lack of pitchers ????

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with teams and kids going year round at playing softball and seems like every kid out there has a hitting or pitching instructor .... why is there such a lack of talent in the circle at most ages and so many teams looking for a #1 or even a #2 ????? people are saying to many teams are flooding are state and thats why but theses teams arnt looking for 5 players to finish rosters so im guessing the over amount of teams isnt the issue cause they have kids to fill a team .... just odd kids dont A.wanna pitch ? or B. cant pitch well enough to play the position ???? anyone have a better read on this topic ?

 

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part of the problem is that teams try to carry 4 pitchers which is a disaster waiting to happen- Sorry guys but at IDT and PGF Nationals this year most if not all top finishing teams rode one pitcher thru bracket play (Including the Beverly Bandits) It happens all the time actually- even at the collegiate level.

 

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part of the problem is that teams try to carry 4 pitchers which is a disaster waiting to happen- Sorry guys but at IDT and PGF Nationals this year most if not all top finishing teams rode one pitcher thru bracket play (Including the Beverly Bandits) It happens all the time actually- even at the collegiate level.

There you have it........I'm sure those teams you speak of have multiple pitchers on the team - But everyone wants that #1 STUD that can carry the team.......

 

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Simply:

Interest in the game has grown. More girls, families want to be involved then ever before.

Commitment needed for what most people expect a "Travel ball" quality pitcher isn't proportional to the increased interest. It takes a special girl who wants to go out and put the level of work a quality pitcher does vs normal position players. Many new girls want to play, but at that level of commitment? Most of those players were already going to be involved...

 

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Just around my area (Central Ohio) there is several girls learning and developing into really solid pitchers. I think some coaches from these teams aren't willing to work with a good pitcher and help her become a solid #1/#2 but would rather only take a proven pitcher. Unfortunately this will leave these teams still searching throughout fall and winter.

 

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The only thing that separates a pitcher from a non-pitcher is the amount of work these kids are willing to put into the sport. Sure it helps to have some talent, physical strength, mental toughness and great body control but all that is wasted if she is not willing to pay the price.

What is the cost?
3 one hour workouts a week for 50 weeks at 4 pitches a minute or 30,000 pitches a year
1 lesson every two weeks or about 25 lessons at 4 pitches a minute or 5,000 pitches
20 games in school ball or about 3,000 game pitches and 1,000 warm-up pitches
20 games in travel ball or about 3,000 game pitches and 1,000 warm-up pitches
10 games in fall ball or about 2,000 game pitches and 1,000 warm-up pitches

Now that is about 46,000 pitches annually. If she starts seriously at 10 and throws for 8 years that would be in the neighborhood of 350,000 pitches before she walks onto a college field.

It is no wonder that there are so few great pitchers and every one of them had to learn their craft. Not a single girl has ever made team USA as a 12 year old. They all had to pay the price. You see the results when they own the mound, you do not see the tremendous effort these young people make just to be competent at their chosen position. Not one in a five hundred girls is willing to pay the price.

I am amazed at how many really good pitchers there are in our world, their work ethic and their toughness.

 

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IMHO , better hitting coaches and instructors , and the 43 feet I think has a lot to do with it also.

 

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3 one hour workouts a week for 50 weeks at 4 pitches a minute
1 lesson every two weeks or about 25 lessons at 4 pitches a minute

I hope this isn't happening.

Someone is confusing quantity with quality...

It should be more like Pitch 1, Pitch 2, Pitch 3. Stop. Evaluate and Discuss. Repeat. Gatorade Break. , etc.

Just flinging the optic yellow orb for a solid hour will do nothing for pitcher development.

 

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There are number of factors. Lack of instructors, additional sports like ********, overall popularity of the sport is down and poor economy. I had a parent tell me couple weeks ago they stopped pitching because was too expensive to get lessons for pitching and hitting so they are dropping pitching and keeping hitting. Softball not being in the Olympics has diminished interest in the national team along with the retirement of well known iconic players. The collegiate world series is still popular but there is nowhere near the interest in softball as there was several years ago when the US team was selling out touring chocked full of long time heroes for little girls. The US team is now even described as a rebuild of young players.

 

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The only thing that separates a pitcher from a non-pitcher is the amount of work these kids are willing to put into the sport. Sure it helps to have some talent, physical strength, mental toughness and great body control but all that is wasted if she is not willing to pay the price.

What is the cost?
3 one hour workouts a week for 50 weeks at 4 pitches a minute or 30,000 pitches a year
1 lesson every two weeks or about 25 lessons at 4 pitches a minute or 5,000 pitches
20 games in school ball or about 3,000 game pitches and 1,000 warm-up pitches
20 games in travel ball or about 3,000 game pitches and 1,000 warm-up pitches
10 games in fall ball or about 2,000 game pitches and 1,000 warm-up pitches

Now that is about 46,000 pitches annually. If she starts seriously at 10 and throws for 8 years that would be in the neighborhood of 350,000 pitches before she walks onto a college field.

It is no wonder that there are so few great pitchers and every one of them had to learn their craft. Not a single girl has ever made team USA as a 12 year old. They all had to pay the price. You see the results when they own the mound, you do not see the tremendous effort these young people make just to be competent at their chosen position. Not one in a five hundred girls is willing to pay the price.

I am amazed at how many really good pitchers there are in our world, their work ethic and their toughness.

46,000 pitches annually? Well that explains one thing to me, why I have to buy my daughter a new catchers mitt annually. :lmao:

 

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I hope this isn't happening.

Someone is confusing quantity with quality...

It should be more like Pitch 1, Pitch 2, Pitch 3. Stop. Evaluate and Discuss. Repeat. Gatorade Break. , etc.

Just flinging the optic yellow orb for a solid hour will do nothing for pitcher development.

louuuuu,

I do agree with both you and Fairman, as both are needed... Reps of quality...
however I also don't believe that Fairman was saying that only reps is needed..because as most people that have daughters that pitch would know that the quality is implied in that statement..
just. My opinion...
As for the amount of pitchers out there..
I feel there are a lot .. However, I feel we are to critical of the good pitchers, judging them against the exceptions to the rule..(AKA the STUDDS).
Again just my opinion.

 

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take a #2and a couple of #3's and let'em play.....just build a great defense behind them

 

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The only thing that separates a pitcher from a non-pitcher is the amount of work these kids are willing to put into the sport. Sure it helps to have some talent, physical strength, mental toughness and great body control but all that is wasted if she is not willing to pay the price.

What is the cost?
3 one hour workouts a week for 50 weeks at 4 pitches a minute or 30,000 pitches a year
1 lesson every two weeks or about 25 lessons at 4 pitches a minute or 5,000 pitches
20 games in school ball or about 3,000 game pitches and 1,000 warm-up pitches
20 games in travel ball or about 3,000 game pitches and 1,000 warm-up pitches
10 games in fall ball or about 2,000 game pitches and 1,000 warm-up pitches

Now that is about 46,000 pitches annually. If she starts seriously at 10 and throws for 8 years that would be in the neighborhood of 350,000 pitches before she walks onto a college field.
.

This must of been the reason I made sure my kids were straight A students. No way my kids could of practiced this much and play other sports and be president of their classes ( or I didn't want to sit on the bucket this much). Makes me sweat thinking about all theses pitches...

 

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Quality is certainly more the focus than quantity with pitcher workouts. But reps are extremely important when pitchers are trying to feel their spin and hit their spots. 1,000 pitches a week was not out of the ordinary when we were working out hard in the offseason. You have pitchers throwing six different pitches (fast, change, rise, drop, curve, and screw). They are trying to master and spot each one. Good spinners need the reps to be able to get the revs and spot each pitch. The trick was to know when to create down time so they could re-charge their batteries and not get burned out. It is very difficult to be a pitcher. The commitment level alone reduces the field of willing participants.

 

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I saw a few posts on here saying to go with your #2 or #3 and play solid defense. There is no defense for walks!!!

 

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Amen to finding precious down time. We are finishing up 2 weeks of it and we will start ramipng back up to pitching 3 times per week plus a weekly lesson to push her skills forward. Any less and you only maintain or fall backwards. You and your DD better definitely love it or find something else you love to do!

 

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Amen to finding precious down time. We are finishing up 2 weeks of it and we will start ramipng back up to pitching 3 times per week plus a weekly lesson to push her skills forward. Any less and you only maintain or fall backwards. You and your DD better definitely love it or find something else you love to do!

Typical pitchers parent. 2 weeks off the mound is NOT considered down time. Down time, IMHO should include a complete break from the sport, mentally, physically, and financially, for 4-6 weeks. This is what DD's PC says. This is what her strength coach says. This is what I say, too. In reality, I am like Bementb, 2-3 weeks no pitching; OK fall showcases start first week October! Hard to find a balance. What do people in Cali do where there really is no off season?

 

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I don't see bad pitchers, I just see a lot of kids wanting to try and start pitching at 12 so it's over flowing.. And with the growing number of teams starting so their kids can be number ones isn't helping.. Stop creating more teams and start working your kid harder.

 

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Typical pitchers parent. 2 weeks off the mound is NOT considered down time. Down time, IMHO should include a complete break from the sport, mentally, physically, and financially, for 4-6 weeks. This is what DD's PC says. This is what her strength coach says. This is what I say, too. In reality, I am like Bementb, 2-3 weeks no pitching; OK fall showcases start first week October! Hard to find a balance. What do people in Cali do where there really is no off season?

I think what my DD and I have in place works. As soon as the season ends depending on Nationals and/or being asked to return depends on the immediate first recovery period. If she is asked to return, she shuts down for two weeks as a precaution for fall tournaments. If she has to do tryouts, depending on when we return, she takes off until a week before tryouts and those are very light workouts. She gets another small break at Thanksgiving and two weeks off for Christmas/New Year's. the first Tueday after New Year's start, she's back at it. And when I mean rest, she is not allowed to even touch a ball, watch a game, nothing.

 

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At the younger ages, 12,13,14 the number two and threes can become a number 1 with work on their own as well. Many outstanding number ones at the young ages may be that due to physical size and other factors that others haven't grown into their bodies yet. So don't give up on those 2's and 3's as they may just surpass the 1's when age 14 or 15 hit......