The Bullpen That Broke Her Confidence — and Why It Was the Best Thing That Could Have Happened

If you’ve ever stood beside your daughter during a bullpen session and watched her confidence crumble pitch by pitch… this story is for you.

Inside my Next Level Pitching Academy community, a mom recently shared an experience that so many parents quietly carry but rarely talk about. Her daughter had just started our 6-Week Confidence & Accuracy Bullpen Program, and both of them were pumped to begin.

They stretched.
They warmed up.
They worked separation drills and whips.
They even printed the confidence sheet and thoughtfully ranked her pitches — most confident to least confident.

Everything was lined up for a great training day.

But by the ten-pitch mark, everything shifted.

Her daughter tightened up.
Overthought.
Felt the pressure of “only 10 pitches per spin.”
Started getting frustrated.
And before long, the entire session felt like a disaster.

Their car ride home was silent.
And when the mom told me what her daughter wrote on her confidence sheet later that evening… it broke her heart.

But here’s the truth I immediately shared with her — and with every parent reading this now:

This wasn’t a failure. It was a breakthrough.

Parents often assume confidence grows when a pitcher throws well.
But confidence actually grows when a pitcher learns how to respond when things don’t go well.

That’s why confidence bullpens can feel emotional. They reveal:

• How a pitcher responds to pressure

• Whether she can reset after a bad pitch

• If she knows what’s happening in her own mechanics

• How honestly she sees her strengths and weaknesses

• Whether she avoids or confronts discomfort

These bullpens serve a purpose far deeper than accuracy:

They build the emotional muscles she’ll need in real games.

If a pitcher only works through bullpens where she “feels good,” she’s not preparing herself for competition — she’s preparing herself for comfort.

Real growth happens when a pitcher:

• Has to regroup

• Has to adjust

• Has to stay with the plan

• Has to finish what she started

Even when she doesn’t want to.

And for parents? This is where your role becomes powerful.

This mom asked if she handled it right.
She asked what she should have said, or not said.
She wondered if she pushed too hard or not hard enough.

Every pitching parent struggles with that balance.

But your job isn’t to fix the bullpen.
Your job is to stay steady so she can learn to steady herself.

Confidence is not born from perfect bullpens —
It is born from bullpens that stretch her mentally, emotionally, and mechanically.

So what should parents take from this?

1. A tough bullpen is not a setback; it’s feedback.

2. Your daughter isn’t broken — she’s becoming self-aware.

3. The emotional reactions are part of pitching, not a sign she should quit.

4. Silence afterward usually means she's processing, not defeated.

5. These bullpens teach her how to compete when pressure shows up — and it always will.

This is exactly why the Confidence & Accuracy Bullpen Program exists.
Not to make every session perfect…
But to make every pitcher prepared.

If your daughter is walking through one of these tough days — you’re not alone.
And she’s not behind.

She’s growing.

One pitch, one page, one honest moment at a time.

— Coach D