Who should call and why?

[dadof3girls]

I have read here several opinions on whether a coach or catcher/pitcher should call pitches. I work mostly with 10u's. I always call the first inning and then challenge the catcher/pitcher to call the next inning themselves better than I did. Most of the time they have better stats.... but I am calling the top of the line up and they are typically 5 down but i don't tell them that. They feel good about beating me in pitch calling.

Here is the problem when they call it is difficult for me to see what they are throwing vs what was called (especially in or out) for charting the batters and which pitches are working. Thoughts?

 

[PGSAKen]

I find at that age whatever pitch the pitcher is most confident in at that moment is the most successful. As a result my pitchers call their pitches with good success.

Now I track it all and work situations with them weekly. In addition we are only talking about basic fastball locations and a low changeup so 5 spots total.

 

[quincy]

Here is the problem when they call it is difficult for me to see what they are throwing vs what was called (especially in or out) for charting the batters and which pitches are working. Thoughts?

After the pitch have the C flash you a sign to inform you what was just called. If you are worried about the other Team knowing what was called you can make it complicated but since it is just to inform you about something that already happened I would keep it simple.

Once they get the hang of if it goes quick.

 

[halskinner]

I have read here several opinions on whether a coach or catcher/pitcher should call pitches. I work mostly with 10u's. I always call the first inning and then challenge the catcher/pitcher to call the next inning themselves better than I did. Most of the time they have better stats.... but I am calling the top of the line up and they are typically 5 down but i don't tell them that. They feel good about beating me in pitch calling.

Here is the problem when they call it is difficult for me to see what they are throwing vs what was called (especially in or out) for charting the batters and which pitches are working. Thoughts?

The last word in your post, "Thoughts". EXACTLY!

You are forcing them to actually think about the game they are calling and that is commendable. I recall several times that pitcjers came into the dugout after losing badly and they were smiling and laughing. I asked why so happy. She said :"Hey, I did my job, I threw exactly what he told me to throw, Dont blame me, not my fault!". She had no choice in it so she felt blameless and couldnt care less. Coach would take credit for a win and blame her for a loss.

Make them responsible for the outcome of their own performance. A loss will still hurt but a win will be a huge victory and confidence builder. Will they make all the right calls all the time" Of course not, we sure didnt! They will get better thiugh.

And dont forget; A pitcher's confidence level isnt anything, IT'S EVERYTHING!

 

[joeman39]

Let the girls play and learn the game. At 10u that's what they should be doing is learning the game. Hal good post.

 

[Woody611]

I attended a clinic with Doe Denmon, one of ASA's most decorated catchers and she believes whole heartedly that catchers need to learn to call their own games. Of course she emphasized "learn". She recommended at a young age to have the coach help the pitcher and catcher learn to make the calls, talk between innings about what worked and what didn't. It's a process and she didn't recommend throwing them in the fire but they need to start young and learn. They'll make mistakes but they also learn from their mistakes.
My husband has also taught pitchers how to communicate with catchers if they don't feel confident in a call by adding or subtracting using a signal so the catcher knows what's coming. For example, C calls a 3 inside (3 being drop ball for this example). Pitcher disagrees and wants to throw rise (4 for this example) so she taps her shoulder with her glove once to add 1 to the call (3+1=4) or she slides her glove on her thigh once to take one away from the call for a 2 (change up for this example).

 

[joeman39]

Hey Doe is fantastic.. great lady and teacher..

 

[Woody611]

Doe's the best! She was amazing and the kids and parents loved her! She had all the catchers in the palm of her hand and they worked their tails off!

 

[Momo'sDad]

I have read here several opinions on whether a coach or catcher/pitcher should call pitches. I work mostly with 10u's. I always call the first inning and then challenge the catcher/pitcher to call the next inning themselves better than I did. Most of the time they have better stats.... but I am calling the top of the line up and they are typically 5 down but i don't tell them that. They feel good about beating me in pitch calling.

Here is the problem when they call it is difficult for me to see what they are throwing vs what was called (especially in or out) for charting the batters and which pitches are working. Thoughts?

That's not a problem at all. If your concern is charting, then all that matters is the pitches that were thrown and the results. What was called means nothing. 10u pitchers are going to miss spots. If you're building a book on your opposing batters, you can show your catchers what you observed and then they can use that information when they face them in future games.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

I know alot of you are talking about calling pitches for strikes, and that's only half of what we need to be teaching. Over the years I teach my DD ( pitcher ) and her catcher about double play pitches.

R on 1, I want the batter to hit something on the ground to the RT side. Thus something she will "top". Outside drop, screw-drop ( LHP )

R on 2, I want the hit in front of the runner to the left side.

R on 1 or 2 with two outs, I'm going to work higher in the zone. ( rise ) Going for a pop up.

I know most will say "strike them out and you don't have to worry". True, but hits are going to happen, a walk is going to happen.

Just last night in HS DD allowed 3 baserunners. A hit, a ROE, and a BB all separate innings. Team turned 3 double plays to erase them. If you have the defense to pull it off it's a great tool to keep the pitch count low and speed up the game.