Myth: Slow pitch will "ruin" a girl's ability to bat fast pitch.

Truth: Hitting is the same no matter if you play fast pitch, slow pitch, baseball, wiffle ball, stick ball....There is NO  difference. Both fast and slow pitch coaches do THE EXACT SAME BATTING DRILLS & SKILLS. The only difference is timing, which is just a matter of a few rounds at the batting cage. It is actually easier for a slow pitch hitter to move on to fast pitch than it is for a fast pitch hitter to move to slow pitch.

There are only 2 things that will produce a bad hitter:

1. The player. Be it their parents contradicting the coach, the player’s immaturity or their unwillingness to learn and listen to their coach.
2. The coach. Yes, a lot of youth coaches are nothing more than parents who stepped up. They may have played in the past, but do not know how to teach the mechanics.

Myth:  Slow pitch will ruin those who want to play fast pitch

Truth: Yes and no. If you want to be a fast pitch pitcher. DO NOT pitch slow pitch. If you want to be a better fielder as a pitcher, definitely play slow pitch, but as an infielder only and practice the windmill at home...(Did anyone see Jennie Finch pitch slow pitch the last few years at the MLB All-Star game? Didn't ruin her!)

Myth:  Slow pitch isn't competitive.

Truth: This one's great! Why wouldn't it be?!? Every contest is competitive! From backyard wiffle ball to MLB, it is all about those involved and their desire to play.

Myth: There is no future in slow pitch.

• Truth:  Adult slow pitch is HUGE nationwide! In 2016, recreational slow pitch had the largest growth of participation than any other sport! (See SFIA's Topline Participation Report for 2016).

  • Overall baseball participation increased by 7.7% and slow-pitch softball participation increased by 8.1% in 2016, with casual participation in both baseball and slow-pitch softball showing the highest growth.

  • In 2016, casual participation in baseball rose by 18.1% and slow-pitch softball increased by 12.4%.

• Casual participation in baseball and slow-pitch softball is up 34% over the last five years.

According to the Aspen Institute, fast pitch was down 5% from 2015 to 2016 for ages 6-12.

Also, less than 5% of all high school athletes go on to play their sport in college. That translates as 5 softball players out of 100 will play in college! Five. What do the other 95 do?  Not to mention, what is played at picnics, family reunions, fundraisers...Seeing a growth in the sport, 2017 was the 1st year USASoftball created a Women's national slow pitch team,

Truth: Anyone can play slow pitch. ANYONE. That is what makes it such a great sport. It is a sport that gives everyone, even those who may not ever be good enough for the fast pitch circuit, to get out on the field, grab a bat, throw a ball, make an out, score a run...enjoy America's greatest past time....

From the National Federation of State High School Associations:

Hello,

Before you dismiss & delete this information, please read, discuss with your Board & consider re-implementing slow pitch back into your league. This is not about trashing fast pitch or getting rid of it, but about how to improve fast pitch, your league, and do what your predecessors started out doing, offering an opportunity for the girls of your community to get on a ball field.

As you know, a lot of leagues are facing difficulty across the board: low numbers, quality of players, losing quality players to travel teams, finding/training coaches…. among other things. For those who haven’t been around that long or for those of you that do remember the “glory days” of your league, a lot of leagues had so many teams in each division, traveling to other towns was unnecessary. These problems started not long after the elimination of slow pitch and the rise of travel teams.

Now, some of your leagues can barely get one team per division. Why? What a lot of coaches/board members/parents fail to realize is that these are girls. That’s a fact, not a sexist statement. Most do not have the innate sense about ball that boys do. If you ever coached an 8u baseball team AND an 8u softball team, you would see this. Your younger age brackets do not have the numbers they used to have, because just the name fast pitch can be intimidating. Slow pitch is a much better introduction to the Barbie/Disney Princesses that make up this age group because it has a lighter sound to it. A lot of seasoned softball coaches believe that up to age 8-10 should not be fast pitch or slow pitch, but strictly instructional softball. Between the ages of 11-13 is when most girls begin to comprehend the deeper, more complex meanings of the game, not just the “throw to first” mentality most have, and are more readily able to learn new theories, philosophies and strategies of the game.

But again, why slow pitch? There are a lot of myths surrounding slow pitch:  it ruins girls for fast pitch, it ruins pitchers, they swing different…. In reality, girls playing slow pitch are better fielders, have more knowledge of the game and no, they are taught to swing level, (at least they should be!), just like baseball and fast pitch. It is actually easier for a slow pitch player to transition to fast pitch, then it is for a fast pitch player to transition to slow pitch! Girls who want to pitch fast pitch, should not pitch slow pitch, that IS different and hard for younger girls to make the switch, but they can play the field for skills and experience! The myth that there is no future in slow pitch is just that! Women’s & co-ed slow pitch teams/leagues are once again growing around the US as there is not much opportunity in fast pitch after the school years end.

Did you know? There is VARSITY slow pitch around the nation, even in Pennsylvania!! Georgia just added it in 2016-17 and Washington state is trying to get it reinstated. Oklahoma, the home of USA softball, not only has it, but it is huge! All-stars, playoffs…just like any other sport. Here in PA, the growth in the western part of the state has been huge! These are not small hick schools either! Hempfield Area, for example, the PIAA 6A Fast pitch champs the last 2 years, has a slow pitch program.

But how is slow pitch going to save our league? The idea is simple:

                Create a culture of softball.

Get as many girls registered as you can! Get as many girls registered as you can!!! There are too many other sports and activities that are easier and get the girls involved more. Like previously stated, slow pitch will assist you in getting those who would not sign up out of fear of the word FAST. The more girls you have sign up, the more of a pool of players you have playing, learning, growing in softball,  and in time, they will see that fast pitch is the next challenge for them! Wouldn’t you rather have 300-400 girls playing fast AND slow, then just 100-200 playing just fast?

And they should support each other. One should not feel superior or inferior to the other. Another myth is that slow pitch isn’t competitive.  That’s funny because ANYTHING in life can be competitive!  So there is no reason why one should feel like they are better than the other! Here is a good analogy of this as well:

A fast pitch team with a great pitcher and average fielders and hitters can win a championship. A slow pitch team with 10 great pitchers and average fielders and hitters, may not even make the playoffs.

Slow pitch is a whole team game. Those who have played in an adult league know that the old man that can hardly run, can smoke it by fielders where ever he wants! This teaches patience in the batter’s box, directional hitting and makes your fielders ready, and knowledgeable, in the field. This is why slow pitch is not only a great way to get girls on the field, but is a great training tool as it makes well rounded players and is a great ADDITION to any league that wants to succeed in fast pitch.