11" to 12" ball

[canyonjoe]

Whoever told you not to touch the 12" ball is wrong. You will be playing with it for hopefully the next 10 years or so.

 

[Dabears17]

The PC was trying to minimize the changes he was making to my DD while trying to fix things and not affect her performance for rec play-offs and All-Stars. My DD had 4 K's the 2nd inning she pitched from 40ft/12" ball so I'm not worried about the adjustment. She picked up 3mph after three lessons with this coach so I'm following his advice!

 

[Full Count]

Warmed up and practiced 90% of the time tonight with the 12" ball. DD had no issues throwing it, and didn't see much change in velocity. When I threw her the 11" she just said "this ball is small".

 

[NVfishing]

We started in October/November and there was a transition. My DD is very thin with thin fingers. She had some problems with grip in the beginning.

 

[xygent1]

I agree with JAD my DD said it was easier to throw the 11" after practicing with the 12" b4 her transistion to 12" altogether.

 

[Rick Pauly]

I am in agreement with DNeeld. For some kids the 12" ball and move to 40 feet is huge.....and can cause a real negative change in their mechanics. So I would warn parents/coaches to monitor your kid closely when they make this transition.....some kids are just not physically strong enough at this age to not compromise their mechanics to throw a heavier/larger diameter ball an additional 5 feet.
Lots of kids can make the transition without an issue....but I've seen way to many digress. To see an exaggerated example of the differences the larger/heavier ball can make.....look at how beautiful your DD's mechanics look when she simulates a pitch without a ball in her hand.....then compare it to when she has a ball in her hand...usually not as pretty.
If I were the king I would slow down the whole speed of progression in ball size/weight/distance....including the "scholarship driven" move to 43 feet.

The bigger or smaller ball isn't the difficult adjustment. It is the combination of the bigger ball and the added distance that will usually cause problems.

Just have her throw the 12" from 35ft and she'll be fine. Plus she'll have a head start on the move back to 40ft.

 

[spleen1015]

From personal experience, DD didn't have any issues making the move. With about a month left in her last 10u season, we practiced with the 12" ball earlier in the week and went back to 11" later in the week for tournaments. Then when the switch came for good you couldn't even tell there was a change.