- Aug 21, 2008
- 2,386
- 113
Mike White told me once, years ago, the best riseball he's seen in college softball was by Alicia Holloway (Arizona?) He said she had tight (and correct) spin.
Mike White told me once, years ago, the best riseball he's seen in college softball was by Alicia Holloway (Arizona?) He said she had tight (and correct) spin.
Thank you, Bill. We are pretty much in agreement. Yes, there are late bloomers but I think an unbiased observer can tell who is going to make it as a pitcher and who isn't at the 12U age. If I sounded harsh, it wasn't intended. But I think we can agree there are folks out there who continue to take parents' money when they should be being honest. And being honest can mean telling parents, look, my way of teaching your DD isn't working. if you want her to continue working on pitching, she needs to see someone else who can help.Fair enough, and you're entitled to your opinion. Call me crazy but I just believe that there are "late bloomers" in pitching.... as if 12 is considered a late bloomer.
I do think it's a fair point though that, it'd different today than yesteryear. There are 1000's of pitching coaches (good and bad) out there who SHOULD be teaching kids correctly. Moreover, teaching them why they are constantly missing inside, or outside or unable to hit their spots. When I was kid, I didn't have that. I just had to figure it out and most of the guys in the men's league didn't know how to teach it either. This is why I put a very special emphasis on the "Why does the ball go this way, that way, high or low" in my opening lessons with kids. If they know why and how it happens, it makes it much easier to fix. If you don't know why you keep throwing inside to RH batters, you won't know how to fix it. But that's just me.
All that said, 12 yrs old is WAYYYY too young to make that kind of prediction on someone's pitching trajectory. I was pitching since I was 8? 9? 10? I don't remember, and I was no where near able to locate it where i wanted at 12., I turned out ok. Also, You have to remember a 12U pitcher can be 11 yrs old. This means she's 1 year removed from pitching with an 11" ball. Even if we're talking about someone 2 years removed, it's still a big difference. And if you don't think there is a BIG difference between an 11" and 12" ball to a young lady.... you have another thing coming. To many of them, with smaller hands in particular, it's like asking them to pitch a basketball. It feels that much bigger. For many kids, it's like starting over. This is a lot of the reason why I won't work on pitches with someone using an 11" ball, even someone who you can see just "has it" and is going to be head and shoulders above her peers.
Bill
Thank you, Bill. We are pretty much in agreement. Yes, there are late bloomers but I think an unbiased observer can tell who is going to make it as a pitcher and who isn't at the 12U age. If I sounded harsh, it wasn't intended. But I think we can agree there are folks out there who continue to take parents' money when they should be being honest. And being honest can mean telling parents, look, my way of teaching your DD isn't working. if you want her to continue working on pitching, she needs to see someone else who can help.
Yeah, so my comment on Barnhill was a pretty solid miss, lol
Not sure where I got that into my head.
Yeah, so my comment on Barnhill was a pretty solid miss, lol
Not sure where I got that into my head.
Lol! Yeah I earned that one fair and square.Like you said your not a pitching guy. It’s a rarity these days when somebody admits they made a mistake.
MAYBE there is hope for you after all WW.