What are These Pitcher Parents Smoking??

[Softball scholar]

This sounds almost exactly like my DD at that age. When she was 12 - 14 she was all over the place. She would strikeout 8 or 9 a game but walk 6 or 7. She was always one of the fastest pitchers around. However, she did not get too much of a chance to pitch in games when she was younger. When she was 14 heading to 15 it all came together almost overnight. The walks came down to 1 or 2 a game and the K's went to 9 or 10 on average. Her ERA dropped to about 1.00 and the batting average against was in the area of .150. By the time she was a junior in HS her ERA was .36 against the toughest teams in the toughest conference in the state. He TB ERA was in the 1.00 area. The one thing my DD became really good at was coming into a game and closing it out when she got older. It didn't take 2 or 3 batters to get comfortable.

So... Give it time. It sounds like she has the foundation to become a good pitcher. Just make sure you're honest with her with the feedback. If you don't the hitters will. I see too many parents BS'ing their kids about their performance.

From what you say about the new PC it sounds good. I'm guessing the PC figured out your DD had a 6" problem and not a mechanical issue. That 6 inches would be the space between her ears. I make sure my kids use the same routine prior to each pitch at a lesson that they will use in a game. I tell them to do that when they are working on their own. It helps "quiet" their brain letting them focus on the task in front of them. The next pitch.

Sparky Guy, Really good to hear your story and you're advice is in line for what we're trying to do. That gives us some hope that we can make throrugh this. Pitching is more than mechanical skills. You got to develop and practice the mental skills. Were taking an approach that is a process and not focusing as much on the results. I just hope this sinks in. The really hard part is when your coach loses confidence in your control, you dont get many opportunities to correct this.

 

[guero_gordo]

"There is no rehab for stupidity." Chris Rock.

"......If her vision goes bad, you can have LASIK surgery and have 20/20 vision. If her hearing goes bad, they can install a device in her ear that will give you hearing as clear as it was the day you were born. But let me tell you something, folks: You can't fix stupid.
There's not a pill you can take; there's not a class you can go to. Stupid is forever." -- Ron White

 

[Sparky Guy]

Were taking an approach that is a process and not focusing as much on the results.

That is EXACTLY what learning how to pitch is. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Pitchers will develop at different rates. No two are the same. All you can do is keep plugging away. The funny thing is when it happens you'll never realize it until it's in the rear view mirror.

One of the telltale signs she has turned the corner. You only bring two balls out when she is practicing instead of a whole bucket.

 

[grcsftbll]

That is EXACTLY what learning how to pitch is. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Pitchers will develop at different rates. No two are the same. All you can do is keep plugging away. The funny thing is when it happens you'll never realize it until it's in the rear view mirror.

One of the telltale signs she has turned the corner. You only bring two balls out when she is practicing instead of a whole bucket.

Ha! You can tell we're in the early stages because I never thought of this. We definitely bring a whole bucket.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

 

[JAD]

Sluggers, I agree that her lack of control is killing her and is very frustrating to her and me. In practice she pitches much better and hits her spots consistently. I work a lot of target drills in practice where I move it up and down, criss cross and have her hit spots out of the zone. Its when she gets in the real game, she tightens up. Her mechananics are pretty solid and have had many people corrobrorate that, but I admit they do break down in live competition. We practice 3 time a week and she pitches in games on the weekend albeit not much because of her control issues. When she can get settled in the game and get past the first inning or even the second one, she does really well.

Get a batter with a helmet to stand in the batters box while she is practicing and have them switch sides. Then put a batter in both boxes at the same time. After a week of that pitching in a game will seem like a piece of cake....

 

[mawilson2]

Not trying to get into a brag post, but... I consider my DD to be one of the better 14U movement pitchers in KY. She pitched 152 innings of HS Varsity this year and had a WHIP of 1.08 and an ERA of 1.60. Another parent had a radar on her last weekend and she cruises around 54. Did see a 56. First time she has had a gun on her in a couple of years because I could care less about speed when she averages 8.5 strikeouts a game.

 

[RetiredCoach]

That is EXACTLY what learning how to pitch is. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Pitchers will develop at different rates. No two are the same. All you can do is keep plugging away. The funny thing is when it happens you'll never realize it until it's in the rear view mirror.

One of the telltale signs she has turned the corner. You only bring two balls out when she is practicing instead of a whole bucket.

Yes, bringing two balls out is a major turning point. I sometimes go with one. Been there for quite a while with my two DDs.

 

[mothgirl]

Yay we are down to the two balls instead of the whole bucket lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jasmine_House2021]

This past weekend I seen the most spin thrown, she wasn't a flame thrower, but this girls 14u team played up in the 16s and won the championship, this player already has a verbal to Northwestern. Her movement was ridiculous!!! Made me a firm believer there is MUCH more to pitching than just how fast you can toss it!!

 

[JAD]

This past weekend I seen the most spin thrown, she wasn't a flame thrower, but this girls 14u team played up in the 16s and won the championship, this player already has a verbal to Northwestern. Her movement was ridiculous!!! Made me a firm believer there is MUCH more to pitching than just how fast you can toss it!!

A bullet spin fastball will be hit hard unless it is 5+ MPH faster than the average pitcher at each age group. In college that would be 70+ MPH. Great pitchers have a blend of speed and movement. They can also hit their spots. A 60+ MPH fastball that a pitcher can locate on all 4 corners of the plate and mix in an occasional change-up can be very effective. A lot of pitchers can also vary the speeds of the same pitch to help keep the batters off balance.