you might think this would be a great pitch in this situation but if your pitcher can't throw that pitch well you need a different strategy. One thing I would work on with all your pitchers are inside pitches a lot of kids get afraid to pitch too far inside but they have to be able to pitch the inside river just as easily as the outside river to be really effective. Finally really emphasize the importance for each of your pitchers to work on their change up this is super important.

Honestly you have to make a lot of guess and judgements based on what you see in game since you aren't going to have extensive scouting reports ahead of time but honestly it's not usually that hard if you know the game but remember it's always going to come down to execution.
 
Oct 1, 2014
2,219
113
USA
THere is a lot of good stuff in here.


Amanda Freed: How to Set-up A Batter

I think the strategy of setting up a batter is becoming a lost art. There is a difference between mixing pitches and setting up a batter. When you set a batter up, you are actually setting the batter up to chase the pitch you want them to. If you set a batter up correctly, you can get them out on any pitch, even if it's their "favorite pitch."

If you are neither a pitcher or catcher, this may not seem like it applies to you, but I am going to tell you how I would analyze you before and during your at-bat.

Pitchers and catchers, what do you look for?

On Deck: What does her swing tell you?

1) Is it long and loopy? Slow hands?
-Think jam her inside and up. Chances are she cannot get her barrel around on time.
Be careful with change up and away pitches. It is easier for someone with slow hands to get her barrel on an outside pitch.

2) Does she swing on a high plane or a low plane (meaning, does her barrel stay level by her shoulders or drop down below her waist)?
-If it's on a high plane, keep the ball low, preferable low and in. Chances are she will have a difficult time dropping her barrel to hit the low inside hard.
You're goal is to get her to hit it off of her shin. Mean I know, but that's the game.

3) When she's getting ready to get into the box, does she look anxious and a little tense? Is she really fidgety?:
- If she is really high-strung getting into the box, she is probably pretty impatient. I would definitely try and throw her off balance with change ups. Either start her off with a change up or something tight in, make her pull it foul. Don't paint the black on this pitch, aim for her hands. She just may have enough adrenaline in her to take it over the fence if you hang it. A GOOD inside pitch thrown in the right situation is extremely difficult to hit hard and fair.

When she steps into the box, look for…

1) Foot positioning.
- Open stance: (front foot towards third if it's a righty, first for a lefty)
Chances are she is either having trouble keeping her front side in on the pitch, or she is protecting herself against the inside. Check to see if her body becomes closed at the time of the pitch. If she gets closed, JAM HER IN. If she gets the barrel on the ball she will most likely jam herself, or pull it foul.

Closed stance: (front foot towards the plate) I would live inside on her. She is most likely looking for the outside pitch and protecting herself from getting beat on it. Go down and in, up and in, and make her fist herself out to the shortstop. Just watch to make sure that she doesn't step in the bucket when she strides. But again, in this case, a good inside pitch will still be difficult for her to hit hard and fair.

2) Hand positioning:
- Low hands: Probably swings fairly level, but again, check on deck or warm-up swings.
Be careful with the flat plane pitches (screw and curve) unless they have some up and down movement. Will probably have better success on the rise ball as well.
- High hands: I'm guessing she's pretty loopy so I'm going to jam her tight to start off and find out what the plane of her swing looks like because it could really go either way. She may have a straight rise ball swing, or a long, looping drop ball swing.

3) Box positioning:
- Front of the box: If she's in the front, I think that means she anxious. She is trying to bring more pitches into her strike zone. I'd go with jamming her and working in the change up.
- Back of the box: She is either not seeing the ball well, or she is very patient and wants you to bring the ball into the strike zone. Work ahead of the batter (first pitch strike) and go with your best moving pitches.

There are so many other tips that you learn from watching and studying batters.
As I go through the pitches that I would likely throw in certain situations, it is important to remember that this doesn't mean that you abandon every other pitch and just stick to one or two. It just means that we've identified a "weakness" and we've got to expose it.

There are many situations where you learn to throw to the batter and not the plate. What I mean by this is if the batter is standing a fairly good distance off the plate, of course you automatically assume that she will have a difficult time reaching the outside pitch and is probably looking inside. What I am going to do is start her off outside and get a strike (hopefully?) Let's say she swings but looks pretty bad. The next pitch I am going to go right back at it, just a little further out and see if she'll bite. She leans in, but takes the ball off the outside corner. Now I've got her leaning to the outside. I know she doesn't like that pitch but I've got her thinking that I'm living on the out. She moves just a little closer to the plate, not much, and now I am throwing to her hands. Not to hit her obviously, but I'm throwing just below her hands through her belly button. I know she's off the plate and looking to protect the inside but I'm throwing to her, not the strike zone. She will do one of three things. She'll turn on it hard and pull it foul, she'll jam herself into an out, or I'll force her back off the plate a little more. Remember a good inside pitch is difficult to hit hard and fair. Good inside does not necessarily mean a good strike. Now, I go back out to finish her off. Sounds like fun, huh?

On the other hand. There are situations where you don't even need to waste time or pitches. You start a girl off low and in and she fouls it between her legs. Clearly she had a difficult time with that pitch so now you go with the same pitch, just a little further in and a little lower. This is not a waste pitch. You want her to see it as the same pitch. She takes a not so pretty cut over the top, again. Now she's frustrated and thinking, "gotta protect," so you go right back at it, a little lower and a little farther in, maybe almost in the dirt. If she doesn't go for it, you've definitely got her thinking, and have set her up for the out, or change up.

We joke out here that there is a 90/10 rule when it comes to listening. 10% of everything you hear is actually heard and processed. The other 90% just goes in one ear and out the other. So if you remember anything from this article, I want this to be your 10%. Every pitch you throw must serve a purpose. For example, if I know absolutely nothing about a batter as she steps into the box, I've got to use that first pitch to gather as much information about her as possible. I like to start with a good inside pitch or a change up. Remember how we define that good inside pitch, and I like to keep the change up low and away. That is how I am able to gather the most information. If you throw a pitch right down the middle, or even on the inside part of the black and the batter does nothing but watches it, what have you learned?
Throw every pitch with a purpose.

Set the batter up to hit, or miss, what you want. Guess what, sometimes it slips or you make a bad decision. Big deal. Learn from it but keep plugging along. Remember, these are all just suggestions. I know not everyone has "all the tools" but you can make the best possible situation out of what you have! Take control of your own game and you'll be more confident.

Amanda
User avatar
ontheblack
Posts: 2355Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:27 pm

I thought this was great info from Amanda the first time I came across it. Share it with your Catchers also please and help develop their awareness, work with them along along the way as you assess each pitchers ability to work.
 
Jul 27, 2015
235
43
As a coach of a 14u Competitive team im getting the honor of calling pitches this upcoming season.
Wanted to get other coaches opinion on the how many types of pitches do they want their pitchers to throw?
I like to have our pitchers throw 3 different type ( fastball, change-up, and either drop, curve, or screw ).

Love to hear other coaches thoughts on the matter?
Rule #1 - you better know what each girls' go-to pitch is.
Rule #2 - adjust your pitch calling to each pitcher's skills. Don't make them adjust to you. These are not 18 year old girls. So the game you call for Suzy will probably not be the one you call for Ashley.

Back when we played 14u A, we played in an open tournament with a fair number of B and C teams in it. Our normal pitch caller was out so an assistant coach took over. He did not care one bit what pitches the girls could throw, he called the game like these were Olympians who could pitch any pitch at any location. All 3 pitchers threw their worst games of the year by far. We lost to a C team. 100% on the guy calling pitches.

Conversely, on our team now (18u A), my daughter's coach calls a great game keeping the other team guessing what is coming. My daughter says she does not even know what the next pitch is going to be. And she has been very successful. The coach definitely helps her look good.
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
THere is a lot of good stuff in here.


Amanda Freed: How to Set-up A Batter

I think the strategy of setting up a batter is becoming a lost art. There is a difference between mixing pitches and setting up a batter. When you set a batter up, you are actually setting the batter up to chase the pitch you want them to. If you set a batter up correctly, you can get them out on any pitch, even if it's their "favorite pitch."

If you are neither a pitcher or catcher, this may not seem like it applies to you, but I am going to tell you how I would analyze you before and during your at-bat.

Pitchers and catchers, what do you look for?

On Deck: What does her swing tell you?

1) Is it long and loopy? Slow hands?
-Think jam her inside and up. Chances are she cannot get her barrel around on time.
Be careful with change up and away pitches. It is easier for someone with slow hands to get her barrel on an outside pitch.

2) Does she swing on a high plane or a low plane (meaning, does her barrel stay level by her shoulders or drop down below her waist)?
-If it's on a high plane, keep the ball low, preferable low and in. Chances are she will have a difficult time dropping her barrel to hit the low inside hard.
You're goal is to get her to hit it off of her shin. Mean I know, but that's the game.

3) When she's getting ready to get into the box, does she look anxious and a little tense? Is she really fidgety?:
- If she is really high-strung getting into the box, she is probably pretty impatient. I would definitely try and throw her off balance with change ups. Either start her off with a change up or something tight in, make her pull it foul. Don't paint the black on this pitch, aim for her hands. She just may have enough adrenaline in her to take it over the fence if you hang it. A GOOD inside pitch thrown in the right situation is extremely difficult to hit hard and fair.

When she steps into the box, look for…

1) Foot positioning.
- Open stance: (front foot towards third if it's a righty, first for a lefty)
Chances are she is either having trouble keeping her front side in on the pitch, or she is protecting herself against the inside. Check to see if her body becomes closed at the time of the pitch. If she gets closed, JAM HER IN. If she gets the barrel on the ball she will most likely jam herself, or pull it foul.

Closed stance: (front foot towards the plate) I would live inside on her. She is most likely looking for the outside pitch and protecting herself from getting beat on it. Go down and in, up and in, and make her fist herself out to the shortstop. Just watch to make sure that she doesn't step in the bucket when she strides. But again, in this case, a good inside pitch will still be difficult for her to hit hard and fair.

2) Hand positioning:
- Low hands: Probably swings fairly level, but again, check on deck or warm-up swings.
Be careful with the flat plane pitches (screw and curve) unless they have some up and down movement. Will probably have better success on the rise ball as well.
- High hands: I'm guessing she's pretty loopy so I'm going to jam her tight to start off and find out what the plane of her swing looks like because it could really go either way. She may have a straight rise ball swing, or a long, looping drop ball swing.

3) Box positioning:
- Front of the box: If she's in the front, I think that means she anxious. She is trying to bring more pitches into her strike zone. I'd go with jamming her and working in the change up.
- Back of the box: She is either not seeing the ball well, or she is very patient and wants you to bring the ball into the strike zone. Work ahead of the batter (first pitch strike) and go with your best moving pitches.

There are so many other tips that you learn from watching and studying batters.
As I go through the pitches that I would likely throw in certain situations, it is important to remember that this doesn't mean that you abandon every other pitch and just stick to one or two. It just means that we've identified a "weakness" and we've got to expose it.

There are many situations where you learn to throw to the batter and not the plate. What I mean by this is if the batter is standing a fairly good distance off the plate, of course you automatically assume that she will have a difficult time reaching the outside pitch and is probably looking inside. What I am going to do is start her off outside and get a strike (hopefully?) Let's say she swings but looks pretty bad. The next pitch I am going to go right back at it, just a little further out and see if she'll bite. She leans in, but takes the ball off the outside corner. Now I've got her leaning to the outside. I know she doesn't like that pitch but I've got her thinking that I'm living on the out. She moves just a little closer to the plate, not much, and now I am throwing to her hands. Not to hit her obviously, but I'm throwing just below her hands through her belly button. I know she's off the plate and looking to protect the inside but I'm throwing to her, not the strike zone. She will do one of three things. She'll turn on it hard and pull it foul, she'll jam herself into an out, or I'll force her back off the plate a little more. Remember a good inside pitch is difficult to hit hard and fair. Good inside does not necessarily mean a good strike. Now, I go back out to finish her off. Sounds like fun, huh?

On the other hand. There are situations where you don't even need to waste time or pitches. You start a girl off low and in and she fouls it between her legs. Clearly she had a difficult time with that pitch so now you go with the same pitch, just a little further in and a little lower. This is not a waste pitch. You want her to see it as the same pitch. She takes a not so pretty cut over the top, again. Now she's frustrated and thinking, "gotta protect," so you go right back at it, a little lower and a little farther in, maybe almost in the dirt. If she doesn't go for it, you've definitely got her thinking, and have set her up for the out, or change up.

We joke out here that there is a 90/10 rule when it comes to listening. 10% of everything you hear is actually heard and processed. The other 90% just goes in one ear and out the other. So if you remember anything from this article, I want this to be your 10%. Every pitch you throw must serve a purpose. For example, if I know absolutely nothing about a batter as she steps into the box, I've got to use that first pitch to gather as much information about her as possible. I like to start with a good inside pitch or a change up. Remember how we define that good inside pitch, and I like to keep the change up low and away. That is how I am able to gather the most information. If you throw a pitch right down the middle, or even on the inside part of the black and the batter does nothing but watches it, what have you learned?
Throw every pitch with a purpose.

Set the batter up to hit, or miss, what you want. Guess what, sometimes it slips or you make a bad decision. Big deal. Learn from it but keep plugging along. Remember, these are all just suggestions. I know not everyone has "all the tools" but you can make the best possible situation out of what you have! Take control of your own game and you'll be more confident.

Amanda
User avatar
ontheblack
Posts: 2355Joined: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:27 pm
What if a batter reads the above and then does some of those things to bait you into throwing a certain pitch or location.

It's just utter nonsense. All of it.
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
Rule #1 - you better know what each girls' go-to pitch is.
Rule #2 - adjust your pitch calling to each pitcher's skills. Don't make them adjust to you.

This is all you nee to know. It doesn't matter what pitches you "like" if your pitchers don't throw those pitches at a high level.

Now when you ask your pitches what they throw they are going rattle off 5 different pitches and of course they can't actually throw those 5 pitches effectively.

  • Figure out what their best (one) pitch is. That is who they are. Period.
  • Figure out if they can throw a change-up for a strike.
  • Tell them to practice missing the strike-zone with the fastball (all locations from 1 to 3 ball lengths).
You will win a lot of games if you can figure out the above. Pitch calling is not a skill.
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
What are your thought on having catchers call pitches? Should you be training them to learn?
In an ideal world...but for some reason the softball world today has decided we gotta have coaches calling games from the bench, flashing cool sign and girls wearing armbands so they can decipher the code...please don't get me on this soapbox, I had basically given up and drank the kool aid and then you come along :cry:

I will agree there is probably this awkward window at probably 12U were some girls have enough control and variety of pitches that you can actually call a game and catchers are probably not mature enough to call it yet, but I'm gonna argue this number "some girls" is a LOT smaller than the travel world thinks. At 14U/16U many more pitchers reach this level but by this time there is no reason a catcher can't have caught up and be ready to call a game.

There IMO is simply no one on the field in a better position to call the game, they know their pitcher, they can see whats working, they can see what the batters are trying to do, they know exactly what the umpire is calling they simply have the best spot in the house and the most information available to them than anyone on the field....I'm gonna stop now...please do not put the soapbox in front of me again I might actually really express my opinion at length :rolleyes:
 

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