Men's style woman's style of pitching?!?

[curveballerguy124]

To make a long story short some self professed pitching guru comes up to me and my student and begins pontificating about himself, the style of pitching he believes to be correct his past students and where they are now and all the big name coaches he has worked with in both travel and college.... He explains to us what he has taught to some of the worlds best, keep in mind we are at Columbus Tustin Park not some championship training facility. I asked him to demo what he meant and he showed us without actually pitching the ball I handed him a ball and told him to pitch it to the catcher(dad) so we could see what he meant. He then says he hasn't pitched in nearly 20 years due to a bad shoulder. So I pitched the ball for him using his swing back technique and then I pitched with how I normally pitch (hands together), imagine his surprise that I can pitch!! I then told him why I don't teach the swing back style blah blah blah and then he dropped a dooozy, he says, "well men's style of fastpitch does not work with female pitchers because they are simply not strong enough"!!!!! Holy hell, I would have laid into him but I was on my students time and didn't want to get into it with some blow hard.

Now, I'm sure this has been addressed before but if it hasn't, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS MENS AND WOMANS STYLE!! Granted men leap (some not all) and we do that to gain ground on the batter it has its advantages and disadvantages. However, proper mechanics are proper mechanics that remains constant in men and woman. It could be argued that some of the best female pitchers in the world pitch like men but in truth they just pitch with proper mechanics they have learned how to use their legs, whip their arms and spin the ball with their fingers to generate velocity and movement a concept that has eluded some pitching instructors out there, including but not limited to, captain blow hard!! To all the parents out there the only two styles of pitching is right and wrong. Do your homework and look up the best male and female pitchers in the world and ask yourself is your instructor teaching your kid what these pitchers are doing??

[Chin Music]

I was only trying to educate you Bro! Other than the leniency of crow hopping and re-planting in the men’s game pitching styles are all over the board in both games. Glove/hands pushed forwarded to start, Glove/hands over the head, to the side, rock to 3 , stop at the hip, etc. The diversity of styles is not gender related.

[Hinky]

I was only trying to educate you Bro! Other than the leniency of crow hopping and re-planting in the men’s game pitching styles are all over the board in both games. Glove/hands pushed forwarded to start, Glove/hands over the head, to the side, rock to 3 , stop at the hip, etc. The diversity of styles is not gender related.

Yes, and success with different pitching styles!
what's with the leniency on Crow hopping in men's softball? is crow hopping allowed all the time or enforced at certain tournaments? notice in women's at Friendly's the umpires don't always hold standards to the pitchers on mound presenting the ball and delivery and then when they get into tournament pitchers get boogered-up, now have to follow guidelines. should be consistent all the time.

[curveballerguy124]

Chin, I totally agree styles vary from pitcher to pitcher that is a matter of preference however, look at all the best pitchers in the world their mechanics are very similar to one another that is what I meant (i.e. strong leg drive/plant, loose whippy arm, throwing through the hips not around them, finishing across the body not straight up) The pitching guru was NOT telling us that, he was demonstrating a locked arm, bringing hip and hand through together and arm straight up!! I literally almost started laughing I wasn't trying to be an ass I was just thinking you interrupted me to show us that?!?! Then when I demonstrated for him he dismissed how I threw and said, "Oh that's men's style of pitching that doesn't work for girls"!!! I was thinking holy $h@!t really, look my thoughts are don't ever disrupt a lesson to give an opinion but if you do, you better be right!! Now going back to the men's style thing there is no such thing... I once read something on absolutes & styles may have been Hillhouse or Gillis not sure but it read, pitching mechanics are absolutes, starting your pitch with hands overhead or in front or to the side those are styles

Hink, we have LOTS of leniency when throwing but the NAFA tourny's are a little more strict meaning if your gonna leap you have to leap from the mound you can't have forward progress in other words dont step forward then leap. technically its supposed to be a leap not a crow hop or re-plant but it depends on the blue most dont care. Believe it or not a lot of pitchers actually throw legal you have more control that way. Actually when I get tired I throw legal helps me control my pitches, surprisingly I dont lose much velocity if any at all and I control my pitches better. The main reason I and others leap is to gain ground on the batter to begin with

[Battle]

Has starting with both feet on the rubber been an issue with teaching men to women pitching?

[curveballerguy124]

Not at all, I start with two feet on the rubber the difference is I step back as I go into my motion but with my students I just teach them the gangsta lean, meaning I have them lean back to start their motion...

[Battle]

Not at all, I start with two feet on the rubber the difference is I step back as I go into my motion but with my students I just teach them the gangsta lean, meaning I have them lean back to start their motion...

That's what I was talking about. I meant to say "keeping" both feet on the rubber.

[curveballerguy124]

Sorry, the answer is no its not difficult to do and usually when I demo I do it completely legal so as not to confuse the girls

[J. Bouton]

I know this “blow hard.” My daughter took lessons from him for a couple years and we thought he knew everything there is to know about pitching a softball. She continued to get lessons from him until she turned 14. That is when he changed her name to “prospect,” and began to shove all his alleged college coach buddy’s down our throat. My daughter plays the game because she loves the game. She is a straight A student and is smart enough to (at the very least) not dive into the “college recruiting rollercoaster ride” just yet. We ended up finding a new pitching/hitting instructor and discovered most if not everything BH taught her was wrong or outdated. It seems to me these old school (mostly male) instructors are closed off and driven by ego... My point is, there are a lot of these “blowhards,” everywhere you go (ours is on the west coast) and until there are younger woman and men running softball programs the blowhards will continue to interrupt with their old school rhetoric!

On a side note I would like to add, I am so proud of my daughter for playing the game (and excelling in it) simply because she loves it !!! The umpire yells “play ball,” not “get to work!”

[jonriv]

I was once told by a SgtMajor in the Army “It don’t get to be old school if it ain’t good for the long Haul”