Tryouts for 10u going to 12u pitching

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Pitching tryouts for a 10u dd going into 12u. Will tryouts consist of pitching from 40' with the 12" ball? I'm curious if I need to start getting her adjusted right away or do most organizations take into consideration that the girls are coming out of 10u with the smaller ball and shorter distance.

 

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Yes- 40' and 12" ball...dd went through it last year and struggled at first with the bigger ball. After about 2 months of hard work on her part, she gained speed. Over the fall/winter, she eventually added 5mph. Her pitching coach had her use a 14" ball to do warm ups with and then give her the 12" ball, which made the 12" ball not seem so huge. She never really had a problem with the distance (she is a bigger kid) Best of luck to you guys!

 

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We started her out pitching 45 feet and brought her in slowly, builds speed. Not too worried about the distance or the ball size. She's a taller girl too. I think I want to get her adjusted a little bit hoping to help her mentally.

 

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When switching back and forth, make sure to give her some time to get back adjusted to the 11'' before a game. I see some 10u girls that pitch 12u Rec and have some problems adjusting back down to the smaller ball. They seem to throw high.

 

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Once a week, I have my dd throw at 40' with a 12" ball and started this 2 weeks ago. She struggled the first time, but now is not having as many problems.

Jeff, good advise. That's the top reason we won't do more than once a week, and we do it early in the week.

 

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When switching back and forth, make sure to give her some time to get back adjusted to the 11'' before a game. I see some 10u girls that pitch 12u Rec and have some problems adjusting back down to the smaller ball. They seem to throw high.

Jeff, you think they throw high because of the weight or because of the release point? Wouldn't the release be the same either way?

 

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We started her out pitching 45 feet and brought her in slowly, builds speed. Not too worried about the distance or the ball size. She's a taller girl too. I think I want to get her adjusted a little bit hoping to help her mentally.

Agree- I believe for some kids - my dd too- it was more of a mental thing. You are doing the right thing my getting her used to it now and inquiring now. As far as tryouts go, one of the things that shocked me most about 12U was the physical development that alot of the 2nd year 12u girls have. My dd is a Nov 98 so she was 10 going into 12u tryouts and she looked young- she didn't have the muscular build that alot of these girls had. Some organizations have first year, second year teams so I don't think your dd will be at any disadvantage.
Good advice Brownsfan and oiler pride.

 

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I second the use of a 14" ball. It helped DD through a seamless transition.

 

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Hand size may be problematic as well. My dd has pretty big hands, but even so, she really had trouble gripping the 12" ball when she moved up from the 10" She tried out for pitcher with the 12U team she played for and was not taken as a P, though she still made the team. By the time the season rolled around, however, she had grown enough that she could grip the ball correctly and was back to throwing with good velocity. She ended up not pitching for her 12U team that year. But, she stuck with it and is now back to pitching for her current 12U team as well as for her school team.

Edit: Now the problem is her hips... they're getting in the way where they did not before. lol

 

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I second the use of a 14" ball. It helped DD through a seamless transition.

Any good places to shop for a 14" ball?

 

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Jeff, you think they throw high because of the weight or because of the release point? Wouldn't the release be the same either way?

We encountered the 11" and 12" balls with her release point. The 12" for some reason was going high and once she focused more on the release, was able to get it down. Took some time to adjust but easily made the transistion, as I'm sure most DD's will.

 

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Any good places to shop for a 14" ball?

I bought mine here:
http://www.ritalynn.com/Store/index.htm

 

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I bought mine here:
http://www.ritalynn.com/Store/index.htm

Thanks. Nice website.

 

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Softball Sales also has them on their websight.

That's where we bought ours, just had to use up some cashback money for something. ;&