If your DD can hit an inside pitch, and by "inside" I mean on the black or in the river, out of the park, then all a pitcher can do is give her a "golf clap" while she rounds the bases, because that is impressive. A lot of pitchers throw a ball slightly inside of dead center, and call it an "inside pitch", while great pitchers live in the "black".
Toes on the line
- Thread starter JJsqueeze
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If your DD can hit an inside pitch, and by "inside" I mean on the black or in the river, out of the park, then all a pitcher can do is give her a "golf clap" while she rounds the bases, because that is impressive. A lot of pitchers throw a ball slightly inside of dead center, and call it an "inside pitch", while great pitchers live in the "black".
- Feb 7, 2013
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Can you explain this a little more? We just introduced this open style stance to DD because she had a tendency to set-up closed to home plate and pulled her front foot out (away from home plate) during the stride. Is your DD striding toward the pitcher or is she staying mostly open during stride? Does she have a hard time getting to the outside pitch?
Your DD is a great hitter, but it would be interesting to know how many of her 32 home runs were on pitches that were inside on the black? My DD has given up several home runs on screwballs that didn't screw, and riseballs that didn't rise, but I am not sure that she has ever given up a home run on a screwball that hit its mark. Batters either take the pitch or foul it off. Very difficult to keep it in fair territory and when they do it is usually a weak grounder to 3B.
That is funny...tell your daughter to walk up to him with her hand out\palm up (like when your kids approach you for money) and say "I'm taking your "man card" away...
Just so you know...I follow your posts...always good stuff! Thanks for your contributions here...CP
I'm coaching a 2005 10U team and I'm getting my girls to toe the line right now. It's not a long term plan. I'll explain my thinking behind it. Most of my girls are just now moving up from coach pitch and are just now experiencing live arm. Most of my girls are scared to get hit. When they step in the batter's box they all start creeping back to the back of the box so far that even inside pitches are tough to get to. If the first pitch is at all inside, that next pitch they won't be near the plate. I understand that toeing the line is not a good long term strategy for these girls but right now it gives them a focal point when they step in the box. They understand that they have to be on the line, and not at the back of the box. Most of them toe the line and are an inch or two off before the first pitch even gets thrown. It's my way to get them to understand that I want them closer to the plate. Most of them started off standing so far back that even pitches out over the middle were tough to reach. From my experience in 10U so far most pitchers aren't hitting locations anyway. There are pitchers out there that can throw inside pitches but we very rarely faced them. Most teams are just trying to throw strikes at this point. I'm hoping by our second year of 10U that a lot of the fear has subsided and they are able to be more comfortable in the box so they can get in a better position.
JJsqueeze
Dad, Husband....legend
You should reconsider this as an in game, team wide instruction and start fixing the issue on a player by player basis. Many 10U pitchers are taught to throw inside if a girl is towing the line, the general thinking is that if the coach wants to try to force a pitcher to use half the plate, then the pitcher has every right to try to win it back by throwing inside pitches to jam a hitter and if a girl accidentally takes a fastball in the ribs in the process then that is part of the game. I never advocate hitting a batter, but in training a pitcher you do have to free them up to throw their pitch and ignore the batter's position or the possibility of hitting a batter, during this training quite a few girls can get beaned until the pitcher achieves better control. A common refrain at 10u is "your job is to throw it, their job is to move if it is going to hit them". Getting hit is not going to do their confidence any good.
