Pitching speeds?

[starsnuffer]

Funny note, for some reason my DD's travel team has the weekend off this weekend after 4 weeks in a row. She's 13 on a mostly 13yo 14u A team. It's a big tournament weekend because the HS kids can finally play, so she went to a tournament a few hours a way with a friend and their family to watch and take notes.

First thing she said when she got back was, "The pitchers are really slow this year". I thought about this for a minute, because I actually train some of the pitchers she was referring to so I know what their speeds are, and then I realized. . she hasn't observed a game from the bleachers in a very long time. Everything looks slower from the bleachers. Then I had an epiphany. This may be one of the reasons that those crazy daddies think their daughters pitch so darned fast. They simply never catch anyone except their own daughter, observe her speed behind the plate, and then when they're in the stands watching every other pitcher, it seems so very slow. Maybe these nutjob fathers aren't so birdbrained as I once thought. Maybe it is just a fluke of perception?

Oh, and my 13yo's speed, 52 cruising, has hit 54 a few times. 39-41mph changeup. What's more important though, is that she was also 13 last October (her bday), and was cruising at 44. What happened? She was a really late bloomer and finally grew 4 inches in that time (she's 5'5" 105lbs now). I'd love to say it was super-special drills and awesome coaching, but the truth is she grew and got stronger. So before you figure out if your kid is "average" for her age, figure out where she is in her development cycle.

-W

 

[MandM]

I would put my two cents in for sluggers comments about posting video as well. There are ranges of speeds for every age group as you can see, and maybe your daughter is age-appropriate in speed, but in reality- has the potential to be one of those girls who is MUCH better than that because she has natural speed, but incorrect mechanics. In that instance, she could actually be better than age appropriate with correction.

My DD was very average in the fall for her age (8th grade) and size. Corrected mechanics increased her cruising speed significantly and now she would be considered "good" for her age. The new PC thinks she has potential to do even better.

The caveat: Best way to improve speed, fix mechanics.

 

[tmolina]

How tall is the pitcher has more to do with speed than how old she is... In my experience 5ft tall doesn't pitch 65 mph.

I have seen 5'5 pitchers in college throw 60-65mph. I have also seen 5'6" to 5"8" pitchers in 14u club that haven't hit 55mph yet. Also seen alot of 5'8" and taller college pitchers that don't throw any harder than 62mph and cruise at 58mph. I don't think height has anything to do with it. Proper mechanics, god given ability and strength training more so than height.

 

[MandM]

agree with above, two of the pitchers who have taken their teams to the WCWS, Rachel Fico (LSU) and Jolene Henderson (Cal) are each 5'8" and pitch in the high 60's

 

[quincy]

This is a generalization but the pitchers are on the heavy side. Laymen’s perspective you need height or are heaver set.

 

[AimHigh]

According to LSU's website, Fico is 5'6"

 

[Cannonball]

Speed isnt' the thing most colleges want. Speed alone is highly hittable. My dd is the perfect example. My dd is 5'11" and very strong. She threw her drop consistently in the 63 range and fastball in the mid 60s at several college camps. She went 29-1 in high school. Yet, only one college wanted her to pitch. Drop was above average. All other pitches average. Fastball was said to be "hard but straight." I think most of us know that the "typical fastball" we all think about is rarely called in college. They want balls that move. JMHO!

 

[ms244]

I have always thought that my DD had speed that was about average until I saw the number posted earlier. I now think she is normal in speed and doing well for her height/age. Considering that she has only pitched for 2 years (part of that time wasted with a poor pitching coach) she is doing good IMO. She has a great screwball and a good curve ball. She is working hard on a hard drop and then will try combining that with a screw or curve. She also has a good change-up that helps keep her batters guessing on speed.

I "hope" that she hits a growth spurt but based on my wife's height that probably isn't going to happen. I wish!

For now we will continue working hard to improve speed and accuracy. I will try to get video and post it here for comments/review.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Taryne Mowatt, isn't very tall. She is shorter than I am and I am 5'9". She won it all at U of A.

 

[starsnuffer]

Almost all humans have the same size torsos, when it comes to length and height. The difference in height comes mostly from the femur length, and this length is more often duplicated in the humorous. This means that a taller person will usually have longer arms. Longer arms mean that arm can move more slowly to produce the same speed pitch, or, if the arm moves the same speed as a shorter arm, the pitch will be faster. It isn't elitism genetics, it's physics.



-W