Taking a break

[grcsftbll]

My DD has been struggling with her mechanics since an ankle injury back in the fall. For whatever reason it seems like all the progress she makes in lessons comes undone in the circle. We finally decided it was time to take a breather, focus on other things, and maybe come back to it in the fall, if she wants to. Weird mixture of sadness and relief for all of us right now. She took her first pitching lesson not long after her 8th birthday. She's been a pitcher almost as long as she's been playing softball. I think this whole thing has felt like an identity crisis for her.

Anyway...I don't know if she'll pick it back up. It feels like the end of an era.

 

[joe720]

Some times the best thing is a little break. If she really loves pitching she'll come back to it.

 

[FP26]

joe720 is correct. If she loves it, she will want to come back to it. Playing softball and being a pitcher can be two entirely different things... Maybe some family wiffle ball games during the summer can help determine her course of action. It could bring back some fond memories and lead her back into the circle. Or may solidify your recent decision.

FWIW, I enjoy your posts @grcsftbbl. Reading your posts remind me of some of the things our family experienced several years ago. Time really does fly...

 

[Tatonka]

My DD has been struggling with her mechanics since an ankle injury back in the fall. For whatever reason it seems like all the progress she makes in lessons comes undone in the circle. We finally decided it was time to take a breather, focus on other things, and maybe come back to it in the fall, if she wants to. Weird mixture of sadness and relief for all of us right now. She took her first pitching lesson not long after her 8th birthday. She's been a pitcher almost as long as she's been playing softball. I think this whole thing has felt like an identity crisis for her.

Anyway...I don't know if she'll pick it back up. It feels like the end of an era.

I'm willing to bet this is fairly common for our DD's who pitch. My DD started pitching around that same age and to put it mildly it's been (and continues to be) quite a journey. Mine got cleated and went through a very crazy staph infection/complicated injury last fall which sidelined her completely (crutches, etc.) over the winter and still isn't 100% healed. She's started over again from ground zero with drive mechanics, brush, FSR... We've had the conversation about letting it go and focusing strictly on the rest of her game. She is determined to still pitch. Finally getting her old mojo back although it hasn't been easy for her and watching her put in the extra time covering all the stuff that she's been through before convinces me she really wants it. Side note - had a tourney this weekend and during warm ups I'm thinking "oh crap", got into the game and she did great! She's seeing and playing with more girls that want to pitch only and is more convinced than ever that is not what she wants so while she has always had a decent bat and been a very fast, strong outfielder she's also doubling down with more practice time there.

It's always interesting when a 16/18U team has some downtime during a tourney and the number of girls that come out to goof around on the field and say "I used to pitch" or "Yeah, I pitched up until 10th grade"! ;-)

 

[FP26]

I'm willing to bet this is fairly common for our DD's who pitch. My DD started pitching around that same age and to put it mildly it's been (and continues to be) quite a journey. Mine got cleated and went through a very crazy staph infection/complicated injury last fall which sidelined her completely (crutches, etc.) over the winter and still isn't 100% healed. She's started over again from ground zero with drive mechanics, brush, FSR... We've had the conversation about letting it go and focusing strictly on the rest of her game. She is determined to still pitch. Finally getting her old mojo back although it hasn't been easy for her and watching her put in the extra time covering all the stuff that she's been through before convinces me she really wants it. Side note - had a tourney this weekend and during warm ups I'm thinking "oh crap", got into the game and she did great! She's seeing and playing with more girls that want to pitch only and is more convinced than ever that is not what she wants so while she has always had a decent bat and been a very fast, strong outfielder she's also doubling down with more practice time there.

It's always interesting when a 16/18U team has some downtime during a tourney and the number of girls that come out to goof around on the field and say "I used to pitch" or "Yeah, I pitched up until 10th grade"! ;-)

I coached a 23u team last summer. We had a few recent high school graduates that are now playing in college, but the rest of the team was constructed of current college players, including two recent college graduates. On that 16 player roster, all of them pitched at the rec ball level. And all but one pitched at some point in travel ball (mostly 10u/12u).

 

[grcsftbll]

I'm willing to bet this is fairly common for our DD's who pitch. My DD started pitching around that same age and to put it mildly it's been (and continues to be) quite a journey. Mine got cleated and went through a very crazy staph infection/complicated injury last fall which sidelined her completely (crutches, etc.) over the winter and still isn't 100% healed. She's started over again from ground zero with drive mechanics, brush, FSR... We've had the conversation about letting it go and focusing strictly on the rest of her game. She is determined to still pitch. Finally getting her old mojo back although it hasn't been easy for her and watching her put in the extra time covering all the stuff that she's been through before convinces me she really wants it. Side note - had a tourney this weekend and during warm ups I'm thinking "oh crap", got into the game and she did great! She's seeing and playing with more girls that want to pitch only and is more convinced than ever that is not what she wants so while she has always had a decent bat and been a very fast, strong outfielder she's also doubling down with more practice time there.

It's always interesting when a 16/18U team has some downtime during a tourney and the number of girls that come out to goof around on the field and say "I used to pitch" or "Yeah, I pitched up until 10th grade"! ;-)

Sounds like an awful injury Even with mine's relatively minor injury it's been hard to watch her struggle back. Of the girls who pitched on my DD's first 10U team, mine was the last one standing. So I guess they're all out now. It makes sense. It's such a huge commitment. My DD has always loved fielding just as much as pitching. She wouldn't have wanted to play on a pitch-and-sit team before this.

I predict she's going to take to hitting practice with renewed enthusiasm. Between not having to dedicate so much time to pitching, plus we're about to move across the street from a county ballpark, I think we may see her batting avg take a leap. Fingers crossed on that. lol

 

[Rick M]

My DD has been struggling with her mechanics since an ankle injury back in the fall. For whatever reason it seems like all the progress she makes in lessons comes undone in the circle. We finally decided it was time to take a breather, focus on other things, and maybe come back to it in the fall, if she wants to. Weird mixture of sadness and relief for all of us right now. She took her first pitching lesson not long after her 8th birthday. She's been a pitcher almost as long as she's been playing softball. I think this whole thing has felt like an identity crisis for her.

Anyway...I don't know if she'll pick it back up. It feels like the end of an era.

I hope she comes back with renewed vigor! My daughter is the same age as yours, also a pitcher, and I always enjoy your posts. There's something reassuring about reading what others are going through and realizing that our collective softball experiences are so similar.

 

[grcsftbll]

I hope she comes back with renewed vigor! My daughter is the same age as yours, also a pitcher, and I always enjoy your posts. There's something reassuring about reading what others are going through and realizing that our collective softball experiences are so similar.

We got so much support from all corners. Seems like lots of girls go through it around the same age.

 

[BT3100]

Thanks for sharing her story. She WILL be back! A break is a good thing and if I'm not mistaken she is under 14 so plenty of continue the journey if that's what she wants. And by the way, even though some of us think pitching is everything, it's not. There are 8 other positions on the field that are critical to the success of a team. Good luck!

 

[MNDad]

It’s perfectly normal, and healthy, for them to take a break now and then. When you think she’s ready tell her she can’t play softball anymore and she’ll bounce back real quick!

Can’t believe it’s been almost four years. You’re still kind of a newbie to me! I agree with FP26. Your posts are always enjoyable.