So apparently I’m a pitching coach

[flogzilla]

DD’s Rec team started practicing this week. Coach is awesome guy. Obviously really cares. Come with a plan and does a great job, but has more kids than any one person can handle. DD is only player with pitching experience. After watching a hello elbow pushing demo recruiting pitchers I volunteered to help with pitchers if he wanted. I may not know a lot. But I have learned tons compared to when we started and didn’t want to see any girls go down that path.

Tonight he took me up on it. Sweet 12yr old with a great attitude. Not uncommon to see basically horseshoe mechanics at our rec level and I thought at the Very least I could teach them to throw underhand with some basic IR mechanics and give them a head start if they decided to stick with it. After explaining and demoing a few things got her trying to just get the ball palm up and whip. After correcting a couple throws that were pushy she started to feel what I was saying and correcting herself. Awesome body awareness. Started having her doing it with a step and she still was doing it really well a good percentage of the time. Had zero intention of attempting an actual pitch, but she was game and I tried to give her a good feeling of what her arm was supposed to be doing to get to where she started with that whip. Now I realize that there tons of drive mechanics and glove arm stuff to work on. But in 20 minutes, to get a kid who is actually in her first year playing, to pitching a ball that would have crossed the plate in the strike zone felt pretty awesome. I told her she should be so proud of herself.

DD asked me going home how girl did. I told her I’m a much better coach now than when she started apparently. Sorry for the ramble just pretty stoked to have a small impact on somebody and do something positive for the game.

 

[ANNASDAD]

You better watch out, they’ll put you on the payroll!

 

[_MIA_]

You are better than me. I have been coaching my DS's 7U coach pitch team and after almost 2 months I still cannot get most of the kids to not turn their glove over when trying catch a ball thrown at them..they catch it in the gut more than the glove.

 

[YOCOACH]

You are better than me. I have been coaching my DS's 7U coach pitch team and after almost 2 months I still cannot get most of the kids to not turn their glove over when trying catch a ball thrown at them..they catch it in the gut more than the glove.

Have you tried starting with tennis balls and bare hands? Throw the balls to the various common catching positions and make them catch the balls barehanded. Tell them to take note of the position of there hands when the ball was caught. Once they become comfortable with that, tell them their glove is nothing more than an extension of their hands and to use them the same way.

 

[YOCOACH]

@flogzilla , now you know why many of us continue coaching even after our DD's move on. Congrats!

 

[_MIA_]

Have you tried starting with tennis balls and bare hands? Throw the balls to the various common catching positions and make them catch the balls barehanded. Tell them to take note of the position of there hands when the ball was caught. Once they become comfortable with that, tell them their glove is nothing more than an extension of their hands and to use them the same way.

Yes. Despite starting practice with this for over a month, I can't get many of them to not turn their hands over even when using tennis balls barehanded. Most of them don't do a thing at home despite my gentle suggestions to the parents..

 

[BigSkyHi]

Have them throw balls at you so they can see how it's done without fear. You may need to warm up old man as trying to catch 12 tennis balls at the same time may cause injury

 

[_MIA_]

Have them throw balls at you so they can see how it's done without fear. You may need to warm up old man as trying to catch 12 tennis balls at the same time may cause injury

That is how we do it. Split into groups and have each kid receive from and throw to, a coach. I've had multiple kids throw a regular baseball at me as hard as they can from like 10 ft..luckily my reflexes are not totally gone yet If I can get a few more to be able catch a ball by the end of the year I am going to call it a win...

 

[flogzilla]

That is how we do it. Split into groups and have each kid receive from and throw to, a coach. I've had multiple kids throw a regular baseball at me as hard as they can from like 10 ft..luckily my reflexes are not totally gone yet If I can get a few more to be able catch a ball by the end of the year I am going to call it a win...

Guy I know that has a tee ball team said if they threw a single kid out at first by end of year it was a good year. Understand how you feel on the catching DDs team has several catching like that. Some of the kids apparently have a glove but no ball at home so don’t think they are getting any help at home. Visual that finally clicked when DD started playing was that of starting fingers up and thinking like a windshield wiper so the pocket never faced away from ball. Caught her teaching her brother same thing he’s doing better but it took lots of tennis balls and bean bags to get him not to be afraid of ball.

 

[BigSkyHi]

This looks fun