Pitching and Pitchers Discussion "Pitching Instructor" or is it "Pitching Imposter"

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I would be more inclinded to listen to a dad who has been sitting on a bucket catching for their daughter at a lesson for a number of years regarding pitching. Providing they where taking lessons from someone I would consider a reputable pitching instructor and if like me they kept copious notes. People that have experienced it know that when their DD takes a lesson they are too. Most coaches that have not had a daughter that pitches usually only receive pitching info from attending clinics, watching videos or reading books. If you have a daughter that pitches you also know you are the one that has to reinforce what she has learned at those lessons when you catch for her everyday in between lessons. I`m not saying you become an expert but you obtain more knowledge especially if you are really into softball than probably your average coach. You can truly see the differences between styles of pitching and what pitchers are doing right or wrong. A lot of instructors are former pitchers that teach what has worked for them. However I learned from experience that unless they were taught by knowledgeable people your DD will not be learning proper form or technique and it will only make things worse in the long run especially if the instructor does not keep up with the latest advances. I don`t know the actual story of Doug Finch maybe he was involved with pitching before his daughter starting showing an interest but he probaby was just a dad that sat on a bucket catching for his daughter.

Exactly my point, only you said it with a lot fewer words!:yahoo:

 

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As I stated before i'm a dad not an expert but when her pitching coach explains something in detail to my dd then looks at me and asks do you understand what i said, I am learning at the same time. She had a problem last year not warming up correctly, basically being lazy so it affected her mechanics so i could see that and tell her what i saw so she could fix it. I see her pitch way more than her pitching coach.

 

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There are a number of factors to take into consideration when picking out an instructor but the one I would say it by FAR the most critical would be one to ask one simple question. WHY? Ask an instructor why he/she is having the DD do some form of movement in a particular manner. If they cannot tell you in detail WHY and provide a LOGICAL reason for why they are making that movement, then I would suggest to you that they may not be the best instructor for your child. That includes those coaches out there giving your daughter instruction on a weekly basis at practice and at tournaments. If they cannot explain it then maybe they haven't taken the time to really study it and understand the concepts themselves.

I teach overhand and underhand pitching as well as hitting, fielding, catching and throwing. I tell my parents when they start out with me that there is a reason for everything I teach your child. If you want to know then simply ask me. I will always provide and explanation. Down to the slightest detail.

Far too many pitching and hitting instructors have kids come in and just throw balls or hit balls without any defined criteria on what they are trying to accomplish with the instruction. There is no measurement in place to show progress. Performance on the field is a form of measurement but over the course of several seasons or years your instructor should be tracking your child's performance improvements in lessons. If they are not then your not getting your moneys worth from that instructor in my opinion.

I can tell you most of my customers appreciate the fact that I do test and measure their children during the course of the year. That way they can see the improvement both on and off the field. That measurement process also provides a mechanism for applying pressure on the student in lessons. Anyone can perform correctly in practice but what happens when the pressure is on from a mental perspective? How does that translate onto the field when the pressure is on and he/she has to perform.

I have seen many of my students do well in practice and on the field from a physical perspective but put the pressure on them and they will fall apart. Can your instructor/coach teach them the mental aspects of the game as well?

Another good question you may want to consider.

Dana.

 

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My dd sees an instructor, her 3rd in 3 years. Now, don't be jumping to conclusions, 1 was way too busy during the college season, the second moved and she recommended who my dd is seeing now. Anyway, I may not take physical notes, I take mental notes while on the bucket catching for her. I'll stop the instructor to ask questions, to see exactly where a ball is located to start the change in motion for a change-up, drop, etc, etc. I'm blessed enough that my oldest cztchers her, and I can see wear my youngest is faltering. However, if I can't find it, an email is shot right away to inform the instructor of the upcoming issue with a description of what is wrong.

Now, when I teach a young lady to pitch, I tell their parents that I can get them off the ground, it is up to them whether or not to seek professional instruction, which is why my lessons are free. I give them the basics, nothing fancy. I never pitched and know I'm not qualified to go beyond the basics.

But if I'm asked for an opinion, and the person knows me, I'll tell them what I see and my recommendations then tell them of some local pitching instructors who could truly help her.

 

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So... what about this "pitcher's dad"?
http://www.game-ex.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=31427

Doug Finch isn't just Jennie Finch's dad. He was her pitching and hitting coach/instructor since she was 8 years old. Doug has been instructing and putting on clinics long before Jennie gained all of this notariety.

 

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All my pitchers go to instructors, I'm not a pitching coach.

 

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Doug Finch isn't just Jennie Finch's dad. He was her pitching and hitting coach/instructor since she was 8 years old. Doug has been instructing and putting on clinics long before Jennie gained all of this notariety.

Doug Finch is terrific! Don't misinterpret what I was saying, I was in no way slamming Doug Finch, I was pointing out that being the parent of a great pitcher/hitter/fielder, you name it......takes hundreds, sometimes thousands of hours of commitment and dedication, not only from DD, but also from Mom, Dad, or whoever is supporting the girl in her training, and in doing that, they both become very knowledgeable about the sport. So in other words, being the parent of a great player does give you some degree of credibility. There are those DDs out there that are successful in spite of their parents' effort or lack thereof, but for the most part you won't find many great players who don't have someone in their lives who support, inspire and sometimes push them a little to train.

 

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Doug Finch isn't just Jennie Finch's dad. He was her pitching and hitting coach/instructor since she was 8 years old. Doug has been instructing and putting on clinics long before Jennie gained all of this notariety.

EG - Yep, I know quite well who Doug Finch is. I met him (and his DD) in Chicago a few years ago. His qualifications and also his DD's abilities speak for themselves... I was just making a point about being careful not to make "blanket" statements.

 

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If I know the girl is taking lessons for hitting or pitching, I won't correct anything. I will talk to both the girl and the parents and ask them to bring it up to their coach if I see as an issue. Maybe the coach is aware of it and is focusing on another issue first. I don't really know.
On the other hand, as the manager/coach of a team, I think you will see the girl in action far more than any pitching coach or hitting coach.

added with edit: I also wanted to add, I love seeing dads of successful daughters all of a sudden become experts. This amazes me. Just because you sit thru lessons with your daughter doesn't mean you are an expert!

All instructors must start somewhere!

 

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For me, it's simple, we require our players to get instruction because I'm not a pitching instructor. I can correct the basics but NOOOO means do I give direction on mechanics. Hitting... that's different for me (still not an expert but do pretty good). How much do you get involved as a parent or coach during games, during practice, etc? I've seen what I would call "posers" and I'm curious as to how much others see this same thing. My opinion, leave it to the experts and don't act like you know it all when you don't---it's ok to not be a no-it-all.



I understand why you say leave it to the experts for pitching, but why can't you as a coach, or a coach on your staff, become an expert on pitching. Go to clinics, learn from pitching "experts", and have a pitching coach on staff. From what I can tell, there are usually at least 3-4 coaches on staff, so why not have one of them be responsible for pitching? Pitchers might still go to their lessons, just as players go to hitting lessons, but they get instruction at practice as well. I can't think of any other sport where 1 position, that is so important to the team, gets little to no coaching. I might be wrong, I don't mean any disrespect, really just curious why it is how it is...

Good point. I have a coach that has this already and between our strong relationships with our parents we have this covered, at least for now. I love the process and in time I will gladly do this. Don't want to be a jack-of-all trades but have full intentions of mastering many as I can get time to do them for myself. And as our leader I put lots of trust into the support staff I have.

 

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All instructors must start somewhere!

I never said you couldn't instruct. I said it doesn't make you an expert. There is a huge difference and your fees should reflect such.

 

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I am an expert Dad (at making mistakes)But not a pitching instructor.I pay the best in our area to instruct,it adds up.But you learn as well as your dd along the way by sitting there week in and week out.Somethings that work for your kid will not work for another.Styles are different .Leftys throw different then right handed pitchers .You must find an instructor that can do teach accordingly to how your dd throws.

 

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Im on my second group and while Im confident in my knowledge to teach hitting and defense I admit Im not an expert on pitching and get my pitchers into pitching lessons. But then I attend the lessons to see what they are learning and talk to their pitching coaches so I can both educate my self and help the pitchers when they are with me.

 

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For me, it's simple, we require our players to get instruction because I'm not a pitching instructor. I can correct the basics but NOOOO means do I give direction on mechanics. Hitting... that's different for me (still not an expert but do pretty good). How much do you get involved as a parent or coach during games, during practice, etc? I've seen what I would call "posers" and I'm curious as to how much others see this same thing. My opinion, leave it to the experts and don't act like you know it all when you don't---it's ok to not be a no-it-all.



I understand why you say leave it to the experts for pitching, but why can't you as a coach, or a coach on your staff, become an expert on pitching. Go to clinics, learn from pitching "experts", and have a pitching coach on staff. From what I can tell, there are usually at least 3-4 coaches on staff, so why not have one of them be responsible for pitching? Pitchers might still go to their lessons, just as players go to hitting lessons, but they get instruction at practice as well. I can't think of any other sport where 1 position, that is so important to the team, gets little to no coaching. I might be wrong, I don't mean any disrespect, really just curious why it is how it is...

Here's my take on this. My DD is a pitcher, a successful pitcher, she has a pitching coach. I'm not a pitching coach and don't even try to pretend to be, although I too was a successful pitcher back in the day. I call her pitches thats it. If something doesn't feel right to my DD, she's put in enough time with her pitching coach to figure out what's wrong and how to fix it. She doesn't need dad in her grill running through everything that he's ever picked up by watching her and her PITCHING COACH workout. In turn I don't want some self proclaimed pitching coach staffer that went to a few clinics and read a few books changing my DD pitching mechanics. Leave the pitching instruction to the reputable pitching coaches that you TAKE your DD to see.

 

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Go Buckncm. That's what I'm talking about.

 

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Also just remember....Just because a Pitching or Hitting style worked for someone else doesn't mean it is the right style for you.

WHAT!?!?!?!? VS that is blashpmy on this site hahahaha, I agree with you 100% though, but I'm glad you said that first

 

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originally posted by uber_jones
what!?!?!?!? Vs that is blashpmy on this site hahahaha, i agree with you 100% though, but i'm glad you said that first :d

lol

 

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I agree that there are instructors available but they are hard to find and expensive. If any of you know of a good pitching coach in central Ohio, Please let me know. That goes for hitting instruction as well. Thanks

 

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I agree that there are instructors available but they are hard to find and expensive. If any of you know of a good pitching coach in central Ohio, Please let me know. That goes for hitting instruction as well. Thanks

Sent you a PM.

 

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Central Ohio? Just how central is Zanesville? Alanna Comfort for one.