Advice to New pitching parent

[sluggers]

As much as you might not like the sport, cheering her on and being enthusiastic, as difficult as it might be, could help her get over whatever is causing her issues.

Kind of early to be talking sports psychology for 12YOA kid, isn't it?

 

[LEsoftballdad]

Kind of early to be talking sports psychology for 12YOA kid, isn't it?

Not if they can't transfer from the practice field to the game. You might be able to eliminate the issue early on.

 

[Stu0529]

For a pitcher to be "good," she needs to throw about 100,000 pitches. She should be throwing 100 to 200 pitches 3 or 4 times a week.

Throwing into a net isn't going to get it. She needs to have a catcher, most likely you or your SO.

In order for to become "good" at pitching, she has to pitch. If she isn't getting enough, she needs to find a team where she can pitch.

I agree with trying to find a team that will let her pitch. We tired that last spring, but she never got to even try with that team. So we moved to a new team this fall and they barely give her a warmup and pull her after half an inning.She is getting a warm up of maybe 10 knee drill pitches and 10 Standing K’s( not sure if those are the proper terms) then put on the mound to figure it out. She is an outfielder during games she is not pitching because she is amazing out there. She can catch anything and has an incredible arm to get the ball in fast. She is also great at covering third base due to over throws and bad plays! It’s hard when you’re battling daddy and momma ball!(Just saying) I don’t know enough about the sport to coach. I feel it would not be fair to the girls to have a coach that knows nothing! Also she is only 11,She turns 12 in February.

 

[daywalkerdad]

I agree with trying to find a team that will let her pitch. We tired that last spring, but she never got to even try with that team. So we moved to a new team this fall and they barely give her a warmup and pull her after half an inning.She is getting a warm up of maybe 10 knee drill pitches and 10 Standing K’s( not sure if those are the proper terms) then put on the mound to figure it out. She is an outfielder during games she is not pitching because she is amazing out there. She can catch anything and has an incredible arm to get the ball in fast. She is also great at covering third base due to over throws and bad plays! It’s hard when you’re battling daddy and momma ball!(Just saying) I don’t know enough about the sport to coach. I feel it would not be fair to the girls to have a coach that knows nothing! Also she is only 11,She turns 12 in February.

From what I have seen and experienced knowing anything is not a requirement to coach

 

[cvsoftball]

Make sure you both agree on the problem and then start asking her "why". It's not usually a quick fix but you should start to see some improvement. Or, she knows inside that she's not a pitcher and the "why" will get you there.

 

[bsbs]

We're still in the middle of all this. But... I would say my daughter played a lower level than she probably needed to at 12u but she got to pitch. Do they do any practice games, or face batters in practice? We ran into a younger pitcher at hitting lessons a couple weeks ago. My kid told the girl stick with it, I have been hit a zillion times and cried all the way home but it's worth it!

 

[Sonerai]

Because you are asking advice as a "new pitching parent," I am assuming that she hasn't been pitching long. It can be harder to start pitching at 12U than it is at 8U and 10U because at those ages it is expected they aren't going to be very good. In fact many games are walk-fests. Starting at 12U, the expectations are higher and she probably feels that. She needs to get comfortable with not being as good as some of the girls that have been pitching longer, at least while she is learning. I can't remember reading if she had a pitching coach. You need to find one that will help her develop good fundamental mechanics. You mentioned she is throwing high and low, she is probably making basic fundamental mistakes when she is under pressure that a pitching coach can help identify. As others have mentioned, there is no substitute for practice. You can't be a pitcher and just throw a couple of short bull pens at your team practice, it is just one of those positions that demands more. Typically the girls you see in the circle at 14U and above aren't always the best athletes, but are the ones that put in the time and were able to cope with their failures. Give her the encouragement to persevere, celebrate what she does well, get her some help and let her know that there are no short cuts when it comes to pitching.

 

[Stu0529]

From what I have seen and experienced knowing anything is not a requirement to coach

Oh I agree! However it does help to atleast like the sport you wanna coach!

Because you are asking advice as a "new pitching parent," I am assuming that she hasn't been pitching long. It can be harder to start pitching at 12U than it is at 8U and 10U because at those ages it is expected they aren't going to be very good. In fact many games are walk-fests. Starting at 12U, the expectations are higher and she probably feels that. She needs to get comfortable with not being as good as some of the girls that have been pitching longer, at least while she is learning. I can't remember reading if she had a pitching coach. You need to find one that will help her develop good fundamental mechanics. You mentioned she is throwing high and low, she is probably making basic fundamental mistakes when she is under pressure that a pitching coach can help identify. As others have mentioned, there is no substitute for practice. You can't be a pitcher and just throw a couple of short bull pens at your team practice, it is just one of those positions that demands more. Typically the girls you see in the circle at 14U and above aren't always the best athletes, but are the ones that put in the time and were able to cope with their failures. Give her the encouragement to persevere, celebrate what she does well, get her some help and let her know that there are no short cuts when it comes to pitching.

Thank you! Yes she has a pitching coach that she works with a couple times a week. She has had some small issues that have been fixed and during lessons she does really well. We always talk after games about what we did right or wrong. She did pitch in 10u but never really got mound time. We had a horrible coach!