14 Common Misconceptions About Pitching - Part 2

Are you ready for the second batch of misconceptions about pitching?

I’m currently in Las Vegas at the National Fastpitch Coaches Convention listening to experts dispel many of my own assumptions about pitching. I still have my ways of thinking I need to change. One of the things I frequently forget to think about is WHY players can’t perform some of the movements we’d like them to. It turns out that sometimes their physical weaknesses are preventing them from having enough resistance or rotating their hips quickly, for example. More to come in the future on that. But for now, here are 8 more common misconceptions about pitching.

7. I’ll start my training 3 months before the season in January. I’m only 10 years old and don’t need year-round training. I have other sports to do and I’m not trying to be Monica Abbott, so calm down people.

See misconception number 3. This chart applies to everyone, whether girls are excellent excellent athletes or not. It applies whether she plays a musical instrument, is committed to other sports, or does lots of schoolwork. It’s just a fact. She has to put in her 4 days of practice to improve.

As long as she knows this information and has proper expectations, I’m all for learning as much as she can when she can - even if it’s not year-round.

I always say pitching is her OTHER number one sport. If she have basketball practice, she can come home and pitch socks into the wall for 10 minutes. It’s a “sport” players can do on their own, without a scheduled practice or having to be somewhere at a certain time.

If it’s your daughter's first year learning to pitch, or if she is 7 or 8 years old, taking just one session is appropriate. She might not know if pitching is for her yet. At that age, you’ll be able to teach her on your own with the information you learn in one session.

8. My daughter is plateauing. She must be doing one thing wrong. Perhaps we need a new coach.

I consider a player truly plateauing when a pitcher is completing all of the prescribed practice, lessons, and strength and conditioning workouts. If, after all of that, her speed, spin and accuracy are not changing it might be time to hear a new coaching perspective.

When a player is in her first two or three years of year-round pitching, she’s still learning the basics of how to pitch, so she’s not doing just one thing wrong. Her speeds, accuracy, and mechanics will be radically changing daily. Just keep on truckin’!

9. I’m not going to practice, but at least I’ll get a little better if I just go to lessons once per week. It’s better than nothing.

Pitching is not like other positions where girls can still have a little fun being unskilled doing it. If she’s a terrible hitter she swings three times, she’s out, and there are still 8 others that have their turn. If a pitcher is unskilled, it’s not 3 balls and she's out, it’s 20-50 bad pitches before she’s out. Teams cannot play games without skilled pitchers. Entire leagues have disintegrated because of this problem. Position players have left organizations because of lack of pitching on their team.

Those that continue not to practice will not change one bit from one week to the next. It’s not “better than nothing”. However, those that practice even one day per week have noticeable improvements. Those that put all the work in improve at an exponentially faster rate. It's not only noticeable, it’s incredible. $50 - $100 per hour is a lot to spend on “a little better than nothing.”

10. If I don’t get to pitch on my current team I’m probably not a good pitcher. I will quit pitching.

Coach Andrea tells a great story about not getting to pitch on her high school team. They had an outstanding pitcher who ended up getting a D1 scholarship. Consequently, Coach Andrea never got mound time on her high school team. When the yearly team awards came out, she won “best outfielder.”

Instead of taking that as a sign of her sub-par pitching ability, she remembered she got to pitch a lot for her excellent travel team. She still loved to pitch, worked at it, but just wasn’t as good as that one girl. She ended up getting to play for a high-level NCAA DIII team. Andrea reached her own potential, not someone else's. If a player loves pitching and puts the work in, she shouldn’t let outside uncontrollable circumstances affect her.

Unfortunately and fortunately, these common misconceptions are becoming longer than I thought. You’ll have to wait for #11-14 next week. Tune into our Instagram for cool stuff from Las Vegas while I’m at the NFCA convention. I have so much to bring back to you so you can become the best pitcher and parent of a pitcher you can be.