My daughter is a 12U catcher who is being told by other players and coaches that she is throwing the ball too hard to the other players, including the pitcher. As a coach, I have wanted her to make solid throws back to the pitcher to avoid delayed steals and to try to dissuade other teams from stealing as much if they see a catcher that has a good arm. When she tries to lob the ball back to the pitcher as she has been told, her release point on the throw is not always good and her throwing accuracy to the pitcher decreases. We are working on throwing accuracy when throwing at slower speeds, but I would be interested in some input as to what you think about a 12U catcher being told that she throws the ball too hard.
Roz,
I have gotten this question many times in the past, and most of the time it simply is a testament to the talent on the team. Some of the time, it is a legitimate claim that the catcher has a very above average arm for her age. There are two issues at hand here.
One, her throws back to the pitcher are too hard and the pitchers are complaining because they are worried they will not be able to catch the ball. This is a legitimate concern. As catchers we need to be able to deliver the ball back to the circle quickly, but in a way that allows the pitcher to catch it easily. It might be worth it to head out to a field and have her practice taking something off the ball a little, while maintaining her accuracy.
Two, coaches are telling her that she is throwing too hard to other players, not including the pitcher. This is something I NEVER want my catchers worrying about whatsoever. As she gets older, the girls who cannot catch the balls she throws will no longer be holding down a starting spot on that team. I do NOT ever want my catcher thinking about how hard she is throwing or waiting to throw in a game. The game of softball is simply too fast to have a catcher back there worrying about whether she is about to throw the ball too hard, or whether the girl she is throwing to can handle it. Also, if in the middle of a throw she starts to think about slowing her arm action down to compensate for the teammates deficiencies, there is a very good chance she will do something mechanically different with her arm, which in turn could cause injury. Her job is to get the ball into the air as quickly as she can, not to wait, and not to consider how hard she is throwing.
Some food for thought...Softball is one of those games where it is very common for some girls to mature sooner and play up a level because of that. Certainly, all skill areas should be taken into account when making this decision, but it may be worth thinking about whether your daughter should be playing U14.