I look nothing like Sheldon !
Question: When do increases in speed taper off?
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I look nothing like Sheldon !
I agree and that supports my ultimate statement that until someone comes up with a standardization for obtaining a reading, we won't be able to compare apples to apples. So all this speed talk is just for fun and doesn't lend itself to actual fine comparison.
Now who is going to start the pitch movement comparisons.......
- Jun 24, 2013
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I will start the pitch movement comparison.
Sometimes when my DD's pitch, the batters move out of the box. Is that what you were talking about? She pitches, they move. LOL!
It was especially funny in 10U when she was throwing in the 50's. She came up with this one style of pitching (and later saw a P from UCLA doing it) where she bent over (like a folding knife) almost to the point of her pony tail hitting the ground and then came back up and exploded through the pitch. The girls were actually backing out of the box after the first pitch went by them. Their coaches kept pleading with them to stay in the box, and when they did they stayed as far away from the plate as they could, with their heels crowding the line.
Actually I would like to know what you mean when you say pitch movement. Is it the same as hitting spots? Or do you mean the pitcher starts by aiming for the outside corner and then the pitch moves across the zone to the inside corner? Or do you mean that the pitcher has enough control that they can actually control the pitch enough to get it it the same spot they were aiming for?
Sometimes when my DD's pitch, the batters move out of the box. Is that what you were talking about? She pitches, they move. LOL!
It was especially funny in 10U when she was throwing in the 50's. She came up with this one style of pitching (and later saw a P from UCLA doing it) where she bent over (like a folding knife) almost to the point of her pony tail hitting the ground and then came back up and exploded through the pitch. The girls were actually backing out of the box after the first pitch went by them. Their coaches kept pleading with them to stay in the box, and when they did they stayed as far away from the plate as they could, with their heels crowding the line.
Actually I would like to know what you mean when you say pitch movement. Is it the same as hitting spots? Or do you mean the pitcher starts by aiming for the outside corner and then the pitch moves across the zone to the inside corner? Or do you mean that the pitcher has enough control that they can actually control the pitch enough to get it it the same spot they were aiming for?
I was referring to breaking pitches, but I was also having a little fun with those who were also having a little fun with this thread in general. Confused now?
- Dec 7, 2011
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OK – I will start:
Feedback on my DD's pitch-type progress:
10 – LL & rec ball : FB
11 - LL & rec ball : FB/CU
12 - LL & rec ball : FB/CU
13 – LL & rec ball & 14U TB-B : FB/CU/RB
14 – 16U TB-A : FB/CU/RB
15 – 18U TB-A : FB/CU/RB/DB
16 - 16U TB-A : FB/CU/RB/DB/Crop/Off-speed Peel
17 – 16U TB-A : FB/CU/RB/DB/Off-speed Peel/SB
RB is DD’s bread n butter for K’s.
Drop is a roll-over and one of her least consistent pitches. But it breaks huge so with nobody on base it’s a great waste pitch.
Crop from a right-hander I don’t believe in (different from a LH pitcher) – we killed it after a travel coach tried to force it in.
Off-speed Peel – LOVE this pitch for effectiveness in national level play.
Screw – newest pitch and expect to have it mainstream this year.
Feedback on my DD's pitch-type progress:
10 – LL & rec ball : FB
11 - LL & rec ball : FB/CU
12 - LL & rec ball : FB/CU
13 – LL & rec ball & 14U TB-B : FB/CU/RB
14 – 16U TB-A : FB/CU/RB
15 – 18U TB-A : FB/CU/RB/DB
16 - 16U TB-A : FB/CU/RB/DB/Crop/Off-speed Peel
17 – 16U TB-A : FB/CU/RB/DB/Off-speed Peel/SB
RB is DD’s bread n butter for K’s.
Drop is a roll-over and one of her least consistent pitches. But it breaks huge so with nobody on base it’s a great waste pitch.
Crop from a right-hander I don’t believe in (different from a LH pitcher) – we killed it after a travel coach tried to force it in.
Off-speed Peel – LOVE this pitch for effectiveness in national level play.
Screw – newest pitch and expect to have it mainstream this year.
JJsqueeze
Dad, Husband....legend
My DD has awesome movement pitches....much better than Mustang's DD. Her miss is right down the middle of the batters box. She makes em move more than anyone. Little sister cries at the thought of having to try to hit her. I put her in the box with a cushion from a lawn chair as a shield.
- Jun 19, 2013
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Thanks RB for sharing this sort of info so freely. It really is helpful to me, and I'm sure other parents who are newer to FP and parenting a pitcher. I know I am continually wondering "is it a lost cause if she is only throwing 50-52 and she's almost 12" or "what if she doesn't ever learn a good rollover drop?" etc. I could list worries for the next hour. Sometimes seeing somebody elses path helps you think - oh ok this is doable. If we keep on one step at a time she can build on where she's at and doesn't have to be able to throw a 60 mph RB next month.
- Dec 7, 2011
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I gotta clarify for folks that are gonna see this and question right away:
DD's "core" pitches = the FB/CU/RB/Off-Speed-Peel
An opponent might not ever see more than a "waste pitch" of the other pitches just to keep them "current".
Shoot,...I would not think any less of DD's skills if she didn't have the others to be honest. In fact I many times wonder if the time spent on the roll-over drop (most difficult pitch for DD) and the new SB couldn't have been better time spent perfecting even more her "core" pitches......?? (love to hear some college coaches weigh in on this)
- Dec 7, 2011
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Then one more thing - Finding a TB coach that will have confidence in freely using even the selection of core pitches can be difficult enough of a chore in selecting a Travel Team. There are sooo many ultra-conservative-only-know-12U-pitching-strategy coaches out there. This could be that I am in a SMALL SB state that this is the case but if 1 more TB coach of DD's thinks a FB/CU strategy and nothing else is what we are going to go with I am going to explode. When DD was 15yrs old she was on a 18U squad that limited her to FB/CU. On one of the bigger tourneys for the 16U squad they asked and we went and played on the 16U for a weekend. In coming into that weekend the 16U coach asked "So what pitches can I call". I told him to be thoroughly confident with ALL the core pitches. DD WON that tourney for that team hands down!! Just blew away the competition. You think that coming back to the struggling 18U squad the travel organization would now listen to my plea to use more of DD's tools...? Nope - they FB/CU strategied themselves into a terrible losing season (very trying on DD too that knew she could have done sooooooo much better)
Moral of this story = Parents - INTERVIEW the TB coach and make sure they are open to USING your DD's pitching strengths!!!! (of course the everything you push for better be truly effective pitches......)
- Jun 24, 2013
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My advice to new pitchers parents would be this. Get the FB down before you go to change up before you go to other pitches. If you don't want to do fb first, then don't try learn lots of pitches before mastering at least 2 first. I can't tell you the number of parents who tell me their DD has 6-7 pitches when in reality they have command of maybe 1 of those said pitches. I had one girl who would have been more awesome if she could have controlled 3 of the said 7 pitches she claimed. She did have one pitch, and I don't know what she called it, but it was wicked. I saw it once when I was coaching against her and I was 1B coach. The pitch looked like it was moving up and down about 3-4" (that's inches not feet) almost like it was riding a wave. Never saw it again but it was wicked. Maybe it was a fluke pitch, but my mind could not believe what my eyes were seeing and if she could have developed that pitch more, I believe it would have been near about unhittable.
I second what RubberBiscuit says, find out what the TB coaches strategy is and if THEY are willing to adapt to YOUR DD's pitching calls or if they are going to try to convert your DD to THEIR style. I once had my DD's on a TB team coached by a nutcase. His pitching calls were numbers 1-4 for high inside, low inside, high outside, low outside. My DD's numbers were 0-5 with 0 being an inside pitch off the plate, 1 inside over the black, 2 meatball, 3 black outside plate, 4 1 ball off, 5 2 ball off. Movement up and down was based on the pitch. He had my DD's so messed up, I finally told them to ignore him and throw what they thought was best. We didn't stay long on that team. If he had been more willing to work with us we might have tried to have them listen better, but it became pretty obvious after we joined the team that he was a nutcase.
I second what RubberBiscuit says, find out what the TB coaches strategy is and if THEY are willing to adapt to YOUR DD's pitching calls or if they are going to try to convert your DD to THEIR style. I once had my DD's on a TB team coached by a nutcase. His pitching calls were numbers 1-4 for high inside, low inside, high outside, low outside. My DD's numbers were 0-5 with 0 being an inside pitch off the plate, 1 inside over the black, 2 meatball, 3 black outside plate, 4 1 ball off, 5 2 ball off. Movement up and down was based on the pitch. He had my DD's so messed up, I finally told them to ignore him and throw what they thought was best. We didn't stay long on that team. If he had been more willing to work with us we might have tried to have them listen better, but it became pretty obvious after we joined the team that he was a nutcase.
