Pitching faster - physical or mental thing

[Greenmonsters]

Ya DD has been in the biggest pressure cookers and has performed great. I think for my DD specifically it has more to do with others negativity that angers her and then that affects her performance. We've had two TB teams now that have had others get into fights and it ends up negatively affecting my DD's performance (even though she's not in the middle of the fight). I just call it a "focus challenge" with DD. I know she gets it but I am not sure she knows how to break out of that control these other folks have on her....

It's frustrating when I have seen her dominate some of the best in the country. I just gotta find a TB team with no stupid negativity and no half-hearted dedication. Wish us luck....

Better add "college team" to your shopping list. There's no guaranteed magic just because its college.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Better add "college team" to your shopping list. There's no guaranteed magic just because its college.

X's 2. I can promise you there are idiots at every level of ball. Coaches and players.

 

[halskinner]

She has a winning frame of mind

It takes a special mental attitude to pitch. My DD amazes me when she's in the circle. It's like every distraction is gone and she's entirely focused on one thing. I can't think of anything else she does that creates that response. Also, she doesn't let anything bother her while she's in the circle. Bad calls, errors in the field, a mistake on her part. She stays entirely focused on the next pitch once the play has ended from the previous pitch.

I don't know how she does it.[/QUOTE

She has figured out exactly what she needs to do to be a winning pitcher.

When she has the ball in the circle, there are only 4 people;

1. The pitcher
2. The catcher
3. The umpire
4 Her next strike out victim.

Nobody else can help her , so nobody else matters.

Congrats to her. SOME PITCHERS GO THEIR ENTIRE CAREER AND NEVER FIGURE THAT OUT..

 

[Dana Marque]

My DD had one game this past year where she just couldn't throw a strike to save her life.. She is only 11 yo and heard earlier in the day that her friend said she hated her. I tried my hardest to take her mind off of it before the game but it didn't work. Her father/coach didn't know all of this and was screaming because she just wasn't herself. It just made her worse. The poor kid was crying on the field... She sucked it up and finished out the game with a tie. Afterwards, we all agreed to let the whole family know should something happen during the day that may effect her pitching. Her father would have handled it differently if he knew...
Later on we heard the other coach accused my daughter of walking their best batter... SERIOUSLY??? She is a pitcher!! The last thing she wants to do is walk anyone!!! Her goal is to strike them out!!!

She is usually good about leaving behind the last pitch or any distractions... I give all these girls so much credit. The pressure is on them.. But my favorite is my DD had someones father standing close to the batter screaming for her to throw strikes... After the game she commented to me about how annoying that was and distracting... I believe her words were "Really mom? I'm not trying to strike the batter out or anything... What does he think I'm trying to do." I also get a glare should my cheering be to loud or if she having a little harder of a time focusing... It's funny because even the other parents see her glare at me and tell me I'm getting the look so I better zip it... LOL... I don't mind as long as I know when to zip it to let my DD perform the best she can...

Please also know that her PC would bark and scream at them when they were practicing because being in a zone is one of the most important things... She must have only be 9 or so... It worked for my DD....

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

My DD had one game this past year where she just couldn't throw a strike to save her life.. She is only 11 yo and heard earlier in the day that her friend said she hated her. I tried my hardest to take her mind off of it before the game but it didn't work. Her father/coach didn't know all of this and was screaming because she just wasn't herself. It just made her worse. The poor kid was crying on the field... She sucked it up and finished out the game with a tie. Afterwards, we all agreed to let the whole family know should something happen during the day that may effect her pitching. Her father would have handled it differently if he knew...
Later on we heard the other coach accused my daughter of walking their best batter... SERIOUSLY??? She is a pitcher!! The last thing she wants to do is walk anyone!!! Her goal is to strike them out!!!

She is usually good about leaving behind the last pitch or any distractions... I give all these girls so much credit. The pressure is on them.. But my favorite is my DD had someones father standing close to the batter screaming for her to throw strikes... After the game she commented to me about how annoying that was and distracting... I believe her words were "Really mom? I'm not trying to strike the batter out or anything... What does he think I'm trying to do." I also get a glare should my cheering be to loud or if she having a little harder of a time focusing... It's funny because even the other parents see her glare at me and tell me I'm getting the look so I better zip it... LOL... I don't mind as long as I know when to zip it to let my DD perform the best she can...

Please also know that her PC would bark and scream at them when they were practicing because being in a zone is one of the most important things... She must have only be 9 or so... It worked for my DD....

Maybe it's me ... but when I read your post I hear "excuses" for non-optimal performance. Just a thought ... I wouldn't personally recommend making a habit of subsidizing a less than stellar performance with excuses.

 

[Sparky Guy]

When she has the ball in the circle, there are only 4 people;

1. The pitcher
2. The catcher
3. The umpire
4 Her next strike out victim.

There is a PERFECT visual representation of this in the movie "For The Love Of The Game" when Kevin Kostner's character is getting ready to throw his first pitch of the game. In focus it shows, him, his catcher and the hitter. Everything else is a white background with colored blobs and the sound goes away. Every pitcher needs to watch that scene.

My daughter's HS coach would get frustrated because as soon as she stepped on to the pitcher's plate she would enter the "zone" and she did not hear the coach trying to talk to her.

 

[Sparky Guy]

My DD had one game this past year where she just couldn't throw a strike to save her life.. She is only 11 yo and heard earlier in the day that her friend said she hated her.

Not every girl has the ability to block out off-the-field issues when she is playing. Some get better with age and other don't. As a parent it's hard to watch. If you know she's not there 100% between the ears give the a coach a heads-up. It can make his decision process easier.

I had one of my 12 year old students grandmother pass after a long illness. She went out the next day and pitched one of the best games she had all year long. Had another girl who couldn't even practice due to the sudden passing of a family friend. You never know who things will effect them.

 

[Dana Marque]

Maybe it's me ... but when I read your post I hear "excuses" for non-optimal performance. Just a thought ... I wouldn't personally recommend making a habit of subsidizing a less than stellar performance with excuses.

I'm not trying to make excuses... And the father behind the plate had no effect on my daughter - she just commented that it was annoying... I think having one bad game for both rec and travel ball is not such a bad thing. Especially for a little girl who played 12U but still qualified for a 10U - as well as being the only pitcher. I'll take it... She is still learning and has still a lot to learn. I don't claim to have the best pitcher ever at the age of 11. My hope is that someday all her hard work will pay off... Isn't that what every parent wants??? The key here is how to correct it. If it means a glare because she is having a little bit of a harder time getting in the zone, then be it. I will also say that it's usually her first inning that is the roughest for her as she is working her way into the zone... If she does walk anyone, it is usually in that time frame. It's about getting use to the umpires strike zone. But after that, she's golden..

 

[halskinner]

I thought this was a thread on how the mental side of pitching can increase speed. Guess that will teach me.

 

[itsagreatgame]

Ya DD has been in the biggest pressure cookers and has performed great. I think for my DD specifically it has more to do with others negativity that angers her and then that affects her performance. We've had two TB teams now that have had others get into fights and it ends up negatively affecting my DD's performance (even though she's not in the middle of the fight). I just call it a "focus challenge" with DD. I know she gets it but I am not sure she knows how to break out of that control these other folks have on her....

It's frustrating when I have seen her dominate some of the best in the country. I just gotta find a TB team with no stupid negativity and no half-hearted dedication. Wish us luck....

GOOD LUCK!!! My daughters last 2 summer ball were exactly that. Two summers ago her team was an absolute disaster. They started out 9-0, winning the first two tourneys...one of them being a national qualifier and then after that it was down down down hill. lol. Although my dd is not on the "dominate some of the best in the country" level that negativity and half hearted dedication can tear down the some of the purest softball hearts in fairly quick order. But in the end....like some of the others have said its an athletes level of maturity and self understanding that determines her "realization" of "swag". It also helps if the entire team has got some "swag" too!!