9 yr old pitcher - advice

Thank you for another thorough reply. I certainly appreciate you taking your time to construct the response. I appreciate the level of detail in the post. I certainly need it.
I have noticed that since she started pitching, and has bent at the waist toward third. I can now see how this can be problematic, but at the time, she was just trying to stop hitting herself in the hip. ... Ouch ... I will take your advice and get this drill going ASAP. She is out of town but I have actually shared your feedback with herald told her that we would work on it when she gets home. She was surprised that someone would take time to dissect her pitching motion. "Somebody looked at a website and wrote that just for me?"
As for the dragging foot position, in the pictures she has already pushed off and is dragging that toe. Like you said, she has probably done this prematurely. I have been looking at threads to help her get her timing right. Should her toe not point rearward when she drags the foot or should it be at a 45 degree angle?
All of this help is genuinely appreciated.
I think that the next step may be to take her to professional lessons. I have a hard time distinguishing between someone who pitched a little in high school and someone who really knows what they are doing. I will search the site for suggestions in my area.

Interestingly, contact with the forearm and hip is actually preferable. It is not a hit or a bump, but more of a brush. It should not hurt, although sometimes when learning to feel it, there is the occasional oops. Here's what it looks like:

http://www.discussfastpitch.com/sof...arm-whip-brush-interference-2.html#post219035

Lsjames said:

Should her toe not point rearward when she drags the foot or should it be at a 45 degree angle?

Click to expand...

Take a look at the model pitcher thread, and watch the action of the rear leg. Kinovea is an exceptional free program that you and your DD can use to slow down video of high-level pitchers for analysis. I'd highly recommend you guys do that... paying attention to movements that happen at a joint... during the whole process.

To answer your question, the rear leg should never pin to the ground... and the rear heel should never stay or drag on the ground (IMO). Doing so puts pressure on the tibia, then the femur... and then the hip. This prevents the hips from a free range of motion... causing some level of shoulder/hip disconnection.

I think that the next step may be to take her to professional lessons. I have a hard time distinguishing between someone who pitched a little in high school and someone who really knows what they are doing. I will search the site for suggestions in my area.

Click to expand...

Always a good idea... and sometimes a tough journey. If you're ok posting your location, perhaps this marvelous community can lend you some recommendations.

As far as hitting her side... this does happen from time to time... and can be a setback for some. Hips that close too soon can get in the way... especially when the arm circle travels behind the back (both of which you don't want her doing anyway).

As far as the basics... get your DD doing the drills in the IR stickies... and work towards the posture they are demonstrated with... stopping every once in awhile to verify against video.

Good advice so far. One thing I noticed is that she wants to pull her arm back suddenly right after release instead of just letting the arm complete it's follow through naturally. This is a common problem that many new pitchers have. I would also work on keeping that back foot down and dragging during the stride. You don't want to ingrain that bad habit, it's gets harder to fix each month you don't address it. Lastly, one of my pet peeves is always pitch using a pitching plate/rubber. They are inexpensive and will get her used to using her push off correctly. You can put down some infield mix or dirt in front of the rubber so she can see her drag marks. Lastly, I highly recommend you get her a reputable pitching coach, this site is great but a good pitching coach is invaluable to a new pitcher that wants to perform well.

Sure I will share my location. We live in Northern Horry County in South Carolina. Near they Myrtle Beach area. There are a few instructors, but I don't want someone who will merely get my DD to be an average pitcher. She has to be able to perform with the best. Of course money is always a concern, but I am willing to make a significant investment in pitching since it is a source of entertainment for my family, and softball has been way cheaper than the other DDs hobby, competitive dance. $$$

Thanks to all of you for your help. I have seen threads through all of the suggestions that were made.
We have been working on correcting the errors. I am making these posts to document our progress. Please understand that this is still a work in progress, but I hope progress has been made. In order to get all of the movements, I will need to use a few posts it seems.
I look forward to hearing your comments.

1.2.
3.4.
5.

6.7.
8.9.
10/

My concern is with the last photo here that she is correcting the error too late. She knows she has to stand up so I think she only does so at the end...

11.12.
13.14.

15.16.

I also think that her arm may be blowing past her body as described before. She may be missing the "brush."

17181920
21
Another View