I don't think lessons are a 100% must regardless of the coach.
Pitching instructor said... 10%
- Thread starter RADcatcher
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I couldn't imagine getting started without them.
I intentionally kept my daughter away from any outside instruction until I could find one that didn't start off all their lessons with wrist flicks.
My situation would have been different if I didn't know about DFP. b/c I found this site a few years before kid-pitch was even a possibility, I was well aware of things like the Hanson Principle in regards to hitting, and was able to apply it to pitching as well. A healthy dose of Java's drills, Balswick video's, and Boardmember posts gave me a solid foundation to help my daughter learn the basic mechanics through early 10U.
I realize this scenario is probably the exception - not every parent wants to spend hours scrolling through message boards and slow motion videos. It's a cheaper addiction than gambling, but doesn't necessarily mean it saves you money (hey look - is that a glove sale I see!).
Depends on the desired outcome.
It's all about context and that is what is missing in a lot of the conversations here. They are typically geared towards being a girl successful in college whereas the reality is, 99% of the girls playing softball will not, nor do they have the desire, to play in college. Plus, what do we mean by "lessons"? Are we talking about a few lessons at the beginning of her journey? Or are we talking a lesson per week starting in 8u? or are we talking about lessons once she is in 18u and has pitched for 6 years of her life? Again, all about context. Hence my response that lessons are not a 100% must.
- Jun 18, 2023
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speaking as a 10u coach who had no idea how to pitch, that my daughter would want to pitch, and certainly no idea how to teach it, nor did any of the other coaches, we've got a few that did lessons and a few that didn't. It's pretty obvious. I'd argue that none of the ones without lessons have really "gotten started" even though we let them pitch a couple of innings here and there, and plenty of them were trying at practices/on their own.
My daughter struggles with natural athleticism, it's more of a cerebral thing with her. I think some kids, if they just start pitching, and get the chance to keep doing it, can be okay for a few years. I think others need to _understand_ pitching a little more, and need at least a few lessons to really get started.
The thirst/ability to learn and improve (versus just being told what to do) is a skill of it's own, and I think it exists apart from professional lessons.
My daughter struggles with natural athleticism, it's more of a cerebral thing with her. I think some kids, if they just start pitching, and get the chance to keep doing it, can be okay for a few years. I think others need to _understand_ pitching a little more, and need at least a few lessons to really get started.
The thirst/ability to learn and improve (versus just being told what to do) is a skill of it's own, and I think it exists apart from professional lessons.
- Apr 14, 2022
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Every pitcher imo owes it to their teammates to do a reasonable job of throwing strikes at any level. Walk Fests are so demoralizing to the team. They are not fun for anyone. Throwing strikes usually takes work.
What amount of lessons and work on their own are required to do that I do not know. I think throwing strikes consistently takes quality instruction and practice and a reasonable level of commitment.
Not meant to be argumentative just providing a context that pitching is so important to the development of the other players I feel all pitchers should do the work necessary to at least throw strikes weather they strive to be d1 or a jv pitcher.
- Aug 21, 2008
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This is an interesting topic, I kinda enjoyed the posts.
The ironic thing here is, I never had a lesson when I was a kid. Keep in mind, I'm no different than your own DD's. I was a kid wanting to be be a fastpitch pitcher too. I got to be on my first team when I was 12 yrs old, and this was a men's team. I always tell new pitchers and families that I see, I was 12 getting to pitch in a men's league because when I was young, boys were not suing to play on girl's teams, sports, etc. If I wanted to pitch, it had to be in the men's league. I ask them to put this in perspective, imagine your 12 yr old DD is asked to go pitch against Oklahoma. And, lets keep going, at 12 yrs old I didn't have a riseball. Like most 12 yr olds, I didn't really have any pitches. Being 100% clear and transparent, I got my A$$ kicked constantly for the first 3-4 years. My father had to sign liability waivers with the city rec department incase I got injured, and considering how hard I was hit when I was young, I'm surprised I didn't get more line-drives off my body.
So I never had lessons. The closest thing I had was asking questions and being annoying towards the older pitchers locally. But there was no such thing as one of those pitchers giving me an hour of his time for a lesson. If I was lucky maybe one would show me a grip for a pitch after their own game, spend 5 min showing me where my fingers should be, how my wrist should be, where my arm slots into my body, etc. After that, it was trial and error. A LOT of errors!!! And I don't think my situation was different from someone like Balswick. I'd be willing to bet he didn't have "lessons" either when he was a kid. I'd be willing to bet his start was similar to my own.
As a teenager, I can remember being around my school's softball team. The head coach also played in the men's FP league (and was my algebra teacher) so, I knew him in and out of school. Often times I would throw BP to the girls team. So, if I didn't do well on an Algebra test, my hope was some BP would bring extra credit!! lol. But, even back then, the mid-late 1980's, I used to be baffled by the way the girls would warm up: wrist flips, bending the elbow straight up, etc. and I wondered where all that came from. NONE of that was ever seen in the men's FP world. I can vividly remember wondering what they're doing and why. Here I am 30+, almost 40 years later and I still don't understand it.
Would I have had the same career if I had started out like those girls doing wrist flips? I don't know. That is a lot of bad muscle memory they have to overcome. I'm glad I never have to find out, and I really and truly feel for the kids I see being taught this stuff in the cages next to me at places. In my case, I think I'm lucky that I didn't take "lessons" considering that back then H/E was almost the only thing being taught. These days, if a parent (or a pitcher) does their homework, and considering the amount of resources available today online and with coaches who know better, a pitcher today would have the best chance ever to make it withOUT a pitching coach or lessons. Is that ideal? No. But to me it's better than learning things that she'll have to unlearn when she's older.
By definition most parents are average…in everything. Therein lies your answer. That said sometimes average people are the happiest and that in and of itself might be the most important factor in being a good parent (sports success aside) . Being highly motivated has its drawbacks when it comes to dealing with the real world which often requires balance.
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- May 13, 2021
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I would say on most teams, the amount of time a girl spends practicing her pitching, will correlate with how much the rest of the team practices there position.
- Aug 21, 2008
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Wow, really?? You think so?? I can tell you that I've been in facilities from Alaska to Florida, Maine to California and while I see girls pitching and doing their hitting drills constantly, very rarely do I see them practicing indoor fielding. VERY rare. I'm not saying nobody ever does, and I'm not saying it never happens. All I'm saying is, it's very rare to see girls spend time in cages and facilities (outside of team practices) where they are working solely on their fielding, throwing.
