Every parent wants their child to succeed. As parents, we invest everything we can into making sure our kids have what they need to thrive. If you are looking into pitching lessons for your child, be sure to find someone that truly has a Pitchers Plan for your child's short and long-term development.
Thank you for taking a little time to check out what it is that I hope to create with the Pitchers Plan. Over time this website will explore the potential of offering more than face-to-face instruction, but to get things started that is where the focus will lie.
When it comes to finding the right instruction for your pitcher, it is important to do your homework. There are many options to choose from and knowing which one is right for your child may take some trial and error. Don't be afraid to ask for references and fact-check your instructor's claims.
As a former left-handed pitcher, I know that my own success came from the instruction I received early on in my playing career. I was fortunate to have received strong fundamental pitching training from coaches with college and professional coaching/playing experience. Strong youth, HS, and College coaches with varied high-level experience rounded out my ability to learn the intricacies of pitching that propelled my career.
It is vital to find your pitcher a coach that understands pitching development at various ages and who will keep things age/skill appropriate. You want to find a coach with a proven track record of developing pitchers and a strong coaching pedigree. Anyone these days can claim to be an expert and talk a good game, be sure they can prove their credentials with facts.
Pitching Experience
Coaching Experience
Understands Arm Health
Understands Stength & Agility
While pitching experience can be helpful, don't get caught up in the playing career of a former pitcher. Find someone that is invested in your pitcher's development.
More important than playing experience is the instructor's coaching experience. Someone who has successfully guided pitchers in their development is key.
A true differentiator is an instructor that has invested time and research into the best practices to keep your pitcher healthy. This takes time few instructors fully invest in.
You want your instructor to be fully invested in developing the whole pitcher. If they are not discussing strength, agility, and flexibility within their work, keep looking.
Buzzword Soup
Talks Too Much
No player should throw a full 30 to 60 minutes. There needs to be talk/discovery time, but if your coach isn't focused on your player the whole time, money is wasted.
A coach that speaks in fancy buzzwords and catchphrases may sound like they know what they are doing, but can they simplify things for your pitcher's skill level?
False Promises
This is probably your biggest red flag. If your coach starts to make promises about your son's pro/college potential at a young age, be very leery. All players develop at different rates and while some future pro players are clearly more talented at young ages, a coach making false promises is sketchy at best. There are some in the business that do this in hopes of keeping you coming back. If your pitcher is talented enough they will get opportunities as they get older. Recruiting/scouting is a game few truly understand unless they have first-hand experience. If they claim these kinds of things, be sure to get proof and check references. As a former college recruiting coordinator I can tell you I didn't take calls from just anybody. If a coach is well connected, he will easily be able to share these references.
