11 year old pitching control

[NITTANY LION FAN]

My son is 11 years old and has been pitching since he was 9 years old. He has great velocity for being 4ft-6 and 70 pounds but has trouble at times with control. He throws a 2 and 4 seam fastball but no junk. Any drills to help with control.

[UAME]

My son is 11 years old and has been pitching since he was 9 years old. He has great velocity for being 4ft-6 and 70 pounds but has trouble at times with control. He throws a 2 and 4 seam fastball but no junk. Any drills to help with control.

Control is quite simply tied to mechanics, and more specifically, the ability to replicate good mechanics over and over. If your son CAN throw a strike (which I'm sure he can), then you first need him to understand that even though he might "feel" as though he is duplicating that "strike" throwing movement, he really isn't.

My son is 9, playing his first full season of player pitch ball. The best thing I've done to this point is to catch him with a video camera set up over my shoulder (exactly where the umpire would align in the "slot".) Focus the camera on the mound. For each pitch, I verbalized pitch location because the camera isn't tracking the ball. (ie., "Strike - inside corner", "Ball - 12 inches outside", etc.)

As you review the tape with him later, it will become VERY clear as to the inconsistencies in his delivery. Watch posture, where he sets up on the rubber, stride length, stride direction, arm slot location, spine tilt, etc. If your son is spraying pitches, then one (or more likely several) of these variables will be changing from pitch to pitch. Select the most egregious flaws and search for drills/exercises that address that specific fault.

[bbrages]

Besides the above...

If his control is much better in practice than games, there could be a mental aspect to it...

[skipper5]

Besides the above...

If his control is much better in practice than games, there could be a mental aspect to it...

Agreed.

I'm a lot older than 11. But when we pitch high-stakes horseshoes under the lights in my buddy's backyard, yeah, my "ability to replicate mechanics" suffers as the stakes go up.

[cps]

Agreed.

I'm a lot older than 11. But when we pitch high-stakes horseshoes under the lights in my buddy's backyard, yeah, my "ability to replicate mechanics" suffers as the stakes go up.

And does beer affect the mechanics any?

[skipper5]

And does beer affect the mechanics any?

Yes.

I wonder how I'd perform if my partner kept saying, "Relax, take a deep breath." "Just throw ringers." "Release it farther out in front." "Follow-through!"

Klang!! my end-over-end delivery caroms off the stake into the dark patch of woods beyond the lights. Time to find the flashlight and root through the undergrowth.

Apologies for hi-jacking the thread, I won't do it again for another 60 days.

My genuine attempt to contribute to this thread is to say that throwing strikes is a very intuitive skill. How's that for a nebulous comment?

To some (key word) degree, they've got to find their own way.

[JCincy]

My son is 11 years old and has been pitching since he was 9 years old. He has great velocity for being 4ft-6 and 70 pounds but has trouble at times with control. He throws a 2 and 4 seam fastball but no junk. Any drills to help with control.

Without seeing him pitch it is hard to say. A kid can have good arm strength to provide the velocity, but if the rest of his body is not part of the throwing motion, his pitches could go anywhere.

Is his hand large enough to properly grip the baseball?
Does he have good balance when he brings his front off the ground or does lean his body to adjust?
Does his non throwing hand swing way out or does he bring back into his chest?
When he replants is front foot during the stride does he land open or closed?
Does his throwing arm drop down to his waist in side arm delivery?
Which way does his throwing hand rotate on the follow through, if at all?

Etc...

Here's a slow mo of Randy Johnson.

Watch his glove hand and his front leg. Through the early part of his delivery it's like a cable was attached between the two.

His forward motion starts with his front hip leading the way. He hands begin to fall, separate and then rise. As his throwing arm moves to an "L", he rotates his core and upper body so that the letters face the batter.

He smoothly pulls his glove hand back to his chest. His throwing arm creates a catapult like effect as he whips the ball into home. His throwing arm stays away from his body and note that his hand turns in, not out.

Finally the follow through brings his back leg into the finish of the pitch.

[scorekeeper]

Control is quite simply tied to mechanics, and more specifically, the ability to replicate good mechanics over and over. If your son CAN throw a strike (which I'm sure he can), then you first need him to understand that even though he might "feel" as though he is duplicating that "strike" throwing movement, he really isn't. …

I agree that replication is the key, but I don’t believe good mechanics are necessarily the driving factor. There have been pitchers with some pretty bad mechanics who could repeat what they were doing over and over again, and the result is control.

That doesn’t mean I advocate rotten mechanics! It just means I don’t believe good mechanics are NECESSARY for good control.

[tg643]

Having great velocity for an eleven old is irrelevant. If he's not throwing strikes it's either mechanical or concentration. It's more likely to be mechanical. Sports are all about footwork. If his feet aren't landing in the correct place it throws off everything else with his body. Focus on the footwork. Compact his windup. The less movement, the less can go wrong. Once you get to pitching grips I would teach him a changeup and forget the four seam for now. At his size he's not throwing the smoke to have the kind of movement on the ball multiple fastball grips provide.

[JCincy]

Having great velocity for an eleven old is irrelevant. If he's not throwing strikes it's either mechanical or concentration. It's more likely to be mechanical. Sports are all about footwork. If his feet aren't landing in the correct place it throws off everything else with his body. Focus on the footwork. Compact his windup. The less movement, the less can go wrong. Once you get to pitching grips I would teach him a changeup and forget the four seam for now. At his size he's not throwing the smoke to have the kind of movement on the ball multiple fastball grips provide.

If he is struggling to throw strikes, I think you should stay with the four seam - less movement on the pitch. And I wouldn't mess with a change-up until he can throw strikes with the four-seam pitch.

[tg643]

If he is struggling to throw strikes, I think you should stay with the four seam - less movement on the pitch. And I wouldn't mess with a change-up until he can throw strikes with the four-seam pitch.

A pitcher of this size isn't going to have enough velocity to get movement. So I prefer he use the two seam grip for when the day comes the velocity arrives. A pitcher needs two speeds before he needs two fastballs. I don't understand "messing" with a change up. It's just a matter of learning a grip, then throwing it like a fastball.

[JCincy]

A pitcher of this size isn't going to have enough velocity to get movement. So I prefer he use the two seam grip for when the day comes the velocity arrives. A pitcher needs two speeds before he needs two fastballs. I don't understand "messing" with a change up. It's just a matter of learning a grip, then throwing it like a fastball.

I don't know how fast this kid throws or what kind of rotation he gets on the ball to say throwing a 2 seamer won't have any break.

Younger players with good fastballs tend to have a poor release point on their change-up typically throwing them high. Once again, why would you have a kid who is struggling with strikes, changing his grip to more difficult pitches?

Finally, at this age I want every kid to be consistently throwing 4 seamers at every position.

[skipper5]

My experience matches TG's--minimal-to-non-existent movement on 2-seamers at typical pre-teen mph at the short pitching distances.
But lots of gravity-induced "sink" from the slower throwers!

Mound conditions: Keep in mind that they're struggling to learn a new skill under game pressure with their rear foot often in a crater and their free foot landing in dusty hole.
Spread some grease under the feet of a foul shooter and see how they perform.

[songtitle]

My son and I did things a little different (imagine that). I taught him every grip at age 10. Throw them at the exact same speed, and from the exact same arm slot. He has thrown those 10 or so grips and variations in every bullpen since. He only throws the pitches in a game that are actually working that week, or day, or inning. Some fastball, and some offspeed pitch. On good days, he can throw everything.

[tg643]

I don't know how fast this kid throws or what kind of rotation he gets on the ball to say throwing a 2 seamer won't have any break.

Younger players with good fastballs tend to have a poor release point on their change-up typically throwing them high. Once again, why would you have a kid who is struggling with strikes, changing his grip to more difficult pitches?

Finally, at this age I want every kid to be consistently throwing 4 seamers at every position.

Given the size of the kid provided I've worked with enough kids the same size to know the ball doesn't break at the velocity they throw. Four seamers are for max velocity. The four seamer isn't really needed until a college prospect showcase to light up the gun.

A pitcher is better off in game conditions having movement on the ball. That's the two seamer. I've seen plenty of hard throwers get lit up because they lacked movement unless they threw so hard they could overwhelm hitters.

If a kid has a poor release point on the change up that's poor coaching. The change up is about the grip. Starting at 11/12's a pitcher needs two speeds or some hitters will light him up. Even the best pitchers have to face 2-3 hitters per game who can jack a fastball is that's all that's being offered. Pitching is about keeping hitters off balance.