I don't see why "no thank you" would not do the trick. The process you believe in is what you should stick with.
These HE PCs are killing me...killing me
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I don't see why "no thank you" would not do the trick. The process you believe in is what you should stick with.
- Aug 20, 2013
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It would be a little tricky to tell a head coach "no thank you" but I understand. We won't change , but I don't want to make enemies either.
So I have been helping this one pitcher that was on my team last year.. it has been a little while since we got together, so I checked in on her. Her some said that she went to another coach, so I asked what they taught. She said they teach to release the ball with the elbow pointed at the catcher. . She said her dad likes what I have been working with her on, but her mom said the ball seems to be going straighter with the elbow pointing the catcher.. even the high school coach said it's just a another release..
I prefer what's best in the long run. While a pitcher MIGHT be able to throw straighter with the HE style, I think it's a short-term fix.
Last year my daughter pitched the vast majority of the freshmen-sophomore games in high school. She was in the early stages of pitching, having started when she was 14-1/2 years old. We started with the Hillhouse material. Of course, this was foreign to the high school coaches. She was a bit wild at first, but she really had a good start with her arm whip. Well, one day a couple of the coaches approached her telling her she needed a "go-to" pitch and proceeded to show her the hello-elbow style of pitching. Well, whether you agree or not, I wasn't going to have any of that, so I told the head coach that we were using the pitching style of Bill Hillhouse. I included a couple of youtube clips of his instruction. I also told him that they were to leave her pitching mechanics alone, and that if they couldn't do that, she wouldn't be pitching. Some of you would argue that I over-stepped my boundary. I disagree. She was a valuable player, and I never got into anything else regarding the coaching. I didn't even do the behind the scenes parent coach-bashing that always goes on. Let's just say that other than this one thing, I was very supportive. Well, I'm sure we'll be faced with the same issue this year. In fact, in pre-season open gym workouts, one of the first things that happened was the new "pitching coach" started tinkering with one of my other pitchers, trying to get her to push the ball. Well, I again hit up the head coach about this stating that we have spent far too many hours on her pitching to have someone who doesn't even understand the style we're using come in and try to switch her.
My point is this, and I'm a firm believer.... With regards to pitching mechanics (or pitching style), unless invited to make suggestions, lay off!
It's also funny when some parents from the high school team don't have a clue about the style of pitching your pitchers are using. They just assume that if your pitchers (those you're working with) don't pitch with the same style as their DDs, that your pitchers are being taught something wacky. It's amazing to me how foolish and ignorant they look, yet are unaware they look that way, when the step forward to tell you how messed up your pitchers are. I just which I had Hillhouse, Boardmember, Pauly, Javasource, et al. to pop out from behind me to reprimand these armchair experts who haven't researched a thing about pitching.
I think you hit a nerve with me.
it struck a nerve with me as well. I told her what I thought about it, telling her how right now it may work better, but I was planning on the future. I think her mom thinks that if the one PC and the high school head coach thinks that pointing the elbow is the way to go, then I think she might have a hard time coming back to the way I have been teaching her DD.. Even though her own DD said she likes the I/R better!!! 
It annoys me because I explained and explained why she shouldnt be learning that way and they still go back to the other PC. I told her she is going to have to decide because if she picks the HE I will no longer be of any help to her. She is young so i wanted her to start out right too..
I still cant convice anyone around here. I am willing to help others out, but I guess I will have less to worry about if I am just working with my DD..
It annoys me because I explained and explained why she shouldnt be learning that way and they still go back to the other PC. I told her she is going to have to decide because if she picks the HE I will no longer be of any help to her. She is young so i wanted her to start out right too.. I still cant convice anyone around here. I am willing to help others out, but I guess I will have less to worry about if I am just working with my DD..
Enjoy the cream, it's not worth stirring up the grounds.
- Oct 22, 2009
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Talking to your head coach about HE or other "styles" of pitching doesn't just end in High school.
Luckily for my DD, none of her high school coaches knew a flying flip about softball so no one bothered her.
It wasn't until she got to college when she began to have problems with the team's PC wanting to change her. All it took was a conference with the head coach and a "hands off the freshman" was ordered. Don't be afraid to speak up.
Luckily for my DD, none of her high school coaches knew a flying flip about softball so no one bothered her.
It wasn't until she got to college when she began to have problems with the team's PC wanting to change her. All it took was a conference with the head coach and a "hands off the freshman" was ordered. Don't be afraid to speak up.
I fought the h.e. battle with dds high school coaches. Like others, she didn't get much mound time last year. This year she is no longer on the schools pitching roster... only a corner infielder with a huge bat...period! We've spent WAYYYY too much time getting rid of those bad habits to my to have the school "PC" help her out and fix the fact her arm isn't straight! And I swear if I hear him say "quit side arming it" again I'm gonna loose it!
Yesterday during KK varsity scrimmage game the opposing pitchers where both pitching I/R. KK got excited because she actually saw for the first time pitchers throwing I/R. I went to speak to the dad of the starting pitcher to find out who was her PC. The dad explained he use to pitch fastball so he taught her at young age but now is being taught by PC that so happen to give lessons close to where we live. I spoke to the PC about getting lessons for KK but I wanted to make sure she is being taught like the pitcher in question . Well she said of course I work a lot on Wrist Snap :/ I proceeded to tell the PC in a nice way that your pitcher does not wrist snap but whips the ball and I have slow motion proof. The PC was astonished that her student did not wrist snap and explained maybe she was throwing a curve which I said no they were all fastballs. She was nice though and was interested in the seeing the video. So I sent the video of her student pitching I/R and along with the google docs links of BM's "Internal Rotation" and JavaSource's "Drive Mechanics"
Odds are it won't change a thing. It's been my experience that if they aren't already curious and seeking information in this regard, they don't give a fart about nonsense like arm-whip, internal rotation, brush interference, and the other things the top pitchers in the world use and have used. Besides, why would you trust anything someone by the handle "Boardmember" or "Javasource" spouts off?
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