I suppose it depends how you are taught.
My DD's pitching coach inside/outside location is almost entirely based on where the front foot lands in relation to the power line.
I'm sure there are other ways to do it but that's how my DD is taught.
pitch placement
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My DD's pitching coach inside/outside location is almost entirely based on where the front foot lands in relation to the power line.
I'm sure there are other ways to do it but that's how my DD is taught.
Ray is correct, the only real way to teach location is by doing it.
There are certain "checkpoints" that make or break pitchers and I think moving from just throwing strikes to hitting spots is one of them. I also think the main reason a lot of pitchers fail at this is the coach does not change the way they coach.
When you get to hitting spots, coaching must evolve from just telling a pitcher what to do to having a conversation with the pitcher about how things feel. Instead of saying "move your foot two inches to the left of the power line" it becomes "try moving your foot, see what happens, tell me how that feels".
Another thing to remember is that hitting spots is HARD. It will take a lot of repetition before she is able to do it with any consistency. The only way to get there is boring, repetitive practice. This becomes a problem with the younger pitchers for reasons that should be obvious. I find it useful to make hitting spots a challenge. Instead of asking the pitcher to throw to the lower outside corner, set up a tee with a mini basketball on it. Move the tee around and have the pitcher try to knock the ball off. End practice by having her knock it off five times. Make it a challenge, make it fun, etc. Once she is proficient at that, switch it up and put the tee in the middle of the plate and have her try to throw strikes WITHOUT hitting the ball.
Last thing, start macro. Don't ask her to throw to the lower outside corner to start. Start off big. Have her throw everything high. Then everything low. Then to the left half of the plate. Then the right. Only when she is decently good at that should you start to try to hit corners. And, maybe most important, make sure she is throwing with whatever power she has. A lot of pitchers will tend to start trying to aim and place the ball, essentially tossing it in to hit the target. Make sure she doesn't do this, it will only cause problems when she ramps the power back up.
There are certain "checkpoints" that make or break pitchers and I think moving from just throwing strikes to hitting spots is one of them. I also think the main reason a lot of pitchers fail at this is the coach does not change the way they coach.
When you get to hitting spots, coaching must evolve from just telling a pitcher what to do to having a conversation with the pitcher about how things feel. Instead of saying "move your foot two inches to the left of the power line" it becomes "try moving your foot, see what happens, tell me how that feels".
Another thing to remember is that hitting spots is HARD. It will take a lot of repetition before she is able to do it with any consistency. The only way to get there is boring, repetitive practice. This becomes a problem with the younger pitchers for reasons that should be obvious. I find it useful to make hitting spots a challenge. Instead of asking the pitcher to throw to the lower outside corner, set up a tee with a mini basketball on it. Move the tee around and have the pitcher try to knock the ball off. End practice by having her knock it off five times. Make it a challenge, make it fun, etc. Once she is proficient at that, switch it up and put the tee in the middle of the plate and have her try to throw strikes WITHOUT hitting the ball.
Last thing, start macro. Don't ask her to throw to the lower outside corner to start. Start off big. Have her throw everything high. Then everything low. Then to the left half of the plate. Then the right. Only when she is decently good at that should you start to try to hit corners. And, maybe most important, make sure she is throwing with whatever power she has. A lot of pitchers will tend to start trying to aim and place the ball, essentially tossing it in to hit the target. Make sure she doesn't do this, it will only cause problems when she ramps the power back up.
[sarcasm font on] OP's DD is 9, I don't think she will start throwing an off-speed drop curve until next month...[sarcasm font off]
The "Rule of 10,000" applies. Scarborough has a good drill that we call, "Four Corners". The video is on youtube. We made a game out of it. At 9, keeping it fun for her is paramount. The more fun she has the more she will be inclined to do it. We do it a couple of times a week with the FB and the CU. It has helped tremendously with accuracy. JMHO.
Thank you all very much. I'll try to get a vid on next week to get some opinions on where we're at. I think she's done relatively well since the time we've started.
BRUSH.....
hip angles and wrist/finger control dictates left and right, posture/release angle controls high and low.... but if she brushes on EVERY pitch, she'll have a significant advantage on controlling location.
hip angles and wrist/finger control dictates left and right, posture/release angle controls high and low.... but if she brushes on EVERY pitch, she'll have a significant advantage on controlling location.
at a lesson not long ago, talking with our PC who is a college coach, we discussed with DD "the process". She was disappointed with herself at a dismal performance of hitting spots at a home practice. (something we are doing more often). Coach grabs clipboard and shows her chart of her pitchers practice for that day and sums up: Pitcher A, 42% Pitcher B 31% etc. I dont know how strict hitting the spot is Judged but it made DD feel better about the journey to become a better pitcher.
