Feedback 9 yo

javasource said:

IMO... her arm circle is pushing her body out of the way... let's see if we can get that arm circle on a straighter path. The line represents the path her arm takes around the circle... the circles on the line represent each frame... the black and white circle is the last frame. If you want to see this yourself... download the free program Kinovea... it's quite helpful.

Read and try this drill... and see if it helps.

Best, ~JS

Click to expand...

JS, what an awesome thread you provided a link to. The results were amazing! Once again, I wish I wouldn't have gotten away from the pitching forum for so long like I did.

It will be just more movement she needs to overcome.

Rather than go back further, start the lean earlier... so that the top of her backswing has her straightening. Her process now is:

1) transfer weight back.
2) begin backswing
3) start lean

Instead, make it:

1) transfer back
2) start lean
3) begin backswing

It feels a bit weird... but the reason the linked pitchers in the sprinters post are vertical is because they are further along in the sequence of leaning... at or slightly before the top of their backswing...

I like Cat's motion... perhaps you can use this for your DD to emulate and compare against:



Note the stretch of the rear leg... and how that heel stays on the ground... until "GO!" You can see her backswing slow... and almost come to a pause... a stretch, if you will... or focus on getting vertical DURING the backswing.

Java.

Thanks for posting this aerial view of Cat again.

In this context of beginning sequence for Drive Mechanics,
I see a perhaps useful tactile "cue" for when to begin the lean.

Cat is a master of hiding the ball - both in her pre-motion and at her delivery.
(I'm always amazed at batter POV of her pitches, and how the ball seems to just magically appear from behind her hip right at the instant of release, and then the ball is right on top of the batter...)

I noticed how her concealment of ball in glove takes her glove arm right to her throwing side lower thigh,
during her pre-motion. As her glove makes contact, that is when she begins her lean, while her throwing arm continues its back-swing.

As you know, my DD needs improvement here as well, and may experiment by emulating Cat's pre-motion to help her trigger the correct timing. By pulling that glove arm over to the throwing side, maybe it'll help with getting open better too? I do know that if emulating this, it's important to be watchful that the shoulders don't rotate open during the backswing and they stay square, and will keep an eye on that.

javasource said:

It will be just more movement she needs to overcome.

Rather than go back further, start the lean earlier... so that the top of her backswing has her straightening. Her process now is:

1) transfer weight back.
2) begin backswing
3) start lean

Instead, make it:

1) transfer back
2) start lean
3) begin backswing

It feels a bit weird... but the reason the linked pitchers in the sprinters post are vertical is because they are further along in the sequence of leaning... at or slightly before the top of their backswing...

I like Cat's motion... perhaps you can use this for your DD to emulate and compare against:

Note the stretch of the rear leg... and how that heel stays on the ground... until "GO!" You can see her backswing slow... and almost come to a pause... a stretch, if you will... or focus on getting vertical DURING the backswing.

Click to expand...

Great!! ....

yea I kinda knew you would say that...just another motion to perform properly or improperly.

corlay said:

I noticed how her concealment of ball in glove takes her glove arm right to her throwing side lower thigh,
during her pre-motion. As her glove makes contact, that is when she begins her lean, while her throwing arm continues its back-swing.

Click to expand...

Right... also notice how much space her glove and ball move through before contacting her thigh. During the time she moves glove to thigh, she is initiating her bend... which then initiates her forward momentum... or lean. Truth is, it's different for every pitcher... but we want to make sure that the pitchers sequence and timing of motions don't compromise subsequent motions. When that ball passes by the thigh, we want to be generating forward momentum.... and when it reaches it's peak in the backswing, we want the opposing overlapping movements (body moving forward while the arm is moving backward) to have completed... so that the physical response is ballistic, in nature... meaning we reached a position that stretches our muscles... so that the contraction (or resulting movement) is magnified.

Baby T-Rex (your DD) is ridiculously similar in physique and style to what Cat was like at the same age... so it very well may work our for her... emulating Cat, that is.

corlay said:

By pulling that glove arm over to the throwing side, maybe it'll help with getting open better too? I do know that if emulating this, it's important to be watchful that the shoulders don't rotate open during the backswing and they stay square, and will keep an eye on that.

Click to expand...

The timing of movements need to translate into a situation where her drive and stride outward... open her hips before the ball gets too far up the circle (as the knee is more proximal to the hips... focus should be turned toward knee out, not foot). Baby T-Rex needs to focus on getting out AND DOWN powerfully... not only will this help open her shoulder line... but also move her release of the ball back... as the resulting earlier ground reaction forces will power the whip sooner, making release of the ball happen sooner.

For those that have DD's releasing in the slot or off the front leg... re-read that last paragraph... as it's quite important.