lack of pitchers ????

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Sammy you are right on the money regarding taking a needed break and its not just for pitching but from any sport in general. Physical and mental fatigue, stress, etc...burns out players in the long run faster than anything. Those that think that taking at a minimum 4 to 6 weeks off don't know what they are talking about. Playing another sport is tremendous for the mental and physical health as well.

Ask any college coach in almost any sport and they will almost always tell you they prefer multi-sports athletes. Being a coach myself, one sport complements each other. I want football players playing basketball and wrestling, running track or playing baseball. Time off from one sport is critical!!!!

 

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So exactly when do you take this break? My dd had to give up other sport, Cheer, due to conflicts with fall ball, and schedules.

 

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I have found with my daughter that a small break of a few weeks with no softball has done wonders over the years. She comes back better than when we stopped and with more motivation. I think is more mental than physical and allows for a kind of reset. A separation from last years performance to a new year. I do not believe in 100% softball 365 I think that is crazy. If you practice effectively and intensely there is plenty enough time to achieve what you want to achieve the rest of the year. This is supposed to fun for them. If you drive them into the ground where do they get the excitement to play and improve themselves. Also - despite what people believe there is a very small % of kids who make it to college teams so when it is all said and done and they finish high school is your kid going to look at softball 365 as a waste and they could have had more fun doing something else. Don't let that happen. Take care of their minds and don't turn it into your goals for them.

 

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DD skipped fall ball and played other sports - volleyball and basketball up to 9th grade. That was her mental and physical recuperation time. Her summer team also had team practices in late fall and winter, either indoor or outdoor as weather permitted. Going into 9th grade she started weight training/core development in late fall. Sometime in December she started working again with her pitching coach to work on new pitches, and things she felt she was having problems with the past season. IMO, if pitchers don't stop and evaluate where they are skill-wise, they can't build a plan for improvement. That's not to say she didn't work on her skills at all in fall. She spent a LOT of time with physical conditioning and strength training - especially legs.

Honestly, she simply didn't have time for fall ball. When high school rolled around, it was wall to wall games from March through July without a break. Now, if you don't really work seriously on skill development, 5 months of games isn't much. But if you have intense workouts, team practices and other sports - you're going to have a full plate. Add in school work and maintaining grades to pile on more. And I didn't even mention swinging a bat...

Thinking back, I think our plan worked pretty well. DD accomplished her goal to be a DI college pitcher, got 5 years of college education pretty cheap, and is now using her teaching degree to earn a living for herself. Nope, wouldn't change a thing.

Our plan worked for us, but may not be ideal for another family. You just have to make a plan, adjust as you go along and keep a sharp focus on your goals.

 

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So exactly when do you take this break? My dd had to give up other sport, Cheer, due to conflicts with fall ball, and schedules.

cheer is a sport ?

 

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So exactly when do you take this break? My dd had to give up other sport, Cheer, due to conflicts with fall ball, and schedules.

My DD took off from her last tryout August 14th til yesterday. Just needed a break. The first week was great, but by yesterday she couldn't handle it and had to pitch. So now we are back to her regular pitching schedule and she is doing fall ball. Mind you she plays no other sport, but two weeks off was more than she could handle! She was bored! lol

 

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DD skipped fall ball and played other sports - volleyball and basketball up to 9th grade. That was her mental and physical recuperation time. Her summer team also had team practices in late fall and winter, either indoor or outdoor as weather permitted. Going into 9th grade she started weight training/core development in late fall. Sometime in December she started working again with her pitching coach to work on new pitches, and things she felt she was having problems with the past season. IMO, if pitchers don't stop and evaluate where they are skill-wise, they can't build a plan for improvement. That's not to say she didn't work on her skills at all in fall. She spent a LOT of time with physical conditioning and strength training - especially legs.

Honestly, she simply didn't have time for fall ball. When high school rolled around, it was wall to wall games from March through July without a break. Now, if you don't really work seriously on skill development, 5 months of games isn't much. But if you have intense workouts, team practices and other sports - you're going to have a full plate. Add in school work and maintaining grades to pile on more. And I didn't even mention swinging a bat...

Thinking back, I think our plan worked pretty well. DD accomplished her goal to be a DI college pitcher, got 5 years of college education pretty cheap, and is now using her teaching degree to earn a living for herself. Nope, wouldn't change a thing.

Our plan worked for us, but may not be ideal for another family. You just have to make a plan, adjust as you go along and keep a sharp focus on your goals.

My daughter pretty much took this same road. Never played fall ball and played other sports till 9th grade. Pitching coach was pretty blunt and to the point when he said, if you (meaning my DD) wants to pitch in college and be successful doing it, that she needs to stick to the plan that Sammy mentions here. She did it and even though she is not pitching D1, D2 at AU's level isn't easy. JMO, you cannot become a better pitcher if you constantly pitch competitive games in the fall. You must take a break from softball (3-4 weeks for my DD) then have a really good sports specific training plan, and work on spins, fundamentals, and increasing speed. It worked for us. If more pitchers would follow this type of plan instead of playing game after game after game in the fall and winter, then these "lack of pitcher" threads would start disappearing......

 

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cheer is a sport ?

Our High school gives cheerleaders letters at the Sports Banquet...... so it must be a sport

 

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fpitchdad - I saw Ashland play several times at pre-season tournaments while my DD was playing. Their overall skill level was easily on par with many DI teams - tough pitching and excellent hitting. I was VERY impressed! I think the difference is only in what the coach expects from the players on the field, and the talent they recruit.

IMO, this is excellent advice:
"...If more pitchers would follow this type of plan instead of playing game after game after game in the fall and winter, then these "lack of pitcher" threads would start disappearing......"

 

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Well don't tell my dd but I'm glad she dropped cheer, yes it is a sport. Spent just as much money on gymnastic lessons as pitching when she was younger. She does look better in ball pants then a piece of material they call a skirt! She was the only cheer leader at the athletic banquet not in spikes and a mini skirt. LOL

 

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In response to the real question "Why is there a lack of Pitchers? Simply put, the game is changing quickly. I think a couple of years at 43 ft have shown us a lot. Pitchers used to have an even or better chance throwing from 40 ft. Maybe everyone thought is was too close. Hitters were not hitting the ball all over the field. Hitters were just beginning to bust their butts ( ALL FALL and WINTER ). In the last couple of years from 40 ft. hitters began to hit better. Then everyone thought it would be a great idea to move the pitchers back to 43 ft at 14 years old. Now all of those hitters that spent hour upon hour perfecting their own game, get to see the ball from 43 ft. Pitchers get hit ( not just all over the field but in the face and body ) a lot more now. I believe a noticeable Advantage has been given to the Hitters for now. Those pitchers were already spending year round throwing year round. Now there are more Pitchers AND Hitters working year round on a single sport. More of them ar ewqorking an insane number of hours starting at age 10 or some even younger. Now it takes insane work for them to stay ahead of each other. You can't beat the hitting without pitching that is absolutely perfect and makes the ball move on two planes. Obviously there are fewer pitchers with the strength stamina and willingness to work that hard. Oh and Pitchers usually work on their hitting too. Don't discount the work that is done at every position. I am sure NCAA records will be shattered for years to come. We haven't seen anything yet. ?There is no substitute for repetition, for studying and practicing basics correctly, over and over again. Period.?

 

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My daughter pretty much took this same road. Never played fall ball and played other sports till 9th grade. Pitching coach was pretty blunt and to the point when he said, if you (meaning my DD) wants to pitch in college and be successful doing it, that she needs to stick to the plan that Sammy mentions here. She did it and even though she is not pitching D1, D2 at AU's level isn't easy. JMO, you cannot become a better pitcher if you constantly pitch competitive games in the fall. You must take a break from softball (3-4 weeks for my DD) then have a really good sports specific training plan, and work on spins, fundamentals, and increasing speed. It worked for us. If more pitchers would follow this type of plan instead of playing game after game after game in the fall and winter, then these "lack of pitcher" threads would start disappearing......

I agree on the need for substantial breaks and the focus of the fall and winter being on development rather than competition. However, SoCal uses non-competitive games (e.g. friendlies) as part of the development process. They're an opportunity for the pitchers to try what they've been working on under game conditions without the pressure of needing to win. The innings are spread fairly evenly across the pitchers, so they usually only throw 5-7 innings a day. The pre-HS age groups will wrap up the fall with 1-2 competitive tournaments and the innings in those are also usually spread across the pitchers.

For the HS age players, fall is a mix of friendlies and showcases. I just received our tentative schedule for the fall and it shows 5-7 days of friendlies along with 4-5 showcases (pure - no elim brackets). Fall showcases are used by many college coaches to follow players they identified late in the summer (e.g. Nationals) and to make final determinations on whom they're going to offer scholarships. 3 of our 4 pitchers are already committed (as is most of the team), so the showcase games are just practice games for them - even when their college is there to watch them.

 

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In a word - weather. Cali has the advantage (luxury) of year-round weather that is perfect for outdoor ball. Ohio? 6-7 months max. Frequent renting of indoor space big enough to host "real" games in Ohio is prohibitive. I think this is why Ohio coaches try to cram as many games (competitive or friendlies) into as little time as possible. Most folks in Ohio realize just how little time is left for individual development for a college-bound kid when they reach high school.

 

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Wow, some of the comments on here are pretty eye opening to the lack of pitchers, year around work. Anyone who knows anything about the body will tell you these young girls need at least 2 months, preferably 3 from repetitive motions such as pitching and throwing. Actually, studies prove that muscle memory increases with time off vs continual training. At the top levels, the women take the off season off meaning no softball at all, why do we teach our daughters (and sons) differently? The 3 sport athlete is a thing of the past but why can't we give them 60 days off? It will make them better.

 

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So exactly when do you take this break? My dd had to give up other sport, Cheer, due to conflicts with fall ball, and schedules.

I would have found another team.

 

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I am concerned more about over use in travel and high school ball than over use from practice. We play way to many games with to few practices. A pitcher can not throw back to back to back without paying the price. She certainly can not do it weekend after weekend in game after game. Beware of a coach that keeps going to the same well. Yes, there are kids that are able to survive that kind of abuse but they are very few.

Your goal as a coach, a parent and a player must be to be stronger and better at the end of a season than at the beginning. She can not do that if she is hurt and the only cure for repetitive stress injuries is complete rest.

A sixty day rest is not nearly as useful as a reasonable pitching rotation and a couple weeks here and there.

 

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I've said this one before, but know 4 pitchers that have had rods installed to straighten their spines from overuse three in Ohio and one in FL....

 

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Was that because of the strong side pulling the spine over?

 

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Not sure of exact details, but thinking of how many others I know with rods in their backs, no one . 4 that I do know of, pitchers......hmmmm coincidence?

 

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Not sure of exact details, but thinking of how many others I know with rods in their backs, no one . 4 that I do know of, pitchers......hmmmm coincidence?

Most likely not. Since 10U, my dd has been on some type of workout to keep both sides equally strong.