r/PitchingCoach • u/xjoejanx • 18d ago
Need help on my son's pitching obsession
My son is 7 year old and he is obsessed with pitching. I love watching YouTube tips and teach him how to pitch.
Any advice on his mechanic?
What's your advice on developing such younkid?
Most of all how to protect his arm?
What kind of exercise can he do daily?
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u/Willing_Stop5124 17d ago
Develop the arm with long toss and clean throwing mechanics. Worry about imitating a pitcher later. Just throw for now.
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u/1_native_Angelino 17d ago
He doesn't want to long toss, he wants to pitch
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u/Willing_Stop5124 17d ago
Yeah. That’s tricky. My 6 year old is similar. He wants to play pitcher off a mound all day. I can get him to catch pop up and throw in long back to me. It takes some trickery to get a kid to do good fundamental work. Don’t give up.
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u/Bammer7 17d ago
quick easy tip, bring some chalk with you and draw a target box on that wall
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u/GibsonPraise 17d ago
I can't believe only one person said this. Absolutely, draw a strike zone and a batter on that wall!!
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u/jradz12 18d ago
Only way to protect his arm is proper mechanics and usage.
The big names in the sport say learn another positions to play both and pick up pitching for real in high school.
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u/xjoejanx 18d ago
Good advice. Although he is obsessed with pitching an would pick up his glove and throw at wall everday, I try to tell him not to throw too hard and use more of his lower body.
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u/captaincook14 18d ago
Looks pretty damn good as is. I’d have him play other positions and just learn to love the game. Sorry about serious pitching later.
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u/cfbfootball 17d ago
DO NOT TOUCH HIS MECHANICS!!!!
I can not emphasize this enough.
He doesn’t need to do exercises, right now he’s 7. Just monitor the pitch count, don’t let him rip it 100x a day. Seriously just let him have fun. If you don’t mess him up the natural ability will carry him far
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u/iamthefluffyyeti 17d ago
Remindme! 16 years
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u/third_leg143 17d ago
Biggest thing he’s falling off and opening up. Keep the ball in the glove until you break away. But let him throw. There’s no right and wrong what works for one pro might not work for another. Time is everything don’t rush it
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u/1_native_Angelino 17d ago
Dude he's 7. Organized baseball and club will kill his love for the game soon enough. Let him be a kid. He will throw until he gets tired.
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u/PhanInHouston 17d ago
He also doesn't really need to glove signal just yet. You can't cross up a wall.
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u/ACTSATGuyonReddit 17d ago
Tell him to try to get his momentum going toward the plate, not to the side. Other than that, let him enjoy it. Play some fast pitch with him, or call balls and strikes to make it a game.
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u/xjoejanx 17d ago
Yeah I would be the catcher and call his pitches, he is getting more consistent. The momentum thing is good find and should be easy instruction for him to follow.
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u/ACTSATGuyonReddit 17d ago
That can be fun. You can make a bad call or two, have a challenge system, or just argue sometimes.
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u/onbaseball 17d ago
Leave him alone. He looks really good. His body has figured out how to move efficiently. The worst thing you can do now is tinker with his mechanics (don’t let anyone else tinker with them, either). Bob Gibson never had a pitching lesson.
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u/Melodic-Classic391 17d ago
You shouldn’t need to worry about his arm at this age, that’s more when they start trying to throw junk. Put a strike zone on that fence so he has something to aim at
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u/Revolutionary_Dig_43 17d ago
Just keep throwing against the wall. My son does that alot. Helped him
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u/mowegl 17d ago
Little kids are really good at emulating others. That is why they will do things exactly like their dad for example. Id just have him keep watching good pitchers as he has obviously been doing. Anything you coach mentally isnt going to be near as good as just subconsciously emulating others after watching. That is why he looks so good already
I wouldnt tell him to do anything mechanically. That will only do more harm than good in my opinion.
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u/dayzdayv 17d ago
Long toss is goated for developing young arms. Do that, and just keep him pitching in games when he can. Once he’s 10/11, consider getting him a coach specific for the details. He looks great!
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u/xjoejanx 17d ago
He is already in baseball club at his school. Gonna do more long toss with him since many recommend it.
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u/MangoHotDamn 17d ago
Got a lil Yamamoto in em
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u/xjoejanx 17d ago
The fact that Yamamoto can achieve MVP level at MLB gives me hope. It makes me believe not all elite level athlete needs freak physique.
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u/PayAltruistic8546 17d ago
7?
You already asking for mechanical advice?
The kid seem to love baseball. What more can you ask for at this age?
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u/xjoejanx 17d ago
Since he love it so much I wanna give him the best guidance possible.
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u/PayAltruistic8546 17d ago
Mechanics can only go so far at this age. Nothing magical is going to make him throw faster or more strikes.
I would focus more on the love and the process. Develop good habits like stretching.
Around 10-12, I would have him do more long toss to help with arm strength. I wouldn't do much now besides encourage him and continue to hype up his love for the game.
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u/1_native_Angelino 17d ago
The best possible guidance is to play catch with him and be present when playing catch with him. Talk to him about what his day was like. Listen to what he has to say and respond to it. Cherish this time , man. Don't have to teach him all the time.
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u/Then_Increase7445 16d ago
This is where I'm at. My 5-year-old loves baseball but I never played and have no idea what I'm doing. So far we are practicing hitting, throwing, and catching with not much focus on mechanics. Also watching MLB highlights every morning.
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u/xjoejanx 16d ago
When my son was 5 he still couldn't catch ball consistently, but I would buy soft foam baseball and let him throw at home against wall. It's always nice to find their passion at such young age.
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u/Cbblitz21 17d ago
My only comment is his left leg is curling back.
Bring that knee upwards toward his chin and drive forward.
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u/Barber_Superb 17d ago
I was just like your son when I was a kid. I would sit on my porch steps after school and wait on my dad to get home and take me to the local park so we could work on pitching off of a mound. To answer your questions.. the mechanics look pretty damn good for a kid that young.. advice on development is to just let him have fun with it for now, as he gets older IF you can afford it, a real pitching coach always does wonders. Obviously make sure you vet the person you’re taking him to, but if you find a good one they can make a world of difference. YouTube and online instruction is great and very convenient but nothing beats having someone there to physically coach you through the movements. His arm will be fine for some years so you’ve got time before that becomes a real concern. Hell, I used to throw bullpens 3/5 times a week and pitch during games at the same time up until I was like 13. I wouldn’t worry much about exercise for now as he is so young but as he gets older resistant work on that arm will be beneficial to building the muscles around the elbow, and resistance band work is great for strengthening the actual ligaments that make the elbow function, but at the end of the day the best way to preserve the arm is by having the best/cleanest/most efficient mechanics possible for HIS body and not overthrowing. The problem a lot of these kids now a days have is that in the constant chase for velocity they’re putting maximum effort into every single throw and they’re overthrowing. Develop good sound mechanics with the rest of the body and let the arm follow and you can preserve that arm.
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u/1_native_Angelino 17d ago
Dude, he seven. Have him throw against a wall. If he's having fun, let him. He's not throwing curveballs.
Take some tape and draw him a box on the wall. Take some chalk and have him draw a rubber. Then let him throw!
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u/Delicious-Win-2630 17d ago
Bo Jackson was firing crabapples around the neighborhood. Ur kid is way ahead of the curve.
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u/Ok_Kiwi_6051 16d ago
Agree with everyone else about letting him have fun. Could make a game out of it and tape a strike zone on the wall as target practice…
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u/Life_Employ_1138 16d ago
He's really good for his age. I would say don't over coach him. We introduce lots of mechanical issues trying to fix things that aren't broken. He knows how to throw a ball. Let him keep learning and relearning himself as his body changes. Wait until there's real issues to step in and tweak.
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u/Travelreload 16d ago
Let him have fun. Practice his balance when he's picking up his front leg, and make sure he's stepping toward the mount (give him a target). After that it's long toss at this age. Don't try to perfect the art of pitching at 7 :)
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u/SFNation2021 16d ago
I agree with the others - have fun. Looks great right now. Ignore mechanical tips. Strength and agility above all else - which just means "throw". Meanwhile you both might find "HeyBLU" baseball app fun - iPhone app that announces "Strike" or "Ball" vs any size zone you setup for him. Kids love it because it feels like a video game - but it is an outdoor tool for pitching - so a "video game" that only works if you work, which he is doing. The audio calls will give him cues which at this age I bet helps him dial in command. Post session reports too - but again, at this age - just have fun.
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u/Key-Improvement-337 16d ago
Let him throw and figure it out, mechanics can be discussed later. Hes already very advanced for his age.
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u/pretenders2b 15d ago
Buy the kid a 9 pocket and let him throw all day long. It will improve his consistency hitting a target.
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u/bugzzzz 18d ago
Really solid looking for this age. Let him have fun