Coach wants hello elbow

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Jun 14, 2019
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My daughter normally catches, she has been working on pitching and got a chance to pitch in a game today. She wasn't perfect but did pretty well for her first time. We have worked on IR. Mid inning her coach talked to her and was showing her hello elbow, I could see my daughter showing her IR. She finished the inning with only 2 walks and a hit. There were some dropped pitches where they got to run to first. The next inning she didn't get to pitch and she put in someone who was doing what I would call long toss/hello elbow. I feel like I would rather her have more mistakes and pitch correctly than to get into bad habits. What would you do to handle this? Adding video of the hit, it was a funky little pitch but she tried to make the out at first so that was pretty cool. Also one of the balls, I was too distracted to video much.



 
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Jan 22, 2011
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What age? 10u? Rec or tournament? I would stick with IR. The struggle is a coach is trying to win games and you are trying to develop a pitcher. Jennie Finch pitches IR, but finishes with a fake "Hello Elbow". Maybe try finishing by using the cue "sip a coke" by bringing hand to the mouth, which looks a little like "HE" and that may satisfy the coach.

I told people who wanted to change my DD she was doing what Bill Hillhouse, Rich Balswick, and Rick Pauly wanted her to do. Maybe send him a video of Sarah Pauly pitching and say this is what my daughter is trying to do:


In the rec league I umpire the two 8u pitchers who will be the best 10u pitchers hit their hip about 1/3rd of the time and the pitch goes way wide. When they figure out Brush Trigger, they are going to be very good. They are so close.

A couple years ago I gave a 10u pitcher a quick 10 minute intro to IR and pulling the ball around the circle. Next two games of hers she was throwing strikes, but pitching batting practice. At least it wasn't a walk fest. Her defense needed to back her up.
 
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Jun 14, 2019
80
8
What age? 10u? Rec or tournament? I would stick with IR. The struggle is a coach is trying to win games and you are trying to develop a pitcher. Jennie Finch pitches IR, but finishes with a fake "Hello Elbow". Maybe try finishing by using the cue "sip a coke" by bringing hands to mouth, which looks a little like "HE" and that may satisfy the coach.

I told people who wanted to change my DD she was doing what Bill Hillhouse, Rich Balswick, and Rick Pauly wanted her to do. Maybe send him a video of Sarah Pauly pitching and say this is what my daughter is trying to do:


In the rec league I umpire the two 8u pitchers who will be the best 10u pitchers hit their hip about 1/3rd and the pitch goes way wide. When they figure out Brush Trigger, they are going to be very good. They are so close.

A couple years ago I gave a 10u pitcher a quick 10 minute intro to IR and pulling the ball around the circle. Next two games of hers she was slowing strikes, but pitching batting practice. At least it wasn't a walk fest. Her defense needed to back her up.

10u tournament. She is also playing 10u rec. Our previous game the #1 and #2 pitchers each threw over 60 pitches in 2 innings each. So they had quite a few walks. When everything connects she has very good pitches, so I know it will pay off. This coach is kind of critical of her, for instance she pulled her from catching last weekend because she said she wasn't listening about throwing off her helmet on pops. My daughter gets another year of 10u so I think by next year she will be pitching pretty well. I'm just worried if she doesn't do what the coach wants she won't get to try pitching again. I'm sure she could make more strikes Hello elbow, but long term it won't benefit her.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
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Chicago
I realize this is not particularly diplomatic, and because of that probably bad advice, but there is just no excuse for HE teaching anymore. The information is out there. I don't know if the right move is to find a new team, tell the coach you won't allow your daughter's arm health to be put at risk by being taught the wrong way, or what, but you do need to make it clear somehow.

I disagree with Dabears17 about satisfying the coach. Other than your daughter being polite and saying "ok" when the coach is saying something stupid, I wouldn't do anything to satisfy the coach's desire to have your daughter pitch the wrong way.
 
Jun 14, 2019
80
8
I realize this is not particularly diplomatic, and because of that probably bad advice, but there is just no excuse for HE teaching anymore. The information is out there. I don't know if the right move is to find a new team, tell the coach you won't allow your daughter's arm health to be put at risk by being taught the wrong way, or what, but you do need to make it clear somehow.

I disagree with Dabears17 about satisfying the coach. Other than your daughter being polite and saying "ok" when the coach is saying something stupid, I wouldn't do anything to satisfy the coach's desire to have your daughter pitch the wrong way.
We originally had 2 coaches, the one that left his daughter is a very good 16u pitcher so I'm sure he would have been in favor of IR. Our organization has some good pitchers at the higher levels. My daughter is the only one doing IR. I also took away her swing back, over loading, and jumping. Anything that was making her wild. Our focus has been IR and getting her hips rotated. I understand her pitching looks a little different to onlookers. We have been doing doug Gillis scissor drill and just focusing on getting that crossover. She has practiced pitching before but mostly focused on catching so this is a new world for her.
 
Jun 14, 2019
80
8
Does she want her to take off her helmet or not?
She wants her to throw it off. But in that moment she is just chasing the fly, I would rather her keep it on personally, I know someone who broke their nose getting a fly ball.
 
Jan 22, 2011
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If a coach insisted my DD take off her helmet when catching, if I was in a good mood, I would politely say my DD doesn't remove her helmet.

If I wasn't in a good mood, I would tell him only idiots tell catchers with hockey mask style helmets to take off their helmet and pull my DD from the team-- maybe even a mid-game hissy-quit.

@CoachJD The finish doesn't matter, let the arm do whatever it wants. Back around 10 years ago, Rich Balswick used the cue 'sip a coke' to describe a natural, fluid finish. After the old school comment about removing the helmet, it's obvious this coach is a dingbat, and if she wants to stay on the team, she can try the "sip the coke" cue may fool him enough to leave her alone about HE.

It's fairly obvious this girl needs to find a new team in the fall, and if he is starting to affect her love of the game, find a new team as soon as school is out for the summer.
 
Jan 22, 2011
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Good times. An hour ago on onedrive memories two videos of my DD in 10u pitching sub 3:20 minute innings with a flawed IR popped up. After dinner I'll pull a clip and link it.

I'm vocal on keeping the joy of the game alive because my DD had a coach some of us have nick-named "She who destroys the love of softball" who played some head games 2nd year 10u All-Stars with my DD. I let my DD play for her 1st year 12u and my DD sobbed in the car after the last tournament of the summer saying she was quitting softball. Thankfully three months later a coach who had a ton of respect for her convinced her to pick-up with his team for fall ball, and she played the next spring/summer for him. She had a blast on that team, but after fall ball 14u she quit pitching.

 
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Jun 14, 2019
80
8
I love our head coach of the organization, and she had a great coach last year. This year has been a little rough. I think the coach this year is trying, but it feels kind of like walking on eggshells. My daughter gets to stay down next year while everyone else but 1 has to move up so she will likely have a different coach next year. I'm still hopeful this season won't be a wash.
 

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