When to move on from pitching coach

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Apr 17, 2019
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So my DD has been with the same pitching coach for 2 years now, but the last year she has been taking on too many other things and just doesn't have time to do lessons, so instead of going once a week or every 2 weeks we end up going about once a month. Now we love her, she is great with my DD and they work great together, but when do we say ok we have to move on and get someone more reliable?

Also secondary question how often do your daughters have pitching lessons, once a week, every 2 weeks, once a month?
 
Mar 28, 2014
1,081
113
So my DD has been with the same pitching coach for 2 years now, but the last year she has been taking on too many other things and just doesn't have time to do lessons, so instead of going once a week or every 2 weeks we end up going about once a month. Now we love her, she is great with my DD and they work great together, but when do we say ok we have to move on and get someone more reliable?

Also secondary question how often do your daughters have pitching lessons, once a week, every 2 weeks, once a month?
How old is your daughter and how long has she been pitching? And better yet, does she have the fundamental mechanics down pat? Those answers will determine how often you should be going for lessons.
 
Apr 12, 2015
792
93
And better yet, does she have the fundamental mechanics down pat?

Related to how old she is.....how well does she accept home coaching? A lot of times kids will perform better for a coach outside the parents even if the parents do and say the exact same things as the coach does.
 
May 20, 2016
433
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A lot of times kids will perform better for a coach outside the parents even if the parents do and say the exact same things as the coach does.

Words to live by. I pay my DD's pitching coach to say the same exact words that come out of my mouth. She says she understands her PC better. Not to say i know as much as our PC is great.

Personally we go weekly to see the PC.
 
Apr 17, 2019
194
28
Related to how old she is.....how well does she accept home coaching? A lot of times kids will perform better for a coach outside the parents even if the parents do and say the exact same things as the coach does.

She listens pretty well, but I just repeat and look for the same things her coach looks for.

How old is your daughter and how long has she been pitching? And better yet, does she have the fundamental mechanics down pat? Those answers will determine how often you should be going for lessons.

She is first year 12u and has pitched since first year 10u, she has the fundamentals down fairly well but she still needs to work on them.
 
Mar 28, 2014
1,081
113
She listens pretty well, but I just repeat and look for the same things her coach looks for.



She is first year 12u and has pitched since first year 10u, she has the fundamentals down fairly well but she still needs to work on them.
IMO you are at the point where once every 2 weeks is enough now. Once the fundamental mechanics are down, you enter a phase of refining her skills versus building the foundation and that is done in the backyard, not at lessons. A pitching coach is essentially a consultant. You go to them for direction and then you do the actual work at home..

Regarding the coach, I think it's time you move on to a new one. Sounds as if this one is not fully committed to being a pitching coach. Get someone who makes a living doing it. They will be more invested.
 
Apr 17, 2019
194
28
IMO you are at the point where once every 2 weeks is enough now. Once the fundamental mechanics are down, you enter a phase of refining her skills versus building the foundation and that is done in the backyard, not at lessons. A pitching coach is essentially a consultant. You go to them for direction and then you do the actual work at home..

Regarding the coach, I think it's time you move on to a new one. Sounds as if this one is not fully committed to being a pitching coach. Get someone who makes a living doing it. They will be more invested.

Thanks, we already have someone in mind if we make a change.
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
IMO you are at the point where once every 2 weeks is enough now. Once the fundamental mechanics are down, you enter a phase of refining her skills versus building the foundation and that is done in the backyard, not at lessons. A pitching coach is essentially a consultant. You go to them for direction and then you do the actual work at home..

Regarding the coach, I think it's time you move on to a new one. Sounds as if this one is not fully committed to being a pitching coach. Get someone who makes a living doing it. They will be more invested.

Agreed.

My DD did weekly for a year and now the lessons seem more about refining and small tweaks and a lot less about mechanics. We're down to every other week and if my DD will work hard on her own, this should be the right amount of lessons. I think.
 
Apr 28, 2014
2,316
113
I do think that 2 years is about the time to look to a new instructor to elevate the pitcher. No matter how good a PC is after 24 months the message begins to dilute. A new instructor may not need to be "better" than the current instructor, sometimes a fresh set of eyes can make the difference.
 
Mar 20, 2017
47
8
Madison, WI
In my opinion, DD needs to see the PC on a weekly basis. Anything else makes it too easy for practice time to slip between lessons. We leave every lesson with the specific things DD is going to work on prior to the next lesson, and DD knows that PC expects real progress on those items when she sees her next.

I agree with the "fresh eyes" comment above. It's easy for a PC and student to become comfortable with one another so that the real advancement comes at a slower pace. The financial and time commitments are too great for DD to be just "in there throwing" during a lesson.
 

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