Bravo Javasource.....

He gave DD a drill to work on last week. We have been busy and I have been out of town. Just tried it and it is an INSTANT 3-4 mph. Consistently threw faster than she ever has been before. The first time she threw it I stopped her, told her that was the fastest pitch she has ever thrown and ran to get the radar gun to confirm. That two step drill is great.

JS- I will send you the clip you requested tomorrow, right now it is off to practice to show off the new speed.

Ahhhh...

lemme guess...push backs!

CP

I believe that is what he called them....can't wait to get video in the morning.

U mind sharing thr drill?

ddtimes4 said:

U mind sharing thr drill?

Click to expand...

no problem....I'll post video in the morning. I think it is also in the drive mechanics thread.

Here is the video, be forewarned that I have not gotten feedback on whether or not she is doing it right. From the samples I have seen she is not as explosive as Java would want and she is not extending enough, she is kind of sitting into the drill too much.

The benefit was immediate though. Her accuracy went out the window, but she hit 54 consistently after a previous top speed of 51 (I think).

[video=youtube_share;K_qD8gj5crc]http://youtu.be/K_qD8gj5crc[/video]

JJ,

First day back from Texas... sorry I didn't follow-up with you sooner.

Glad to hear it's helping her! Couple of notes:

This drill serves two primary purposes:

2. Increase drive speed off the plate (a quicker drive).
3. Help fix timing issues.

Here are a few things she needs to work on with this drill:

1. Her feet are not spaced properly. Use all 24 inches of the (a) plate. Get wide.
2. Her feet are not spaced properly. There should be ALL 6 inches of the plate between her right heel and her left toe. Her feet are too close together. These are the two reasons she can't feel the centering part that happens naturally.
3. She's not starting this drill with 100% weight on her drive foot. The stride foot should be 'up on pointe' to ensure it is not bearing weight at the start of the drill.
4. Her rear foot performs a 'PUSH BACK' but her front foot performs a step forward. Both feet NEED to travel rearward. This is why the right heel starts just barely touching the plate... this way she can PUSH BACK (step back) onto the plate... providing an object to PUSH BACK against.
5. Her ankles do resist... but they should/could more than they currently do. Keep the heels of BOTH FEET completely off the ground during the 2 push back steps... so that the calf muscles are flexed completely.

Her timing is much improved. Why? Because her backswing becomes rushed... Why? Because she completes the rearward step AS she is sending the glove and ball arms AWAY from the body. Nice job.. many people have missed this important piece.

All-in-all... I'm really jazzed that you guys are giving this a go... it really helps the athlete feel like they are running off the plate... something that - in time - will become a feel they get used to and then feel the need to add it to their regular motion. And, it really helps improve timing... most likely what her speed gains are from. Remember, if the backswing does NOT feel rushed, she's performing it incorrectly. To fix this, delay any movement of the ball and glove arms... UNTIL the rear step is well in motion... or completed. If she gets too comfortable with that.. then start to elevate the arms when sending them out... which adds to the distance the backswing must travel... creating that marvelous overlap she now has.

For everyone else... I'll post this drill in the near future in the Drive Mechanics sticky... have lots of catching up to do.

Remember, don't settle for just doing the drill. Master the motions... and then continually work on making them more ballistic.

Best, ~JS

Not sure how this snuck by me JS- I must be spending to much time on the front lines of the hitting wars. Thanks for the feedback. I could tell something looked off but couldn't put my finger on it. We have been continuing the drill in all workouts and I'll work with her to get this refined a bit more. On the topic of rushing the arm. When she first does the drill it looks crisper and her arm looks rushed, hard to describe but I have a good feel for her cadence and everything speeds up at the beginning, but I noticed the opposite effect on her as a practice goes on. Instead of the drill rushing her arm, I think her arm, or more specifically her backswing, was slowing down the ballistic feel of the drill. Have you seen any need to shorten the backswing or eliminate it altogether to get the most out of the drill?

JJ, I actually looked at that thread that Ken K started. That first video you posted had me near tears... that dynamic duo is something else.

As far as the rushed feeling....

I do not eliminate it (the backswing). In creating that rushed feel... what you are really doing is creating more linear energy forward sooner in the process... with the body. The backswing still exists, but the opposing motions make it feel rushed... because the backswing is occurring outside of what she has grown comfortable with.

I think you may be correct. What we're trying to accomplish in drill is establishing a sequence of events... as opposed to one connected series of motions. Meaning... as she continues with this drill, she's probably starting the backswing at the same moment she's taking her first step back...as opposed to starting the backswing after she's started or completed the rearward step. If this is not the case, that's good... but I suspect the arms are moving with the legs, too soon in the sequence.

If not, it's because she's getting better with it. Remember, the backward step creates more space that her stride leg needs to work through. The longer the step backward, the further her stride leg needs to travel in order for it to reach maximum extension. This happens to those that start juicing up the energy levels of the drill (a great trait to see)... as in doing so they start increasing the force of the backstep... thus lengthening it. If this is the case... rather than just have her shoot her hands away from the body... have her shoot them away AND up. This will offset the increased backstep length... by increasing the distance the arm needs to travel through during the backswing.

I hope all that makes sense... let me know if you've questions.