By Amanda Tonkin
For the better part of 30 years, fastpitch softball has played an integral role in my life – whether as a player, a coach or an instructor. For 25 of those years, my career has been dedicated to a two-foot piece of rubber encompassed in a circle of chalk. The pitcher: it’s a position that thrusts girls into the spotlight, displaying loudly their biggest successes and failures as a softball player.
As a pitching instructor for more than 15 years now, I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with hundreds of incredibly talented athletes, ranging from as young as eight and nine years old to college-aged. I have had beginner pitchers, just starting to learn basic mechanics, all the way to advanced pitchers looking to squeeze any last extra juice they can out of their motions. I have had pitchers sign their National Letter of Intent at every level of the game – and others who simply wanted to be the absolute best rec, travel or high school pitcher they could be.
And no matter where the athlete came from, what her goals were, what her level was at the time I started working with her, what her age or experience was, at some point or another during our sessions, I have been continually met with the same question: “How does she get more speed?” And it isn’t always the parents asking this, but it is usually an adult in the athlete’s life, be it a coach or a relative. Very few times the athlete herself would ask me this – because as all pitchers know, speed (like every other skill developed as a pitcher) isn’t something you just do a few drills or go to a special strength program and magically pick up.
So, when met with this question, nearly 99% of the time I will provide the same response:
“It depends.”
The Truth About Speed
It’s not the answer people want to hear, but many softball pitchers will probably never throw 70 mph – ever, in her life. And no amount of pitching coaches, training programs, fancy tools or countless hours of practice will change that. And this is 100% OK because speed does not always mean talent.
Yes, pitchers who throw fast are flashy and fun to watch and can be intimidating, but like all good hitters know, the faster a pitch comes in the harder it goes out. So, no matter how fast your pitcher is throwing, it does not matter if she doesn’t have placement, movement pitches to compliment the speed and an understanding of how to be an actual pitcher and not just a thrower.
Is it wrong to want more speed? Of course not. Is it realistic to believe that every girl should be able to throw mid-to-upper 60s? Absolutely not. The truth about speed is that it is deeply rooted in your mechanics, understanding how to use your body progressively so that it works with the pitch and not against it – and honestly, just good old-fashioned natural ability.
I know, I know, it’s not what anyone wants to hear, but it’s a reality we should face – and embrace – as parents, coaches and instructors. There are some amazing instructors in the fastpitch world doing immersive studies on how the female body works and how to use those unique features to best benefit a pitcher, and still, not every single one of their athletes throws 65 mph. At the end of the day, it’s not just about skills, or just about body type, or just about practicing harder – it’s some weird amalgam of everything.
If there was a proven formula to throwing high velocity, a set of instructions to “do XYZ” and you can throw 70 mph – don’t you think everyone would be doing it?
The Truth About Spin
It's critical to note that none of this means your pitcher can’t pick up speed, there are absolutely ways to help pitchers get the most out of their motion and gain a few miles, and that is precisely where the focus should be. Set goals for your pitchers to be the best individual pitcher they can be – the best version of themselves. For some girls, that may mean a 65-mph fastball with a nasty curveball and change-up that dominates most of the game. For others, however, that may mean a 55-mph fastball with so much movement it makes batters dizzy and throws them off for a varying array of innings.
Fastpitch softball is evolving. Yes, there are still programs that ride powerhouse pitchers, but across the board, more and more are looking to a committee to get the job done. And as any softball enthusiast knows, batters catch on to pitchers. If every pitching staff had five pitchers throwing the same speed, the same way, hitters would catch on and the program wouldn’t be successful.
When used effectively – the often-overlooked skill of spinning the ball – can be just as successful as a pitcher throwing gas. Cat Osterman and Monica Abbott both donned Olympic jerseys – and yet one of those pitchers has a big focus on moving the ball with some velocity, while the other brings very high speeds with pinpoint placement. Both are considered two of the BEST pitchers to ever play the game – and both utilize completely different approaches.
As an instructor, you get a feel for what comes naturally to your different students. I have girls that tell me they can feel the ball spinning off of their finger – and guess what they are absolutely awesome at? Spinning the ball. And on the other side of the coin, I have girls that have arm whips that come through so cleanly with so much intensity, it looks almost effortless – and guess what they are absolutely awesome at? Throwing high velocity. Does it mean you can’t have both? Of course not. Does it mean you can ALWAYS have both? Of course not.
Helping Pitchers Grow
The key takeaway here is that BOTH spin and speed can be used to dominate a game – it doesn’t have to just be one over the other. And in many athletes’ cases, there are numerous ways to make them effective pitchers without chasing elite speeds they likely can’t obtain. Instead of trying to make every pitcher into a high-velocity thrower, assess what your athlete does well and encourage them to develop and grow those skills to help them be the best pitcher they can possibly be – and you’ll see what kind of strides they can make in their circle performance.
Speed is absolutely amazing – but so is spin – and it’s incredibly important to start recognizing the effectiveness these pitchers provide. Throwing a ball hard is great – but being able to manipulate a 12-inch softball with your fingers to dance all over the plate – that’s just as great.
Want to learn more about helping your pitcher become the best version of themselves? Elevate Sports Training in Dayton is proud to offer pitching instructors that teach the proper mechanics for internal rotation (IR) and advanced spin work for every pitcher. Contact us today at (937) 848-1990 or elevatesportsdayton@gmail.com to schedule a lesson for your pitcher!