pitching practice

[ctowry1]

Looking for an opinion on practice.if your team has a 3 hour practice once a week should your pitchers and catchers work together to form a bond that they need to be successful? Because my daughter's coach doesn't think so.thanks for your opinion

[DLauck]

Yes. But, I'm not the coach of this particular team.

[PDad]

Not sure what you want done. Many teams have pitchers and catchers throw a 'bullpen' before practice - you can arrange that on your own, although you might want to do it after practice since you don't know what they're going to do in practice.

Who catches the pitchers' lessons? It's beneficial for both and you can arrange that on your own too.

[ctowry1]

We do have a catcher catch at lessons,my biggest concern is that every practice it's the same thing and I think it would be beneficial for the pitchers pitch while the other girls are hitting and even have the pitchers do live hitting.i just think it the team would benefit from both aspects

[Turnandlook]

I hope you are not one of those parents that questions everything a coach does? If so, I see a new team in the future and you as possibly the head coach.
In any case it depends on the age of the girls as to whether or noit it is absolutely necessary to add pitch/catch to a practice plan. They have lessons and should coordinate catchers catching for them then. There is so much else that can be accomplished in practice if pitchers and catchers are doing this on their own. If your daughter is a young pitcher, she should still be involved in all aspects of the practice. Not just pitching

[Kidcanhit02]

I have a feeling your current coach is one in a long line of coaches that will not be good enough for you or your daughter. Just wait this season out, change teams, be disappointed again and continue this same pattern until your daughter is in college. Hopefully she ends up at Arizona as I am afraid no one but Mike Candrea will be good enough for her.

I very much appreciate you ending the total lack of posting on this feed but sincerely hope you are willing to accept your current coach's methods or be good enough to tell him/her your concerns. If you cannot fundamentally agree there are teams typically looking to fill a spot in the winter.

I am not a coach but if I was I am sure I would be very disappointed to see one of my team parents questioning my practice plans on a public message board.

[ctowry1]

When you have 3 to 4 girls standing around waiting for other girls to finish their stations why not have pitchers pitch instead of standing around. Obviously you have no idea what your talking about but pitchers need to pitch in practice and lessons. Not just once a week

[maysm]

I don't expect my daughter to pitch at practice. We show up early for most practices and get her pitching practice in then.

It sounds like your DD's practices are different than mine in that we don't have girls standing around. Every girl is at a station working on something the entire practice.

[Kidcanhit02]

I guess my point was about where to go with a complaint or idea for practice. I hope that you spoke to your coach first. However if you are simply looking for an opinion or validation of your opinion then my opinions is no, I do not believe pitching and catching should occupy a practice plan. At just about any age there are about 100 different fundamentals that need to be taught. Especially at younger ages, these skills should apply to EVERY player including pitchers and catchers. Most pitchers and catchers on travel teams are doing lessons on their own relating to their specialty position. If both are learning the right skills then they should be able to work well during game time. A catcher who knows how to frame and block well will frame and block for a pitcher they have known a week or a pitcher they have known their whole life. Will there be an adjustment period, SURE, but the basics are still the basics.

At older age levels the bond between pitcher and catcher becomes important but for younger ages most of the adjustment is done by coaches and not a conversation between an experienced catcher and an experienced pitcher.

In regards to players standing around, I agree that is not good. Again, a conversation with your coach would surely be appreciated. Maybe the coach would benefit from another parent stepping up and taking an additional station to separate the work. My suggestion is to start by asking how you could help get more girls involved and not standing around.

If you have offered your help and the coach believes excess downtime during a 3 hour practice is the right thing to do, accept it or move on.

[softball65]

when my kid was younger, the teams often times did this. As an older player now, it's less frequent. I know girls are much more so about connecting so its not a bad idea. But pitching is an individual activity too...so I can see both sides. My kid currently does not do pitching reps with the other pitchers....we have a routine and we stick to that. Pitching during practice to me is more for the coach than the player.

Just my perspective.