How To Coach A Pitcher
Written By Keri
Casas
Many coaches run into
the issue of how to coach a pitcher, especially when they have never been a
pitcher before. Even if a coach has prior experience as a baseball
pitcher, it simply isn’t the same; mentally or physically.
Coaching a female athlete, for one, can prove to be a difficult task in itself;
coaching a pitcher is a whole other story. 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. 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. Wins and losses are heavily
weighed on the pitching performance and can affect the mental and physical
stability of the pitcher. 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.
Many pitchers already understand the pressure of the game and their role as a
prominent player. Pitching is 80% mental, 20% physical and a coach can
easily play into those percentages. 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. 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. Your lack of
confidence in her pitching will only deteriorate her confidence in herself.
It is expected that a coach supports their pitchers simply because they picked
them up on their team for a reason. If they didn’t have faith and
confidence in their pitchers ability, they should not have brought them on the
team. 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. Again, with pitching being
80% mental, there is probably something going on with her that is deeper than
her physical ability. 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.
So aside from “having your athletes back,” get to know your pitcher. If
you don’t know anything about your pitcher, you will struggle to understand her
while she is in a game. 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.
A huge point for male coaches to understand is that you are not a pitcher.
You have never played fastpitch softball, you have never been a fastpitch
pitcher, and you will never be a fastpitch pitcher. Despite thinking that
you could coach a pitcher mechanically, understand that you are wrong. J
Even though you may think you see certain things that your pitcher could work
on, discuss it with their pitching coach first. They may already be
working on that exact thing, or they could be working on something entirely
different. 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. 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.
As a coach, it is your
role to be a supportive figure for all your female athletes. Pitchers in
particular need to know that you trust them, you have confidence in them, and
that you believe in their ability. The more you show them this support,
the more confidence they will have in their own game, in turn, bettering their
performance every outing.