Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Pitcher's Parents - A poll

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nah just reschedule or adopt

 

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Just spoke to the DD. She said she would pitch for any catching lesson. The cost would be $40 and she would like to bring her pitching coach along. Better hurry cause spots are filling up fast.

 

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I love how everyone uses my original post to try to be funny. Everyone is a comedian. Don't quit your day jobs guys. Geez...

 

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I gladly catch for my DD. It is great bonding time. But, if one of our catchers, or any catcher asks to get some work in, they are more than welcome to catch her as well. But I would never hire anyone to do it. I may be getting older, but I can still hang!

Bonding time??? My daughter is 17 and I have caught for her the last 8 years. Ask her and she'll tell you that she'd be happy to pay someone else to catch for her...lol. I wouldn't trade it for anything, though. Not even to have the lost toe-nails and loose teeth (yes, drop ball) back.

 

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I should of had twins and one be a catcher.

I have twins.....one pitcher and one catcher. I highly recommend this method. Plus, having twins is great.

To address the original question, I would gladly pay for a catcher. My dd tends to slow down when I catch for her. She's concerned about hurting me if I miss the ball.

Edit: I should say "when I miss the ball".

 

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I think that catching a pitching lesson is good practice for any catcher, whether experienced or a beginner. A team my dd played with for several years always had the pitchers who took lessons within the org. try to line up one of the team catchers to be there to catch. It isn't always easy to find a catcher if a parent can't do it, so there probably is a market for hiring them.

 

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She said, "Guns" is the best... and I bet she'd do it for ice cream!!!! Ha ha!!!

Guns works very cheap...if you up the ante to Graeter's you may even get her to come to your house and catch

 

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I was the one who caught my daughter. Occationally one of her catchers, either from summer or school ball would catch her. I really enjoyed it when her instuctor (Ron Marsteller) and she would sneek in a change up without telling me...

 

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I caught my daughter most of the time she pitched. There were 2 reasons for this. First she needed someone to be a "parrot". By catching her I could see what the pitches were doing and listen carefully to what her pitching coach said, and then during her workouts between pitching lessons I could "parrot" back to her. I paid her pitching coach not only for the time, but for the information we could take out of there and I felt that I needed to catch her to make the most of that info. The 2nd reason was that it became clear early on that if she was going to be successful she would need to pitch 3-4 days a week. I knew that we could not count on some other kid being willing to give up that much of their time/life in order to allow my daughter to be successful, so I was the only choice. I have to admit also that I would not trade that quality time we had together for anything, I am finding that is what has been the most difficult for me since she left for college.

However I think the idea of having catchers available for a fee is a great one. My daughter was fortunate that she had someone available to her as much as I was to catch her. For various reasons such as health and ability to name a couple some girls don't have this option. I believe that anybody who does not see this as a good idea is not considering that everyone does not come from the same situation.

Lastly on catchers, when my daughter reached high school and began attending college showcase camps, I never caught her there. If need be I would pay for a catcher to attend sessions of the camps as well so that she could be there to catch my daughter when needed.

 

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Personally, I love to spend time catching DD. For me, the time we spend together is precious. It seems like it was just yesterday when she was 5 and I was coaching her first rec team. Now she is a teenager and although I am still coaching her in TB, all too soon she will be in high school and off to college trying to find her independence and getting ready for life in general.

Would I be willing to pay for a catcher? The answer is yes. If there was an enterprising young lady wanting to earn some pocket money out my way, I would gladly hire them if for some reason I was unavailable.

 

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I caught both of my dd's as they progressed through TB and onto HS. At the both TB and HS the catchers would take some of the load including showcases. At college they both managed to pitch without my help.

I never had to pay for a catcher, because the catchers were at practice too. We'd work with them on technique at the same time the pitcher was working. (Our pitching coach also worked with the catcher) It also help that the catchers became BBF's with my dd's and became dd's to me. it never occurred to anyone that money should change hands, steaks and ice cream, but never money.

When the kids got older they would arrange with their catcher to throw without any adult interference. I'd go by the field to watch the last few minutes and just see two kids loving the Game on a perfect day. Two kids growing up, taking responsibility and working for themselves. Life is good.

PS The poll should have a spot for a catcher at no fee........

 

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I caught my daughter until she got better and got worse! Then for the past couple years a couple girls from her travel team would catch her. Now she is playing for a new org and I'm pretty sure lessons there need a catcher! I would gladly pay someone, I don't think $10.00 is to much to ask. But I am hoping that one of the catchers from her team will do it for the extra practice!

 

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My DD is a catcher and I can say she has caught for several different pitchers during their lessons and for them to just practice. She has never asked to be paid. Most of the parents will either give her money, take her out to lunch or Ice Cream or just give her a big hug and a Thank You and she is happy with any of them. Where she takes hitting lessions they also give pitching lessions and they pay catchers $10 hr to catch for lessions.