3 Must-Haves to Make It at the Highest Level

Is it worth investing the time, money, and effort into pitching if your daughter won’t get significant playing time? Some parents ask for an honest evaluation of their daughter’s abilities. Others want to know if I believe she has the potential to play at a high level.

After running our first successful college evaluation event with Coach Erica Hanrahan, I wanted to share with you some thoughts I had on playing at a high level before you get to college. 80% of current Practice Pro pitchers are eight grade an under. I believe there are three attributes an athlete must posses to reach A or B level travel play, or regional-level high school play.

Here are three essential qualities I think pitchers need to succeed at high levels of youth softball:

1) She must truly want it.

To be the best pitcher on her team, in her league, or even in her state, she needs to be competitive, coachable, and ideally have role models—whether that’s an older sibling, a parent, or a player on ESPN.

“Wanting it” means she’s willing to learn from coaches and persevere through adversity. It means she looks forward to her lessons and gets excited when she beats a speed record. She’s willing to try even if she’ll look silly. It doesn’t mean she must have been born with good habits and self-control, but rather that she’s open to developing these over time.

This drive builds over the long term. A common mistake players make is constantly questioning their motivation. Instead of reevaluating commitment and desire after every game, asses goals at the end of each season.

2) She has a parent willing to catch for her.

Ever notice how packed the stands are with parents at championship games? Top players rarely reach that level without consistent support—catching, coaching, and countless hours of driving. I know, there’s a fear of pushing too hard or overshadowing your daughter’s journey. But to master pitching requires so many reps that it requires a delicate balance.

At Practice Pro, we aim to help you foster this supportive relationship in a fun and positive way.

Encourage her to stick to the goals she sets for herself, day after day, year after year. Many are willing to pay for lessons or attend games, but few commit to sitting on a bucket, catching pitch after pitch.

One of the main tenants of our Practice Pro philosophy is

“We believe a great pitcher maintains an equal partnership with her parents. Since most pitching is done outside of lessons, the parent is, in many ways, the primary pitching coach. For the first few years, practice and lessons are done together. A true partnership is when a parent gets out her own catching glove and puts those shin guards on!”

3) Fast-twitch muscle fiber dominance.

To excel at the highest level, a pitcher needs to be fast-twitch muscle fiber dominant. Research suggests that individuals are born with either a higher percentage of fast-twitch or slow-twitch fibers. Since pitching is an explosive motion that combines strength and speed, elite pitchers need a natural athleticism suited to this movement. While a player can train her existing fast-twitch fibers, she can’t convert slow-twitch to fast-twitch.

How can you tell if a player is fast-twitch dominant? From a young age, you might notice she moves more quickly than her peers—often a fast runner who throws hard, even without refined mechanics.

While these qualities signify potential, they’re by no means the only requirements to be a great pitcher. More importantly, just because a player lacks one or more of these attributes doesn’t mean she shouldn’t pitch.

Perhaps her highest potential is as a college Division III pitcher or as a standout in regional travel ball. Maybe she’ll lead her team to a league championship. Our role as coaches is to help her reach her fullest mental, physical, and emotional potential—whatever that may be. If we can help her achieve things she never imagined, we’ve done our jobs, no matter what level she ultimately succeeds at.