-Machines put the ball in the same place, at the same speed, all of the time. What about the motion of a pitcher? As kids get older they get more from reacting to a thrown ball.
-The only way you're going to get better is by facing live pitching. The machine just throws flat pitches in the same spot each time.
-6-8 year olds need to work on their ball handling skills; catching and throwing. Everyone seems to be so preoccupied with 'great' hitters. Coaches seem to be able to hit the bat more than the players hit the ball off the machine. With coaches pitching, it is a more realistic situation. You can teach batters to pick up the ball behind the coaches hat, etc.
-I think the batter learns how to pick up the ball if he hits live pitching. At the same time you need to be able to pitch hittable pitches consistently. The machine is very useful for working on mechanics.
A coach pitching to a child is not always the same perfect pitch all the time like a pitching machine would. No one is perfect not even the pros. So when the child moves up to the next league they will be used to people pitching instead of a perfect pitch from a machine.
-Our league incorporates some kid pitching along with coach pitching. This gets the 8 years olds a taste of pitching before they have to do it all the time in the 9 year old division. We really don't have the money in our little league to purchase pitching machines. Kids need to get use to seeing the windup from a real picher not a machine.
-It is easier to time a person pitching and it makes you have the right timing in games.
You want someone throwing accurately but yet you don't want the unaccuracy of young pitchers. The pitching machine only gives you one pitch in only location you need the ball to move around in the strike zone.
-Coaches should pitch because when you get older you will not be able to hit it in other places in the strike zone. The machine pitches in the same spot every time.
-It's better for the coaches to pitch to the kids after T-ball. It allows them to get used to the motion of a pitcher in front of them, follow the ball from the release of the hand. It also allows the coach to work with each child as an individual: how fast and where the ball will cross the plate. If you can put it across the plate at the right speed and location for them they can't help but hit it and that does more for their confidence than swinging at ten pitches from a machine and comming up empty. This year we went one step farther and started batting practice off with our own pitchers to let them get used to hitting against their peers right off the bat (no pun intended).
-Coaches should pitch for two reasons. First, so that hitters see different speeds as well as different locations. Second, it helps the kids pay better attention to what is going to happen when they get into a live pitching situation.
-Our minor division consists of 7 & 8 year olds. We have the players pitch first then after 3 walks in an inning the pitcher's coach comes out and pitches. It has worked real well for years. This way the kids gain pitching experiences and the games don't go on for hours.
They learn to groove rather than hit the pitch. We had the pitching machine and after we went to live pitching they had to relearn to hit.
-Coach pitching allows for the 'pitcher' to ensure the attention of the hitter each and every time. Encouragement also plays a role in the development of the hitter. I have found that more often than not I was attempting to hit a bat rather than having the batter hit my pitch. This is the start of a confident hitter who now believes he/she can do it. It is critical at that age that the child doesn't feel defeated as they exit their turn in the box. I never let them leave on a bad note, no matter how many pitches I throw. I'm just not sure a machine can do that. As they get older, even at 9 & up, facing a machine in some situations, (indoor/winter league) is less intimidating.
-I have found that kids can perfect or practice their swings on a machine because they do not fear being hit as machines are rarely wild. These same kids have difficulty hitting off a coach pitched ball, or worse, a kid pitched ball. To really teach a kid how to bat in game situations, not merely working on one's swing, coach pitch is better.
-Too much practice on a pitching machine grooves the hitter on the perfect fastball pitch, but no other pitches. A little time on a pitching machine is good, too much hinders I feel.
A young hitter can better pick up the flight/trajectory of a thrown ball.The hitter can utilize the arm's mechanics to better time the ball.
-I feel that it is better to face live pitching, it moves the ball around, and gets the hitter used to not hitting just one pitch everytime. Plus, if you have an assistant coach on the side, it gives him a better chance to work on the hitter's mechanics in an actual at-bat atmosphere.
-Pitching machines are generally right on the mark every time. This may build up a false sense of confidence in young batters who feel that if they swing every time, they will likely get a hit. Batters need variations. My real preference is to have youth pitchers.
-Players should get used to the motion of a pitcher as soon as possible, confidence in staying in the box is better acheived with a coach than with a machine.
-The coach pitch method teaches the players how to hit balls pitched in different areas of the strike zone. Hitting is a skill that requires instant adjustments. Two years of developing this ability will be an advantage, a nearly instinctive thought process when he faces live pitching.
-I have been a coach for over 28 years. I have seen many different ideas introduced for teaching young athletes. The machine does not help the batter, it gives him/her a false sense that the ball will always be in the strike zone. Thus live pitching makes more pure hitters!
-One league that I coached in several years ago, did both. Machine pitch for the first half of the season, and coaches pitch for the second half of the season. In the last few years, I have been coaching both rookie and minor league. I can tell you from experience, that with machine pitch, many players who haven't developed good hand-eye coordination tend to 'stick' their bats out in the general area the machine tosses the ball to. They will succeed in connecting with the ball after about 8 tosses.
-When a coach pitches, he has the ability to do several things to help develop each player:
Strengthen the players hand-eye coordination
Never put a child into a position where he/she will fail. The coach can more easily adjust the speed of delivery to compensate for a slower developed player.
The coach can pitch from his knee to demonstrate a ball's more natural angle of delivery. Pitching machines tend to arc. Thus when the child advances to the next level of play, they often go 3/4 of the season till they finally connect with the ball.
-The inherent inconsistency in the coach's pitching will help the younger player learn to control his bat. A machine is tossing the ball at a constant velocity and to a fairly specific spot. This doesn't help the player's hand/eye coordination when he comes up against live pitching at the next level. I will admit a certain amount of confidence may be gained by the fact the player will most likely hit at a more consistent level. However, I don't think that will help them to be a better hitter in the long run.
-Pitching machines are simply too easy. The best way to learn how to hit in baseball (and hit good) is with live coach pitching. The player can get a feel for how to hit balls on the inside and outside of the plate.
Our league uses a coach pitcher and I like it because it gets the players used to hitting off a live pitcher.
Coach pitchers also run directly off the field when the ball is hit, so they are not an obstruction like I would guess a machine sometimes could be.In our baseball association, we have done away with Coach Pitch and Pitching Machines. After T-Ball, our kids start pitching to one another. This way, they become accustomed to pitches from their peers, and learn to watch the ball closer.
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