Zoey Shelby

[Dshelby]

http://youtu.be/8k-mQ67qcC0 watch her it will be worth your time. Tell me what you think about her. 12 years old and graduates in 2020

[Tyler Durden]

Well then. Good morning Dylan. I understand your excitement. Most HB people have been where you are. Myself included. You may want to TAP THE BRAKES on your skills video postings while you spend some time getting your bearings. In time, you will look back on this, and it will all make sense.

[jonriv]

Certainly looks like their is some raw athletic talent there. I would concur with spaz about working on the throwing mechanics. I might also has some work on footwork would also be helpful- other mechanis issues too

As mentioned- slow down (we've all been there) and enjoy the ride

[Dshelby]

Thank you for all of your comments it means a lot but what do you guys think about her skill?

[Pale Rider]

Appreciate your enthusiasm but a skills video for a 6th grader? Maybe slow down just a bit
Having said that I would work on correcting her throwing mechanics sooner than later. Bad habits are hard to break and with throwing can lead to injury/pain later on.

While I'm not an expert...I concur with the other posters...Especially on her throwing mechanics...Bottom line up front, she throws sidearm...that's a no-no...
This is meant as a explanation and not dissing her in any way...Her growth stage is that of a 6 month old Great Dane puppy...she has the long legs growing, muscle tone isn't in place and she's having a hard time making it all work together...
And just like a adolescent pup, she 'Has to grow into them' to become graceful and strong...

[DonnieS]

What we did was had our kids involved with a lot of different sports, primarily swimming and track when they were young, younger than yours. Ours were 6-7 when they started swimming - I believe that competitive swimming helped build their bodies and muscled them up in ways that seems to have minimized in injuries, they are now 20 and 23. At 12, I would have her in track, sprints, etc. not so much long distance, but 100 meter dash, hurdles, etc. At 12, my girls besides softball, were swimming competitively, running track, flag football, and basketball.

At 12, I would find a fun team for her to play on with a coach who understands that this sport is fun - he also needs to be able to teach the various skills, like the others said, her throw, her footwork, need work. We were very fortunate to stumble into very good skills instructors at early ages - and by that I mean, not you. Whether or not you were a "high school stud" etc. etc. etc. , find good instructors, find, order skills dvds etc and books - so that you know enough to help your kid do the drills properly that the instructors give her to do.

Trust us on this - the biggest risk to your kid continuing to play ball - is people - like you maybe - that go overboard with over expecting, that think that at 12 - you have the next Lisa Fernandez. Most of us who have kids who are playing D1 ball or played D1 ball today, when their kids were 12, were hoping maybe our kids would make varsity on the high school team someday. This other stuff, is gravy. My kids have played 14 years so far, and 16 years respectively. It has to be fun. If its fun, everything else will fall into place for you. You have a bunch of fun years ahead of you, take lots of pictures.

[BAM2]

Zoey,
Out of the posters that have posted already, I probably have the closest girls to your DD. I still have one playing in 12's. Pitcher, 1st, 3rd, and currently playing short. Hey Buckety is a great forum. Usually you would hope some one would give your kid Kudo's other than yourself, or starting the thread. The posters here have kids in college, HS and probably Verballed early. Like the rest, work on the throwing motion, but you forgot to mention how long she has been playing travel. If this is her first year, then a lot of her Mechanics would indicate so.
I know that some of these posters, their kid had won nationals at 10u and 12u. Your skills video is a great way of having a base line. I help with video's ,and the one thing i try to tell the parents is,
if you do a video at least make sure their mechanics are right, because if you don't, then what your are showcasing is nothing more than bad mechanics, and raw talent.. Just for you to compare, my kid is 5'8" 130ish, pitches 57mph on a regular basis ( pitching coach list everyones number) can hit them out - 200, and make that throw from the outfield on a fly. One of her teams she was on, most the girls are doing that at 12 also.
Good luck, and we'll see you out there.

[exD1dad]

I'll give you a comparable answer on her skill.....5 years ago as an 11 yr old my DD played on a wreck league ASA All Star team here in SoCal where they had a pitcher far superior to your daughter in speed, mechanics, command of pitches etc. Now in that short time the growth of 10 & 12U Travel ball has grown exponentially so it's the same thing only different. This young lady (who is also an accomplished pianist, played other sports in HS), did well pitching @ 12U Nat's & OK @ 14U Nat's, was pitching 18U as a soph & got bombed, & was only marginal in a lower HS Division. She played on several high profile TB teams (never went to PGF & stopped pitching 2 years ago) & will go to a very good college (she got 2000+SAT scores) & be a roster player as an INF but she's no stud now. The fact that her parents are very, very, very well off & could afford all her costly years & years of lessons & paying a driver to take her the 30 to 50 miles away from her home for practices & friendlies as well as afford a good private school is a real difference maker compared to "normal" wage earner parents. Now that said, her older sister was "playing up" as a catcher from 12U on (young studette) who either burned out or just realized she didn't have what it takes after her soph year in HS. She does not play but does attend a top 20 ranked university for her major.

Now the ground balls hit to your DD are weak at best & therefore only force us to realize all her faults in how she fields the ball, footwork, arm throwing angle etc. Her arm has pretty good strength but most college OF & TB teams teach & throw on a line not the way your vid shows your DD throwing, only using 1 hand to catch will defiantly cause problems with coaches as she moves through the levels. I stopped watching at her pitching because at this age (if there was hitting on the rest) until she gets challenged by 60+ MPH watching her swing would be either a waste of my time or bring more criticism.

[extiger]

Looks like she has a lot of developing to do. But then she is only twelve. Start with the foot work and work your way up. I don't like the side arm throw and she stands straight when she throws instead of slightly bending her knees. Most coaches don't teach players to use their legs when they throw. She also needs to charge the ball. When hitting she needs to keep her hands inside the ball, knob to the pitcher.

Last but not least let her take her time and grow with the game. Let her have as much fun as possible. A few of my daughters former teammates verballed their freshman year to the first team that made an offer. I never told her but I thought we were falling behind on the recruiting. Now going into her junior year there are way more interested colleges than I would have imagined from major D1 to NAIA.

[Ed Hill]

Nothing really special here. Looks like any other 12 year that I have seen. Maybe if you home school her she can work 12 hours a day on improving her skills and she can then turn pro when she is 18.