Parental input...need help/answers

Well you can't save the world but you can honestly give your opinion on the subject. You may or may not convince the dad. He has stated the specific reason he wants you to work with him and if you are succesful maybe you can build some trust and convince him over time.

I would start off by putting the player off to the side to stretch and get warmed up.
Then I would pull the father off to the side and explain your concern of throwing the curve ball at this age, The harm that could be done by throwing this pitch incorrectly and the fact that the arms are still devolping at his age. ( growth plate's and such ).

Ask if he want's his son to be successful NOW.
Are successful when it really count's, ( HS and beyond ).

Most pitcher's that throw curve's at a young age are successful.
But you know that the success won't last without a true fastball.

Explain to the Dad that by throwing and relying on the curveball to get out's at this age, mean nothing in the longterm.

Throw nothing but fastballs and change-ups, and learn to control the fastball by hitting his spot's.
He will find much more success doing this in the future then just being a curveball thrower at age 12.
Longtoss.
Goodluck JH

EH

JH,
Choose your battles. Don't fight this one.

This thread could become an interminably boring discussion about whether youngsters should be allowed to throw curveballs, but it doesn't have to.

Instead, for the purposes of helping you make a good decision, assume for a moment that youngsters throwing curves with proper mechanics really does increase their risk of (a) arm injury, or (b) impairing development of their fastball velocity and location.

Even if this assumption is true (and I'm not saying it is), it's none of your business as an instructor.

quote:

Even if this assumption is true (and I'm not saying it is), it's none of your business as an instructor.

I beg to differ on this statement, It is his business.
He is in the business of teaching player's how to pitch.
And how to be succesful at it in the future.
That's why the Dad is bringing his son to JH in the first place.
For Info.
I do agree that it might cause a problem.
But if you want to be a Coach/Trainer of player's then you need to believe in what you teach is the right thing to do.
And not just take the money with know advice for the long term health of the player.

I'm not an expert as far as the curve ball at an early age.
But I do know that relying on the curveball will not add up to success in the long run.

EH

Here's my take

1. If you truly love the sport, you don't want to see anyone get hurt. You don't want to sit back knowing you could do something and not do it.

2. Taking the money and running could be easy. But looking at that from another light, a bad word-of-mouth recommendation from a disheartened parent (if, say, his kid doesn't improve/gets hurt and for some reason blames it on me) doesn't bode well for me in the future either.

3. I think if thrown properly, a curveball can do no more harm to the arm than a fastball can. However, at the age of 11, it is very difficult for a player to comprehend the importance of repeating mechanics. Out of habit (or the fact that at 11 a kid is still growing and has difficulty controlling muscle movements and fast twitch motions in his body), a player will overcompensate and begin to alter his mechanics to get more break on the pitch, resulting in a probable future injury.

Facts first: There is nothing dangerous about a kid throwing a curve IF he throws it mechanically sound. The reality is most kids don't and most youth coaches and dads can't recognize failing mechanics.

I would explain the above to the dad. I would tell the dad it would be much safer for the kid to learn how to throw a good change. If the dad wants his kid to have a curve teach him the knuckle change/knuckle curve. It's thrown like a fastball. It breaks because of the grip.

If you don't believe in teaching preteens curves, don't teach it. You may lose some clients. But you will get more clients with your sensibility, reputation and credibility.

If the dad insists the successful pitchers throw a curve, tell him by high school no one remembers who the preteen studs were except the ones who toasted their arms who coulda, woulda, shouda had they not ruined their arms.

If the dad pulls his kid, finds someone to teach his kid the curve and toasts his arm by age fifteen, you don't want to look back and feel like you were part of it.

Scroll down this site if you need help with the knuckle change grip ....

The Complete Pitcher

JH

If you take on the boy as a student simply have the dad agree before hand that you are in charge and you will teach the boy what you as the teacher think is correct---if the Dad does not like it then he can find another pitching coach,

You know my stepson Steve---he gives pitching lessons regularly--I would hate to tell you how many kids he turns down because Daddy doesn't agree with his beliefs---JH--you need to stand by what you believe to be successful--you know where I am coming from because you have played for me--give me a call if you want to talk about it--860-645-9854

In business, I quickly learned that my products and services, regardless of their quality and overall acceptance, are not for everybody. It took some time, but I am finally at peace with walking away from business relationships where I realize a fit is probably not possible.

There were several red flags in this parents conversation that would lead me to believe that a fit is probably not achievable. The first is that he believes he has a great many answers and only wants you to provide a service to fill in the gaps. Is that really what you do, just fill in gaps, or do you teach pitching. Never let anyone else dictate to you what you should be doing.

JH,

You have always seemed to be a very mature and sensible young man on here. Your post to start this thread is an example of One who thinks things through and goes to gather the counsel of those you respect and consider your friends. I applaud you coming here to seek wisdom on something that you deem very important.

RJM and TR give VERY great, sound advise. I use to be a HUGE proponent of kids under say age 15 not throwing CB's due to growth plates not developed yet, etc. But like RJM said, with proper mechanics it would be okay but the key thing in his post was " most youth coaches and dads can't recognize failing mechanics. Due to the fact that most likely after you will come many other instructors that his dad will employ along the way. One could only imagine the many different ways each one will teach his son to throw a CB.

Like TR said let the dad know up front that you have different philosophies in Pitching instruction with boys of different ages and at age 11 you just simply do not teach CB's at this age. However, if the dad wants the kid to learn a wrinkle to throw then as suggested earlier, teach the knuckle-curve or change-up (if his hand is large enough). Afterall, isn't that really what the dad wants? I'm sure he'll agree if you put it to him like that.

If he is adamant and wants proof, get his email address and send him this link Dr. William Andrews take on curveballs at a young age

When my son was a 12yr old and baseball was becoming increasingly competitive and travel ball was just taking off we faced a very mature 12yr old lefty that could throw a CB better than Barry Zito. Us parents just KNEW (at that time) that he was going to be a phenom in high school and maybe afterwards! By the time he was a 12th grader he played 1B because he could barely pitch. End of story.

This Dad sought you out. As an Pitcing Instructor you reserve the right to teach what you want to certain aged customers. Stand your ground. If the Dad is adamant on you teaching his son how to throw a CB, very kindly let him know that you are not the Instructor for his son. He'll respect you in the end. I promise.

Good luck young man.

JH - I understand you are in a tough spot. I've been in a similiar spot coaching a travel baseball team for 6 years. Only when they were grown and mature enough to understand why the mechanics are important were they taught a curve ball. We won 11U and 12U state tounaments with ONLY fastballs, and changeups. I told the parents if they wanted their kids to learn the curve ball to go to a professional pitching instructor. I wanted a clear conscience when they got older, because I've seen too many 9U-13U players with arm issues over the years, mostly due to throwing bad curve balls. All 12 of our travel kids were taught to pitch, but we did not teach curve balls. My oldest son throws very hard, and he didn't learn a curve ball until 16U per his professional instructors recommendation. He throws high 80's/low 90s fastball, change up and a knuckle ball will make your knees buckle. He will play D1 ball next year. I think you are getting excellent advice here from CPLZ, TRHit and RJM. For me, it comes down to "is the kid mature enough to coach himself with the proper mechanics". At age 11, the answer is no. There is contradictory information out there about throwing curve balls at a young age.....why take the chance.

I am no instructor but have coached this age group. My take is that if the dad wants you to help his velocity, help his velocity. Just do not even go in to the curveball discussion with him or the kid.

Hi JH, IMHO you are in a very difficult situation. It sounds like you want to help this person and his son. In all aspects you need to be honest and direct in dealing with both parents and their kids. Develop a good reputation and stick to the values you develop in your dealing with people. The posts already provided vary and will continue to vary based on personal opinions. But that is what is great about this site. I offer my opinion as the parent of a LH pitcher.

I sought pitching instruction for my son to teach proper mechanics before he started throwing hard enough to hut his arm. The very first thing the instructer told us was that throwing a cruve can take away some of your ability to throw a fast ball, mostly because you depend on it instead of the fastball. He told us don't start cruve balls until you are 13 to 14 and start only on flat ground.

When you provide advice to this man and his son and don't mention the fact the he is really too young to be throwing one you are setting yourself up for "POTENTIAL" problems down the road. If, at some point in the future the kid does develop arm problems his Dad will ask you why you did not say something before. He may not develop arm problems, hard to say now, but the kid certainly increase his risk down the road.

IMO kids do not need a cruve ball until high school, maybe 16u for summer ball. A young pitcher needs to be working on fastball, changeup and locating both of these pitches until they are 14 or 15. You need to convince the dad he needs to be in it for the long haul, not for glory at 12u.

quote:

Originally posted by AL MA 08:

You need to convince the dad he needs to be in it for the long haul, not for glory at 12u.

I certainly don't want to hijack this thread because it's very important that JH get sound advise on this matter.

However, with what AL MA says above about this dad can be a Humdoozy chore as we all know! Just listening to the things he told JH during their phone conversation tells me this dad is already seeing a Cy Young in the picture for his son at 12U! LOL

Working with this dad will be tough. It appears, by his conversation, he just wants you to work on his velocity, so thats what you can do. Check his mechanics, adjust where needed, work on a long toss and strength and conditioning program and above all throw fastballs(two and four seam)only with him. It is one of the better ways to build arm strength in a youngster while throwing.
No need to work on or have him throw anything off speed, leave that to dad, he seems to have a handle on it But you could always mention the pitfalls associated with youth arms and curveballs

what about the little league curve ball? that doesn't hurt your arm, you hold the ball like you are throwing a football and twisting of the wrist or elbow, just over the top.

I coached a kid in LL whose dad was a bit annoyed that I wasn't calling for the curve for his son. After all at 11yo he had shown a really good curve and had been the best 11yo pitcher in the league as a result. At 12yo the kid topped out at about 67 mph which when compared to the local kid who topped out at 74 mph wasn't much. I told the dad that I thought the kid had the potential to go somewhere and that he needed to focus on the fastball.

Fast forward 6 years to last weekend. The dad tells me that the kid was at a college camp and worked 89-91 and touched 93 (I'm not absolutely certain I remember him saying that he touched 93.) according to the coaches. He said that the kid's change is a dominant pitch and that he can throw in a curve when needed but it is the fastball and the change that are his go to pitches.

The moral of the story is to focus on the fastball and the change. A curve thrown in moderation probably won't do much if any damage but it will take away from development of the fastball and the change.

J H,
All I think you need to tell the dad is that you'd like your student to focus on the fastball for a while and that although eventually he can go back to throwing curves the only way he's going to increase his velocity is by staying away from the curve for now.

fivehole,
A lot of kids who think they are throwing a "little league curve" end up throwing a slider which is much harder on the arm than a curve.

I would avoid "he's wrong, I'm right," type of message. Simply stay with what you believe and instruct per your view.

PS Sometimes more effective to stay away from absolutes. I refuse . . . I never . . . . You can and should be prepared to explain your philosophy if asked. If the parent does not agree with your approach, they can find someone else who they feel comfortable with. That happens in many professions, not just baseball.

Good luck.

I am with CPLZ 100% on this one JH. I have instructed many kids over the years. You teach what you believe is correct. You never teach something you dont believe in. If they can not accept what you are willing to teach then you walk away. You talk to the dad before the session. If he does not agree to your terms then walk away.

Believe what you believe - know what you believe - teach what you believe

If thats not good enough for dad then he can do his own thing. But this might be a case of a dad who has no clue and is looking to puff his cheast and / or get you to pump his ego. He might back down once he sees that you have knowledge, believe in the knowledge and teach the knowledge.

Be up front in the first meeting or in another phone call. Tell him "here is what I teach and believe" and then it's up to him to come back or not.

Quick lesson - you are not going to make everyone happy at all times but you can do a whole lot to try and make yourself happy a lot of the time. If you stay in coaching you are going to make a lot of people upset. If you stay with the instructing there will be client who walk. It happens and don't lose one bit of sleep over it if you stick with what you believe.

Now let me be the mean guy and ask a question - are these kids you work with under some sort of insurance or disclaimer that frees you of liability? I've been in the business long enough that there are crazy people who will look to screw you over for whatever reason. You see yourself as providing a service in a friendly manner but once that groundball takes a bad hop and breaks Johnny's nose you now are the means for some money in a lawsuit.

quote:

are these kids you work with under some sort of insurance or disclaimer that frees you of liability? I've been in the business long enough that there are crazy people who will look to screw you over for whatever reason. You see yourself as providing a service in a friendly manner but once that groundball takes a bad hop and breaks Johnny's nose you now are the means for some money in a lawsuit.

Where were you in my argument on an another thread with 06 ?

JH
The question I would ask is are you sure you are knowledgeable enough to teach these young pitchers ? have you researched recent information put out by Dr Andrews and ASMI on the relationship to Young pitchers throwing CBs ? Have you read the research just completed by UNC Chapel Hill PHDs Fred Muller and Steve Marshall.1-888-830-4885/ email novello@email.unc.edu ?
If you are going to instruct and create a client relationship you should be knowledgeable and show you attempted to be so.
Not trying to be mean but I think you are wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by coach2709:
Believe what you believe - know what you believe - teach what you believe

.....Great advise

quote:

Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:
The question I would ask is are you sure you are knowledgeable enough to teach these young pitchers ?

BHD- What is "knowledgable enough" when working with an 11 year old. I doubt JH is charging professional rates and as a result he is taking the steady road a teaching proper throwing mechanics. If this Dad wants JR to throw a 6/12 curveball he should whip out his wallet and pay for that need. My bet is that the $60/hr guy will have the same advise as most, and stay away from the curveball with any 11 year old.

quote:

Working with this dad will be tough. It appears, by his conversation, he just wants you to work on his velocity, so thats what you can do. Check his mechanics, adjust where needed, work on a long toss and strength and conditioning program and above all throw fastballs(two and four seam)only with him. It is one of the better ways to build arm strength in a youngster while throwing.
No need to work on or have him throw anything off speed, leave that to dad, he seems to have a handle on it But you could always mention the pitfalls associated with youth arms and curveballs

JH,

The above post and many others here, sound like good advice. Personally, I would probably avoid giving this lesson. On the other hand, I’ve run across young pitchers who you just knew were going to throw curveballs. In that case I would try to teach them how to throw one properly. However, that is easier said than done in most cases. You can get them to throw it properly while working with them, but then in a game when adrenalin sets in, they will most often revert back to throwing it incorrectly.

Regarding the age old question about throwing curveballs at a young age. There have been well respected people on both sides of the debate. Not being in the medical profession and not being any scientist, people like me have to base their opinions on experience. I have seen, many times, young pitchers who had a good curveball. For their age they even had a good fastball, but the curveball was the most “successful” pitch.

Not in every case, but in most cases, these pitchers did not develop a real good fastball at a later age. Some actually got hurt, but can we say it was definitely due to throwing curveballs? Probably not, in all certainty. However, we have seen too many young phenoms who relied on throwing curveballs become nonpitchers or below average velocity pitchers by the time they reached 16-17 years old. At the same time we have seen many young pitchers who first developed the fastball and later learned to throw breaking balls that became very good breaking balls. Heck, there are professional pitchers who learn new pitches that end up becoming their best pitch. But pitching for most anyone starts with the fastball.

A story…

Back when I did instruction I had a dad bring his 11 year old son in. He said he was worried about his son and some of the things the youth coach had him doing. I looked at his son and his son was doing some very strange things. So I worked with him a couple times, just concentrating on throwing fastballs, mechanics and proper arm action. The son was a quick learner and caught on quickly. His dad told me that he was really looking and doing much better in the games and others even commented on it.

Then later on I got a visit from the boy’s youth coach. He was mad that I was teaching his players something different than what he was teaching. I asked him what his major issue was and he could only tell me that he was in charge of these kids, he was their coach. After listening to him rant, I had to tell him the problem is he was teaching the wrong things. He went away mad!

About 2 years later that same youth coach brought his own son in for lessons! The success of the first boy had finally convinced him that being a good coach was more important than being a powerful one. We became friends and he ended up being a big supporter of PG.

JH, The key to everything is to keep learning. The best instructors I know are continually seeking more information. When you quit learning, you should quit teaching!

Bobblehead- I have read studies by Dr. Andrews and Dr. Muller, as well as studies by Dr. Barry Goldberg (director of sports medicine at Yale) and Dr. Jobe. I also had coaching throughout high school by a pitching coach who worked hand-in-hand with Tom House on pitching techniques and preparation. The consensus is that the curveball does not do more damage than the fastball. However, in circumstances where the young pitcher becomes fatigued, the curveball mechanics are lost.

In recent articles published in the New York Times, the NPA and ASMI, all have stated that the underlying problem is not the throwing of the curveball, but the overuse of the pitcher. Many arm injuries are caused because of damage over time rather that one specific occurence.

My interpretation when working one-on-one with an 11 year old comes this way: If the 11 year old desires to throw a curveball, he needs to be throwing the curveball the proper way. Many times, however, mechanics are lost when a player becomes fatigued. When a player begins to compensate for his fatigue mechanically, that is when injuries occur. In an 11 year old, still developing body, the neuromuscular system is not nearly at the strength level that a fully grown body is. Changing mechanics will most likely result in injury for anyone, but at 11 years old, it is much more likely to get fatigued and therefore much more likely to alter mechanics.

At that age, a player also has a difficult time grasping the concept of repeated mechanics. When I was 11, 12 years old, I fooled around with a curveball. It got me a lot of strikeouts and a lot of success. When I moved up to the "big diamond" (out of Little League), that same curveball I had thrown began bouncing in front of the plate, and when I attempted to throw it over the plate for a strike, it would cause strain on my arm. That same coach who'd worked hand-in-hand with Tom House realized this, and retaught the curveball to me. I didn't begin consistently throwing a curveball until my freshman year of high school, and couldn't really consistently throw it for strikes until I was 17. Now I sometimes feel more comfortable throwing it than other pitches.

My opinion stands. At 11 years old, a pitcher does not need to worry about throwing curveballs to be successful. The possibility of injury due to a mechanical alteration is too great. A pitcher can do very well by having sound mechanics, spotting the fastball, and mixing in a straight changeup (which I attemt to teach to all of my pitching clients. You'd be surprised how many of them fall in love with the changeup after realizing how effective it is).

I recommend e-mailing Dr. Glenn Fleisig, who is the Director of Research at ASMI and a Biomedical Engineering professor at UAB, if you have more questions.. He can provide you with a much more in depth analysis of what I am saying using biomechanical examples.

According to the UNC study , the vast majority of college pitcher started throwing CBs between 11 and 14. In my phone conversations with the UNC researchers they agreed that there wasn't a link between CBs and youth arm injuries. It was also born out in a HS study they conducted as well. They found a large number of pitchers suffered injuries at the college level due to over pitching and pitching when their arms were sore or tired.
They also along with Andrews ans ASMI tried to find a causal Andrews actually believed there was a link but admitted that he couldn't find one.
Personally I wouldn't go to a young guy without years of experience at the highest level. The late Jim Rpley taught my son and he charged $25 a lesson. He was the head pitching scout for the jays until Richardi cleaned house and later scouted for the twins. Many ML pitching scouts teach over the off season.

quote:

The late Jim Rpley taught my son and he charged $25 a lesson

BHD- Not to infer that time has flown by since you were paying for instruction, but that is cheap! Were you getting a personal discount? What does an equivilant instructor in your area charge today?

What do other posters pay for hourly private lessons?

BHD

I have known JH for a number of years now and I can tell you that though he is young,he is mature beyond his years and is a student of the game--

JH I have read all of their material. My Son's doctor is a former Texas Ranger P coach and collaborates with House on his Pitchers Edge series.
My son and his teammates all threw CBs at 10-11. Several went on as my son did to pitch at D1 and have since graduated. Only one had arm injury but not serious. The one guy I know who played elite ball with my son who had TJ never threw a CB another who pitched in Arkansas at a D1 never threw a CB. He had a 90 mph fb that he dominated with. He had 2 years of Med RS. TJ surgery by Andrews and later bone chips.
My son who lived on the CB was dominant right into his soph year in college. He started to feel a pinching sensation near the end of the spring. His era was a hair over 2 and his OBA was under 2 for 30 innings. It was all about mechanics and poor coaching in my opinion. His coaches were trying to get his velocity up. He was at 86-87. Now why would you mess with his mechanics with a year he was having?
If you feel the way you do you should not work with this kid. I remember when my guy was 11 and he was a polished pitcher and never had any issues. You are right that some injuries are built over time but most are not. They can often be the one bad shot. If you have a good doctor as we did , they can detect arm problems before they get serious. That is hwy we had 2 checkups per season unless more were needed. My son always said his CB was easier on his arm that the FB.
Just because you are a guy who relies on CBs doen't mean you can develop a good FB. The other point is would my son even have been a pitcher if he didn't have a great CB let alone play and get a great scholarship at a D1 college in the South ? I am greatful for the coaching he had to get him there.

TR he seems to be knowledgeable. That is why I asked those questions.

RZ1 we even got free instruction when the MiLB teams were here for 13 years.
All our pitchers had professional P instruction due to an affiliation with the Jays.

I have worked clinics and I have been giving lessons at a facility for 20+ years.

saying your father is wrong and your way is right is not the way to go.

I have had kids where the father watches the lesson and says nothing and one where they might say they did not want their kid doing what was being taught. If the father brings up the curveball express your opinion.

you deal with it in a professional manner the best you can. Be polite.

Sometimes you have to give the parents something to hang their hat on.

quote:

His coaches were trying to get his velocity up. He was at 86-87. Now why would you mess with his mechanics with a year he was having?

You see this a lot; pitching and hitting...

as for the original post; I agree with folks saying if this is the business you choose to be in you need to decide your professional parameters, communicate them, and then stay with it.

merry Christmas to all my web friends (looks like i will be iced/snowed in)

quote:

Originally posted by trojan-skipper:

merry Christmas to all my web friends (looks like i will be iced/snowed in)

Skipper, as long as you have internet acccess, HSBBW, and Us - what else do you need?! LOL

Merry Christmas to all as well!

JH

Of course he needs to focus on velo and getting stronger. The father has indicated that he's a results type guy (keeping stats)and by retaining you is interested in his son improving.

I'd ask him to show me 1 CB and show another one after a heavy bullpen of FB's. Maybe he's a natural. If not. I would make a suggestion on where his dad can find info on the stesses of a CB and recomendations on throwing a CB at this age.

I would then ask him what his approach to conditioning might be. Is he on long toss program, bands, etc... And the importance of developing deep strength with small muscle groups, which requires years of work. At this point I would suggest working on CU,2S, maybe even a cutter if he's looking for something with a little movement.

This would be my approach to all my new clients. If the dad grasps that your genuinely interested in his sons welfare than he'll be a client /friend for life. And your reputation will grow. If you submit to the dads will... Well good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by rz1:

quote:

The late Jim Rpley taught my son and he charged $25 a lesson

BHD- Not to infer that time has flown by since you were paying for instruction, but that is cheap! Were you getting a personal discount? What does an equivilant instructor in your area charge today?

What do other posters pay for hourly private lessons?

One local NPA guy charges $120.00 an hr. With a 1 hr min. Were $40.00 a half. And a half hr is plenty of time to get what you need to get done

quote:

Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:
JH I have read all of their material. My Son's doctor is a former Texas Ranger P coach and collaborates with House on his Pitchers Edge series.
My son and his teammates all threw CBs at 10-11. Several went on as my son did to pitch at D1 and have since graduated. Only one had arm injury but not serious. The one guy I know who played elite ball with my son who had TJ never threw a CB another who pitched in Arkansas at a D1 never threw a CB. He had a 90 mph fb that he dominated with. He had 2 years of Med RS. TJ surgery by Andrews and later bone chips.
My son who lived on the CB was dominant right into his soph year in college. He started to feel a pinching sensation near the end of the spring. His era was a hair over 2 and his OBA was under 2 for 30 innings. It was all about mechanics and poor coaching in my opinion. His coaches were trying to get his velocity up. He was at 86-87. Now why would you mess with his mechanics with a year he was having?
If you feel the way you do you should not work with this kid. I remember when my guy was 11 and he was a polished pitcher and never had any issues. You are right that some injuries are built over time but most are not. They can often be the one bad shot. If you have a good doctor as we did , they can detect arm problems before they get serious. That is hwy we had 2 checkups per season unless more were needed. My son always said his CB was easier on his arm that the FB.
Just because you are a guy who relies on CBs doen't mean you can develop a good FB. The other point is would my son even have been a pitcher if he didn't have a great CB let alone play and get a great scholarship at a D1 college in the South ? I am greatful for the coaching he had to get him there.

I think we have a record for the use of "my son" in a single post.

LOL

LOL, BLprkfrnks, that was funny.
JH,
Kudos to you for coming here with your concerns, you seem like a very mature young man. My son was asked last year to work for a friend who began a gym and needed pitching instuctor, he thought about it and turned it down, partly because of some concerns that you have, another part is because although he was a pitcher, he didn't think he knew enough to instruct properly.
But you seem to be well prepared, and IMO, it is you that has to instuct with an approach that in a way you feel comfortable. Not to get into the pros and cons of throwing CB's early, at 11, the FB and then the CB should always be first consideration in the game.
Some good points, teach him to throw it properly, there is no harm in suggesting he shy away from it until he develops a better FB, then a change up. I am sure that you will do a good job of educating the dad, which would include the pros and cons of early FREQUENT use of the CB.
JMO.

BHD,
I am not understanding the stats you have posted in this topic, was that in HS?

The reason I brought this up, was because this topic was about someone asking for advice, and it has seemed to take another turn toward your son, so I was just wondering about what you posted, I can't find those stats.