Question for catching DD's pitching

[InsidePitch]

My DD is fairly new to pitching, about a year. She is not difficult to get to practice but some days her mind just seems to be somewhere else. This evening after about five minutes and the 5th or 6th pitch sailed over my head (yes I did jump for it) I just walked to the house and said that's enough. Her warm up seemed off as well. Are there days it's just not in the cards or do you make your DD work through it. Sometimes I am able to refocus her attention but not always. She likes to talk during practice which I don't mind but I tell her she needs to finish a thought before pitching because she can't do both. Any advice in this area?

 

[Jojo]

I'm a PC and was also my DD's catcher.
I struggle to get my pitchers to practice, their parents say "I asked her but she said no"

I didn't give my DD the choice, every season I asked her if she wanted to pitch, if she said "Yes" then she practiced....period.
We had a set time of the day, before dinner, we didn't eat till she was done.

Did she ever have "Off" days? Yes. We kept those days short, did basic mechanics work and left it at that.

Did we ever get irritated at each other? Yes, I would do what you did and just walk off. This always made her pretty mad, and she would throw into the wooden garage door by herself.

Could she do two things at once? NO! Not even chew gum!

One suggestion I would make is to set up a "Pitchers Day" one day a week. Let her set the amount of time she practices and what she does in the practices. You cannot say a word, you just sit and catch, sit and catch. At first she'll think "Oh cool!" Then later she'll want to prove that she can give herself a productive workout.

 

[Madsdad]

Insidepitch,
I think what you are going through is normal. They are kids and getting their full attention on command every time you pitch is going to be a struggle for years to come. As time goes on you will be able to see when your DD is distracted and you will have to work around it. Jojo is offering good advice, try to make it fun, if they have fun they will more then likely throw better on any given day.
If DD is distracted do things that are easier so that she can be successful, never end on a bad note. I know that in my case, working with my DD has been a great experience for me as well. If I was not patient with her we would have been done a long time ago. Don't expect everyday to be perfect, they are kids and kids need to have fun while they are working.

 

[Brittany'sDad]

Hi Inside Pitch,
How old is your daughter? I think age has an important factor in the equation. When my daughter was 13 and threw six straight balls to the backstop I would throw one over her head and let her chase it so she could see what it’s like and give her a chance to refocus (I know sluggers, that sounds like a “crazy daddy”). Last year at age 14 I just left it up to her about when we would practice, It really only took one week of not asking her to practice to fix the problem. Invariably she had one of her worst days on the mound, after the game when she came up and accused me of not making her practice, I replied it’s not my job to get you to practice pitching, it’s yours. From then on it was better for both of us, she practiced with motivation and I did not have to stress about it. She asked me to keep asking her because her busy life would cause her to “forget”. So I would ask her and if she said no, I would leave it at that (incidentally, many times after about ten minutes or so a “no” would change to a yes). This year, now that she is fifteen I have tried to incorporate games more into practice. We sometimes stop pitching and take grounders or hit balls off the “t” then go back to pitching. One game in particular that I came across on this site this year she really likes is to place balls on the “t” and see if she can knock them off. The side benefit of this is it has really helped her control her breaking pitches, since it is instant feedback.
Looking at it through their eyes helps as well, in addition to regular team practices, games, and homework they then have to go and practice with dad. This does not leave them much opportunity for a social life. My daughter is often lamenting about how she never has time for anything. However, she loves to pitch and hates to lose so she endures. Sometimes I wish I had learned that song on this website “daddy’s don’t let your daughters grow up to be pitcher’s” before she started and I would have saved myself a lot of stress. Then I look at it this way; I get to spend 3-4 hours alone with my daughter a week. I do not have to worry about where she is or what she is doing and the side benefit is we get to do something we both love.
Mike

 

[redhotcoach]

Make sure to set her up for success. It is frustrating to chase balls and even harder not to show you frustration. After much trial and error, we always had/have a bucket full of balls next to her so it isn't any big deal when they go sailing, just grab another ball. Having a back stop is a great help also. You will enjoy it much more. There have been days that either dd is way off target, so I don't catch and just put out the pitching target and start them close, then move back a little at a time. It is easier to watch their form that way also. As they get more successful they both have focused more. Probably hard to take your practice serious when you just about hit your own foot with a pitch.
One dd (the one that became a catcher) like your daughter, talks non stop when we practice. I have come to enjoy it, it is how I hear about school, and other things going on.

 

[Dave D]

Jojo--
I had to check the top of your post to make sure I hadn't written it. Our experiences seem to mirror one another, and I'm sure they're pretty common. DD just turned 14, and we have been in a nice groove for the past 4 months or so. We throw our sessions every other day without fail and she has now gotten to the point where she sees her pitching time as a regular part of her day, like brushing her teeth or doing homework. All that work is really starting to pay off as she is separating herself from most of the other local pitchers who just don't put in the hours.

In the past, if I didn't feel that DD was putting forth focused effort, I would get on her, she'd try too hard, tears would flow, buckets would be put away--we both took the whole thing too seriously (for our mutual sanity, anyway). Before starting our work after Thanksgiving, we had a day together where we talked about things both of us did that bothered the other and ourselves. Long story short, we came to a set of agreements about how we were going to approach our pitching time together.

We certainly have bad attitude days, and poor performance days, but, where we used to shorten our workouts to accommodate mood swings (both of ours), we've agreed to get through every session, barring injury, from start to finish. Once she realized she couldn't pout her way out of finishing, she realized she didn't WANT to pout her way out of finishing. The best thing about all of it is the positive effect this has had on her overall attitude and maturity. She deals really well with the little things that bother lots of girls. We get along a lot better, too, which makes Mom happy.

In the long run, a pitcher has to want it for herself--we all know that. My job as a bucket dad is to help her decide if she really does want it and, if so, keep nudging her in the direction of her goals.

 

[jay]

this is awesome discussion...where can i get a 'bucket dad' shirt?

i struggle with my daughter saying yes to practice. i can bribe her with an energy drink or somethng of the like...she also likes it better if we go to an actual field and practice as well instead of in our yard. she's streaky though...some days she gives me a vehement 'no!'. other days, she's asking me. bottom line, i can sense she has a passion for it so some days i WILL force her to do it. based on success she has, i'm convinced she'll thank me for it. i just don't push her every day...yet!!!

 

[Dave D]

...where can i get a 'bucket dad' shirt?

I'm actually in the process of having DW's (Dedicated Wife) screenprinting shop print some up for sale at tourneys. Once I get them done, I'll find a way for folks here to get access to them. .

 

[stephanie]

Don't forget a few Bucket Mom shirts..
Had some good advice last weekend: Let her pitch for about 10 minutes, then take a 5 minute breakpitch 10 minutes, break 5 minutes...It's more like a game would be. DD likes that! Sometimes, she likes to wear her iPod when she practices. Sometimes, I do, too!

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I even have girls come to lessons that "it just isn't their day." We try to refocus and work through it, but if after 15 minutes, she is in gaga land, I call it quits.

I tell the folks "I am not getting through to her, so this is no charge. Go do whatever else it is you have to do."

My own DD practiced with me quite well until she was a sophomore. I sat in the garage. She stood in the driveway and pitched. I had no idea that little girls could be so wild, until I started taking on students. Now, no way, would I have them throw in my garage.

When DD was almost 16 we started driving 1 1/2 one way to a pitching coach in Prescott, AZ. She liked that. She earned her learner's permit driving that stretch of Interstate.

On the other hand, the boys that I teach never show up in "gaga" land.