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DecaturDad
619 Posts |
 Posted - 09/01/2011 : 13:06:55
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A question for some of you with older pitchers: Does your son practice pitching or do pitching drills by himself? My son is past the point skill wise where I can catch him any more. I have debated getting a HS catcher to come over once a week or so and catch him. But other then that, what do you do? He really wants to focus on pitching this fall.
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Dr. Old School
314 Posts |
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dmb350
135 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2011 : 15:29:32
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2 suggestions for you
1. I take my son to the field, set up 3 tall orange cones (one on each side of the plate and one on the plate and he pitches to the gaps between the cones. It basically creates a 6-8 inch gap just at the edge of the plate which is where he wants to stay. If he hits one we just stand it back up again. 3 tall cones, bucket of balls and a mound and your set for accuracy training.
2. Probably more useful, get him a pitching coach. Someone outside your team and let them work once a week on his mechanics. He'll have someone to catch him and to help correct any flaws he may have before they get out if hand. |
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DecaturDad
619 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2011 : 15:51:09
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| Thanks. He does go to a pitching coach. I am looking for between lessons workouts. Something he could do one or two evenings a week. I have thought about the pop ups, but I was not sure how well they worked. ( |
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Dr. Old School
314 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2011 : 08:52:42
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| I have one of the pop-ups and they work fine. You typically need to have something a little heavier to weight the back section down other than the little stakes that come with it, but usually a block or a bucket of balls does the trick. It is an inexpensive option. |
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Shut Out
512 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2011 : 09:42:14
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| Best pitching drill I have used is i put a batting T - preferrably on of the skinny ones like tanner t can be raised and lowered in front of a hitting net with a ball on the tell. We move it all around the strike zone at different elevations and son goal is to his the ball off the T with direct contact of the ball. Works great for working on pitching accuracy. Especially when working on off speed pitches. |
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baseball1
56 Posts |
Posted - 09/02/2011 : 12:37:41
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| .. my experience is that its well worth the $$ and time to arrange for a catcher of same age group to receive the pitches .. throwing to a net is better than not throwing at all but not by much .. even a pitching lesson without a catcher imo devalues the session ; both hitting a specific target / the glove such as when it counts in a game , plus working on mechanics can be accomplished by having a live catcher...once a week with the catcher is enough either in or out of season, maybe twice if the second session is light and he will be pitching a game that week . . the Pitchers Plate emphasizing both hitting the corners and then just off the plate is a great tool ,and more effective than the stationary batter - most sporting goods stores carry these .. |
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jongamefan
218 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2011 : 09:21:53
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quote:
Originally posted by baseball1
.. my experience is that its well worth the $$ and time to arrange for a catcher of same age group to receive the pitches .. throwing to a net is better than not throwing at all but not by much .. even a pitching lesson without a catcher imo devalues the session ; both hitting a specific target / the glove such as when it counts in a game , plus working on mechanics can be accomplished by having a live catcher...once a week with the catcher is enough either in or out of season, maybe twice if the second session is light and he will be pitching a game that week . . the Pitchers Plate emphasizing both hitting the corners and then just off the plate is a great tool ,and more effective than the stationary batter - most sporting goods stores carry these ..
BASE: I agree your shortchanged paying for a pitch lesson when there is no catcher except netting
The other ideas with cones and all are fine but the games are played with a catcher so the pitch practices should be too ! |
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gamefanatic
40 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2011 : 10:39:08
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quote:
Originally posted by baseball1
.. my experience is that its well worth the $$ and time to arrange for a catcher of same age group to receive the pitches .. throwing to a net is better than not throwing at all but not by much .. even a pitching lesson without a catcher imo devalues the session ; both hitting a specific target / the glove such as when it counts in a game , plus working on mechanics can be accomplished by having a live catcher...once a week with the catcher is enough either in or out of season, maybe twice if the second session is light and he will be pitching a game that week . . the Pitchers Plate emphasizing both hitting the corners and then just off the plate is a great tool ,and more effective than the stationary batter - most sporting goods stores carry these ..
Having a son that's a catcher - I agree. He's always on the lookout for a workout to help him. Unfortunately in practices, he just doesn't get enough drill work. If you look at it as a workout for both pitcher and catcher -would be beneficial for both. I wouldn't even think money is needed if you are working out both positions. If the catcher is there solely for the benefit of the pitcher may think differently! LOL!
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Dr. Old School
314 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2011 : 09:52:41
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| I think everyone agrees that having a catcher is best, but the discussion was around, what other options are available when that is not possible. There is a lot of difference between throwing to a net, and throwing to a pop-up target designed to provide targets to hit. That is A LOT better than not throwing at all. |
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DecaturDad
619 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2011 : 10:12:18
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Thanks Old school.
For us, being able to go in the back yard and throw a bit versus not throwing at all is the real issue. Sure, he gets regular pitching instruction, and occationally manages to find a catcher. But for all those days when the homework is finished, and we find ourselves with some spare time, I wanted something. All the comments have been great.
quote:
Originally posted by Dr. Old School
I think everyone agrees that having a catcher is best, but the discussion was around, what other options are available when that is not possible. There is a lot of difference between throwing to a net, and throwing to a pop-up target designed to provide targets to hit. That is A LOT better than not throwing at all.
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Pitching drills without a catcher
