Your coach ever call this pitch?

[sluggers]

By the way, I think a first pitch "strike" is key to being an effective pitcher, whether its a called strike, swing and a miss, or a foul ball.. This way the batter is behind in the count after the first pitch and your DD can be more effective in her subsequent pitches, working her location away from the strike zone.

I love the way you think...especially if I'm coaching against you. My instructions to my team if I were playing against you: "Anyone who takes a first pitch strike is running tonight."

Against inexperienced hitters, the strategy of a first pitch strike is fine. On the other hand, experienced hitters will hit a lot of first pitch homers. The 1-4 hitters on a good college level team will have a field day.

Any predetermined pitch sequence will ultimately fail. Pitchers who focus too much on the "first pitch strike" end up grooving it. The pitcher has to live at the edge of the strike zone.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

I love the way you think...especially if I'm coaching against you. My instructions to my team if I were playing against you: "Anyone who takes a first pitch strike is running tonight."

Against inexperienced hitters, the strategy of a first pitch strike is fine. On the other hand, experienced hitters will hit a lot of first pitch homers. The 1-4 hitters on a good college level team will have a field day.

Any predetermined pitch sequence will ultimately fail. Pitchers who focus too much on the "first pitch strike" end up grooving it. The pitcher has to live at the edge of the strike zone.

I didn't say groove one down the middle of the plate, I am talking about getting ahead of the batter as soon as you can in the strike count. We use Gamechanger software to track and analyze every pitch and the strikeout % for the opposing team batters goes up dramatically when our pitchers have a strike on the batter after the first pitch. For this thread's discussion, I wasn't focused on pitching in college but responding to a parent who has a relatively new pitcher who is being asked to throw a "ball" pitch frequently. For these pitchers, getting ahead of the batter early in the count is very helpful to the success of the pitcher.

 

[chinamigarden]

I think less then half of the strikes Cat throws would be called strikes.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Now I'd have to disagree on swinging on the first pitch if it's a strike. As a pretty good hitter in my day of HS, travel, and college I would never even move on the first pitch. ( and some teams knew that ) I don't care if I've seen that pitcher 100x's before or never in my life. For that day ( because a pitcher can be off or on ) I'm gonna see what he or she has as far as mechanics, timing and delivery. And those long weekend travel games each inning can change a pitcher. She may not be a crisp on Sunday afternoon as she was Friday night. ( she may be on her 4-5-6-7th game pitching )

I do agree a pitcher MUST work the corners as far as the ump will call.

You may get ahead in the count on that first pitch.........but put another in my wheel house and you'll see me trotting around the bases.

 

[Lozza]

Now I'd have to disagree on swinging on the first pitch if it's a strike. As a pretty good hitter in my day of HS, travel, and college I would never even move on the first pitch. ( and some teams knew that ) I don't care if I've seen that pitcher 100x's before or never in my life. For that day ( because a pitcher can be off or on ) I'm gonna see what he or she has as far as mechanics, timing and delivery. And those long weekend travel games each inning can change a pitcher. She may not be a crisp on Sunday afternoon as she was Friday night. ( she may be on her 4-5-6-7th game pitching )

As a pitcher I LOVE batters like yourself. There are certain batters I pitch to who are the same. They all get balls put in their sweet spot first pitch. Not only do I get a strike but it lisses them off because they've let the perfect strike go. Then I have three more pitches that I can work with.

If the coach is calling a 'ball' I would question it. One because he's clearly not doing his job and explaining what he wants. Two, because he shouldn't be calling a ball he should be calling a location and it's the pitchers job to push the strike zone.

 

[chinamigarden]

Now I'd have to disagree on swinging on the first pitch if it's a strike. As a pretty good hitter in my day of HS, travel, and college I would never even move on the first pitch. ( and some teams knew that ) I don't care if I've seen that pitcher 100x's before or never in my life. For that day ( because a pitcher can be off or on ) I'm gonna see what he or she has as far as mechanics, timing and delivery. And those long weekend travel games each inning can change a pitcher. She may not be a crisp on Sunday afternoon as she was Friday night. ( she may be on her 4-5-6-7th game pitching )

I do agree a pitcher MUST work the corners as far as the ump will call.

You may get ahead in the count on that first pitch.........but put another in my wheel house and you'll see me trotting around the bases.

Ted Williams was known to never swing at the first pitch. He even wrote a book on hitting that said, never swing at the first pitch. But Ted would swing at the first pitch now and then, just to keep the pitchers honest. I think working the pitcher and forcing them to throw more pitches works better in baseball then softball. A batter only has so many swings, she shouldn't cheat herself out of them, by the time your first at bat is over you probably have a good idea how a pitcher is throwing, why go back up in the third inning and watch the first pitch?

 

[starsnuffer]

A batter shouldn't make a decision not to swing at a pitch. I'm in Sue Enquist's camp, and believe the batter should swing at every pitch, and only choose to stop their swing for pitches they do not want to hit at the very last moment.

I do believe that the "batter's strike zone" should be smaller and more picky on the first pitch, but by no means would any intelligent coach or hitter advocate "not swinging" at anything, ever. Only ever choose to stop the swing.

-W

 

[GOINGDEEP]

As a pitcher I LOVE batters like yourself. There are certain batters I pitch to who are the same. They all get balls put in their sweet spot first pitch. Not only do I get a strike but it lisses them off because they've let the perfect strike go. Then I have three more pitches that I can work with.

You can 'work' all the pitches you want, but unless you want to put the runner on base, you're going to have to come back across the plate sometime. So now ( in my situation/opinion ) I'm ahead. Because I've seen your perfect pitch first (looking) and then with your 'three more pitches' I've probably seen your best chase pitches. If you haven't already thrown something 'fat' across for a ride...........now you have to come back into my house and the strike zone.

I do understand everyone has their own opinion on batting techniques, I would not go as far to say one is better than the other. The KEY as a player is finding out what works for YOU............. mentally and physically. That's how you gain the advantage.

 

[NWIN]

This turned into a great thread. Thanks for all the responses. Understand now!!

 

[Lozza]

You can 'work' all the pitches you want, but unless you want to put the runner on base, you're going to have to come back across the plate sometime.

Why? All my balls are corners. Id count myself unlucky to not have one of them called. Then I'm 2 up on you and I only need an umpire to call one if you aren't swinging.

By giving the pitcher a strike and waiting for them to come back to the plate you are doing yourself a big disservice.

My first year of modball (when we first saw a pitched ball) we all had to wait for the first strike. My mum was the coach. Our second year that rule got taken away. The rationale was that the younger pitchers had less control so it was teaching us how to look and see what a good pitch was.

I do think waiting and seeing has it's place. Unless it's juicy I'll do the same for pitchers I've never played. But every time? No I would rather belt the first.