"Just throw strikes" Is there an alternative?

[Coach JV]

10U is developmental-we hope they throw strikes
12U- they need to throw called strikes, have a pitcher that can
throw a high percentage of strikes (even down the middle)
14U+-locate the pitch induce swinging strikes (don't throw down the middle);
throw something other than fastballs- in 16U we throw a FB only on full count and
still try to locate so it is not driven hard 180'.

I will visit and ask her to suck it up, trust the defense. NO YELLING!!!!!!
At all levels, I have never seen a situation where yelling leads to a positive outcome

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

I would rather her be taken out of the game for walking too many batters that be carried off in an ambulance for throwing the ball down the middle.

If a pitcher (or her parents) are worried about safety and getting hurt while in the circle, then they might as well chose a different position. That is the last thing that should be on the pitcher's mind to be effective. Pitchers need to be 100% focused and committed on the next pitch and be extrememly confident they can and will get the batter out. Pitching tentatively is not a recipe for success and every pitch should have a purpose.

 

[Blue76]

See my post in the other thread.

My daughter never responds to "throw strikes" One game when she was younger I walked out to the mound to complain about the walks. I asked her to just throw strikes... good grief" Her reply was" Dad... I have never tried to walk a batter on purpose, I promise I really am trying to throw strikes"

What my daughter hears when a coach yells "throw strikes" is this " YOU SUCK, YOU CANT GET ANYONE OUT, EVERYONE IS LAUGHING AT YOU".

The word we now use when her control is not where it needs to be is "attack the batter". The mental pitcher is something that motivates her I guess.

 

[splinterpicker]

I find it odd, that hitters and fielders have more time to develope than alot of pitchers. Seen many games where ex. 1st basemen drops 2 balls and 4 hole hitter goes 0 for 2 they are not pulled. But if a pitcher walks a couple some coaches pull them. Pitchers need to learn to work out of jams. The bad part is that it does not always win the team games. My dd pitched on the rec teams that were new and did not have any other pitchers. WE put winning aside to get expierence that she would not have gotten being 1 of 3 pitchers on a good team. She learned she could handle any situation and eventually became #1 on all the tb teams she played for after that. That being said sometimes walks are not just mechanics. Mentality is very important.

 

[joemcq51]

Three pages of responses and I am not certain anyone really can answer Sluggers question. We all scoff at the coach that tells our DD to just throw strikes. But really, what can a coach tell a pitcher who is struggling? She obviously is trying to throw strikes. I guess the only acceptable encouragement would be for the coach to simply say, "c'mon, you can do it." This is really a tough spot that we, as bucket parents, put the coach in. We don't really want the coach telling our DD how to pitch. That is what I am paying her PC for. We don't want the coach to encourage her to just throw it over the plate. I guess, I would want the coach to contiue to call her pitches and have a good understanding of when she is struggling and when she is simply done. Fortunately, my DD has gotten through the just throw strikes stage of her career. Now I can sit on this forum and tell others how they are supposed to react. I am thankful I survived that part of pitching.

With all of that, I would say that the coach should simply give ANY encouragement. You have all had some nice quotes to use. Wouldn't it be nice if the coach just said, "Keep your chin up, in a couple years you won't even remember today's game."

 

[sluggers]

Wouldn't it be nice if the coach just said, "Keep your chin up, in a couple years you won't even remember today's game."

Hey Sparky...didn't Ed Serdar say something like this? Except it was more like "in a couple of days, you won't even remember today's game."

 

[sluggers]

It's the fall, and we don't have a bunch of newbies running around, so...

Against the good competition, the pitcher must pitch almost perfectly for 7 innings. A couple of mistakes by the pitcher and the game is over. The pressure on a pitcher is incredible.

If a child's confidence is going to be wrecked by being taken out of the ball game or the pressure of trying to "just throw strikes", then perhaps that girl shouldn't pitch. Pitching doesn't get easier as the child gets older. The pressure gets much worse.

So who cares about walks when the pitchers are 10, 12.

Kind of pitcher-centric thinking, isn't it? The *COACH* cares. The 12 other kids on the team care. The other team cares. No one wants to participate in a game where even one pitcher can't find the plate with a compass. We don't have teams just so the pitcher can throw...well, except of course, Daddy-ball teams where Daddy's little pumpkin is the star pitcher.

 

[Lozza]

Screwball I'm with you on slowing down. I'm 28 have pitched to a decent level and have been pitching for over 10 years. I CANNOT slow down and retain my accuracy. I lose it completely when I try to slow down (usually throwing BP and they want the batter to hit. To me it defeats the purpose but hey if they can't hit me fast, then what's the point?) If someone who has been pitching longer than some of the girls in question have been ALIVE can't slow down and retain accuracy, why would anyone expect these girls to?

 

[chinamigarden]

When a pitcher is struggling and the coach yells out from the bench "throw strikes" I hate that. For many reasons, but as a pitcher it would tick me off. Yelling out the most obvious thing at that time, would make me think the coach thinks either; I am an idiot, or I am trying to throw balls.

I think the coach needs to have an idea why the pitcher is not throwing strikes and work from there. He/She should be able to go out to the mound and say, your striding to the left, or your release is not where we want it. If there is nothing mechanical to focus on. I have no problem with a coach, coming out to the mound and saying, we need strikes I want you to focus on the glove, and make sure you are on your power line.

By not yelling out for the whole crowd to hear, "You're stupid you don't know that you are supposed to throw strikes" which is how it sounds. But by making it a private conversation, throw strikes, sounds a whole lot different. I always like to leave a mechanical idea in her mind, so she has something to focus on instead of how many balls she has thrown. Something basic, that she can "correct" while clearing her mind.

 

[PEPPERS]

If a pitcher (or her parents) are worried about safety and getting hurt while in the circle, then they might as well chose a different position. That is the last thing that should be on the pitcher's mind to be effective. Pitchers need to be 100% focused and committed on the next pitch and be extrememly confident they can and will get the batter out. Pitching tentatively is not a recipe for success and every pitch should have a purpose.

I as a father and a former coach worry about those things, I try and prepare my daughter for balls hit back to her by having her throw a pitch and throw a ball back at her hard to make sure she is prepared for balls hit back at her. I preach to her to stay away from the middle of the plate, because I don not want to temp faith. Pitching tentatively is the last thing I intended to suggest to anyone. IMO they way pitchers protect themselves is to make good pitches in good locations and that is why I hate for a pitcher pitching batting practice and being told to throw half speed, just one pitch or down the middle.

Batters are taught to hit the pitched ball down the middle back up the middle and that is where my daughter hits that pitch and unfortunately has hurt a few pitchers herself. No one wants to see a kid get hurt, and I’ve seen countless balls hit back at her through the years and she has gotten hurt 2 times and only had to be taken out of a game once, the reason she has not been hurt is because she protects herself by making good pitches.