Need More Than 3 Pitches?

[schwabach]

You guys keep referencing this fictional 10 year old who's got all the pitches but doesn't really, but two things about that..

1. Why shouldn't a 10 year old (or a 12 year old) be fooling around with all the pitches? they're learning to pitch, they're learning the pitches, they're learning all the different things they can do. Touch 'em all! Yes, obviously they're not masters of these pitch, and we don't have to take that argument seriously, but so what? Let them be excited about learning and pitching! Most of the time they're gonna have to figure out that they don't really have that pitch the hard way anyway.

2. That doesn't mean having more than 3 pitches is necessarily bad because some over-excited to see what she can do with a softball kid (or her parent) is a braggart. It's not a binary between three pitches at 90% mastery versus 6 at 50%. It's a blend, there's a time and place for everything. Maybe one kid really masters one pitch, but struggles with getting pitch 2 and 3 to that level, but maybe gets 4-5 more pitches to say..70% mastery. Who's to say she can't be MORE effective that way, than if she'd mastered the three?

To soft-toss another cliche onto the pile, it's about being a pitcher not a thrower.

As long as this isn't a symptom of a parent not being able to assess the skill level of their daughter. I always found it a bit sad when parents think their child is a better athlete than indicated by actual performance.

 

[MidwestFastpitchDad]

As a parent currently in the world of a 10u and 14u pitcher who have a great coach-that we were referred to by you all here on DFP-they both have learned a changeup but have not mastered it. When that pitch works for them, it is incredible to watch. However, most of the time it’s in the dirt or over the catchers head.

The 14u kid has been taught a drop curve as her coach feels that her mechanics best suit her to throw that as a third pitch. She has barely tried it in a game and it doesn’t usually work as intended, but the ball does get some movement.

I always refer to Greg Maddux as a point of how pitch placement and knowledge of your opponent are far and above the best tools.

I’ve been really pushing for certainly my older kid to place pitches and be able to consistently place over anything else.

She doesn’t have a lot of velocity yet-throwing maybe upper 40s, low 50s-if she’s pissed off by call by the ump lol-so for her, I think placement is key.


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[chinamigarden]

I know you were being cheeky and sarcastic, however, the #1 problem is that the people who need to know this info are the ones who refuse to listen or believe it. The take away should be the old cliche, why throw 6 mediocre pitches when you can master 3? And all the noise that the ESPN announcers say about this pitch and that pitch only perpetuate the problem.

This all makes my job 3x as hard when a family comes to me saying their daughter cries at night because her "friend" on social media brags about her 8 pitches while this family's 10 yr old kid only has 2. I honestly wonder sometimes how many kids, their parents, etc. disbelieve me when I tell them I threw 3 pitches only throughout my career. lol

My dd dabbled in extra pitches at practice. But she primarily used 2. I can’t tell you how many times I’d be watching her and people wouldn’t approach me and ask how many she threw and didn’t believe me when I told them 2. Which ones? A fast one and a slow one is what I’d say.

 

[Hillhouse]

A pitching coach should be able to identify where an athlete falls on this continuum and therefore what movement pitches are likely to be most effective--or are even available. If a coach is of the view that you have to learn each pitch in a certain order--or worse, that you can't try a different pitch until you have "mastered" some preordained earlier one--that is a huge disservice. Pitch design isn't like math, where you have to know algebra to understand calculus. Some riseballs pitchers never develop a drop (they just cannot do it)--but they still get by just fine with upspin, a change, and a bulletspin fastball thrown down in the zone--even though a drop is supposedly the first pitch that everyone learns. And conversely, some dropball pitchers can never spin it backwards. So I totally agree that pitchers should experiment, but the trial and error should be directed. It should not be total guesswork where you spend a year cycling through eight different pitches trying to figure out what works best. Your coach should know (or have a reasonable idea) what is likely to work and direct valuable practice time there.

I don't necessarily agree with a lot of this but I am unable to articulate myself.

 

[Rolling Hard]

I don't necessarily agree with a lot of this but I am unable to articulate myself.

I rarely can articulate myself, but it has never stopped me from posting. ?