Pitching and Pitchers Discussion help with pitcher

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my daughter is 14 in she plays traveling softball, she is a pitcher in when she goes to pitching lessons she pitches fine , she pushes off the mound good in her speed is great. but when game time starts she doesnt push off the mound she steps off in she pitches slow. i was wondering if anyone could help me to get my daughter pitch like she does during practice. so if you have any advice i would realli appricate it

thank you,
dan

 

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Sounds like she's worrying about being too accurate in the game. Somehow you'll have to convince her that if she does exactly what she does in practice the accuracy will be there too.

 

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I am certainly not an expert when it comes to pitching, but how much work does your daughter do away from her lessons and games? I have found that if kids don't work on the techniques they learn in lessons (hitting or pitching) they will return to their "comfort zone" in a gametime situation. My experience comes from hitting, especially if the kids are making a rather dramatic change in their style. Without developing the needed "muscle memory" for the new technique, the player will often revert to their old habits.

 

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my daughter practice's alot . i think she is nervous cus last year she didnt pitch much cus she was the youngest in when she did the coach told her if you start walking the batters or they start hitting you im taking you out.

 

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An encouraging coach is always a great help in a young players development. I hope she has a coach with a different approach this year.

 

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yes she does have a better coach. but i still need to know if there is anything i can do to get her to throw in a game like she throws at practice.

 

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If you don't already, you may want to try having her practice from different mounds in different conditions (muddy, dry etc). I don't pitch, but I understand that the mounds are frequently different and that you rarely get one that feels perfect (like the ones at lessons do).

 

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I don't know whether this has helped my daughter or not but when she practices at home we have always set up a simulated batter. We use an old bar stool. Now that she is getting bigger we might have to use a box also. This at least gets the presence of a batter into practice.

 

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thank you pitcher mom i will try that because some times she says she doesnt like the mound!

 

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Sounds to me like "game" fright too. ? ?I think the more game like (scrimmages) opportunities you can provide for her to pitch in, the more likely this will simply work itself out. ?It is very natural for a young pitcher to step on the mound, see a batter, feel the pressure of the game situation, and suddenly try to control the pitching rather than trusting their bodies, especially if they've been threatened with "if you don't do well, I'll have to pull you". She just needs to find some success when she pitches like she's been taught. ?JMHO ?I had an umpire tell the other coach of our team that our pitcher, who happens to be my daughter, pitched 4-5 mph slower when the batter was up, than when she took her warm ups. ?It was probably true too, because as the game progressed and she began to trust her body, she threw faster and more accurate. ?They've just got to believe in themselves and "let go". ?Good luck! ?

 

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Time will heal most of this. Find local games where the pressure isn't as great as travel.

Here's is a trick that I learned from my daughter's pitching coach that I use when I help local kids. At least half of her sessions are spent talking about pitching. This should be a coach, not a parent. Have him talk about mound presence, how they, the pitcher, are in control of the game. Much of pitching is attitude. We've all seen girls who looked like they would rather be any place but in the circle and they pitched that way. We've also seen pitchers that through their body language let it been known that are in charge. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking cocky - I'm talking confidence. You will be amazed at how this can affect a 14 year old.

 

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I totally agree with Bednarik. Time will heal much of this, and have her keep hanging in there. My DD has gone through this process, and it was frustrating to see. Her pitching coach is also talking more on the mental aspects of the game, which is helping. One thing that really helped my daughter get over this was pitching in the indoor leagues this winter. There was live batting with good hitters, and the games really didn't mean anything (no "lose or go home" mentality). This year she is like a completely different pitcher in the circle, with more confidence and "game presence." Of course, I could start another post on all the things she needs to work on next, but that's just part of being a player's parent
Good luck to your daughter. Keep the positive attitude.

 

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From the dad of a 16 year pitcher, I would have to say that everyone here is giving some great advice and I am sure they are all correct. The only thing I will add is to be straightforward with your daughter and ask her why she does it different in games. You may be surprised by what she tells you. It could be that she is afraid of being hit with a line drive, she may be afraid of not pitching strikes. It could be many things, but I will agree with TheBearMay, that for some reason she is trying to place her pitches and thinking too much. Basically she is trying too hard instead of trusting her arm and hand to do what it does in practice. With a batter standing there it makes it much different than practice but with your help continue to build her confidence in her ability and to just trust her arm. Once she honestly sees and experiences the results, she will understand it is more of a feel than trying to memorize or think each movement. It should all be from muscle memory and habit. Hope this helps. And the best of luck to you and her.

Sincerely,
Ed

 

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yes thank you, you all have given great advice! she has told me that she isnt afarid of the ball but afarid of no throwing strikes, n also last year she didnt pitch much because of the older girls on the 14u team n politics, so i think it is because she doesnt have enough experince but im not quite sure. also she has the same problems this yr with her team both the coaches daughters pitch ones in high school the other is in 7th grade n they both complain when they dont pitch. there is only 3 pitchers on her team countin her, but when the high schooler was playin HS ball the coach got another girl to pitch and she has only came to one practice n was playin both my daughters positions, i think also that realli bugs my daughter cus the new girl didnt have any intentions of staying with this team after the HS girl came bak. it seems to her that the coach isnt treatin her fair.

 

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Never mind a simulated batter. Use a real person. Set upa teammate in the batters box. No bat Have the batter wear her glove. Notice that the glove is on her left side. This helps with 2 things.
It helps the pitcher get over her fear of pitching to a live batter, let alone her own teamate. The batter can protect herself because she has a glove on. And it makes it less stressful for the pitcher. The pitcher will learn to relax and throw. Eventually you can replace the glove with a bat. Be patient.
This also can help a batter who is scared of the ball. It can give her comfidence the same way.

Note Make sure the batter does not reach out over the strike zone with her glove. It can deflect and hit the catcher.
The catcher does not have to wear equipment.

Coach Scott

new email is bhahah@aol.com

 

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Go to your distance drills meaning add 30' to her pitch. Do this at least 300-500 times per week. Make sure shoulders are back and glove is up on finish. Remember speed comes primarily from the upwards mootion rather than the downward stroke. Set a mark 8 steps from the rubber and make sure she is exploding from the rubber to or past that point every time. When she gets back to the standard pitching distance it will be faster.