Not everyone is meant to be a pitcher . . .

Sorry that I have not posted in a while.  I have been both extremely busy and a bit under the weather, which is not a good combination, since I haven't really felt like doing much.  I have therefore very grudgingly abstained from pitching, and will wait a few more days until I am feeling better.  I have still been running and lifting and doing yoga, but have been taking it day to day.

This time of year, everyone wants to be a pitcher.  It seems like a very glamorous prospect doesn't it?  The ball is in your hands every single time, you get lots of credit for the win, everyone is looking at you, etc. . . .  Based on my involvement in the Lenox Hill Study, I have been fortunate enough to spend a bit more time at tournaments and games than I normally would, and guess what I am seeing among the older girls?  A plethora of young women who were pitchers at one time or another.

So what happened?  Did everyone suddenly hate being a pitcher?  Maybe they all realized how much extra practice is involved.  Maybe they realized how much more pressure is on a pitcher (more than any other player on the field, in fact).   Maybe they realized how emotionally draining it can be to work on mechanics relentlessly or to throw a no-hitter (or a great game) and lose to errors.   Some girls will literally destroy themselves as pitchers from the inside out - overanalyzing and not giving their skills enough value.  Wait a minute . . . wasn't this supposed to be fun?

The truth is, a lot of wonderful things come with pitching.  As in the pursuit of all wonderful things however, there is a tremendous commitment and struggle to rise above mediocrity and truly develop and achieve greatness.  Many kids who are natural talents when they are younger succumb to laziness or complacency (remember last week's blog?) and never reach their true potential.  What I have found to be an amazing commonality among every single pitcher I have worked with, without exception, is the fact that they have all gone through some major mechanical conundrum.  I mean something so difficult that it would almost seem impossible to fix.  At the time, it always does seem near impossible.  What separates the girls who go on to become the super powers of the pitching world and the girls who never break these bad habits is perseverance.  I can remember years back how Kaitlyn's circle used to go over her head, or Cat had no snap, or Liz had a crooked backswing.  I can go on and on.  We laugh about these things in lessons now.  It seems like it was decades ago.  Yet many other girls have gone through similar things and have decided "I am just going to keep on throwing side-arm" or "I am going to let my spin be imperfect" or "I don't need to use my back leg."  This is not always a conscious decision, but rather a decision made through work ethic or mental fortitude.  Pitching is not for the weak of heart.  You are the strong ones out there, girls.  Carry these lessons with you throughout life and watch how it breeds success in every direction.