8 Year Old Working On I/R

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Feb 3, 2010
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Pac NW
How long has she been working at pitching? Hoping someone can post this in slow mo. The only real issue I see is the lack of a hair tie. Other than that; carry on! Nice work.
 
Mar 21, 2013
164
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She has worked since the beginning of this year. She pitch in the spring for our 8u team. She has really good speed and control for her age. She throws batting practice for a 10u teams right now. She does this for the work, because she is playing a different sport this fall. She can play 2 more seasons in 8u. We work on one pitch only. I do not get caught up in throwing 4 or 5 pitches and they all generally suck. I believe in mastery of the basics. We are working on having a bent right arm so she can whip the ball not shove the ball. I come from a golf background so I caught on quick to the LAG component of the trailing arm. I have learned a lot from Bill and Dougs videos and you guys on this site. I have started giving lessons down here because of the kids on our teams success. The biggest advice I can give others is what I learned in golf is to work in the mirror(shadow box)a lot and when you are working on a specific area in your pitching motion is to not care where the ball goes. Hope this helps someone else. Thanks Ken B I have read and have learned from your post. I will post SD hitting video later and will humbly ask and appreciate the help from the great posters on this site. Thank you
 
Jan 4, 2012
3,852
38
OH-IO
How long has she been working at pitching? Hoping someone can post this in slow mo. The only real issue I see is the lack of a hair tie. Other than that; carry on! Nice work.

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Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
Thanks PC! I should find/make some time to learn how to do that and stop relying on folks like you, FFS, BoardMember, et alia.

teamM,
Can you post a video from the front or back? I suspect that she's bent a little at the waist during release. I'm not seeing the elbow contact the body.

Speaking of elbow, the arm is I/Ring a touch early. Remember to pull the ball down with the elbow leading all the way to the ribcage. She starts out great from the top to about 9 o'clock, then rotates and starts to push the ball through.

Palm up. Be thinking about leading with the back of the hand from start to finish. I think this will compliment her whip when she nails it down and pull more untapped energy out.


Here are a few other things to work out when she's ready:

I think she could improve her lean before exploding. Compare this shot with where your DD:
ncaa_i_rickettsk_400.jpg

I like this video from Carly:
Carly's Load Video

Get the glove to work for her, rather than just going along for the ride. I like leading with the back of the glove hand. She's currently leading palm up. Crank both arms out hard to the catcher. The glove will pause briefly pointing at, or a few degrees above the target, then pull back down--almost to the point of trying to slap the thigh. Both the push and pull help the strong drive and ultimately the release.

My guess is she'll pick this stuff up pretty quick and be on her way!


Ken
 
Last edited:
Mar 21, 2013
164
16
Thanks so much Ken. That is awesome analysis. In this video I told her to only focus on the trailing arm. She wasn't really exploding off the mound like she does when she pitches. She has a line out there that she explodes toward. I want her to get this I/R move to attain that whip and energy you talk about. I think it can take her to another level. I see how she gets into that push mode at the end and tries to use muscle power instead of the kinetic chain to get the whipping action. I will post the video of what you requested. I will post video for others from when she first started to show others how far she has come. Just let me know if anybody interested in that. If we get the girls to get I/R action early it can make pitching really fun. Ken your post was gold.
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
This:
If we get the girls to get I/R action early it can make pitching really fun.

I wish I could show people the faces of the girls and parents when this clicks. If they're on board with a commitment for the future and understand that their "Just throw strikes" kid will have an adjustment period, it's just a matter of time and effort.
 
Oct 22, 2009
1,781
0
Does anyone remember that video someone posted recently of the 8yr old pitching? It was a front view and I remember them saying how well she "busted it out".

That would be a good video for your DD to watch.

I think your little one looks great.
 

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