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Calling pitches: another coach perspective | Student Sports Softball
Our article published Friday called Should pitchers & catchers call games? ? which featured comments from several elite club and high school coaches ? has generated a lot of response and interest.
One coach we respect, Gerry Quinn who runs the Illinois Chill program and currently has 20 players committed to Big Ten, ACC and SEC schools, wrote a longer response to the pros and cons of coaches allowing their pitchers and catchers to call games.
Here are Coach Quinn?s insights on the subject?.
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Coach Quinn prefers to call the pitches during a game and chart them to determine pitch sequences.
Coach Quinn prefers to call the pitches during a game and chart them to determine pitch sequences.
The catcher sitting behind home plate is in a great position to size up the hitter versus the coach sitting 50 to 100 feet away. The catcher also has the best view of how well a pitcher?s various pitches are working.
In addition, there are times the position of the dugout is so far from home plate it is difficult to relay signals from the bench to the dugout. It is safe to say that in most cases it is easier for the opponent to pick the signals of a coach than a catcher.
These are all arguments for allowing the catcher to call the pitches.
Notwithstanding all of these compelling arguments, for the most part we have the coach call pitches.
This is why:
When I began the program in 1998 we were a 12U team. I felt it was my responsibility to call pitches to force the pitchers to learn to throw all their pitches in all situations. A 12U catcher was not really in a position to direct that from an experience standpoint. I have hung on to that philosophy as we moved up in to the higher age groups because I still feel that young pitchers need to get outside of their comfort zone to become better pitchers. By calling pitches I believe I am in the best position to make sure that a pitcher is developing the pitches she needs to get herself to a higher level.
I chart all the pitches our pitchers throw to each of the opposing hitters. It helps me determine the pitch sequence to hitters as the game progresses into the later innings. These charts also serve as a historical record to use if we play the same opponent later that season. If the catcher were to call the pitches it would be more difficult to compile and use this information tactically during the game.
Typically the coaching staff is responsible for positioning the defense. If the coach calls the pitches it makes it easier to coordinate the pitch calling and the defensive positioning.
I believe a big part of being a successful pitch caller is varying your pitch sequence. This is a lot easier to track and implement when you are sitting on a bucket with a chart than it is for a catcher who has a lot going on in addition to calling pitches.
Even with the coach calling pitches, it is important that the pitcher and catcher be involved in the process.
Part of the pitcher and catcher?s development is talking to the pitch caller throughout the game and offering their input. A good pitch caller is going to talk with the pitcher and catcher during the game and ask their input. Communication should flow openly in all directions.
If the pitcher and catcher are actively involved in the pitch calling it should not be a difficult transition to switch to a catcher called game when the need arises.
On those occasions when we have switched to a catcher called game, our pitchers and catchers have handled the transition well because they have been active participants in the coach called game.
- See more at: Calling pitches: another coach perspective | Student Sports Softball
Calling pitches: another coach perspective | Student Sports Softball
Our article published Friday called Should pitchers & catchers call games? ? which featured comments from several elite club and high school coaches ? has generated a lot of response and interest.
One coach we respect, Gerry Quinn who runs the Illinois Chill program and currently has 20 players committed to Big Ten, ACC and SEC schools, wrote a longer response to the pros and cons of coaches allowing their pitchers and catchers to call games.
Here are Coach Quinn?s insights on the subject?.
***
Coach Quinn prefers to call the pitches during a game and chart them to determine pitch sequences.
Coach Quinn prefers to call the pitches during a game and chart them to determine pitch sequences.
The catcher sitting behind home plate is in a great position to size up the hitter versus the coach sitting 50 to 100 feet away. The catcher also has the best view of how well a pitcher?s various pitches are working.
In addition, there are times the position of the dugout is so far from home plate it is difficult to relay signals from the bench to the dugout. It is safe to say that in most cases it is easier for the opponent to pick the signals of a coach than a catcher.
These are all arguments for allowing the catcher to call the pitches.
Notwithstanding all of these compelling arguments, for the most part we have the coach call pitches.
This is why:
When I began the program in 1998 we were a 12U team. I felt it was my responsibility to call pitches to force the pitchers to learn to throw all their pitches in all situations. A 12U catcher was not really in a position to direct that from an experience standpoint. I have hung on to that philosophy as we moved up in to the higher age groups because I still feel that young pitchers need to get outside of their comfort zone to become better pitchers. By calling pitches I believe I am in the best position to make sure that a pitcher is developing the pitches she needs to get herself to a higher level.
I chart all the pitches our pitchers throw to each of the opposing hitters. It helps me determine the pitch sequence to hitters as the game progresses into the later innings. These charts also serve as a historical record to use if we play the same opponent later that season. If the catcher were to call the pitches it would be more difficult to compile and use this information tactically during the game.
Typically the coaching staff is responsible for positioning the defense. If the coach calls the pitches it makes it easier to coordinate the pitch calling and the defensive positioning.
I believe a big part of being a successful pitch caller is varying your pitch sequence. This is a lot easier to track and implement when you are sitting on a bucket with a chart than it is for a catcher who has a lot going on in addition to calling pitches.
Even with the coach calling pitches, it is important that the pitcher and catcher be involved in the process.
Part of the pitcher and catcher?s development is talking to the pitch caller throughout the game and offering their input. A good pitch caller is going to talk with the pitcher and catcher during the game and ask their input. Communication should flow openly in all directions.
If the pitcher and catcher are actively involved in the pitch calling it should not be a difficult transition to switch to a catcher called game when the need arises.
On those occasions when we have switched to a catcher called game, our pitchers and catchers have handled the transition well because they have been active participants in the coach called game.
- See more at: Calling pitches: another coach perspective | Student Sports Softball
