"...but I'm not really a pitcher."

I’ve heard this from SO many young pitchers over the years that I’ve been giving lessons. One of the first questions I ask pitchers in their first lesson is what positions they play. Of course I care what other positions they play, but the ulterior motive in the question is too see how they view themselves as a pitcher. Often I get answers like “I play short stop, third base, and I only pitch at practice” or “I don’t actually pitch in games so I’m an outfielder.” Very few young pitchers will say “I’m a pitcher, and when I don’t pitch I play _____ position.” It then gives me an idea of where the pitcher’s self-image is at, and how much I need to focus on that throughout my time with them.
 
I use the phrase “It’s supposed to be hard, if it were easy everyone would pitch” when I see a pitcher struggling with a new drill or is just getting frustrated in general. I also often ask “How many people do you know that play softball?” The answers vary, usually with young pitchers I get around 30, and when I ask how many of those softball players pitch the answer is around 5. It really helps to put pitching into perspective for young athletes. For older athletes, I talk to them about how many of their teammates pitched when they were younger and decided on other positions as they grew up. It’s teaching the same concept, that no one said it would be easy, and that pitching isn’t for everyone.
 
I feel like sometimes pitchers (and parents) expect instant results. You cannot throw strikes overnight. You cannot gain 10 mph overnight. You cannot become a top-level pitcher overnight. Pitching is a process. It takes months, and even years of commitment and hard work.
 
At 11 years old I wanted to quit. I had just moved from 10U to 12U travel ball, and at the time that was when you moved from 35 to 40 feet, and from an 11” ball to the 12”. (How things have changed! I now have 12 year olds pitching at 43 for their middle school season.) I literally couldn’t throw a strike. There were many nights in my backyard that ended in arguments with my parents with lots of tears. We were at a breaking point, and I say we because it really was all three of us feeling the same frustration. My first pitching coaches at 7 years old had told my parents that I wasn’t good enough, and they should just have me play first base instead. I was finally feeling like they were right, maybe I really wasn’t cut out for this. My parents did something extreme. (They’re a little softball nuts…) They hired a top tier pitching coach out of California to give me video lessons, and then when that wasn’t enough we flew to California for a week. I practiced 6 hours a day for a week straight. By the last day I was in tears at practice because I was so frustrated. But…it worked. I learned more about softball and pitching in that week than I had in years of practice. She sent me home with so many new drills I thought my head would explode. I also walked away from that week knowing that if I could make it through what she put me through in a week, I could do anything. Yes, the week in California was great for me as a pitcher, but it was even more important for my self-image as a pitcher. It was a turning point in my career.
 
Every pitcher has moments where they wonder if pitching is really for them and if it’s all worth it, whether they pitch every inning of every game, or are still working towards earning some innings. It’s completely normal, and it’s probably not something that will go away as you get older. Adults go through the same thing when they graduate, start a new job, start a family, really anything new and difficult throughout life. Learning how to overcome adversity as an athlete not only makes you better on the field, but makes you more prepared for events that will happen as you get older.
 
If you put in the time, the effort, and have the right attitude then you are pitcher, no matter how many innings you pitch. You have to start somewhere, everyone does! Celebrate the progress, no matter how small. Adding 1 mph, getting a spin correct 5 pitches in a row, completing a wall drill correctly for the first time…the mile stones are endless. Paying attention to and celebrating the small things lead to success. It’s a process, no matter how old or how good you get, there is always something to get better at!