Curveball speed

[RADcatchers]

DD has always threw her palm up curve harder than her fastball. Never throws FB in the game. She is a freshman in college and the pitching coach told her this week she want's her to learn an off speed curve. Change and an off speed drop are her best pitches which makes it funny to teach another off speed pitch but. She has great movement.

Good for her!
Nice to read college coaches wanting to further develop technical pitching!

It is a high probability that the coaching staff is going to pay attention to varying pitch speeds and not have her pitch all off speeds the same speed.

Off-speed curve and off-speed drop are useful for different locations and if batters are left or right handed. Both good to have in the toolbox! Throw them both with speed and then control that speed at different levels excellent tools!

 

[cnardone]

That's questionable coaching to me.

Why?

 

[ArmWhip]

That's questionable coaching to me.

Taking Tango at his word that her two best pitches are an off speed drop and change up I'm wondering if putting effort into developing a third off speed pitch is the way to go. But, since they never call her fastball maybe they see her as a 'junk ball' pitcher. A question for me would be what is wrong with her fastball and where does it need improvement, command, velocity?

 

[CoachCeetar]

There's no such thing as an offspeed or changeup pitch if you don't have a speed pitch. it's just a slow pitch.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

There's no such thing as an offspeed or changeup pitch if you don't have a speed pitch. it's just a slow pitch.

Occasionally you see pitchers that have a changeup as their primary pitch.

 

[JayW]

Occasionally you see pitchers that have a changeup as their primary pitch.

I've seen lower level college pitchers throw nothing but low speed drop balls.

 

[Tango]

Taking Tango at his word that her two best pitches are an off speed drop and change up I'm wondering if putting effort into developing a third off speed pitch is the way to go. But, since they never call her fastball maybe they see her as a 'junk ball' pitcher. A question for me would be what is wrong with her fastball and where does it need improvement, command, velocity?

Velocity. Most of the time she hits spots at a very high level with all her pitches.

 

[Tango]

That's questionable coaching to me.

Surprised me too. . Off speed drop is faster than the change.

 

[BillyB]

A middle school pitcher with four pitches??? Come on. No disrespect meant towards your daughter, but I would go back to basics. Focus on the fastball and change, especially at that age. Master them first before you move to a movement pitch.

100% brother!!
I am no pitching coach, but as a coach all I keep hearing from these kids age 10-14 is " I got 5 different pitches and am working on 5 consistantly" I just wanna lose my shirt, lol. GIVE ME TWO, TWO pitches fast and change that you can work on locating, then build a third as you get older! The change makes your fastball feel 10 miles an hour faster if you locate it in the vicinity! We have too many pitchers trying to throw so much random crap that doesn't do what said pitch is supposed to do, and location goes straight in the dumpster! I WANT my defense working and learning, I'd rather lose by giving up a million hits, than a ton of walks and death by a thousand cuts.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

100% brother!!
I am no pitching coach, but as a coach all I keep hearing from these kids age 10-14 is " I got 5 different pitches and am working on 5 consistantly" I just wanna lose my shirt, lol. GIVE ME TWO, TWO pitches fast and change that you can work on locating, then build a third as you get older! The change makes your fastball feel 10 miles an hour faster if you locate it in the vicinity! We have too many pitchers trying to throw so much random crap that doesn't do what said pitch is supposed to do, and location goes straight in the dumpster! I WANT my defense working and learning, I'd rather lose by giving up a million hits, than a ton of walks and death by a thousand cuts.

Yup, and EIS is guilty of spouting it in their rankings. "As a second-year 14U player, XYZ has command of five pitches." Do they really believe their own BS?