Starting girls from scratch

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May 20, 2019
132
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In our local rec league that I volunteer for we have a huge deficiency in pitching skills. So this year I stepped back from coaching a team to run a weekly beginners pitching clinic. I am no pitching coach but I have learned a lot here on DFP from the many knowledgeable folks which has been put to use training my own 10u daughter. The object of this clinic is to get girls started early with a solid set of I/R fundamentals so that when they get to the circle at 10u they will be in a much better place. Last week was a huge success as i had a big turnout with mostly 7-10yo and a few older girls. One of my struggles is how to keep the girls engaged and attentive while learning the basic drills such as lock-it-in etc. Would love some suggestions on fun drills to run that incorporate good i/r technique while keeping 7-11yo girls attention for an hour.
 
Aug 21, 2008
2,359
113
Keep in mind, as a general rule, you get 1 min of attention span per year of age. So, every 10 min (don't go longer than 15 min) let them take a 2 min break to get a drink and recharge their batteries. Even if they aren't thirsty, make them stop for 2 min. When they come back out, they'll be able to focus so much better vs. making them hold attention for 30, 45, or 60 min at a clip. You'll get so much more productivity with the small breaks.
 
Aug 21, 2008
2,359
113
The above info is true for pitchers of ALL ages. Treating practice like a game is important, and nobody pitches for 30 straight minutes in a game, unless you're having the worst inning of your life. In a game, we get 3 outs and sit down for a few minutes. Something similar in practice is helpful so it doesn't become monotonous or boring. Small drink breaks can make a pitching practice so much easier and effective, not to mention beneficial.
 
May 20, 2019
132
43
I have run 2 of these pitching practices so far and it is a struggle to teach 10+ girls pitching at the same time. I am trying to round up some more help or I may have to split the group up and run multiple smaller practices. Once everyone can get some basic motions burned in it will be easier to teach in a group setting. My approach has been to concentrate on isolating the whip motion with lock-it-in drill and burn that in then start back-chaining. I do feel though that i need "something" to keep the girls/parents interested in coming back as pitching practice is not as glamorous as most think. I brought my DD out to practice last week to show what 2yrs worth of work looks like and that did get some parents excited about learning how they could help their own children. Of course i directed them to this fine establishment to read the pitching stickies :)
 
May 15, 2008
1,913
113
Cape Cod Mass.
I have run 2 of these pitching practices so far and it is a struggle to teach 10+ girls pitching at the same time. I am trying to round up some more help or I may have to split the group up and run multiple smaller practices. Once everyone can get some basic motions burned in it will be easier to teach in a group setting. My approach has been to concentrate on isolating the whip motion with lock-it-in drill and burn that in then start back-chaining. I do feel though that i need "something" to keep the girls/parents interested in coming back as pitching practice is not as glamorous as most think. I brought my DD out to practice last week to show what 2yrs worth of work looks like and that did get some parents excited about learning how they could help their own children. Of course i directed them to this fine establishment to read the pitching stickies :)
At that age you need heavy parental involvement on a 1 to 1 level, i.e. pitching to Dad. Mechanics are boring at any level, for youngsters especially so.
 
Dec 10, 2015
845
63
Chautauqua County
Your first practice can be an informational one for parents and pitchers. After that, you need to seriously cut the numbers down so that BOTH pitchers and parents are involved and learning.
 
May 20, 2019
132
43
I am in agreement that numbers need to be cut back. The problem is it is rec league and open to all so I guess some instruction is better than no instruction at this point. I am assuming that quite a few will drop out over the first few weeks. I am not seeing a ton of dedication from most of the attendees thus far. I wish i could hand pick a few of the promising students and concentrate on them but unfortunately that is not an option. And yes the first practice i gave a long speech about how much dedication/work pitching takes and how parents need to be involved in their child's development. I wish there were more days in the week and i would give private lessons to all of them.... :)
 
Oct 26, 2019
1,375
113
The above info is true for pitchers of ALL ages. Treating practice like a game is important, and nobody pitches for 30 straight minutes in a game, unless you're having the worst inning of your life. In a game, we get 3 outs and sit down for a few minutes. Something similar in practice is helpful so it doesn't become monotonous or boring. Small drink breaks can make a pitching practice so much easier and effective, not to mention beneficial.
I find an easy way to accomplish this is to pair pitchers up and have them throw alternating sets of 20 or so pitches. If they are a little older I would have the girl who is “resting” chart pitches for the other girl and vice-versa
 
May 20, 2019
132
43
Not much danger in that! I am not nearly knowledgeable enough to be much help beyond trying to get some girls pointed down the right path. There are no I/R pitching instructors in our immediate area and I am just trying to share what i have learned here while working with my own DD on to others in our local rec league. H/E pitching is deeply rooted in our area but i have noticed during the past few 10u travel tournaments we have been to that there are more I/R pitchers (mostly tincher from what i see with them warming up) showing up...... and the curious thing is they almost always show up in the circle late in the day ;-)
 

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