Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Pitching Practice vs Hitting Practice

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I know it has been referenced before in other threads, but never really discussed on its own. ?Sooo.....

Why are pitchers so driven to practice pitching, and constantly strive for perfection, but very few hitters will put the time and effort in, needed to become a better hitter? ?I just can't understand why hitters are not working as hard, if not harder than pitchers to be successful.

Any Thoughts!!!

 

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Its probably got something to do with the fact that if you get a hit 4 out of ten times up your great. If you give up a hit 4 out of ten times your sitting on the bench.

 

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It probably has to do with the crazy pitchers parents. Those people are nuts.(yes I am one)

 

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I agree with Coop. We pay to have our dd go to pitching coach weekly. Few hitters do that. I think it may have to do with peer pressure on a pitcher. She makes a mistake everyone knows it. Hitter's don't have the pressure each inning. I will say my dd works on both four times a week in my basement, after school. If we can't find her , we know she is bored and we can hear the balls hitting the net. At 13 she spends less time now that boys came into the picture! That is what you can look forward to Coop.

 

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I don't know for a fact but I'm willing to bet that most college recruits have and are seeing a hitting coach there for if your serious about the game you'll see a coach providing your able to financially

 

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I think it could be a few reasons.

1. ?Pitchers are competing for playing time at one position. ?Then, if they are chosen they are in the spotlight- success and failure can be determined on 1 or few pitches. ?They are the focus of game. ?

2. ?Hitters aren't competing for 1 spot in the batting order- there are of course 9. ?If they are a good fielder they will play- and either get one of the 9 spots, or even still play with the DP hitting. ?Only the DP is playing strictly for hitting. ?If one batters "fails" in a game, there are others to pick up the slack.

Granted the fielders add to the pticher's success, but 1 pitcher can dominate a game. ?A dominate hitter can be worked around.

 

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I will say it may depend on the player my daughter made a team as a player and not a pitcher this year and we just switched the time that had benn spent on pitching to hitting. A lot less stressful and less dangerous on me by the way. No more pitches of the shins although my reaction time needs picked up a little at sharp shots back to the mound especially since I am only at about 30 feet.

 

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good thread --At 12u, Currently we travel 50 min. to hit 200 pitches once a week. Last year in the spring/summer we went to the field for defensive practice I'd guess 4 days a week for 2 months til the season kicked in.
MAYBE it takes more practice to do pitching well than it does hitting. It's definetly more important. should make for some good reading on others thoughts. MD

 

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How much of it could be that most softball parents have played either softball and/or baseball, and feel they can teach hitting, but are absolutely clueless about pitching?

 

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knights, that's a recipe for disaster -- for the hitters!
a little bit of knowledge can........be dangerous.

 

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I agree with the parents "teaching" hitting comment. I could write a book on all the techniques I've heard. Anymore parents aren't saying too much in front of me though, but then the hitters change a swing or something, and when I ask them, they tell me their dad "helped" them with their hitting.

I have gone to passing out a handout on what I want hitters to do.

 

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If you can hit, there will always be a place for you to play. The motivation is right there in front of the hitters to take advantage of. I know that our team has concentrated more on hitting the past two years then ever before and we definately see the results.

I think that the key is to create benchmarks for the hitters to have to attain. If there is something that they are working towards (especially in the off season) then it is easier to get them to put in the time and effort. It also helps when they see the other players around them putting in the time and effort. Nothing like a good dose of competition to get everyone to do more.

 

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We hit as a team pretty much once a week for 1 to 2 hours. We rarely take swings off a machine. We spend that time teaching them how to hit and bunt. We had a .384 team average by the time were were done last year. At one point of the season it was .404. Even with that... my best hitters went to hitting instructors and worked out on their own outside of practice. No matter how good your pitching is - a few runs from your team mates makes your pitching look even better.

I agree with you though Knights - parents think they can do it on their own

 

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My DD goes to both a pitching and hitting coach every week. She is 11 and has been with her hitting coach for 3 years and is in the second year with her pitching coach. She works equally hard on pitching and hitting. Fundamentals are key to both positions. I believe that learning both areas helps her as a player no matter if she pitching, playing outfield or hitting. Actually being a pitcher helps her better understand what she will probably see as far as type of pitch when she it hitting.

 

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The time put in on hitting has no correlation to hitting being less difficult than pitching. Does Bustos work less at hitting than Osterman does at pitching? I seriously doubt it. In my years watching my DD play travel ball, on average, the best pitchers were also the best hitters. The simple reason - and the MAIN reason you see very few truly good hitters is WORK ETHIC, or lack of it.

A SERIOUS dedicated ball player, especially non-pitchers, will spend as much time (if not more) working on their hitting skills. The reality is that very few do. Hitting 100 balls in a cage once or twice a week, using the same flawed swing mechanics, won't get it done.

The kids that are getting the college softball scholarships DO spend a LOT of time on hitting. You have to approach hitting the same as pitching - or any softball skill for that matter. Each practice should be thought out, and work in practice WITH A PURPOSE. So many kids just get in a cage, or take BP with no conscious thought of what to work on, or how to fix something that's giving them problems.

A hitter that doesn't work as hard as a pitcher is only kidding themselves, and since softball is a team sport - they are cheating their team.

 

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Not to take this thread off course... who are the best hitting instructors in central Ohio... (that are taking "walk ups" or "call ups&quot?

 

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I know in my case, I knew next to nothing about pitching on the girls side,That is the main reason for a pitching coach.I believe I knew enough to be dangerous on the hitting side of it and taught her myself.I believe that a player must put in far more time pitching than hitting to play at the next level.There are so many top notch pitchers in the country for college coaches to choose from,normally a good hitter is a good athlete and can play a number of positions.College coaches like the pitchers to pitch.
Try Jeff Allen at Big league in central Ohio,for hitting lessons.

 

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The really good hitters are born that way. A good hitter probably has always been able to hit. A hitting coach can take that player and refine their mechanics and situational hitting. How many times have you seen a team where every player swings the same? They look like little cookies laid out on a pan. How many girls on that team can really hit, maybe four. The great ones learn good mechanics then practice in the cage hitting 45 pitches two or three times a week.

 

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Chico - I beg to differ. Look closely at any quality swing from toe touch to extension. Start with the Cardinals and Yankees in MLB, then look at the top 10 div. 1 college teams. Then look at the U.S. Olympic softball team. Maybe then you'll agree that a cookie cutter just may be a good investment.

WOW! Born hitters?? They all must be from California! I think you're confusing athleticism with born talent. Some kids are naturally athletic due to genetics, but athleticism being equal, no kid has an advantage over the other.

 

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lady,
definantly agree with parents wanting to do it all...back in the rec days, I'm sure i gave some mom/dad of a pitcher grief for trying to sugarcoat what I thought I knew....and even then, your own DD gets to a point when they want someone elses opinion, and geez, dad, you don't know anything because your OLD!