Why is fastball a dirty word?

Pitchers, parents, and coaches use the word fastball like it’s a dirty word. Like a throwing a fastball is something to be ashamed of, or something that isn’t worth your time. I have to laugh a little bit when I watch softball on TV, because I can see a pitcher throw a fastball and an announcer talk about how “flat” the pitch was and how the pitcher was “lucky.” Like no, I’m pretty sure that 67 mile an hour dead straight pitch to the black of the plate was exactly where it was supposed to be and did exactly what it was supposed to do...
 
“I only throw a fastball.”
“I throw a lot of fastballs, I’m not good enough for other pitches yet.”
“I’m sick of throwing fastballs, that’s why I left my old pitching coach.”
“Why can’t we learn new pitches yet? I’ve been throwing fastballs for years.”
 
With this new world of early recruiting, everything else about softball development seems to have been sped up as well. As a pitching coach, I see the impacts of early recruiting more and more on parents and players as the years go by. Pitchers are skipping fundamental skills because everyone wants to throw spin pitches ASAP to get recruited. Now that early recruiting has been “a thing” for a while now, we are seeing the negative effects of it at the high school level when pitchers are attending clinics and working towards playing college softball.
 
We  hosted a pitching clinic at Holy Cross a bit ago for players in grades 7-12. Most of the pitchers in attendance were at least 10th grade or above. One of the youth pitchers that I work with attended as well, she’s in 8th grade…and guess what pitches she throws? A fastball, and a change up. It was a great experience for her to take part in an advanced skills clinic and see not only the expectations I have for high school level pitchers, but also the level of play required to compete at the next level.
 
At this clinic (of about 20 pitchers), more than HALF of the pitchers in attendance could not spot a fastball or a throw a change up at the correct speed for a strike...BUT almost all of them had every spin pitch in the book. (Side note…a lot of their “spin” pitches, did not have the correct rotation or break, and they couldn’t consistently hit a spot with them either.)
 
This is a partially a product of early recruiting, and the accelerated timeline that pitchers feel they need to keep up with to play at the next level. More importantly…this is a product of SELFISH youth pitching coaches. Yes, selfish. Pitching coaches feel the need to sell themselves and the “product” that they provide. Many feel that to keep pitchers and parents coming back they must constantly be doing something new and exciting and “better.” Pitching coaches are skipping the basics to jump to flashy exciting new spin pitches, when in reality they need to be focusing on fundamentals and consistency.
 
When I first started giving pitching lessons (at the wise old age of 18), I often let pushy parents dictate when I started teaching their kids spin pitches. I felt that parents would stop coming to me for lessons if I didn’t eventually cave in and start teaching spins when they thought their kid was ready (I was that selfish pitching coach to an extent). After a few years under my belt, I no longer cave. If a pitcher genuinely cares about pitching at the next level and getting better, they’ll put in the work on their fastball and change up to EARN learning to throw spin pitches. And in the long run, the kids willing to put in the work are the ones who will go far anyways.
 
While recruiting I look for pitchers who can do the following:
            1. Spot a fastball on a dime
            2. A change up that no one knows is coming, is the correct speed, hits a spot, and can be thrown in any count
            3. Throw ONE amazing spin pitch
            4. Throw ONE very good spin pitch that compliments their amazing one
 
Pitchers who are average at all six of the pitches that they throw don’t win college softball games. Pitchers who are extremely effective and consistent with a few pitches and can change speeds win college softball games.
 
This starts at the youth level with fundamentals. Until pitchers can spot a fastball consistently, and throw a change up that is the correct speed for a strike THEY SHOULD NOT BE THROWING SPIN PITCHES. PERIOD. It’s possible…I’m living proof. At 13 I won varsity softball games, with a fastball, a change up, and a drop ball. I didn’t even learn how to throw a curve ball until 17 (AFTER I had verbally committed), and it became my best pitch in college. You can bet that my fastball spots were dead on, and my change up was effective, or I wouldn’t have had the success as young as I did.
 
I’ll be blunt, there isn’t a place on my pitching staff for pitchers who are average at everything, or cannot spot fastballs and change ups. I’d also bet a lot of money that there are A LOT of other college softball coaches who would agree. Just food for thought the next time a coach wants to teach your 10-year-old a rise ball, or skip teaching a change up in favor of something “more fun” to come back to it later.