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Actually you are spot on, I am passed 10U and the ones I seen were few and far between. Dont think people on here should judge other peoples "education" about the game.
Actually you are spot on, I am passed 10U and the ones I seen were few and far between. Dont think people on here should judge other peoples "education" about the game.
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nice reply MAD HORNET. Plenty of 10u that throw 50+. You just don't see it at b,c or rec tournies.
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I can vouch for several back when I lived at 10u for 4 years. Andrea costa had a big Lasers girls throwing at what I'll call working speeds (and for all after...) of 51-52. The "unit" which we never faced till she was at 11u as a sub for the Doom was throwing a 12" ball at 53 in Sept and I know she was clocked at 10u in low 50's. I have 2 that worked at 49-51 and others at 46-49. All of which were hard to hit or beat till we faced top 10 teams like Doug's team and several others. KK was in the 49-52 at 10u for a couple years. When we played at the USFA Worlds series in Panama we dominated with our speed. And that didn't get us to the end result of choice :cap:. Point is speed will win you lots of trophies at 10u. Pitch at 47+ and you will have little action in the field. Add a change up that differs around 6-10 mph will crush batters in the box. 2 pitches become 10 pitches or more with control. I could careless about "daddy" braggin about his girl that throws a book of pitch types at me at tryouts. Speed, speed change, and placement is the key to 80+% of your pool play games. Sunday will make you bring the other 8 players and their bats and gloves.
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Exactly.
And if you get a girl throwing around 45 you better hope your LF and CF are good. Very good.
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All 4 of our 10U daughters have hit 60!
Signed,
Mr. Bonds
Mr. McGuire
Mr. Canseco
Mr. Palmero
Signed,
Mr. Bonds
Mr. McGuire
Mr. Canseco
Mr. Palmero
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At ASA Nationals (Chatanooga, TN) #1 team Firecrackers (CA)threw around 50 , #2 team So Cal Jink trew around 48 They did not miss a spot, threw great change ups. The few fireballs pitchers 50+threw hard / they also got hit hard. I didn't see any girls throw as hard a Big Unit (AP) Lasers 98 at 10U. Hawks 99 pitcher Alexis threw a little slower than some of the other top Teams, She moved the ball around great ( not just spots, spin and drop) change up is great. My DD played with both players I mentioned. I will take both at 10U :yahoo: Both won a lot of games at 10U. I would have said speed only before I watched Alexis play this last year at 10U. Accuracy is key / even with speed.
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I would take a girl who can throw upper 40's with a nice change up and can hit her spots. Making the ball move with spin is what can get them ahead of the game.
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pm me and I'll give you directions to our practice facility. Our #1 is hitting 49/50 on 80 percent of her fastballs (on a Bushnell). From what I am told this type of gun is even off (slow) a few mph.
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I know in Michigan there are at least 2 girls throwing 50-52.
I know our 10U has a girl that throws 47+ consistently. And I think she will get a bit higher since she does not practice much. She is just gifted and tall.
It is a by product of good coaching, practice, and good genes.
At NSA Worlds last year, I saw plenty of girls bringing it 47/48. And to be honest, they still were getting hit.
As far as spin pitches. Forget about it. Ball is too small, and the distance is too short. Talk to anyone and they will tell you that moving back to 43 feet has helped the pitchers with good spin pitches. While it is killing the girls with fastball/change.
I know our 10U has a girl that throws 47+ consistently. And I think she will get a bit higher since she does not practice much. She is just gifted and tall.
It is a by product of good coaching, practice, and good genes.
At NSA Worlds last year, I saw plenty of girls bringing it 47/48. And to be honest, they still were getting hit.
As far as spin pitches. Forget about it. Ball is too small, and the distance is too short. Talk to anyone and they will tell you that moving back to 43 feet has helped the pitchers with good spin pitches. While it is killing the girls with fastball/change.
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Gain about 3 mph and pitch for the Gators!
Brombacher was averaging only around 56 -57 mph today against Alabama. She must have had some magic dust on the ball, because she was effective enough to hold Bama down long enough to let the Gator bats take over.
Brombacher was averaging only around 56 -57 mph today against Alabama. She must have had some magic dust on the ball, because she was effective enough to hold Bama down long enough to let the Gator bats take over.
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I honestly think the bigger goal at the higher ages are spin pitches.
Unless you can bring it high 60s you are not going to blow it by most at he D1 level. So why even focus on that?
I question why every one seems to think 10U girls throwing at 50 is not possible or believable. It is the top 1%(I think the top 5% is too high). So unless you are getting out and seeing the top 1% you are missing out on some awesome stuff. But see enough teams and go to the biggest and best tournaments and you will see them all in one place and it will seem like it is common........
I have seen 2 in the last month. But I think they are only 2 girls in Michigan that are close or over. One for sure. The other I suspect is hitting 50.
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Had to be all about the spin with her this weekend. That bicep injury must of really done a number on her.
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Spot on Les .. Speed will win at 10u and even 12u to a lesser degree. If I had my druthers (is that a word?) I would want 2 girls on my 10u team that throw hard - very hard,even at the expense of control - you can't teach speed (high end speed) - but you can refine it (hitting spots) and compliment it with adding different pitches to the arsenal. If a pitcher works hard on her game and has the right instruction - she will end up throwing hard, under control and have the tools/pitches at her command. All the tools ...
KK is an example of that.. we were laughing the other day about how she drilled all our girls during BP in our 9u season -multiple times - every girl had a KK tattoo at some point! ... but she brought it hard.
We had Lexi that season - she had control and decent speed - she was our workhorse (she faced 970 batters, walking 18 that season) while KK worked on her control. The next season, Lex moved to 12u and KK became dominate at 10u with speed and control. Now at 12u she is working on refining her pitches even more - evolving into a 'pitcher' not just a thrower...
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Great information and great forum. I have been reading this forum for over a year, off and on, and really enjoy the different points of view.
My experience coaching 10u in the past (I now coach 12u) is that pitching speed is the most over-exaggerated stat you will get from parents. Sadly, you get puffed up speeds from coaches as well. It is almost like 40 yard dash times. Just look at the accurately measured 40 times in an NFL Combine and you will realize that not that many athletes run the times that have been attributed to them. Pitching speeds are much the same way.
I have seen 10u kids who could throw low 50s. I had a pitcher that hit the 50-51mph mark maybe every 30 to 40 pitches. Does that make her a pitcher who can throw low
50s? Well...maybe technically...but in reality of tourneys most of her pitches were upper 40s. That was still pretty good for a 10u.
I would agree with the premise that speed is premium at 10u. A kid that throws upper 40's to low 50's just takes so many batters out of the equation. If maybe two to three kids in the lineup could put a bat on a pitcher, then it is not that hard to pitch around them. You just have to keep the ball off the plate and hope they chase a pitch. Even if you walked them you could burn those kids on the bases by throwing it by the girl behind them.
But once you get to 12u and above...especially with the move to 43 feet in the 14u division, accuracy and hitting locations become so much more important. And if you have a blazer you better have a changeup. If not these kids are going to get hit all over the park. At 10 years old you need to work on fastballs to locations and changeups. At 12u one additional pitch should be added...ONLY if the pitcher can hit spots and throw changeups with consistency.
Anyway...love the forum. I'll be bringing my team to Columbus in June for the Bat Wars at Berliner Park. (I was there the last two years but last year was washout pretty much)
My experience coaching 10u in the past (I now coach 12u) is that pitching speed is the most over-exaggerated stat you will get from parents. Sadly, you get puffed up speeds from coaches as well. It is almost like 40 yard dash times. Just look at the accurately measured 40 times in an NFL Combine and you will realize that not that many athletes run the times that have been attributed to them. Pitching speeds are much the same way.
I have seen 10u kids who could throw low 50s. I had a pitcher that hit the 50-51mph mark maybe every 30 to 40 pitches. Does that make her a pitcher who can throw low
50s? Well...maybe technically...but in reality of tourneys most of her pitches were upper 40s. That was still pretty good for a 10u.
I would agree with the premise that speed is premium at 10u. A kid that throws upper 40's to low 50's just takes so many batters out of the equation. If maybe two to three kids in the lineup could put a bat on a pitcher, then it is not that hard to pitch around them. You just have to keep the ball off the plate and hope they chase a pitch. Even if you walked them you could burn those kids on the bases by throwing it by the girl behind them.
But once you get to 12u and above...especially with the move to 43 feet in the 14u division, accuracy and hitting locations become so much more important. And if you have a blazer you better have a changeup. If not these kids are going to get hit all over the park. At 10 years old you need to work on fastballs to locations and changeups. At 12u one additional pitch should be added...ONLY if the pitcher can hit spots and throw changeups with consistency.
Anyway...love the forum. I'll be bringing my team to Columbus in June for the Bat Wars at Berliner Park. (I was there the last two years but last year was washout pretty much)
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Everyone says they have a 50 mph pitcher. In reality they probably throw in the mid to upper 40's. At 10u if you can have a girl that has a decent fastball and a good change up she will strike out the majority of batters. Kids at that age are still perfecting their swing mechanics and ball tracking.
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I hear every so often the expression (in regards to pitching) "You can't teach speed". I disagree, especially when the kid is taught properly from day one. However, a 14u kid with accuracy problems throwing 50 mph is going to be a steep challenge.
What you teach should be smooth, proper mechanics combined with quality speed drills to learn "quickness" an intensity. Just throwing hard isn't enough, because without great form, accuracy will never come. A wild college pitcher throwing 70 mph is FAR worse than a pinpoint pitcher throwing 58 - 60. The wild pitcher will try to take something off to improve accuracy, but the root of the problem is still there - ingrained bad habits resulting in poor mechanics. Smooth, repeatable quickness and explosive intensity.
So... what's better at 10u? EVERYTHING is important, but if her mechanics, form and accuracy go in the toilet when she starts trying to throw faster pitches, you better back up a few steps and fix that BEFORE trying to develop the next 10u speed phenom! The great pitchers have one thing in common - command of their pitches. They can throw their changeup the VERY FIRST pitch of a game without even batting an eye. They can fearlessly throw tight inside across a slappers knuckles, knowing exactly where the pitch is going on release.
Watching a young kid with pinpoint accuracy and a tremendous CONCEALED changeup is far more impressive to me than a kid who throws much faster. Kids trying to throw above their abilities is like watching a race where cars are always crashing out of control into the guardrails. Batters will ALWAYS catch up to a fast pitcher with poor control. But a kid throwing with age-appropriate speed who is well taught has a much better chance of advancing to the college ranks.
What you teach should be smooth, proper mechanics combined with quality speed drills to learn "quickness" an intensity. Just throwing hard isn't enough, because without great form, accuracy will never come. A wild college pitcher throwing 70 mph is FAR worse than a pinpoint pitcher throwing 58 - 60. The wild pitcher will try to take something off to improve accuracy, but the root of the problem is still there - ingrained bad habits resulting in poor mechanics. Smooth, repeatable quickness and explosive intensity.
So... what's better at 10u? EVERYTHING is important, but if her mechanics, form and accuracy go in the toilet when she starts trying to throw faster pitches, you better back up a few steps and fix that BEFORE trying to develop the next 10u speed phenom! The great pitchers have one thing in common - command of their pitches. They can throw their changeup the VERY FIRST pitch of a game without even batting an eye. They can fearlessly throw tight inside across a slappers knuckles, knowing exactly where the pitch is going on release.
Watching a young kid with pinpoint accuracy and a tremendous CONCEALED changeup is far more impressive to me than a kid who throws much faster. Kids trying to throw above their abilities is like watching a race where cars are always crashing out of control into the guardrails. Batters will ALWAYS catch up to a fast pitcher with poor control. But a kid throwing with age-appropriate speed who is well taught has a much better chance of advancing to the college ranks.
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I agree with everyone on here about speed at 10U. But pitching only gets you so far. My dd pitched on a team that went to nationals last year in Chattanooga. We had 3 of the top flame throwers in the state. The thing is, we couldn't get our bats going and didn't go as far in the tournament as expected. Hitting is just as important. You have to hit to win games. Someone mentioned the SoCal Jynx earlier, the pitcher we faced was throwing probably around 50 but had a killer change (about 10mph diff) and sold the pitch the whole way. The speed wasn't a problem, the change was.
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The "selling" comes from the fact that a change must be thrown considerably harder than a fastball, especially a backhand change. The pitcher's motion is explosive just like the fastball, but the backhand release slows the ball and creates backspin, which helps the ball float. Thrown properly - it looks exactly like a fastball coming straight in. However, a pitcher who slows her arm down to scrub speed fools no one - including the batter.
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At 10u SPEED SPEED AND A CHANGE UP!
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This pitcher threw a "Tunnel Change" not a back hand. I know because her and her dad taught my dd how to throw it later that day. IMO, the back hand change is very successful but to a good batter with an excellent eye, you can see the pitchers release and grip of the ball, especially at the younger ages. You see the pitchers back hand coming at you. It also takes alot of young pitchers to master. But yes, selling the pitch is huge.
