That may be no huge revelation to anyone who has been around. However, consider this.

In all of sports, there may be no more unnatural physical act than that of throwing a hard underhand pitch. So, unless your young pitchers have come from outstanding careers playing horseshoes, there is absolutely nothing they have done in their prior lives to prepare them for pitching softball.

Baseball is actually easier to learn. After all, everything a boy has ever thrown in his entire life has been overhand. From throwing rocks to snowballs, the overhand throw is a natural physical act.

Conversely, it may take a pitcher up to three years to master the art of the windmill fast pitch. First, it is a totally foreign act. Second, it is frankly more difficult to do than making an accurate overhand throw. (With Windmill pitching, you cannot SEE the release point; you have to “FEEL” it.)

The point of all this is: If you do NOT have a developmental pitching program for 8-10 year olds, your softball program may NEVER be truly competitive. All you can hope for is for trained pitchers to move into town.

Consistently successful softball programs in New Hampshire, as measured by their annual tournament performances, are all developing a cadre of 10U pitchers.

If you do not have good pitching: · you cannot have good hitting because the batters have never been up against good pitching. · chances are you will have weak defense, because the majority of base runners will get on by walks and will advance on wild pitches and passed balls. · it will be difficult to recruit good players, because they will not consider your program to be serious, and that’s what they want. · Your average game will be a grueling high scoring marathon.

I’ve heard some say that it is impossible to train players so young. Then I have watched teams show up to 10U events with three or more quality 10U pitchers. Those young pitchers will sustain that league for many years to come. The training program just keeps feeding pitchers into the league.

If you are serious about building a quality softball program, and understand how difficult it is to master the art of windmill pitching, then pitching development at a young age must be a primary focus. To do any less is self-defeating.