Joke much?
top 12u pitchers ???
- Thread starter gvm
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
Joke much?
That is awesome! Who knew a 14th century friar & philosopher could provide an assist to a softball discussion board.
Developed by William of Ockham, the law of parsimony is also known as Ockhams Razor started out either the idea that "entities shouldn't multiply without reason" and morphed into a guideline how to choose the least complicated explanation for a phenomenon or a Canadian radar.
Developed by William of Ockham, the law of parsimony is also known as Ockhams Razor started out either the idea that "entities shouldn't multiply without reason" and morphed into a guideline how to choose the least complicated explanation for a phenomenon or a Canadian radar.
when my dd hit 50 SHE was the one that wouldn't stop until she hit 51? when she hit 52, SHE would'nt stop until she hit 53? it wasn't a coach, it was her, sometimes as a parent i have to step in and stop her so she won't hurt herself...and i think that's gonna be the difference in her life, not just pitching. but she always tries to better herself... some coaches tell them tp throw 55 or 60 because the know they can someday and they want them to keep trying....because even when you hit 60? there's another girl trying to hit 61....
Ok, so I have been to a number of these. Most recently the USSSA world series in Orlando and the lead up events to it (where most of the same top teams were).
The answer is - it depends. There were certainly girls who were approaching 60 or even beyond it. That didn't mean they didn't get hit though. The pitcher I thought was throwing hardest got rocked because it was all she had. The better teams were sitting on that fastball and hitting it hard.
Riseballs - there were a few who seemed to throw it well - but most of the time it was just a 'high fastball' that they were calling a rise.
There were also a lot of very, very successful pitchers in the low 50's (some maybe not even that fast) who moved the ball and hit their locations much better and were significantly more successful because of it. Enough speed to be dangerous and enough change of speed and movement to be downright deadly. There was one girl in particular where every out seemed to be an easy ground out to an infielder or a simple popup. She didn't look physically imposing but innings flew by when she pitched.
Softball seems to be even worse than baseball when it comes to speed of pitchers and the acceptance of pitchers who do not throw really, really hard. It is OK to not strike out everyone and no need to have to overpower every batter. I spend a lot of time with my pitchers reminding them that when they get the batter to ground out easily that they won that 'at bat'.
GREAT STUFF !!! thank you... so from what you've seen throwing pretty fast, (50's) is great if they are hitting their spots? and of course the coach has to have a good strategy in his pitch selection...(i guess)... but you said they had alot of movement? like what pitches? i'll tell you the reason i'm asking all these questions... my dd was invited to pitch in a national tournament as a pick up player. and two teams from our area saw her there at the opening ceremonies and complained, they had a closed door meeting with the people running the tournament? and on opening day we were informed she was inelegible to play? having worked so hard through out the whole year it was tough... it was very nice of some of the coaches to come over to her and say the only reason they are making such a big deal about it,is because your so good? but to a 10 year old girl who just wanted to play the game she loves? it didn't make her feel much better? so our next hope will be in two years we can try the 12u nationals? so i'm trying to find out from you wonderful people,what we will have to accomplish between now and then? and that's why i'm asking all the questions. so thank you very much !!!!
Honestly - three strong pitches mastered can be enough in 12U. Fastball, changeup, drop is most common. To master a pitch it is not just being able to throw and locate these pitches, but also having different speeds you throw these pitches when you want.
If you can throw 3 different pitches all at slightly different speeds you have a pretty solid arsenal to call upon. I see pitchers all the time that claim to have 5 or more pitches (and sometimes that is true), but when you see them in action they actually haven't mastered even one of those pitches.
You don't have to throw any pitch with 100% effort every time. I kinda of agree and disagree with Screwball's comments above on this - the best college pitchers have control over the speed they throw their pitches and in ADDITION they can vary that speed or movement in these pitches at will. It might always be around a certain number but a 'little more' or a 'little less' can be all the difference needed for the batter to not make the contact they wanted.
Movement on these pitches - if a pitch moves in both planes (i.e. horizontal and vertical) it is doubly tough to hit. That makes drop balls a great pitch as it is probably the easiest of the movement pitches to get the hang of. Work on spin speed - the harder you pitch the more the ball needs to spin otherwise it wont move. Subtle movement can be as hard to hit as some spectacular movement. I find most pitchers will naturally spin the ball in one direction when you ask them to throw naturally - worth working on increasing the spin in that direction since that is what they naturally do.
Great pitching is like a chess game. It isn't all about what 'stuff' you have - though you need good stuff to be able to execute. It is also about screwing with the batters timing and mind especially if you don't have overpowering speed. While some of Hal Skinner's book (Sneaky Softball Pitching | Unconventional Tactics to Dominate Hitters) is not for me, his tactics sections of the book are well worth reading. Varying your timing, changing speeds, changing pitches, attitude on the mound, controlling the game, etc, etc are all part of the game. Good read for a coach as well to help call a good game.
If you can throw 3 different pitches all at slightly different speeds you have a pretty solid arsenal to call upon. I see pitchers all the time that claim to have 5 or more pitches (and sometimes that is true), but when you see them in action they actually haven't mastered even one of those pitches.
You don't have to throw any pitch with 100% effort every time. I kinda of agree and disagree with Screwball's comments above on this - the best college pitchers have control over the speed they throw their pitches and in ADDITION they can vary that speed or movement in these pitches at will. It might always be around a certain number but a 'little more' or a 'little less' can be all the difference needed for the batter to not make the contact they wanted.
Movement on these pitches - if a pitch moves in both planes (i.e. horizontal and vertical) it is doubly tough to hit. That makes drop balls a great pitch as it is probably the easiest of the movement pitches to get the hang of. Work on spin speed - the harder you pitch the more the ball needs to spin otherwise it wont move. Subtle movement can be as hard to hit as some spectacular movement. I find most pitchers will naturally spin the ball in one direction when you ask them to throw naturally - worth working on increasing the spin in that direction since that is what they naturally do.
Great pitching is like a chess game. It isn't all about what 'stuff' you have - though you need good stuff to be able to execute. It is also about screwing with the batters timing and mind especially if you don't have overpowering speed. While some of Hal Skinner's book (Sneaky Softball Pitching | Unconventional Tactics to Dominate Hitters) is not for me, his tactics sections of the book are well worth reading. Varying your timing, changing speeds, changing pitches, attitude on the mound, controlling the game, etc, etc are all part of the game. Good read for a coach as well to help call a good game.
- Jan 31, 2011
- 458
- 43
I just started reading this post, but jumped to the end to tell you my #1 pitcher, last summer, won the pitching velocity competition at the 12u USSSA World Series by hitting 60 mph. She is dominant, but she does throw 60 mph as a 12 year old. Do not discount reality by giving your biased opinion that a 12 year old cannot throw that fast.
i just had this conversation yesterday? i was asked if my dd threw her fastball a little slower then she would have an offspeed pitch? but when my dd throws her fastball slower? i call it a bad pitch... right now we work on throwing fast,fast ,fast. and no one can CATCH UP TO IT/ so why purposely slow down your release. i asked her pc and she said slowing down her release would promote bad mechanics. dd has a great change up. so her pc said if she can locate that change up that would be much more effective than slowing down her fastball. ( sounds right?) but your saying off speed is more for movement pitches? that is making more sense. because her drop is about 2,3 maybe 4 miles slower? but she needs to start it a little higher to make it look like a strike coming in,and then drop. right now it's to low? so know one swings at it? i think if she can locate her fastball and change up, and in an offspeed drop, over the next two years? we should be in good shape,what do you think?
