Softball pitching

[Anonymous]

OP here-- we're in FCC. So Ashburn, etc are far during rush hour.
Someone mentioned youtube videoes: any specific ones you recommend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here-- we're in FCC. So Ashburn, etc are far during rush hour.
Someone mentioned youtube videoes: any specific ones you recommend?

You could look into an online training program. Local softball coach Paige Knussman reposts stuff from Paisley's Pitching a lot, so I assume she's high on her. There's also Foster Fastpitch and Pitching Angel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here-- we're in FCC. So Ashburn, etc are far during rush hour.
Someone mentioned youtube videoes: any specific ones you recommend?

You could look into an online training program. Local softball coach Paige Knussman reposts stuff from Paisley's Pitching a lot, so I assume she's high on her. There's also Foster Fastpitch and Pitching Angel.

I like DR3 for online content but I really think you need to see a coach in person a few times at least, getting that direct feedback. I would do 4 or 6 weeks in a row and then monthly after that. Yes, it takes a while to get to Ashburn or Manassas but you could do a later (post rush hour) appointment. We live in McLean and go out to Ashburn SF3 at least a couple of time per week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:12-year-old DD started pitching last year and seems to have some ability. Her coach suggested she start doing private lessons. But between her travel practices and other child’s activities we have no more bandwidth for another thing after school. (We did reach out to the coach he recommended who was 45 min away, cost $90 a lesson and was only free around 430pm- how do people do this?!?!)
Are there things she can be doing at home to improve?

The most successful softball pitchers have buckets of balls, a tarp with a strike zone painted on it, and worn-away grass from throwing 100 pitches every day in their back yard.

That said, proper instruction is critical. Not just technique — are you going to do internal rotation or Hello Elbow? (I recommend IR). This could have an effect on arm and elbow health long time. An instructor will also help teach different kinds of pitches (drop curve, an effective change up, screwball, rise)…

An instructor can also help ensure bad habits aren’t acquired, especially those that involve illegal pitches (for example, stepping on the plate without the hands separated, separating the hands more than once, replanting, landing wide of the two-foot lane, having the hand outside the elbow on release). I call a lot of 14U games and can already see pitchers who have bad and illegal habits that will get them in trouble later.

Long story short, if your kid has the passion, you will know it because they will be throwing every day and want to throw every day. The only way they will rise to the top is work and instruction.

Not sure a good pitching coach will always keep a girl from stepping on the mound with her hands together. I watch a lot of softball games, including ones with decently high level, experienced pitchers and I can't tell you how many girls I've seen called for that one...

But to be fair there are lots of other ways to illegal pitch that a good pitching coach will keep girls away from. And more importantly a good pitching coach will teach the girls to stay stacked, with good front side resistance, and not to steer the ball.

What softball are you watching where there is a "mound"?

Oh come on. PP before me called the rubber a "plate." I've heard circle and mound used interchangably more times than I can count.

The proper term is “pitching plate.”

Not rubber. Not mound. But “pitching plate.”

See USA Chapter 2, Section 3, subsection F. To wit: “The pitcher’s plate shall be of rubber or wood, 24 inches long and six inches wide …”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:12-year-old DD started pitching last year and seems to have some ability. Her coach suggested she start doing private lessons. But between her travel practices and other child’s activities we have no more bandwidth for another thing after school. (We did reach out to the coach he recommended who was 45 min away, cost $90 a lesson and was only free around 430pm- how do people do this?!?!)
Are there things she can be doing at home to improve?

The most successful softball pitchers have buckets of balls, a tarp with a strike zone painted on it, and worn-away grass from throwing 100 pitches every day in their back yard.

That said, proper instruction is critical. Not just technique — are you going to do internal rotation or Hello Elbow? (I recommend IR). This could have an effect on arm and elbow health long time. An instructor will also help teach different kinds of pitches (drop curve, an effective change up, screwball, rise)…

An instructor can also help ensure bad habits aren’t acquired, especially those that involve illegal pitches (for example, stepping on the plate without the hands separated, separating the hands more than once, replanting, landing wide of the two-foot lane, having the hand outside the elbow on release). I call a lot of 14U games and can already see pitchers who have bad and illegal habits that will get them in trouble later.

Long story short, if your kid has the passion, you will know it because they will be throwing every day and want to throw every day. The only way they will rise to the top is work and instruction.

Not sure a good pitching coach will always keep a girl from stepping on the mound with her hands together. I watch a lot of softball games, including ones with decently high level, experienced pitchers and I can't tell you how many girls I've seen called for that one...

But to be fair there are lots of other ways to illegal pitch that a good pitching coach will keep girls away from. And more importantly a good pitching coach will teach the girls to stay stacked, with good front side resistance, and not to steer the ball.

What softball are you watching where there is a "mound"?

Oh come on. PP before me called the rubber a "plate." I've heard circle and mound used interchangably more times than I can count.

The proper term is “pitching plate.”

Not rubber. Not mound. But “pitching plate.”

See USA Chapter 2, Section 3, subsection F. To wit: “The pitcher’s plate shall be of rubber or wood, 24 inches long and six inches wide …”

I admit, I haven't read all of the USA rulebook. I mean, I'm just a parent here.

Good on you, though.

[Anonymous]

IMHO you really do need private lessons to learn to pitch

Can you reach out to some other coaches that have more flexibility? Often large training facilities like DBAT will offer pitching lessons that can be scheduled online. Super easy and usually tons of time slots.

You don’t necessarily need to use the pitching coach that the team coach recommended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here-- we're in FCC. So Ashburn, etc are far during rush hour.
Someone mentioned youtube videoes: any specific ones you recommend?

Victory Fastpitch used to be in Vienna but I think they moved to Alexandria.

Perfect Performance is in Tysons and may have pitching instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here-- we're in FCC. So Ashburn, etc are far during rush hour.
Someone mentioned youtube videoes: any specific ones you recommend?

Victory Fastpitch used to be in Vienna but I think they moved to Alexandria.

Perfect Performance is in Tysons and may have pitching instruction.

Yes, Victory is in Alexandria at The Dugout these days. Pure Performance in Fairfax does in Perfect Performance doesn't. Keith Tasaka is in Alexandria, though I know he fills up fast (what college pitching coach wouldn't?). The assistant coach for the 12U team out of The St. James is a pitcher, not sure if she gives private lessons. The woman who runs Virginia Lady Legends out of Springfield is also a pitching coach, but I'm not sure if she gives lessons to girls outside of that organization.

[Anonymous]

As a parent of a so-so pitcher, I would personally not go down this road. It’s expensive and time-consuming. We’d be much better off just letting her be a regularly fielder, but we had no idea when she first started pitching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a so-so pitcher, I would personally not go down this road. It’s expensive and time-consuming. We’d be much better off just letting her be a regularly fielder, but we had no idea when she first started pitching.

Voice of reason. And 12 is so young to be locked into a very narrow athletic path. This child might not even want to play softball in HS, or may not ever reach the level needed to get a good scholarship (i.e., not for some DIII school you've never heard of.) Wait a few years to see if your child naturally wants to drop other activities and focus on softball.

[Anonymous]

The advice to wait is all good but how do they ever catch up if most other pitchers have private lessons every week?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a so-so pitcher, I would personally not go down this road. It’s expensive and time-consuming. We’d be much better off just letting her be a regularly fielder, but we had no idea when she first started pitching.

Voice of reason. And 12 is so young to be locked into a very narrow athletic path. This child might not even want to play softball in HS, or may not ever reach the level needed to get a good scholarship (i.e., not for some DIII school you've never heard of.) Wait a few years to see if your child naturally wants to drop other activities and focus on softball.

While an athletic girl CAN pick up pitching at 14, if a child loves it and is willing to put in the 3-4 nights a week outside of softball practice to practice (because otherwise lessons are pointless), why not? My kids take lessons and while the oldest does play school ball, nobody in our house is going to play in college.

Pitching lessons also don't have to be that expensive. My kids' pitching lessons for years were with a college student and a lot cheaper than their music lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a so-so pitcher, I would personally not go down this road. It’s expensive and time-consuming. We’d be much better off just letting her be a regularly fielder, but we had no idea when she first started pitching.

Have you seen the desperate pleas for pitchers at the older age groups?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a so-so pitcher, I would personally not go down this road. It’s expensive and time-consuming. We’d be much better off just letting her be a regularly fielder, but we had no idea when she first started pitching.

Voice of reason. And 12 is so young to be locked into a very narrow athletic path. This child might not even want to play softball in HS, or may not ever reach the level needed to get a good scholarship (i.e., not for some DIII school you've never heard of.) Wait a few years to see if your child naturally wants to drop other activities and focus on softball.

DIII schools don't offer athletic scholarships. Some DIII schools have excellent softball teams.

There are many high academic DIII colleges and universities. It's actually a good combination if your daughter wants to continue playing and get a quality education. But, like so many other things in this area, parents tend to talk down about things they don't know about or understand.

Yes. There are DIII schools you'll not have heard of before. Some of them are very good schools. There will be DI schools you'll not have heard of too and some of them won't be very good in terms of education and/or softball.

If someone is looking for a scholarship at a school they've never heard of, it will likely be DII or maybe NAIA. Actually, NAIA schools tend to give good scholarships. They aren't governed by NCAA rules. However, you likely haven't heard of them unless you have lived nearby one.

[Anonymous]

If you are in FCC, try Arlington Softball +: https://www.arlingtonvasoftball.com

I know a lot of girls who worked with Coach Becky. My daughter was a catcher and worked with Mandy and also Bree for hitting.