So most of you know I am working with a very young HS. Team. The pitcher I am working with is doing pretty well. So far I have only taught her one pitch. Some say it's fastball some say it's a drop, it is just a forward spinning ball that does drop when thrown hard. The next pitch I usually teach is a change up. I think I should wait a bit before having her attempt it. What does everyone think?
A little help please
- Thread starter wild man
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Maybe throwing it in a game but I would not hesitate to start working on it in practice.
Who wants to throw 100s of the same thing over and over in practice?
Who wants to throw 100s of the same thing over and over in practice?
Wild Man, it really depends. Can she throw the fastball/drop reliably? In other words not just for strikes but to where the pitch is supposed to be thrown at least most of the time? If she has good mechanics a change should help her be more effective in games. If she doesn't, a change may just confuse her or prevent her from locking down her mechanics.
As an interesting example of a good thing, I have one girl who seems to get her fastball mechanics better after she throws her change a few times. Her body is in a better position and she's not wandering all over the place with it. I've actually changed her warmup now to go to the change after just a few full-on fastballs, then finish warming up the fastball later. A little unorthodox but it seems to help her.
As an interesting example of a good thing, I have one girl who seems to get her fastball mechanics better after she throws her change a few times. Her body is in a better position and she's not wandering all over the place with it. I've actually changed her warmup now to go to the change after just a few full-on fastballs, then finish warming up the fastball later. A little unorthodox but it seems to help her.
How about an off speed drop ball as an easier way to change things up?
Well here is a little more info on this girl. She actually pitched in on a LL team last year BUT she has never been instructed until I got to working with her. she unfortunately has the bad habit of leaning forward on release. And so far the only thing that has been helping that is to have her pitch in practice while I hold her pony tail, Then she looks MUCH better and its beginning to really help her. She has the most perfect natural arm circle I have ever seen and is much more accurate than most with no more time than she has. She is tall, about 5ft10 or 11{Im 5ft09 and she is taller}. She has exceptionally long legs for someone her height and I am trying to get her to use them, But in pitching nor hitting has anyone ever told her to get her lower body involved. She is talented but needs work. She is a VERY hard worker and a real gutsy competitor, She also listens real well and has a super supportive Mom and Dad and is willing to work at home. wish they all like her!
Given that she's still having trouble getting a solid base to work from, I'd say hold off on the change. Get that part right first, then think about a change. Especially with younger players, too much information can become overwhelming and you may lose some of the gains you're already made.
Thanks Ken that is kind of how I felt but was kind of on the fence about it. I am going to work with her this Summer to try and get her good and solid. She has a super good natural release that sends the ball spinning perfectly forward. Just gotta get that lower body into play.
Normally I would say to just work on fastball mechanics for the first two months, but if your season is about to start you may want to accelerate that schedule and add the change up as soon as you feel confident she can throw a "money" fastball and avoid a walk-a-thon. The second worst thing to a walk-a-thon is a home run derby, which is what you may end up in, if your pitcher can only throw a fastball, unless she has pinpoint control.
