Pitching and Pitchers Discussion How many 12's are throwing a legit curve ?

[default]

We saw a girl that got a pretty good break on the ball this weekend ---had not seen that yet , seen the heat , seen the change, but after watching her mow our girls down, I walked behind the backstop and saw that her ball had really good movement on it. away from righties , slid over the outside corner to my leftie DD. you guys seeing many pitchers with true movement , not just spin ? MD

 

[default]

What team did she play for?

 

[default]

MOV Flamin'Fury ---was told most , almost all, the girls are from WV but play under the mid-ohio-valley name. She really was'nt as fast as at least 2 girls we have seen but she had the movement. MD

 

[default]

I think more and more girls are getting "professional" training at younger ages and we are going to continue to see more advanced pitchers / pitches at younger ages. It is amazing to watch.

 

[default]

Kindle has a good point. You watch all the young girls going to Hillhouse and other clinics they learn early. Some have a natural curve, because of the way they release the ball. We have a 11U that is not fast, but has a natural curve. Our pitching coach is teaching my 12U the drop curve as her 5'th pitch. They just learn earlier.

 

[default]

I think the curve is an outstanding pitch for a young pitcher to learn, especially for travel ball. Most batters today have access to batting cages and pitching machines, but they throw balls that don't move. At the larger nationals we've been to, all of the better teams will absolutely kill fastballs regardless of the speed, but balls that break seem to bring a lot more success for pitchers. We've seen the same in high school.

I would just make absolutely certain that the young pitcher is learning to throw a curve with good mechanics, the hand in the right position under the ball.

 

[default]

I wear tri-focals so they all have a curve. ;D

 

[default]

I wear tri-focals so they all have a curve. ;D

That could make a rise a pretty interesting pitch too!

 

[default]

Is there any physical harm in teaching pitches like the curve to young girls? I remember some issue about young boys and curve balls giving them arm problems. I realize the mechanics are different, but wondering if there's any issue at all.

 

[default]

One of our pitchers in 12U throws a very nice curve ball. When it is thrown well, it is not hit. We do not throw it all the time, but we like to let the batters know that it is there. Serves as just one more thing to think about.

 

[default]

No, Curve ball in softball is totally different. The elbow is a non factor, it is a wrist snap, based on the spin of the ball. I'm sure a pitching coach can go into more detail. My 12U is learning it and it seems to be an easy pitch to master, if you have long fingers.

 

[default]

Here is a post from a pitching web site that I use. Like everything it depends on the physical developement of the person.

6) PRACTICING BREAKING PITCHES BEFORE YOU ARE READY ? Pre-teen pitchers are often encouraged to start work on drop balls, curve balls, etc. even though their bone structure and dexterity aren?t ready yet. Breaking pitches typically require a hard, tight wrist snap to impart a fast spin on the ball. Most 10, 11, and 12-year old pitchers?and even many who are older?are not yet sufficiently physically developed to work on pitches that require a hard snap of the wrist. Don?t be tempted to do too much too soon! Most young pitchers who brag about their curve, screw, or even rise ball don?t throw those pitches effectively.

 

[default]

I think pitchers should learn good location with there fastball before they learn a movement pitch

 

[default]

My dd is 12 throws 51 fast,knuckle 40, drop 48, her coach likes 52 to teach rise so we will start this fall. we practice all the pitches with the" spinner", screw, curve. I think she gets some of the pitches mixed with other pitches so she throws a drop screw or drop something. Movement is all over and hard to tell what it was. She laughs.

 

[default]

Fetch, my DD uses the spinner as well. Another great training devive is the tight spinner www.fastpitching.com I wish I had some before and after videos of DD's breaking pitches. We did everthing we normally do over the winter but added this workout to the end of every pitching practice and I am a believer.

 

[default]

fetch: You need to discuss the rise with whoever is trying to teach her this pitch at this age. From all the web sites and pitching coaches we work with. They are all in somewhat agreement. It is physically impossible to throw a rise ball, unless the girl can hit the speed of 55. The spin will not allow it to rise till you hit that thresshold. If you look at the pitching web site that I posted above he goes into detail about this pitch.