{"id":224,"date":"2012-08-30T20:09:16","date_gmt":"2012-08-30T20:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.coachingafemaleathlete.com\/?p=224"},"modified":"2014-07-09T05:29:59","modified_gmt":"2014-07-09T05:29:59","slug":"how-to-coach-a-pitcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.coachingafemaleathlete.com\/?p=224","title":{"rendered":"How to Coach a Pitcher"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Many coaches run into the issue of how to coach a pitcher, especially when they have never been a pitcher before.\u00a0 Even if a coach has prior experience as a baseball pitcher, it simply isn\u2019t the same; mentally or physically.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Coaching a female athlete, for one, can prove to be a difficult task in itself; coaching a pitcher is a whole other story.\u00a0 Not only are you dealing with the emotions of a female athlete, you are dealing with one that has the pressure of the game on their shoulders.\u00a0 The pitcher controls a large portion of the outcome and it is well known that they have to be mentally prepared, ready, and tough to see success within the game.\u00a0 Wins and losses are heavily weighed on the pitching performance and can affect the mental and physical stability of the pitcher.\u00a0 As a coach, it is your job to help them maintain confidence and aggressiveness in practices and games without putting excessive pressure on them, without being overly critical, and by showing that you support them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Many pitchers already understand the pressure of the game and their role as a prominent player.\u00a0 Pitching is 80% mental, 20% physical and a coach can easily play into those percentages.\u00a0 If a coach is constantly nagging their pitchers, telling them that they need to throw this and that without error or else they will be pulled, that pitcher will fail.\u00a0\u00a0 Regardless of how mentally tough that pitcher may be, the lack of confidence and negative consequence from a coach will only lead to negative results.\u00a0 Your lack of confidence in her pitching will only deteriorate her confidence in herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It is expected that a coach supports their pitchers simply because they picked them up on their team for a reason.\u00a0 If they didn\u2019t have faith and confidence in their pitchers ability, they should not have brought them on the team.\u00a0 Yes, it can be extremely frustrating to watch a pitcher struggle in a game, or not throw to her ability, but getting mad and showing disappointment in that athlete will not help the situation.\u00a0 Again, with pitching being 80% mental, there is probably something going on with her that is deeper than her physical ability.\u00a0 As a coach, and an adult, remember that you are there to support and show them that you will stand behind them as athletes in both their good and bad outings.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So aside from \u201chaving your athletes back,\u201d get to know your pitcher.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t know anything about your pitcher, you will struggle to understand her while she is in a game.\u00a0 Female athletes can be hard to read, so the more you can get to know her, the better you can connect regarding pitch calling, her endurance, and her mental stability on the mound.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If your pitcher goes to a pitching coach, attend a lesson.\u00a0 See how she interacts with her instructor and key in on the things she is focusing on developing.\u00a0 A huge point for male coaches to understand is that you are not a pitcher<\/span>.\u00a0 You have never played fastpitch softball, you have never been a fastpitch pitcher, and you will never be a fastpitch pitcher.\u00a0 Despite thinking that you could coach a pitcher mechanically, understand that you are wrong. J\u00a0 Even though you may think you see certain things that your pitcher could work on, discuss it with their pitching coach first.\u00a0 They may already be working on that exact thing, or they could be working on something entirely different.\u00a0 It is important to maintain that connection with their pitching coach as they have more one on one time, they confide in them, and are in their profession for a reason.\u00a0 Once you make this connection, it will better your relationship with your pitcher and you will be able to reiterate what their pitching coach tells them during practices and games.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As a coach, it is your role to be a supportive figure for all your female athletes.\u00a0 Pitchers in particular need to know that you trust them, you have confidence in them, and that you believe in their ability.\u00a0 The more you show them this support, the more confidence they will have in their own game, in turn, bettering their performance every outing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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