My 14yo DD has been practicing pitching for about three years but has only pitched a dozen or so innings in games. She loves to practice and has a good changeup and a decent peel drop to go along with her fastball. this fall she starts HS and the JV coach told her this summer during the travel season (he came to most of the tournaments to watch the girls) that she would be one of two pitchers on the JV team this fall. Not because he was so impressed with her - she only pitched one inning during the travel season and did ok but not spectacular. Basically, unless someone transfers in this fall she is one of only two girls that will be on JV that have ever pitched.
Here's the problem we haven't figured out how to solve. when just she and I go out into the back yard to pitch, I see a completely different pitcher than in team practices or games. I know guessing pitch speeds is wildly speculative, so I won't try, but when it's just us and she is relaxed, her pitches are dramatically faster. Night and day difference. Not only that, she looks different when she's just having fun. Everything about her pitching motion is faster and more fluid and seems almost effortless. As soon as there is any pressure, like in a game or a coach is watching, or even if she is trying to work on something specific in her mechanics, everything slows down and it looks like she is having to try too hard to pitch, if that makes any sense.
She's very aware of this and she has tried to relax and pitch without trying or thinking, but has had no success. Last night I tried an experiment. It was the first time she had pitched since the end of travel season three weeks ago, and she was really bringing the heat. The fastest I have ever seen her pitch. Without telling her why, I took a break and went in and got my wife. When we got back out I told her (in DDs presence) to watch how fast DD was pitching. I made kind of a big deal out if. I wanted to see if performing just in front of her mom, would change anything. Sure enough, she looked more tense, and the pitches slowed way down. When DD realized what had happened she tried really hard to relax and some of the speed came back, but not all of it. Even after my wife went back in the house, she never completely returned to the effortless form she had at the beginning of the evening when she was just pitching for pure fun and not even thinking about it.
I know this is a psychological thing, but I don't know how to fix it. If she had pitched 30 or 40 innings over the past couple of years I think she might have gotten past it, but she's always been on teams with multiple very experienced pitchers and hasn't had the chance. It's very frustrating for me to see glimpses of exceptional ability, only to see it disappear when it counts for something.
any ideas?
Here's the problem we haven't figured out how to solve. when just she and I go out into the back yard to pitch, I see a completely different pitcher than in team practices or games. I know guessing pitch speeds is wildly speculative, so I won't try, but when it's just us and she is relaxed, her pitches are dramatically faster. Night and day difference. Not only that, she looks different when she's just having fun. Everything about her pitching motion is faster and more fluid and seems almost effortless. As soon as there is any pressure, like in a game or a coach is watching, or even if she is trying to work on something specific in her mechanics, everything slows down and it looks like she is having to try too hard to pitch, if that makes any sense.
She's very aware of this and she has tried to relax and pitch without trying or thinking, but has had no success. Last night I tried an experiment. It was the first time she had pitched since the end of travel season three weeks ago, and she was really bringing the heat. The fastest I have ever seen her pitch. Without telling her why, I took a break and went in and got my wife. When we got back out I told her (in DDs presence) to watch how fast DD was pitching. I made kind of a big deal out if. I wanted to see if performing just in front of her mom, would change anything. Sure enough, she looked more tense, and the pitches slowed way down. When DD realized what had happened she tried really hard to relax and some of the speed came back, but not all of it. Even after my wife went back in the house, she never completely returned to the effortless form she had at the beginning of the evening when she was just pitching for pure fun and not even thinking about it.
I know this is a psychological thing, but I don't know how to fix it. If she had pitched 30 or 40 innings over the past couple of years I think she might have gotten past it, but she's always been on teams with multiple very experienced pitchers and hasn't had the chance. It's very frustrating for me to see glimpses of exceptional ability, only to see it disappear when it counts for something.
any ideas?
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