Diffrent pitches 12u pitchers should know

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Nov 26, 2010
4,784
113
Michigan
How many pitches does a 12u pitcher need? However many it takes to get outs.

That’s the answer at all ages. And at the highest level you only need 3 really good pitches that you can spot. If that means learning 3 pitches or maybe she needs to learn 5 but only 3 that she likes enough to master.

I used to tell people that my dd had 2 pitches a fast one and a slow one. People would laugh and think I was pulling their leg, but in reality she had 2 that she could throw at any count. And after 14u she rarely threw anything other then those 2.
 
Jul 29, 2013
6,782
113
North Carolina
I do question people who are saying they have a fastball/drop. Does it drop because of gravity? Or is it really biting hard? I just encounter so many dads who think their DD has a drop ball and it's really not.
See, at 12 my DD had one that bit hard with a late sharp break. She hated that pitch, hated when I called it, and God forbid she leave one up and it got hit! 🙄 “please don’t call for a drop, it’s not working today!” Again 🙄🙄!!

We’re all lucky that 12 year olds are the smartest age bracket we’ll ever deal with! That pitch has caused a lot of quiet drives home between me and her. It’d be one thing if she just couldn’t throw it, but she had a great drop ball. I think I’m going to smack her in the head today when I see her…..just because!
 
Nov 20, 2020
995
93
SW Missouri
My DD is 11. Pitches low 50s, and has a solid fastball and change. After yesterday, I can officially say she has a curve. I said right behind the plate and it was awesome to see it move a few inches, getting calls and swings and misses on the outside corner all day and several backdoor. Really happy for her that it's finally working, and hope it sticks.


I do question people who are saying they have a fastball/drop. Does it drop because of gravity? Or is it really biting hard? I just encounter so many dads who think their DD has a drop ball and it's really not.

First - congrats on the curve! I’m a huge fan of movement pitches so I get excited hearing about them and seeing them.

Second - It’s a good question to ask. I think partly it boils down to age, experience, speed, and distance. My DD throws hard enough and gets enough break that I can say hers is more drop ball than just gravity taking effect. She was taught to throw her fastballs with 4-seam forward rotation. If she is hitting her release correctly they drop with a purpose. And usually around the same spot before the plate. I would say that due to rotation and speed (and resulting movement) her fastball is a drop ball.

But if a pitcher has more bullet spin and not a high velocity.....I’d lean more towards fastball with gravity
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
My DD is 11.
After yesterday, I can officially say she has a curve.





I said right behind the plate and it was awesome to see it move a few inches, getting calls and swings and misses on the outside corner all day and several backdoor. Really happy for her that it's finally working, and hope it sticks.


I do question people who are saying they have a fastball/drop. Does it drop because of gravity? Or is it really biting hard? I just encounter so many dads who think their DD has a drop ball and it's really not.
Very Nice! Good for her!


As to fast/drop.
Find it can be confusing when people mix what those two are or how could be used.

imo/interpretation
any 'over the top' spin is Drop intended. Because of spin direction.

Wether its being called/considered a fastball is irrelevant.

Because simply the spin will have its own impact on the bat
Like forcing more grounders.
And for catchers
Generally it will bounce like a short hop rather than skim.

to this point I talk to catchers early on about recognizing the type of spin that is on the pitch that the coach or pitcher calls they're fastball .
Because of spin they do bounce differently .
It is a conversation of identifying
Over the Top Spin ~drop spin.

this is also a good conversation for batters because identifying spin helps identify pitch location
 
Last edited:
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
See, at 12 my DD had one that bit hard with a late sharp break. She hated that pitch, hated when I called it, and God forbid she leave one up and it got hit! 🙄 “please don’t call for a drop, it’s not working today!” Again 🙄🙄!!

We’re all lucky that 12 year olds are the smartest age bracket we’ll ever deal with! That pitch has caused a lot of quiet drives home between me and her. It’d be one thing if she just couldn’t throw it, but she had a great drop ball. I think I’m going to smack her in the head today when I see her…..just because!

So why wouldn't she want to throw it?

My DD's drop ball doesn't work well. We've seen it work perhaps 10% of the time she throws it, and when it works it's bites hard and drops. When she misses, it's basically a fastball (hopefully a low one). And nothing all that wrong with a low fastball.
 

Coach Caz

Fastpitch Junkie
Jan 16, 2014
5
3
As a pitching instructor, I do not focus on how many pitches any one player has. Developing pitches needs to be defined by one factor and that it being able to throw a pitch 70% (7 out of 10) of the times for a strike.

We do not move on to the next pitch until you can do this on a consistent basis. So after Fastball, we move on to Change Up. Once you throw that 70% of the times for strikes we move on to a spin pitch. The spin pitch we decide will be determined by the pitcher and what her mechanics lend itself to. Some might go to drop, others curve or screw.

The Riseball is a whole different animal. To get movement of a Riseball, a pitcher needs to be throwing around 55mph, so we will not start until they are consistent with that speed. Right now, I only have one 12U player throwing a Riseball and her movement is outstanding, but she is the exception and not the norm!
 
Jun 9, 2011
27
3
location, spin, speed and having good pitch calling...the right high quality pitch getting where it needs to go at the right time.

if you have the above skills/pitch calling at 12u you can dominate with 2 pitches. Need to be working on a third and possibly fourth for the future. that's it. You Just don't need an arsenal average quality pitches.
 
May 6, 2015
2,397
113
As a pitching instructor, I do not focus on how many pitches any one player has. Developing pitches needs to be defined by one factor and that it being able to throw a pitch 70% (7 out of 10) of the times for a strike.

We do not move on to the next pitch until you can do this on a consistent basis. So after Fastball, we move on to Change Up. Once you throw that 70% of the times for strikes we move on to a spin pitch. The spin pitch we decide will be determined by the pitcher and what her mechanics lend itself to. Some might go to drop, others curve or screw.

The Riseball is a whole different animal. To get movement of a Riseball, a pitcher needs to be throwing around 55mph, so we will not start until they are consistent with that speed. Right now, I only have one 12U player throwing a Riseball and her movement is outstanding, but she is the exception and not the norm!

my nitpick here is throw it where it is intended, a pitcher does not necessarily want to throw a "strike" on every pitch, may want something outside the zone to try to get them to swing and miss (ie drop that drops out of zone one foot away from plate). when DD is allowed to call pitches (she is a C), she knows, 0-2 or 1-2, she better not call anything at all hittable, let alone a strike. curve that starts as a strike and breaks off plate will get them to swing and miss 4 out of 5 times.
 
Jan 28, 2017
1,662
83
I’m in agreement that you don’t need a bunch of pitches. I don’t fully understand not experimenting/working on different pitches somewhere around 12 (skill more important than age). Let’s say you are never going to have a great rise ball but have the ability to have an awesome curve but never attempt one since you only work on 3 pitches.
 

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