Pitching help please

[Proudmumof2]

My daughter has been pitching for roughly a year. She had the same pitching coach for nine months of that. While she didn't teach her all of the basics, she did teach her how to pitch.

Fast forward to now. Daughter is taking lessons once a month with a college coach. We had our first lesson and there was a ton of improvement. Our next lesson is in two weeks. At today's practice, there was a pitching coach there to help the pitchers.

My daughter does not respond well to male coaches, has had some very bad ones who feel it is ok to cuss out a 12u pitcher, grab facemasks in anger, etc. You could see she was trying to take what he was saying into account however she was getting frustrated and on the way home said she felt like he was attacking her. He did tell her she wouldn't be successful at all if she didn't change her pitching style to how he teaches.

So which way is correct?

Does she listen to what her previous coach told her and what the coach from the D1 school has told her about keeping her hips open and ending in the four or to the guy helping out the pitchers on her team who wants her to close her hips before releasing the ball and who told her not to throw the ball hard or make a big stride?

My other daughter is a catcher...catchers are so much easier for me to understand lol. I just want to make sure my pitcher doesn't get too confused. She was getting frustrated today as all her pitches were going straight up. Don't get me wrong, if he is correct, we can adjust. I just don't want her to get too much conflicting information.

This picture is her last March on opening day after 3 months of pitching.

 

[DNeeld]

who wants her to close her hips before releasing the ball and who told her not to throw the ball hard or make a big stride?

Don't listen to this guy if that is what he is teaching.

By the way, just from that picture, her drive looks very impressive for a new pitcher.

You should post some video. You'll get a lot more help that way.

 

[Proudmumof2]

Don't listen to this guy if that is what he is teaching.

By the way, just from that picture, her drive looks very impressive for a new pitcher.

You should post some video. You'll get a lot more help that way.

Thank you. I will try to get some of her this week. His daughter is an amazing pitcher but I have never seen her pitch off the mound, only inside. This is a new team for us so I don't want to mess things up for my girls. My pitcher is going into her first year of 14u and my catcher is moving up to 12u.

 

[3bmama]

That guy sounds like an idiot, and she shouldn't listen to him. Any softball coach worth their salt will ask if anyone is taking private lessons and will not correct what the student is learning from the coach.

 

[grcsftbll]

I agree with what everyone else said. Besides him being wrong (IMO), it's just rude. My husband's an AC and pretty knowledgeable on both hitting & pitching at this point but he is always very conscious of the girls getting private instruction, and not confusing them. That's how it should be, I think.

 

[JAD]

A video would be more helpful than a picture. My recommendation would be to check out the IR and BI sticky threads in the pitching forum and find a pitching coach whose mechanics are similar. I would also not assume that a D1 coach is teaching IR with BI just because they are a D1 coach, some are, some are not....

 

[coach james]

A coach who works for a university isn't necessarily teaching the best mechanics, He/She is teaching what they've been taught... which very well could be horrendous or amazing. See if their teachings comply with the best in the world. Ask them to demonstrate. Request to see their other students in action (or video). As said above, familiarize yourself with the sticky's on I/R, drive mechanics, brush contact, etc. Then video your dd, play back those videos WITH your dd and compare them to the pros. See what the differences are. And if the new guy is on or off par with his teachings as to how they compare with Osterman, Finch, Pauly, Abbott, or Ueno.

 

[nanotech14]

what that coach was telling her was wrong. But your dd needs to toughen up some by the sounds of it. If she doesn't respond well to male coaches, then it wont be long till she doesn't respond well to female coaches either. I don't agree with cussing at a 12yo or grapping them, but that was one coach and she needs to get over it or she is going to have rough road ahead of her in life.

 

[FrozenRope]

Honestly, doesn't sound like either are correct.

"Hips stay open and finish in a 'figure' 4"
"Close hips before releasing the ball"

The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

 

[drc9805]

honestly, doesn't sound like either are correct.

"hips stay open and finish in a 'figure' 4"
"close hips before releasing the ball"

the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

x2 ^^^^^^^