Dad with some questions about my new pitcher?

[Dallas Moore]

My daughter, who just turned 9, wants to be a pitcher. For the last 4 months, we have been taking pitching lessons from the local high school coach, who was also an All-American pitcher at a local D3 school. The coach and my daughter get along well, and she has been making progress. I have a couple of concerns about some of the things she is being taught and wanted to ask the collective of this forum for advice.

1. One concern I have is that she is being taught to pull her hip through and release as the hip and hand meet at the bottom of the arm circle. From what I've gathered from lurking here and on YouTube, many coaches advocate for the hand to pass in front of the hip rather than on the side as they turn.

2. She is being taught to throw with a finger snap and apply bullet spin on the ball. Given that my daughter is only 9, she's finding it challenging to do this consistently. While she's improving, I worry that developing a habit of using bullet spin might be difficult to break if it becomes ingrained in her pitching technique.

My daughter has made remarkable progress, transitioning from struggling to get the ball into the strike zone to holding her own against the 10u players in scrimmages for her travel ball organization. However, as a new softball dad, I'm unsure if my concerns are valid or if I'm overreacting. Should I address these concerns with her pitching coach?

 

[Lance Steckler]

get away from any bullet spin. Bullets go straight. Straight gets hit hard.

 

[daywalkerdad]

My daughter, who just turned 9, wants to be a pitcher. For the last 4 months, we have been taking pitching lessons from the local high school coach, who was also an All-American pitcher at a local D3 school. The coach and my daughter get along well, and she has been making progress. I have a couple of concerns about some of the things she is being taught and wanted to ask the collective of this forum for advice.

1. One concern I have is that she is being taught to pull her hip through and release as the hip and hand meet at the bottom of the arm circle. From what I've gathered from lurking here and on YouTube, many coaches advocate for the hand to pass in front of the hip rather than on the side as they turn.

2. She is being taught to throw with a finger snap and apply bullet spin on the ball. Given that my daughter is only 9, she's finding it challenging to do this consistently. While she's improving, I worry that developing a habit of using bullet spin might be difficult to break if it becomes ingrained in her pitching technique.

My daughter has made remarkable progress, transitioning from struggling to get the ball into the strike zone to holding her own against the 10u players in scrimmages for her travel ball organization. However, as a new softball dad, I'm unsure if my concerns are valid or if I'm overreacting. Should I address these concerns with her pitching coach?

Just a dad, watch videos of what pitchers actually do with videos of what people say they should do. Hopefully they match, but many times they do not, or you see an array of differences.

 

[earlg3]

get away from any bullet spin. Bullets go straight. Straight gets hit hard.

Not disagreeing that bullet-spin is or isn't ideal, but I'm not sure that would be justification for abandoning a coach (one that is showing consistent progress) considering there are elite college pitchers that have bullet spin. As far as I can tell nothing listed was egregious like teaching HE, for example.

That said, try out different coaches and see if she likes them. You don't have to tell the existing coach, and can always go back.

 

[RADcatcher]

Not disagreeing that bullet-spin is or isn't ideal, but I'm not sure that would be justification for abandoning a coach (one that is showing consistent progress) considering there are elite college pitchers that have bullet spin.

There are Elite College pitchers that have bullet spin

My daughter, who just turned 9, wants to be a pitcher. For the last 4 months, we have been taking pitching lessons from the local high school coach, who was also an All-American pitcher at a local D3 school. The coach and my daughter get along well, and she has been making progress. I have a couple of concerns about some of the things she is being taught and wanted to ask the collective of this forum for advice.

1. One concern I have is that she is being taught to pull her hip through and release as the hip and hand meet at the bottom of the arm circle. From what I've gathered from lurking here and on YouTube, many coaches advocate for the hand to pass in front of the hip rather than on the side as they turn.

2. She is being taught to throw with a finger snap and apply bullet spin on the ball. Given that my daughter is only 9, she's finding it challenging to do this consistently. While she's improving, I worry that developing a habit of using bullet spin might be difficult to break if it becomes ingrained in her pitching technique.

My daughter has made remarkable progress, transitioning from struggling to get the ball into the strike zone to holding her own against the 10u players in scrimmages for her travel ball organization. However, as a new softball dad, I'm unsure if my concerns are valid or if I'm overreacting. Should I address these concerns with her pitching coach?

Have you already talked to the instructor about your couple of concerns?
1. Instructor should be able to explain why she is teaching what she is.
2. She is teaching pitching in a way that you want to understand. Which is good but no need to be alarmed. Everything is a learning work in progress.
3. Your daughter is having success with the instructor she is using.

 

[Dallas Moore]

There are Elite College pitchers that have bullet spin


Have you already talked to the instructor about your couple of concerns?
1. Instructor should be able to explain why she is teaching what she is.
2. She is teachinh pitching in a way that you want to understand. Which is good but no need to be alarmed. Everything is a learning work in progress.
3. Your daughter is having success with the instructor she is using.

Yes I have spoken to her and asked why she is teaching something, and for the most part it has been because that is how she was taught. I just want to give my kid a good start and being only 9, she is not one to ask why, so I kind of feel that is part of being Dad! We live in a rural area and coaches are not falling out of the wood work and she is a great with my daughter, but again just want to make sure we are not causing issues that will have to be corrected later!

 

[ArmWhip]

My concern would pulling the hip through as the ball is released. This is part of HE mechanics because it's difficult for the arm/elbow to be using IR when the hip is in the way.

 

[RADcatcher]

Yes I have spoken to her and asked why she is teaching something, and for the most part it has been because that is how she was taught. I just want to give my kid a good start and being only 9, she is not one to ask why, so I kind of feel that is part of being Dad! We live in a rural area and coaches are not falling out of the wood work and she is a great with my daughter, but again just want to make sure we are not causing issues that will have to be corrected later!

Hmmm??? are you saying the instructor responds to a question like...
Example~ 'why do you use your hips like that ?' and her answer is
because that's how I was taught?
Or
Does she explain why mechanically to use the hips a certain way.?

 

[sluggers]

get away from any bullet spin. Bullets go straight. Straight gets hit hard.

Probably 80% of the pitchers in the NCAA CWS throw bullet spin.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Probably 80% of the pitchers in the NCAA CWS throw bullet spin.

Bullets travel fast, right? The angled bullet spin pitch (AKA screwball) is very effective, especially if the pitcher can throw it with rise or drop.