Teaching IR Pitching.

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Jul 14, 2018
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Mostly good advice here so far, although as Hillhouse said, there are all kinds of restrictions on college coaches working with HS-age girls, so I wouldn't look to any colleges in your area for guidance. Even if your daughter is younger, I imagine that most college pitching coaches have come to understand that giving private lessons can be a minefield.

Personally, I drive DD about 90 minutes each way to work with a Tincher coach. There are lots of other parents who take their kids to local HE instructors for a fraction of the cost who think I'm crazy. No doubt I am, but I think the quality of the instruction DD is getting is worth the trip.

Good luck in finding the right coach!
 
Apr 28, 2014
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A year or so ago we Skyped with Rick Pauley. It was a great experience!
Well worth the cost and highly recommended.
 
Feb 10, 2018
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NoVA
A year or so ago we Skyped with Rick Pauley. It was a great experience!
Well worth the cost and highly recommended.
If you are willing to make the investment of time--and it sounds like you are--you can learn enough to be your daughter's primary pitching coach. That's what I and countless other bucket dads have done. The advantage of DFP is that you can save yourself a lot of wasted time pounding through YouTube and other sources for quality information. I think the Hillhouse videos are a great place to start. You could argue that you would never need anything else. They are worth the investment. The approach to the basic mechanics is very simple and easy to apprehend. Once you've got some mileage under your belt with that, I would highly recommend the video analysis lesson with Rick Pauly. The paulgirlfastpitch.com website is a great resource. Get additional drills to work on and go back to work. For me and my DD, we travel and go see a pro (such as Rick Pauly) when we need help troubleshooting or are adding a new pitch (or improving an existing one). Everyone is different, but I've driven 2+ hours for that kind of instruction and would happily drive many times that amount if I needed to. The thing is, I only do it 3 or 4 times a year and my DD (13, almost 14) is making good progress. As with any paid instruction, the real key is the work you are doing in-between the lessons.
 
Oct 9, 2019
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mccdee, I don't envy your position, trying to figure out what's what in a world of endless options. Do I go with a Tincher coach vs. someone who lists 300 students going to college on their site? Etc. Etc. I moved to Omaha 4 months ago and am amazed at the instruction here, and not in a positive way. But as Frank Drebin said on the Naked Gun when asked "When will criminals ever learn their lesson?" .... as soon as they do, I'll be out of a job!!!!

Someone replied about seeking help from college coaches, and make no mistake, even in the college ranks there is the good bad and ugly in the pitching department. But they are under tight NCAA regulations about providing lessons so that's not always an option.

You're not alone in your position. I've known parents and families that drive 6 hours for a 1 hour lesson. And ones that fly in from various parts of the US for 2-3 lessons over a weekend. If you and your DD are serious about this, never settle for someone because they're local. As in many things, you get what you pay for.

Bill
Bill. Do you do any kind of on line instruction?
 
Aug 21, 2008
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I do video analysis but mostly it's for the people who've been to lessons or clinics of mine before. I have done it for people who've never been to me but it is definitely more time consuming to type everything out vs. saying it at a clinic/lesson. But on line stuff sure seems to be a growing business (although it'll never replace the real thing). Where are you located?

Bill
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
If I might, I have Bill's (Hillhouse) DVDs and used them to coach my dd. Her first pitching coach passed away and no others fit the bill. (Ha Ha)
 
Oct 9, 2019
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I do video analysis but mostly it's for the people who've been to lessons or clinics of mine before. I have done it for people who've never been to me but it is definitely more time consuming to type everything out vs. saying it at a clinic/lesson. But on line stuff sure seems to be a growing business (although it'll never replace the real thing). Where are you located?

Bill
Clinton, IA. It's about 5 & 1/2 hours away from Omaha. I would consider in person lessons maybe once I'm awhile if that might be an option.
 

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