- Aug 21, 2008
- 2,083
- 113
On Facebooks "The Fastpitch Zone" I started a massive argument just for fun. I innocently asked "Does the Riseball really rise? Asking for a friend, thanks" And the responses were just amazing to say the least. And yes, I did it to watch the replies from the experts who know everything about pitching. LOL. Comic relief on a Wednesday night and they're still arguing there. lol.
Today though I want to rant about one of the most difficult things I deal with in my instruction: believing success now means success later. It doesn't. Not even close. I'll site 2 examples of when it becomes the worst.
9/10 year old pitchers who can throw strikes 50% or more will probably strike out 12 or more per game. Why? Not because they are "so dominant" but because at that age a good number of girls at that age (and probably boys too, I'm not being sexist I just don't have experience with boy's baseball) are terrified of the ball and many are simply scared to swing. So, the pitcher racks up 12 or more K's per game and mom/dad are already booking flights to UCLA for a college visit. And lets be honest, a pitcher can do this, at this age, using hello elbow mechanics. H/E mechanics pretty much teach someone to throw the ball straight down the middle since the mechanics involved don't allow for proper movement. I'm not suggesting a 9 year old is throwing a riseball, but with practice it's not difficult for a kid to be able to throw strikes using any pitching form. And as I said, that's all it takes when so many young players don't want to swing, aren't even looking to swing the bat, and are afraid of being hit so they don't stay in the batters box. It's almost impossible to tell the parent of this pitcher that what they're seeing now is not how it will be in 2 short years. They won't believe you. And why would they? Their kid is dominant. Their pitching coach is a genius. Fast forward anywhere from 2-5 years later and the new pitching instructor has to get this kid to unlearn so much of what they've done in order to throw properly. Many of these pitchers don't overcome this and it's a shame. Some great athletes give up on pitching, after being a 9 year old phenom because too many H/E mechanics are too difficult for her to get rid of. It can also make the new coach look like a jerk when they have to explain to the pitcher and parents that we're going back to basics and starting from scratch. That's not what parents want to hear. Many are polite and they will thank you for your time, then never return. They'll look for a new H/E instructor that can save the day. And sadly that pitcher will never achieve her potential. But, as grandma would always say, "you can't save every puppy at the pound".
The second is the high schooler, already knowing where she's going for college. And lets use a great example of someone who's going to a Power 5 school. Lets even say this girl, just with natural ability can throw upper 60's. And by sheer velocity alone, she wins games. She's a High School superstar and pitches for a good travel team. How do you tell someone who's throwing 68 (legit 68, not the fabricated speed parents make up or the fabricated speed of ESPN radar guns) that she needs the ball to actually move at the next level? That's a hard sell. The best pitching coach in the world cannot teach someone to throw 70. A kid can either do it or they can't. As a coach you and insure that she's doing everything mechanically correct to get the most speed possible, but you can't teach 70 mph. Which is why so few actually throw that hard. But, trying to tell a kid and parent that throwing that hard without movement is great but, she could be even better with correct spins on the ball and actual ball movement. After all, they have legit arguments against that. They could point to Fouts, Garcia, or others who throw hard without correct spins that are at the height of college softball. And, the coach has to concede that point. Yes, those pitchers are at the top of the game without correct spin on the ball. But the LEGENDS of the game, such as Osterman takes a little less speed on her pitches but adds movement. Osterman could've probably thrown just as hard as Abbott, Garcia, Fouts, etc. but she figured out what all great pitchers do: speed is good, movement is better. She was the US team's #1 pitcher at 38 years old because of this pitching philosophy. But it's a nightmare, unwinnable fight to tell someone who's throwing 70 and winning at 17 yrs old that they could be even better.
For me it's the most frustrating thing I deal with as a coach: convincing a kid who's already winning that they still have things to improve on to be great.
Rant over.
Today though I want to rant about one of the most difficult things I deal with in my instruction: believing success now means success later. It doesn't. Not even close. I'll site 2 examples of when it becomes the worst.
9/10 year old pitchers who can throw strikes 50% or more will probably strike out 12 or more per game. Why? Not because they are "so dominant" but because at that age a good number of girls at that age (and probably boys too, I'm not being sexist I just don't have experience with boy's baseball) are terrified of the ball and many are simply scared to swing. So, the pitcher racks up 12 or more K's per game and mom/dad are already booking flights to UCLA for a college visit. And lets be honest, a pitcher can do this, at this age, using hello elbow mechanics. H/E mechanics pretty much teach someone to throw the ball straight down the middle since the mechanics involved don't allow for proper movement. I'm not suggesting a 9 year old is throwing a riseball, but with practice it's not difficult for a kid to be able to throw strikes using any pitching form. And as I said, that's all it takes when so many young players don't want to swing, aren't even looking to swing the bat, and are afraid of being hit so they don't stay in the batters box. It's almost impossible to tell the parent of this pitcher that what they're seeing now is not how it will be in 2 short years. They won't believe you. And why would they? Their kid is dominant. Their pitching coach is a genius. Fast forward anywhere from 2-5 years later and the new pitching instructor has to get this kid to unlearn so much of what they've done in order to throw properly. Many of these pitchers don't overcome this and it's a shame. Some great athletes give up on pitching, after being a 9 year old phenom because too many H/E mechanics are too difficult for her to get rid of. It can also make the new coach look like a jerk when they have to explain to the pitcher and parents that we're going back to basics and starting from scratch. That's not what parents want to hear. Many are polite and they will thank you for your time, then never return. They'll look for a new H/E instructor that can save the day. And sadly that pitcher will never achieve her potential. But, as grandma would always say, "you can't save every puppy at the pound".
The second is the high schooler, already knowing where she's going for college. And lets use a great example of someone who's going to a Power 5 school. Lets even say this girl, just with natural ability can throw upper 60's. And by sheer velocity alone, she wins games. She's a High School superstar and pitches for a good travel team. How do you tell someone who's throwing 68 (legit 68, not the fabricated speed parents make up or the fabricated speed of ESPN radar guns) that she needs the ball to actually move at the next level? That's a hard sell. The best pitching coach in the world cannot teach someone to throw 70. A kid can either do it or they can't. As a coach you and insure that she's doing everything mechanically correct to get the most speed possible, but you can't teach 70 mph. Which is why so few actually throw that hard. But, trying to tell a kid and parent that throwing that hard without movement is great but, she could be even better with correct spins on the ball and actual ball movement. After all, they have legit arguments against that. They could point to Fouts, Garcia, or others who throw hard without correct spins that are at the height of college softball. And, the coach has to concede that point. Yes, those pitchers are at the top of the game without correct spin on the ball. But the LEGENDS of the game, such as Osterman takes a little less speed on her pitches but adds movement. Osterman could've probably thrown just as hard as Abbott, Garcia, Fouts, etc. but she figured out what all great pitchers do: speed is good, movement is better. She was the US team's #1 pitcher at 38 years old because of this pitching philosophy. But it's a nightmare, unwinnable fight to tell someone who's throwing 70 and winning at 17 yrs old that they could be even better.
For me it's the most frustrating thing I deal with as a coach: convincing a kid who's already winning that they still have things to improve on to be great.
Rant over.
