Congratulations From the NCFSCA

A travel ball coaches association should be on top of everyone's list for an organizational meeting late summer or early fall. The only problem with joining the NCHSA is that you must be a high school coach to join. That rule kept many of us who were interested from joining the NCFHSA last summer.

 

Sorry, but I cannot prescribe to this idea many of you have that these kids are indestructable. To be a top pitcher in HS and travel ball; and then go on and play 4 more years in college pitching 30 plus games, daily bp, and practice just wears a body out. Who hear actually has any knowledge of this. I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

I recommend we do some research on the facts and see how many injury's there really are, especially at the college level. Then check out what happens when you are 30 or 40 years old. To quote an orthapedic surgeon without facts is foundless. This same statement was made by coaches in local area baseball. Once they experienced an injury these coaches changed their tune.

You will be surprised to see that many college teams have injured pitchers and a player or two also. I know of quite a few pitchers from your area that are having surgery or have had surgery over the past few years.

I think this rule has some merit if it is fairly divided between HS and travel ball. If you are truely for the girls, than look at this from their side not yours. You may find the pitchers support it. And if you look at it more deeply, it parallels what the NCAA is trying to do going to the 3 game championship series and get teams to not ride one pitcher through the tournament. It did not happen like that, but that was it's intent.

This rule will help to develop more pitchers in the long run and make teams stronger to compete nationally.

 

lblues

Coach, you are absolutely correct about proper mechanics IF they are taught properly, IF they use their legs properly, IF they learn from a skilled pitching coach, IF they do their weightlifting and other training necessary, yes they may come out unscathed. That is a lot of ifs though.
Not all have the knowledge of what is proper, however. The dad teaching his daughter how to pitch in little league may think he is doing it properly. And if noone along the the way points out any deficencies, the damage will be done long before college. Not all parents have the knowledge of, or the ability to finance lessons from a skilled pitching coach. Here in the mountains the nearest pitching coach could easily be 100 miles away. Not even mentioning that Dad may not know a skilled pitching coach from a barrel of rain water. So many factors. I didnt know pitching coaches existed till my DD was 16. And we had been playing travel ball for four years at that point.
So many factors go into developing a pitcher. Not all teams are as blessed as the Lady Blues have been over the years, having several good, strong arms to go to at any given time.
Some of these other young ladies throw every pitch for their HS teams and their rec league teams during the week, and then throw all weekend for their travel teams. Without complaining, I might add, as their competitive desire is so strong.
And anyone with a plate and 40 feet of flat ground can call themselves a pitching coach, and who is going to know any different? Maybe an accredidation of some kind should be thought about, might be a good thing.
Two years ago, my DD I believe was the first HS softball pitcher that Dr James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama
did Tommy John surgery on. Six months later he was cutting another pitcher from Asheville area. He told me then that softball pitchers should have limits on number of pitches, and limits on what pitches should be taught before the growth plate in the elbow was fully closed.
Both young ladies that I know that have had career changing elbow surgery thought they were doing it properly. In retrospect, obviously not.
When they are going under the knife is a heck of a time to come to that realization. But we didnt know any better. We do for the next generation of pitchers, though and that can only help

 

GREAT POST!!!!

you know. thanks for sharing and enlighting those coaches, parents of those hard working PITCHERS!

Brittany U pitched Outstanding tonite and YOU would have been Proud!

Come on down tommorrow or Sunday(745am or 8am respectively) and you are IN :wink:

 

and another thing

After reading my earlier post, it hit me how crucial the NCFSCA can be to the success of the game. Knowledge is power. Getting middle and high school coaches to understand the importance of mechanics, training, limits etc., and passing that knowledge onto players and parents has to be the first step.
Bad habits start early, whether it is pitching, fielding, hitting, or even more importantly, stretching and warm-ups. By the time travel ball coaches get these players it may be too late to correct, (and that is if the travel coach even knows the difference). Very few high schools have the luxury of pitching coaches, trainers, etc. that truly are necessary for preparing these ladies for the true rigors of the game. And those that do have no clue how most of the other programs outside of their realm are run. Heck, the college my DD attended didn't even have a pitching coach, and they are a top D3 school. How is the average family supposed to know all of this?
Mandatory information sessions for school coaches would be a good way to start. With enough support, (financially and physically) for the NCFSCA, maybe clinics can be put on in different regions of the state bringing the game to the coaches, as budget constraints may make it impossible for school coaches to attend otherwise.
Travel ball coaches and interested others should join whether we have a vote now or not. Eventually we will with enough input. And whether we accept it or not, we are all on the same side.
I am sending my dues plus a little in to the NCFSCA today. Whether I have a say in things or not, the organization deserves our support to empower the coaches in furthering their professionalism, and starting down that road of seeing the game we love played properly with as little danger to the ladies as possible.

 

Outstanding Coach and i for one THANK YOU Again for your support that you have given to the young ladies in WNC and beyond!!! Folks like yourself will Make the difference in the sucess of any Association!!!

Wanta go to Atlanta in a couple of weeks for some BALL??

 

Had a little conversation with an injured pitcher the other day. I mentioned the idea that underhand pitching is a natural motion and asked her what her thoughts were. She said that was fine until you learn to throw different pitches and specifically mentioned a screw ball. I can not tell you anything about proper pitching techniques, but the horses mouth leads me to believe that coaches may be overworking pitchers. I believe this could also be said at the upper levels.

 

screwball

I believe the addition of the screwball to my DD's arsenal was the straw that broke the camel's elbow.

 

screwball

I totally agree Fence. The screwball mechanics are not fluid at all. I would rather see them throw and inside rise with a little screw action instead.

 

The coaches associations are a good start for setting rules and improving the sport.

In an ideal world, all of the different associations (including H.S.) would come together to support the sport. Unfortunately this will never happen. The ASA is currently the association that has the college coaches attention. If I understand it correctly, one of the local ASA national qualifiers has been scheduled during the N.C. H.S. season. I would think not many (if any) H.S. coaches are willing to forgo a week in favor of pitchers and players doing well over the weekend.

In some states travel ball is played over H.S. ball when college recruiting is a foremost concern. I believe California players are in this situation. So (please tell me if I am wrong here) the N.C. H.S. state championship is the best way for college coaches to see more than 2 teams play at any one time. But it is during a quiet period that prevents these coaches from watching (is this true for all H.S. ball in all states?). There does not appear to be any benefit in playing H.S. softball in regards to advancing to the college level, but the benefit of establishing character, friends, and relationships in H.S. ball is part of the package.

Good luck to all with the NCFSCA.