Diffrent pitches 12u pitchers should know

[kibadbo]

I heard Carley Hoover say that she had two pitches, and that a great pitcher could get away with one. She was an LSU standout and plays professionally in Japan. I think your kid is doing just fine with the pitches she has.

 

[prsboogie]

my nitpick here is throw it where it is intended, a pitcher does not necessarily want to throw a "strike" on every pitch, may want something outside the zone to try to get them to swing and miss (ie drop that drops out of zone one foot away from plate). when DD is allowed to call pitches (she is a C), she knows, 0-2 or 1-2, she better not call anything at all hittable, let alone a strike. curve that starts as a strike and breaks off plate will get them to swing and miss 4 out of 5 times.

I'm going to nitpick the nitpick, the statement made is about control not whether or not your situational awareness allows you to know not to throw the river or clip the corners. I am at odds with my daughter's coach in this regard, he has her trying to throw a curve and drop while she still is having issues "controlling loaction" on her FB/change up. Oddly enough, her most consistent pitch is a screw, go figure. She actually is fairly aware of who to throw pitches to and who not to maily based on how they set up at the plate. Now whether or not they go where she wants is a different animal.

It's a work in progress

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[mel77]

Ok, so my daughters competitive 12u coach is complaining saying that she should know way more pitches by now. She has a great fastball, change up, and ok drop. How many pitches should a 12u pitcher know?

Also he claims his other pitcher knows a curve BUT from what I can tell its just an inside fastball.

Does anyony have memes poking fun of coaches like this? Ive seen some before but i cant find any now

Maybe have your pitching coach speak directly to your coach? This article is pretty good, not exactly the same view as our pitching coach...

https://www.fastpitchpower.com/when-in-what-order-do-we-teach-the-different-pitches/

 

[Tide_will_Roll]

How many pitches does a 12u pitcher need? However many it takes to get outs.

That’s the answer at all ages. And at the highest level you only need 3 really good pitches that you can spot. If that means learning 3 pitches or maybe she needs to learn 5 but only 3 that she likes enough to master.

I used to tell people that my dd had 2 pitches a fast one and a slow one. People would laugh and think I was pulling their leg, but in reality she had 2 that she could throw at any count. And after 14u she rarely threw anything other then those 2.

This is it and not just for 12U or fastpitch. Mariano Rivera used primarily one pitch, his cut fastball. And it was good enough to get him into the Hall of Fame.

 

[Tango]

This is it and not just for 12U or fastpitch. Mariano Rivera used primarily one pitch, his cut fastball. And it was good enough to get him into the Hall of Fame.

Agree but he wasn't going 7 innings (not sure it would have mattered). With that said, I call pitches for our HS team and we have a kid that has been considered average but has a great curve ball. She throws it for strikes but has trouble spotting it. Sometimes it drops and sometimes it jumps up and sometimes slides (not on purpose). I took all her pitches away from her except curve and fastball. She had an awesome year. Everyone all year talked about how great her rise was. Never threw one all year.

My DD couldn't survive only throwing two pitches.

 

[scudly12]

Ok, so my daughters competitive 12u coach is complaining saying that she should know way more pitches by now. She has a great fastball, change up, and ok drop. How many pitches should a 12u pitcher know?

Also he claims his other pitcher knows a curve BUT from what I can tell its just an inside fastball.

Does anyony have memes poking fun of coaches like this? Ive seen some before but i cant find any now

I always have to hold my tongue when a pitcher can’t handle locating a fastball inside or outside but then talks about her rise, drop, change, and is working on a curve. Ok. But can you really throw them and be effective? A pitcher who can locate a fast ball throughout the strike zone and throw a good change doesn’t need multiple other pitches at 12. Some private coaches feel pressure to teach the next pitch. Parents need to recognize if you are only hitting your spots 30% of the time, control is your issue, not number of different spins. Just an opinion.


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[DNeeld]

I always have to hold my tongue when a pitcher can’t handle locating a fastball inside or outside but then talks about her rise, drop, change, and is working on a curve. Ok. But can you really throw them and be effective? A pitcher who can locate a fast ball throughout the strike zone and throw a good change doesn’t need multiple other pitches at 12. Some private coaches feel pressure to teach the next pitch. Parents need to recognize if you are only hitting your spots 30% of the time, control is your issue, not number of different spins. Just an opinion.


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Honestly, doesn't need much else at any age group.

I'd much prefer the pitcher to have pinpoint accuracy with a pitch at three different speeds than "know" three different pitches.

 

[MNDad]

Earlier I said DD only had a fastball at 12U. I’d add that by the time she finished college she was up to only three pitches. Drop, change and screw. She wasn’t a star, but could hold with most teams for a while.

 

[uncdrew]

I always have to hold my tongue when a pitcher can’t handle locating a fastball inside or outside but then talks about her rise, drop, change, and is working on a curve. Ok. But can you really throw them and be effective? A pitcher who can locate a fast ball throughout the strike zone and throw a good change doesn’t need multiple other pitches at 12. Some private coaches feel pressure to teach the next pitch. Parents need to recognize if you are only hitting your spots 30% of the time, control is your issue, not number of different spins. Just an opinion.


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I spent about 18 months saying "no" to my DD and her pitching coach when they wanted to start on new pitches. I said "only fastball and change" until she can hit her spots.

It paid off. Here we are in 12U and there are pitchers with 5 pitches who walk half the batters and lose to my DD.

 

[schwabach]

Funny, This seems to be an endless discussion. At the same time, it would appear that the very best pitchers have great command of 2-3 pitches.