Pitching Coach Certifications

[Perfect Circle]

Yes... 1bucketmom it would be a LifeLong endeavor... ESPN/SEC now.... endless resources.

My criteria is a Gold Metal, (history) and the pitchers on the final 8 teams in WCWS every year (current trends) The most prolific this year (JMHO) was CH of LSU. Not hearing much discussion about her here... but could of missed it ??? She simplified "the drive" into touching the ground w/glove.

I tend to prefer the Dad/DD combo's (my input for list) since that's the boat I'm in.

Pauley,Finch & Rogers....just to mention a few... (records) ~ history & resent.

 

[Vertigo]

A coach who teaches the correct mechanics - based on physics, anatomy and physiology, in order to prevent injury; focuses on correct mechanics of a fastball before focusing too much on accuracy and introducing other pitches; teaches their students knowledge of the game and how to focus mentally; has a proven track record - girls who have pitched at the college level. Also - a coach who does it because they love to teach and are a constant student of the game, themselves.

 

[4KidsDad]

The term "certified" is tricky in itself. Anyone can become certified in anything, anywhere for almost any price.

Check this link:

Institute for Credentialing Excellence

Mission statement: "The Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) advances credentialing through education, standards, research, and advocacy to ensure competence across professions and occupations."

 

[chrispots]

Most of the stuff I had jotted down regarding certification has been covered since my first post.

There are a few things that have not been addressed...and these aren't necessarily "certification requirements" but I think are pertinent questions. Java if you don't think this is appropriate, just ping me and I'll delete. This is not me being a stinker to this thread - I love the idea - I just think some folks need to see part of this picture that will make this feasible.

The certification has to to be meaningful - I think we all agree on that...It also needs to be profitable.

Is the certified pitcher doing this full time? Is this their only job?
Tincher, for example, wants his certified pitchers to do this full time. The instructor in Allentown, PA we saw quit her day job to do this full time.

As a customer, what is your price point for lessons? Around here, instructors get upwards of $80\hour and our cost of living is relatively low compared to the rest of the nation. (I'm in Western New York). The average for pitching lessons around here is $50/hour. I ask this because everyone says "yes, yes, yes" to the concept of this thread but yet I read posts from folks who aren't willing to make a 3 or 4 hour drive to go see Java (for example). So if a PC is Java\Balswick certified, are you willing to pay $100 or more per hour? Would you pay $125/hour or more to see Java or Rich personally?

What is the cost of this certification? $100? $1,000? Tincher's "cost" was never specified to me.

Note: The certified PC needs to be profitable from a business standpoint. Again, factor in whether you or the PC - the "certifiable" (thanks for the laugh BM) have their own place or a gym to teach from free from or they are paying rent for a pitching lane or two.

I bring up the topic of money because at some point this certification has to mean something...something special...this isn't "pitching philanthropy" people. You want the best...pay for it...IMO, you want to become certified, it is X number of hours and $500 cash with the requirements listed in this thread...

BoardMember, Rick Pauly, Java, Hillhouse and many more have given SO MUCH to this forum for FREE...you want to become certified or see a certified PC, there should be a premium cost to this IMO...

CP

 

[Easton33]

IMO, the quickest way to kill a good product is to over price it. Starting out get your foot in the door and create a base of students. Then raise the prices to premium, this will be like a 2 year endeavor in itself. Only DFPers will know what the certification is and how valuable it is. What parents/players will see to start with is the price per lesson.

 

[STRIKE3]

Easton brings up a good point and so does Chrispots. I wrote a two page response to give Java feedback but decided not to post because it was way to lengthy. So I will try to minimize it this time. The challenge I see is how do you "market" a PC Credentialing program to new parents who don't know squat about it? I took a walk down memory lane to when my DD was first learning to pitch and thought about what questions I asked back then. Quite different than what I would ask now as most of us have experienced on this site. Without DFP, we most likely still wouldn't know the right or correct direction to go because we do not have an IR/BI PC in my area. If we do, they are hidden pretty well.

So with proper certification you have to market it as just that. Maybe something like "Instruction and mechanics that 90% of D1 and NPF Pitchers use". How do you make parents aware that this exists? It has to start with REC BALL in my opinion. Little League and others have to buy into it and then partner to help market a pitching program from "certified" instructors. Little League is just one powerful organization that has the bandwidth to reach out and educate on this. I get LL emails a couple times a week with some really good information although most is for baseball.

Anyway, just food for thought, and hopefully somebody can figure out a way to help parents find a PC that teaches what we all have learned (and still learning) from the great minds here on DFP.

 

[NewbieDad]

Mike, this one is from both of us . Sorry, but unlike STRIKE3, I didn't edit it.

Do No Harm
To steal a line from Dr. Werner, "There is no safe way to pitch." Therefore, any good instruction should begin with teaching the athlete how to strengthen and condition themselves to best prevent injuries. The instructor must be able to convey the dangers of the position - that all of the links in the kinetic chain are subject to incredible forces capable of causing injury and therefore must be properly strengthened. Additionally, coaches should be able to recognize physical characteristics of individual athletes that make them more likely to be injured and provide them with specific instructions to help overcome those characteristics. Also, girls will most likely come to their first clinic with some idea of what a pitching motion is... it is vital that the instructor be able to identify deficiencies that can lead to injuries and provide instruction to correct them immediately. Finally, the instructor must teach mechanics that do not unnecessarily increase the potential for injury and be able to explain why they do not. If a PC teaches mechanics that are different than what a student's HC is familiar with, there will almost certainly be questions about the safety of those mechanics and/or claims that the "new" mechanics cause injuries. The PC must be confident enough in their knowledge of biomechanics to be able to explain why the mechanics they teach are not only effective, but as safe (or more so) than any other method.

Tell me Why.
ANY quality instruction of any topic not only shows the student HOW to accomplish a task, it explains WHY the task needs to be accomplished. For example, a PC can teach backchaining of the pitching motion, telling the student to be certain to complete the process perfectly. Until the reason WHY is explained, that reversing the action helps the brain form the neural pathway necessary to perform the motion correctly forward, backchaining just looks like a fancy way of getting the ball to the starting point of the exercise. After the student has gone home and is practicing without supervision from the PC, the chances they will perform the backchaining properly decreases dramatically. Armed with the reasons why the backchaining is so important, however, the student (and their bucket parent) has reasons to insure that they take the ball back up the circle as carefully as they are trying to bring it down.
Another reason that it is imperative for an instructor to be able to help the student understand why they perform the motions that they do, is that not only are you training a girl to pitch a softball, you are training your replacement. One of the biggest frustrations I have had as a softball parent is finding pitching instruction from instructors that actually UNDERSTAND how they pitch. Mike, I know that one of your main concerns is that your students have goals...long-term, lofty goals meant to motivate and inspire the student, parent, AND the PC. To me, the greatest motivation for helping my daughters succeed with any of their endeavors is the goal that one day they will find a career doing work that they actually enjoy. Teaching a girl to understand the motion and not shying away from big words like adduction, pronation, and internal rotation will enable them to one day share their knowledge with others. If its possible to make a full time career as an instructor, there can be no loftier goal for a Certified PC than to teach their students well enough that one day those students will become the teachers.

Don't Waste My Time
Parents and athletes both have extremely busy lives. For a PC that is 3 hours away, a girl and her parent(s) pretty much commit an entire day to getting there, the lesson, and getting back. For the hour or 2 that a student has with her PC, the focus needs to be solely on the student. The PC should arrive to clinic prepared with a detailed plan for the day based on the results of the previous clinic and communication with the student/parents since then. As others have said, embrace technology and stay in communication by having students send videos and descriptions of their progress. All of this said, be sure to have fun while teaching the lesson. Get to know your student, and use that knowledge to your advantage. If joking about your student's favorite music artist helps them learn the lesson, then its not a waste of time, its using your time efficiently.

Train the Trainer
If a student visits her PC once every 2 weeks, she has about 10 practices between visits, so making sure she has quality supervision during that time is vital. Whether its a parent, a catcher, or the pitcher herself looking in a mirror, the PC must be able to communicate what to look for and how to help the pitcher complete the movements properly. Many parts of the pitching motion are counter-intuitive (such as the throwing hand is not directly behind the ball in the bottom 1/4 of the circle), so assuming that your pitcher's assistant understands what to look for requires the PC to ask questions and get the right answers.

Quantify
It is important that students have an honest assessment of their abilities and progress. An initial assessment of the student's abilities when they first start working with the PC is necessary for the student to realize where they are and what they will need to accomplish to get better. From then on, a periodical (every 3-6 months) re-assesment to show progress (or lack thereof). An earlier post mentioned the need to cut-ties with students not progressing, a detailed quantification makes that process much easier.

Multi-task
As a PITCHING coach, you are primarily hired to teach the pitching motion. However, more goes into being a pitcher than just throwing the ball. Defense, running, and batting are also important parts of playing the position. If your student is going to play on a school team, she needs to maintain good grades and correct behavior; I'm not advocating that PCs need to help with homework but reminding their students that they need to work as hard in the classroom as on the field should be a trait of a certified PC. Being a good team mate and playing whatever position they are needed between circle times should also be a part of quality instruction.

Know Your Limitations
Different age groups learn differently, and also need different instruction techniques. Some teachers that are excellent with teen-agers may find it difficult to instruct 7 yr olds. Also, you may be able to certify an instructor willing to work with the youngest girls that isn't comfortable instructing advanced techniques to older ones. If you truly are going to certify instructors consider certifying them for different age groups.

Legal
Some type of background check is unfortunately necessary.

 

[coach james]

The most prolific this year (JMHO) was CH of LSU. Not hearing much discussion about her here... but could of missed it ??? She simplified "the drive" into touching the ground w/glove.

Carley Hoover is a Denny Tincher student, who was forced to change her mechanics by Torina. She got benched for continuing to back swing her load instead of loading in her belly as instructed by Torina.... dispite the fact she was approx. 4-5 mph faster when she performed a single pump backswing... There was some discussion about the opposing team picking out her grips....

 

[Ken B]

Hoover's squat reminds me of Kimmy Beasley. Imagine doing that 100+ times a day...

 

[Ken B]

I wonder if BT would be interested in a certification process:
Pitching - Wrist Snap Drills - Beth Torina - LSU [VIDEO]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoRJnKq3ZGk