Coach Mack’s Pitching and Hitting Instruction

Athletes and PARENTS! Stop 🛑 comparing your kid to another athlete!

Yessssss and please stop comparing your pitcher to other pitchers. They all progress at their own rates and they all have growth spurts at different times…teach them to control the controllables:

1.) Effort
2.) Attitude
3.) Preparation

✅ There are different types of pitchers. Once your pitcher knows which one she is, it becomes easier become a go-to pitcher because she'll KNOW how she's going to get hitters out and pitch to her strengths.

➡️ TYPE 1: Spinny Pitcher

She has tons of spin on her pitches and she creates a lot of mis-hits. She doesn't blow hitters away by her speed, but she deceives them with her spin.

➡️ TYPE 2: Speed Pitcher

She has above average speed. You can tell you have above average speed because you jam a lot of hitters on inside pitches and there are a lot of balls hit put in play towards the opposite side of the field.

➡️ TYPE 3: Off Speed Pitcher

Her change up ROCKS and she may even have another off speed pitch that is faster than her change up and slower than her fastball. She can change speeds in any count and she keeps hitters off balance with the element of surprise of speed.

** No matter if she's Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3, LOCATION IS KEY.**

✅ It’s also important to know the types of OUTS she is likely to get!

➡️ OUTS 1: Ground Ball Pitcher

She stays down in the zone, has down spin and there are a lot of ground balls put in play. Pitches that are likely your strength: Drop, Curve, Change Up, Low Fastball. A GBP will get more outs from batted balls on the ground than in the air.

➡️ OUTS 2: Fly Ball Pitcher

She stays more up in the zone, has up spin and there are a lot of balls in the air put in play. Pitches that are likely your strength: Rise, Curve, Screw, High Fastball. A FBP will get more outs from battled balls in the air than on the ground.

➡️ OUTS 3: Strikeout Pitcher

This is what everyone WANTS to be, but it’s not what every pitcher actually IS (and that’s ok!!). A strikeout pitcher is usually a blend of Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 listed above! They are likely to have above average speed, above average spin with late break and can change speeds very well. This keeps hitters very off balance with deception and you can get them to chase more out of the zone. ** NOTE: When a strikeout pitcher is not getting outs via strikeouts, she will either by more of a GBP or a FBP and she needs to know which is more of her strength.

✅ Remember: Root for your pitcher to own HER strengths! 💗

She has strengths that no other pitcher has. Help her find them! Help her TRUST in those strengths, OWN those strengths and BE READY to go on pitch #1 when you get into the game.

Every coach wants a go-to pitcher that brings CONSISTENCY.

➡️ TRY THIS:

👉Start tracking her outs.
👉After every day or weekend of pitching in games, go over the numbers of strikeouts, ground ball outs and fly ball outs.
👉 On the days you had the most success - how did her outs come?
😉 She can also ask her coach what she/he thinks are her strengths - I bet they know pretty well the type of pitcher she is when she is her BEST.

Join the conversation in the comments 👇

🙋‍♀️ Are you going to start helping your pitcher own her strengths?

Yes 🙌🏼

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http://baseballdudes.com

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Yesssssssss, PREACH 🙌🏼

Let me say it a little louder for those in the back...🗣🗣🗣DEVELOP YOUR PLAYERS & QUIT CHASING TROPHIES!

Yes 🙌🏼

So many times parents and players get caught up in wins and losses, stats, and other numerical factors in this game. Numbers are great for many things, but it can’t measure everything that is important.

For example, you could pitch a great game, strikeout 20 and only give up 1 hit and still lose. Does it mean the pitcher didn’t do her job? Not at all. It means there are other things that affect the outcomes.

If we allow ourselves to compare stats and relate it to our self worth on the field, then we will always feel behind.

Softball is a game of failure.

It’s already hard.

The questions that matter are:
- did I do my job for the team?
- did I give 100% each time?
- did I learn something?

You can’t control other people and their actions so don’t let them affect how you view yours.

Pitching is not for the weak minded or those that don’t want to work! You’ve got to WANT IT & then WORK FOR IT!

💯 Trust the process, it’s a marathon and not a sprint!

This! You want your kid to learn another pitch? Can she throw a strike on command? Does she have a good change up she can spot? No? Then not happening!

This!!!!!

Why Fastpitch Pitching is so Difficult Let me tell you why softball pitching is one of the hardest skills to master in all of sports! The motion, the mechanics, the dedication and the pressure all come together to make it a unique challenge.

Yessssss!!!!

What Makes Softball Pitching Uniquely difficult | Symbiotic Training Center We have heard countless times before that an underhand (fastpitch) pitching motion is far easier than a baseball overhand pitching motion, to which I couldn’t disagree more.