Pitching is a sport inside of a sport.
Read that again and let it sink in.
What if you started a new job, and there was no supervisor to train you? Instead, there was just a bunch of people yelling at you when you didn’t give them the results they wanted (strikes)? How would you feel? Overwhelmed and confused.
Fastpitch softball pitchers spend countless hours in the off-season honing their skills to be ready for their teams. As a pitching coach I hear “lessons are expensive.” I hear you. As a Physical Therapist’s Assistant I want to shout from the rooftops that “injuries are expensive!” In the short term and the long term, injuries are the last thing we want for our girls. I have two daughters who pitch and injury prevention is on my mind, for them, daily. Injuries with pitching happen for two main reasons: poor mechanics and overuse.
When you have girls trying to figure out these small motions, with their growing and sometimes awkward bodies, this can pose real challenges for them. They have the pressure to throw strikes, and throw them fast. Kids are do-ers so they will figure out how to get that done: how to throw strikes and/or how to throw fast. Getting the two to come together is where a pitching coach will help. Kids, on their own, will often build poor mechanics and the repetitions will give them muscle memory that can be a challenge to change later on. Learning the correct mechanics needs to be done with –s l o w– drills so as to ‘feel’ what is happening. Kids won’t go slow if someone isn’t keeping a watchful eye on them.
This isn’t to say that every time a kid pitches, it needs to be with a coach. Good coaches will give pitchers a set of drills to work on between lessons. This helps build muscle memory. Coaches should only be giving drills that are within the realm of what the girl can do at her current ability level. These drills will be built upon between lessons.
If you have somewhere for your pitcher to practice at home, weekly or every-other-week lessons are just fine while they start building their strength, muscle memory, timing, coordination, and balance. This is, of course, with a good customized plan from a pitching coach.
As girls get into their season they probably won’t need lessons as frequently unless they’re older and wanting to learn new pitches. Or if they don’t have a place to practice at home and the lesson location provides that.
Coaches should be utilizing many methods to teach the pitchers how to improve:
Verbal cues (“Kick your foot higher”)
Visual cues (demonstrate the kick)
Visual feedback (“Watch this slow motion video of your kick.”)
Tactile cues (Use of a dowel or pool noodle to push leg up during pitch.)
Accessory tools (Use of a hurdle to kick up and over.)
Many times, a general team softball coach, no matter how great they are at every other aspect of the game, has no idea where to start with pitchers and often gives poor advice to pitchers. This usually happens mid-game when strikes aren’t happening, and this will upset young pitchers who are trying their hardest. Good pitching coaches will help teach pitchers to be their own coach during game time: What does my landing look like? Where are my feet? Where was my arm? Deep breath, drop my shoulders, I can do this.
Find a coach that your pitcher trusts, has a good relationship with, and whose lessons she enjoys going to, because…
Pitching is a sport inside of a sport.
Testimonial: "We are so fortunate to have found Coach Stephanie! It's difficult to find a pitching coach who shows consistency and results for her players. In addition, her attention to detail and background in physical therapy give us complete confidence and trust that our daughter has a coach who cares about body mechanics."
Comments