pitching styles

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Mar 30, 2009
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my dd started pitching @ 8 yrs old, she is now 10 ysr. she was taught the step style of pitching and she is throwing 40 mph from 35 feet. is that a good speed? i am thinking of changing her to the leap style, is it going to be hard transition since that she already has a different style?
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
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Dallas, Texas
Don't get too crazy about speed. You are going to get all kinds of people telling that their 10 YOA DD is throwing 55 mph.

Some words of wisdom about speed:

(A) Generally, a good 12U pitcher throws around 50 MPH.
(B) The speed a girls pitches before puberty (when the hips spread and the bosom grows) are a curiosity more than anything. It isn't an indicator of later success. It isn't difficult to teach a reasonably athletic pre-pubescent girl to throw 50 MPH.
(C) There is "one time max" speed and "cruising speed". A "one time max speed" (which for obvious reasons is what parents brag about) is the speed a pitcher can throw once in a great while in a pitching session. The "cruising speed" is the speed a pitcher can consistently throw for strikes reliably over several innings. My DD's cruising speed was 62 mph (she was a d1 all-conference pitcher), but her one time max was 67 mph. Monica Abbott and Jenny Finch cruise at around 67 mph.

As to changing styles: At 10 YOA, she can certainly change as long as she works at it.

Before she changes, you might want to consider your locale. It is one thing to be a leap and drag pitcher in sunny southern California and Arizona where the infield dirt is like sand. It is another thing to be a leap and drag pitcher in Minnesota where the infield is frozen mud in March.
 
Jan 13, 2009
52
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I agree with not placing emphasis on speed right now. My daughter is pitching her first season of 16u, and will have the gun on her for the first time this summer. We'll do it once just for a reference point and then continue to focus on delivering a consistent, best pitch speed.

She made the transistion from step to leap and drag during the Fall of her 10u - 12u transition. It was frustrating, from a control perspective, but she had the Fall/Winter to get used to it before school ball began.

In one of the Fall games, she was getting obviously frustrated with her locations. I asked her if she wanted to go back to stepping, and she wanted no part of taking a step backwards (no pun intended).

If your DD is ready to make the change, let her go and help her work through it.
 
May 12, 2008
2,214
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Mechanics, command, spin control etc are all important. Having said that, just as command must be relearned when moving from step style to leap and drag so must command be relearned when moving from less than full effort to full effort. Part of your training once the basic mechanic is learned should always be speed work with immediate objective feedback like long toss.
 
Mar 30, 2009
33
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well i asked my dd about changing here style and she said "no". she likes her coach and she has great control of her pitches.she is cruising at 39 to 40 in her games. i dont gun her but about every 2 or 3 months just to check. she had FB spin problems that were slowing her down but her coach got it fixed this weekend. thanks for all the input guys
 
May 12, 2008
2,214
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Fine, use the mechanic she has and do long toss several times a week. Search youtube for Jaeger long toss. Use the same protocol except with windmill.
 
Mar 30, 2009
33
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she already does long toss at home and she pitches @ home every 2 days in our cage. she works at home not just at her pitching coach.
 
May 12, 2008
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I assumed she practiced diligently. What pattern, plan or protocol do you follow on the long toss?
 
Mar 30, 2009
33
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she starts out on the back of 2nd base, throws a few and moves in 3 or 4 feet and throws again. we continue to do this untill we get to the mound so she has to work her release point back down by the time she gets to the mound
 
May 12, 2008
2,214
0
That would be the pull down phase. After warming up and loosening up, begin to back up a few steps at a time till she can't reach you regardless of angle of release. Then move it back in a few steps at a time trying to keep the feel of the the throw at the longest distance while throwing the shorter distance eventually working back to regulation distance hopefully still throwing with the same feel as the long distance throw except for release point.
 

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