quote:Originally posted by YoungGunDad:quote:
Originally posted by Gingerbread Man:
I am pretty sure that pretty much every Dad out there knew what their kid threw velocity wise when they first started throwing. If they didn't, they had a pretty good idea. Sure, we are not going to see guns popping up at little league games- I mean really- when was the last time that guns started showing up behind the backstop at little league games?
Not only parents, but the kids themselves want to know what velocity they throw- even at 10 years of age.
And we all know the rest of the story....when one kid finds out what he throws it becomes a competition of sorts to see who is the fastest thrower in a group.
From that very first reading on- whether it was at age 9 or age 15, people become obsessed with gaining more velocity. Thats not a bad thing, it eventually breeds into pitchers able to throw upper 90's and living the high life for the select few who can bring it.
Whether we like it or not, little leagues, travel leagues, etc, across the nation are going to continue to be the breeding ground for kids and parents obsessed with gaining more velocity and the endless comparisons between little Johnny and Peter will be the drive for gaining that velocity. There is not a single parent or player out there that has not obsessed to some degree over their velocity from when they first started pitching. Comparisons are also going to continue- even at 10 years old- its perfectly natural to always know where one stacks up.
Even from early ages, once a pitcher has showed some genuine ability, parents and coaches have tried everything in the book to generate the right sequence of teaching, training and coaching to exert the most potential velocity from an arm for the present and the future.
There is a reason we do not see the kids with the weak arms pitch or continue to pitch as they get older. Baseball gradations at each level filter out weak arms and either eliminate them or limit their playability altogether. Parents and kids know this and so the endless drive in youth baseball players to gain velocity will continue. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not! Should we never gun little 10 year old Johnny? Good luck on that happening- kids and/or parents will always find a gun and the comparisons will always be the battleground for gaining velocity.
You blow my mind GBM. Parents of 10yr olds sitting at a LL game are NOT curious as to HOW fast a kid is throwing and want to gun him. LOL. Are you for real? They may look and see a kid throws hard and be impressed, but thats it. I honestly don't think I've ever seen or read from anyone on HSBBW that is as obsessed about velocity than you are my friend. It is nuts these things you say.
I knew that younggunson threw harder than most when he was 11-15 yrs old but I could've cared LESS how fast he threw. I, like him and the coaches, just wanted him to get batters out and help the team win.
Should we never gun a little 10yr old? I can't even answer this! This is ludicrous..and I ain't talking about the singer!
You really need to put the gun down and back away from it. I can only imagine how stressed your son may be with your obsession with him throwing harder at a time when he should be focusing on having fun and being consistent (mechanics) with his pitching.
I don't know of any pitcher that has pitched at least 1-2 seasons, and were good, that didn't have an idea or knowledge of what velocity their arm was capable of. Just as a sprinter knows his time, a pitcher should also know his time. Just ask any young baseball player if they have ever thrown in front of a gun either in a game, at a carnival, at a professional ballpark, etc, and they will just about for sure tell you they have. Havene't you ever been to a little league game and overheard the young kids bragging about how fast so and so is or how fast they are? Kids are actually more obsessed than parents- its bragging rights for them.
You may think I have this undue obsession with my sons velocity. Guess what? I don't even own a gun. The only time he gets gunned is when he goes to a camp (yes they gun every pitcher regardless of age), tryout, or when someone else guns him at a game curious to know what he is throwing. Is velocity important? Yes it is, otherwise we should just get the kids that can place pitches over the plate and have them be the pitchers.
The way it has always worked and will continue to work is that the hard throwers will always get the 1st nod on the mound- that is how important velocity is. And someone will always know or want to know "how fast" a pitcher throws.
I have documented how my son has progressed since he was 10 both on mechanics and velocity. And from a little research on the web, so has pretty much everyone else. So I guess we are all a little obsessed with velocity.
I will tell you this much- they do gun every pitch at the LLWS. Now why would they do that if everyone in the country wasn't at least partially interested in how fast they were throwing?