Video recording lessons or backyard sessions as much as possible. You will see the tremendous growth from year to year eventhough it may seem stagnant. People overestimate what can be done in a year! However, every one underestimates what can be done in a decade. If you understand it takes a decade to build a pitcher then you will relax and not take things so seriously
This is really great advice. We're always so busy chasing the next improvement we sometimes forget to stop and look at how far we've come.
I have a girl who came to me in the fall after being with another PC for a few years. One of her teammates has been my student for the same period and the difference is obvious, so when the new girl's PC stopped giving lessons they came to me.
Well, this girl's mechanics were a mess. She's a big kid but she didn't throw very hard - mostly because she had arms and legs going everywhere. We've been working on getting her to look less like an unmade bed.
Last week I used Coach's Eye to do a comparison analysis video of her first lesson with me, where I just recorded her doing what she did, to now. While her speed hasn't increased as much as I would like it to (yet), seeing the side-by-side was telling. She looks far more organized, and like a pitcher instead of some kid who was stuck in the game to pitch. I think that helped her feel better about where she is.
Does she have a ways to go? Absolutely. But if you picture the journey as a road map, while she isn't near the destination yet she's also no longer back at start. I think that will help keep her going until we can really internalize the changes and she can start throwing all-out.