Speed vs. Movement

[SoCalDad]

Bottom line: after 6 months of pitching in the cruising range of 53 - 55 my DD has made another breakthrough and is now pitching consistently in the 57 - 59 range. With this speed increase I have noticed the following:

Positives
1. Strikeouts per game has increased from an avg of 6 to a bit over 9.
2. Winning pct has stayed steady but the past few games have been much closer

Negatives
1. Horizontal movement has decreased significantly
2. Walks per game has increased from about 2 to over 4
3. When contact is made the ball is being hit much harder and former infield hits and are now going to the outfield.
4. ERA has increased from 2.00 to about 3.00

I attribute the increase in walks to the lack of movement. Her pitches are coming in very straight and she is missing locations by very little. When she pitched slower she had much better horizontal movement and the same inside/outside pitches that are now being called balls were previously being called strikes. Her PC keeps telling me not to worry that the negatives I have listed are normal when a pitcher makes a jump in speed like she has. She keeps reassuring me and my DD that her movement will return when she becomes more comfortable with the new speed. What is the experience of this forum?

 

[sluggers]

It is good your DD is throwing faster. Your DD has to adapt to her new found speed. For example, she isn't spinning the ball the way she did because her arm and wrist are moving faster.

She needs to spend some time focusing on location and on breaking pitches. Re-tool your practices to focus on location and breaking pitches, and reduce the amount of time you spend on speed work.

Also, take a deep breath about the batters and the scores. The batters are working on hitting as your DD is working on pitching. So, the batters are getting better as well. I suspect your DD would be getting shelled if her speed hadn't increased.

 

[tojo]

Yor DDs' spin rate and angle of axis may have changed with the new found speed and she will probably need to spend more practice time on spins.

 

[halskinner]

C'mon Soccaldad, you have been around long enough to realize that the number of good hits has gone up. That means they are able to time her motions better now for whatever reason.

Do something about it because the batters will catch up to you no matter how fast you throw. Develop a slow and an off-speed and bounce around constantly between the three. Or, sit down and let a smart pitcher do it.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

C'mon Soccaldad, you have been around long enough to realize that the number of good hits has gone up. That means they are able to time her motions better now for whatever reason.

Do something about it because the batters will catch up to you no matter how fast you throw. Develop a slow and an off-speed and bounce around constantly between the three. Or, sit down and let a smart pitcher do it.

Gotta agree. Speed is good, but got to have movement. Off speed is a bad muther, we call it a sucker pitch. Wish I had a dollar for all the k's we have got on the off speed.

 

[durwood]

i have read that "you have to work on your spins" in different posts. are there spin drills or just keep throwing and practicing ex drop ball. her spin has become much tighter but inconsistent at times for 11yr. i would think good spin equals better movement. just wondering.