When do you tell your DD to concentrate on another position??

[fivepotsogold]

My DD is 14, will be 15 in April.
She was not a very good pitcher at 11 ... at all ..
by 12 she got better, then better at 13 ...slow progression .. late bloomer.

She's a good pitcher in our area ... will pitch in travel, probably JV this year for the HS.
Dobtful she will get to D1 level (but sometime timing works in your favor).

No way to know ... she has only had about 6-7 private lessons in her life ...
She loves it ...

My 12 pitches a little ... if she had more time she could improve drastically. Great little fielder, hitting strong ...

What does your daughter want?
Even if she likes it, having fun, but isn't 150% into it ...it is still time well spent pitching with your daughter ...time with them is precious!

 

[EP Dad]

Just for an example.

Our DD was at her lesson last night. Last weeks lesson was a little rough. She was tired, etc.

This week she really was nailing it and was all smiles. She talked to mom about it and was really happy.

You know they love it then. My DD never smiles bigger or happier then when she is pitching well.

 

[jinjet95]

My DD also started as a pitcher. She practiced all the time, took lessons, etc. until she was about 11 -12. She still wanted to go outside with me to practice, but wanted to spend the most time on hitting and fielding. We waited it out for about a year, continuing lessons and practicing as she wanted. When it became obvious her heart was more into the hitting and fielding aspects of the game, we had a conversation with her about pitching. While she claimed she still wanted to pitch, we pointed out that her actions told us she'd rather be a position player. She agreed and we dropped her lessons. 2 years later, she's developed into a strong middle infielder. I think you need to let her actions and her words speak for her. As long as she's willing to put in the practice without you having to constantly prod her, let her keep at it.

 

[Hyper Henry]

Great feedback everyone, much appreciated. Had a good chat with my DD tonight and she definately wants to keep working on her pitching along with other positions. So she/we will stick with it as long as she wants to and still put in the effort required. My wife also reminded me that our "DD has always been a late bloomer at everything she has done so why would pitching be any different". Dam I hate it when they are always right........lol
Thanks again everyone

 

[chinamigarden]

My daughter is a pitcher, right now. Who knows what she is going to be next year in High School. There are lots of girls who pitch in our area. In 12U she was the number 1, it wasn't even close. Now she is in 14U and she is the #2 but throws harder then #1 just not as accurate and doesn't have as many pitches (she is 13 the other girl 14).

Who knows what is going to happen in the next year, she will get more accurate and develop more pitches and maybe stay ahead of the other 3 girls who are in her grade and who pitch. Maybe not, so with that in mind we always work on fielding other positions. You just never know, she might be as tall as she is every going to be. Meanwhile maybe an other girl might grow to be 6 feet. You just don't know.

When my girl hits HS, she will be ready to play in the outfield if the varsity coach wants her to, she will be ready to play 1st base if he wants her to, and if she had to pick any one other spot she would love to catch, and as much as we can prepare a pitcher to catch she will be ready. I figure she has a far better shot at being brought up to play Varsity if she can not only pick up some of the slack on the mound, but he can also use her in other spots.

 

[tmolina]

I don't know if I agree on the speed being good for her age, maybe for rec ball...I am seeing alot of 11's pitching 48-52 in my area at club level with good location and good changeups. However with that being said, I say let her pitch if she still likes it and you can support all the time and money involved in making a successful pitcher. From my experience to be a competitive pitcher requires alot of hardwork and time. Good luck with whatever choice you make.

 

[SoCalDad]

This is DD's progression from 11YO to now (15YO):

11YO: #2 on Silver All-Star Team
12YO: #1 on Silver All-Star Team
13YO: #1 on Gold All-Star Team
14YO: #1 on Gold All-Star Team and #1 on 14U Travel Team
15YO: #1 on 16U Travel Team

At 11YO DD thought she was never going to be a great pitcher. With hard work, training, coaching and commitment she brought herself to the level where she is now a great pitcher. Important point is it took her having the desire to be great and not me pushing her to be great that got her to the place where she is today.

 

[tmolina]

This is DD's progression from 11YO to now (15YO):

11YO: #2 on Silver All-Star Team
12YO: #1 on Silver All-Star Team
13YO: #1 on Gold All-Star Team
14YO: #1 on Gold All-Star Team and #1 on 14U Travel Team
15YO: #1 on 16U Travel Team

At 11YO DD thought she was never going to be a great pitcher. With hard work, training, coaching and commitment she brought herself to the level where she is now a great pitcher. Important point is it took her having the desire to be great and not me pushing her to be great that got her to the place where she is today.

I would like to see the same kind of progression from my DD, time will tell, and I hope she has the same desire your DD did..
Many a slips t'wix the cups and the lips.