Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Pitching speed?

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I do think that the quicker girls learn the proper mechanics, the safer they will be as well as it allows them to maximize the speed they have. I also think, after watching our dd's progression, that a young girl should concentrate on mechanics, throwing as hard as they can with proper mechanics, and leave the more advanced pitches to when they grown enough to allow their bodies to handle the added stress the spin pitches put on their bodies.

 

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Pitching is a very hard thing to do. If you never tried to pitch try it then video it and put on here for we can laugh at you and make fun of you. On how the ball hit three feet in front of you and how you hit the ice cream truck in the parking lot lol. There is no one on a softball team that workers harder than a pitcher. Tell your dd to keep working hard and great thing will happen for her.

 

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To the original poster. If your asking because you feel your dd is slower than some larger 10u girls, don't worry about it. Eventually, if you believe in your dd's abilities; she'll catch up by 13u. Just keep pushing her.

Totally agree with you. I think that you should always push mechanics and speed first. Once your DD learns how to throw hard, then she can work on accuracy and movement pitches. A faster pitcher who is accurate will win more games than a slower pitcher who is accurate, and I feel if you are 14-15 and haven't learned how to throw hard, then you are facing an uphill battle (IMHO) so yes, at 10u, speed should always be on your mind.

 

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Mechanics should always be number 1.

Once the girls get older and get stronger the speed will come. But if you do not have the proper mechanics you will have control issues or injury issues.

Blowing it by a girl at 10U or 12U is useless in the overall development of a pitcher. Learning proper mechanics and how to hit locations and pitch are invaluable. Can not tell you how many girls learn the hard way that location is king 12UA ball and up.

 

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Speed is a good thing but by the second inning a good team will be all over it if you can't hit your spots.

 

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forum,
Everyone mentions '' good mechanics ''... I'd have to agree, as would everyone else...but, what are they...
Ron

 

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Good mechanics? You know it when you see it.

 

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I'm far from a pitching coach -- that's why we always sought qualified instructors for our dd. But one thing, I think, for novices to look for is the motion a girl uses. Is it smooth? No herky jerky motions, little or no extraneous motions or movements. I say this despite the motions used by, say Monica Abbot, who bent way over then straightened back up, or Kelcie Dunn, who stretched all the up on her tiip toes then began her motion, and they were at the top of the pitching mountain, be smooth, free of movement distractions and focus on going straight to the plate. My dd made a play and 3B last week, she moved laterally to her left, cut off a grounder to the SS and threw it to 1st all in one motion, it was gorgeous. No wasted motion, fast and efficient. (All do to her practice and great instruction by her coaches.)

 

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If everything they throw are strikes, they are going to get pounded.

I see your point but isn't that what the the other 8 girls are for? At 10u I would gladly take all strikes and have faith that my defense will get the outs that the pitcher doesn't.

 

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I see your point but isn't that what the the other 8 girls are for? At 10u I would gladly take all strikes and have faith that my defense will get the outs that the pitcher doesn't.

You haven't seen a whole lot of 10u defenses have you? The more the defense has to play the greater chance of error.

 

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You haven't seen a whole lot of 10u defenses have you? The more the defense has to play the greater chance of error.

That's true but you can say that about anything though. I know there are some teams out there that are very well put together that will tee off on that pitcher but in 10u as a whole I will take the strikes and rely on my defense when called upon. Now if the girls is throwing under 40 then I agree with you 100% but if shes hitting mid 40's then I have no worries. I'm not saying every pitch right down the middle, I'm talking strikes.

 

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We've hijacked the heck out of this thread but... Winners of 10U tournaments are the teams that have pitchers that can throw strikes. Winners of 12U tournaments are the teams that can keep the ball away from the hitters and can hit the **** out of the ball themselves. I'll let you know about 14U when we get there.

 

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Yes we have hijacked it but I am enjoying it. My DD played one year of 10U then jumped to 12U TB and that has been 13 years ago so I really don't have a clue as to what the 10U pitchers are throwing speed wise. Now that I am working with younger pitchers it has been informative. The one poster that said the speeds are up in 10U due to better instruction must be right. I would have thought low 40's would have been the norm but now I am thinking mid 40's is more the average and from a 35' mound with a release point at maybe 30', a 44 mph pitch must be pretty intimidating to 10 YO. I think I understand now why the coach of one my pitchers told her he just wanted to throw her FB every time.

 

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We have played a lot of 10u teams this year, this is my second time thru 10u and I will tell you the pitching seems to get better every year, both speed and accuracy! We instruct our pitchers to either strike them out or let them hit! That is their job! And I will take the chances with my D over a walk any day. As far as speed the top teams probably avg is about 45. JMO

 

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bottom line... top 10u teams throw strikes with little issue. They have 1 if not 2 aces some have 3. They each have 2 pitches, fast ball and a change-up and many advanced or elite 10u's have begun to get a good spin on a drop or drop-curve with actual movement. Speeds for the top 10u teams are 44-49 on avg and some pop 50. A few may run in the 50-54 range. The freakish 10u's that 50-54 are found in the best tournaments and Nationals finals or remaining 5-10 teams or so at nationals. Most can not sustain the higher speeds for an entire game but will wane down a couple mph's over the course of a game but that isn't true across the board. Most 10u's are 36-44. Strike throwing is another paragraph but as you can imagine a function of skill, mechanics, maturity, work ethic, natural gifts, and coordination to name a few.

 

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[video=youtube_share;ttyVPk15BeA]http://youtu.be/ttyVPk15BeA[/video]

 

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My dd is 10 and has taken pitching lessons for just over a year. I have learned a lot just by listening to other "pitcher's parents". I find that parents take the fastest time clocked and say that's their speed, while their average would be 3-4 mph or greater below the fastest time clocked. I also have been an assistant coach for the last two years in 10U. I would say the average I have seen is around 42. I have seen much faster.... I agree it starts with mechanics. Is her motion "loose"? Is she fluid? Is she using her legs? Is the fastest part of her arm circle at the last 1/4 before the release? Work on those issues first... then hitting spots and speed. At 10, my dd has two solid pitches, fastball and changeup that she can place. Being able to place the pitches is more important that learning 4 new pitches and not being able to place them. She is working on a drop and drop curve. We won't throw them yet because she is able to hit spots on just her two solid pitches, fb/cu....

 

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[video=youtube_share;ttyVPk15BeA]http://youtu.be/ttyVPk15BeA[/video]

I'm likin' it. Hey could you post a vid with you behind the catcher instead of at an angle? I think those things work better if you are in line with the ball path. Also we can get a sense of hand to mit time

 

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hah it is hard getting this by myself! Trying to keep the camera on the gun, the trigger in, eye on the ball and get ready to try and jump out of the way to save the family jewels on a wild pitch! This was one of the better ones, most of the other ones had everything cut off. I'm no Spielberg! We try to keep the radar out of it though. Only once in a while will we check it. It seems to put a whole lot more pressure on things. Hitting the spots is more important than trying to beast them in there IMO!

 

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48 is a good speed for a 10U. Congratulations on that!

Looking ahead, she moves back 5' next year and goes from the 11" to the 12" ball. She's going to lose about 3-4mph just in the difference with the ball alone.

Which puts her back at 45mph, and more reaction time for the batter, due to the increased distance. A 45mph fastball tends to flatten out and is ideal to a hitter if there is no movement. Experiment with a 2-seam fastball as an alternative to her normal 4-seam to see if she can get some movement on it.

This is not meant to be disparaging or discouraging...just the reality of the situation. She's having success and developing as a pitcher. I would concentrate on hitting her locations on the perimeter of the strike zone, develop a deceptive and effective off-speed (change-up), and look to learn a 3rd pitch (Curve, drop, screw, etc..) that plays into her strengths at this point in time. Remind her that it's an on-going process and encourage her along the way.

Best of luck!