Can Your Stride Be to Long ??

I would much better have all of my post under 1 thread Because I am starting to believe I am driving you nice people insane

Reason I ask is DD is 5'1 and early in the game or pitching practice session reaches out to 6 1/2 feet at toe touch her average is just over 6 foot.

But if she could keep her stride leg straighter until toe touch she would easily hit 7 foot (Right before toe touch she pulls her stride leg back and places the ball of her foot down)

I have seen this cause in my opinion 2 things she lands with her front leg to bent which causes her to almost walk the ending through her pitch leading with the upper torso.


and not being able to control the back side and drive leg

Should I shorten her stride to something more manageable for her strength or try to get her to understand to reach out with the front leg ( Have tried Hasn't worked yet)

But I believe due to the drive foot anchoring as I call it I believe it is causing her excessive torso movement

should I pull her stride length back maybe to help or try to get her to control what she has and if that is the answer HELP!!!!


maegan107 - YouTube

Of course your stride can be to long. You wouldn't want her to land in the splits. LOL

D, I know there is some tremendous perspective on this in the Drive Mechanics Sticky. I think how explosive she drives out off the pitching plate and how she lands is more important than the actual distance.

yea I read it, the stride she has now is the same stride she had the very first time she pitched a ball no one really taught it to her she just did it, but I trying to figure out ways to help with the front side and was hoping whether anyone who is PC has ran across someone with the issues she has and did they have a way to fix it leaving the stride in tact or did they take them back I understand stride should never compromise mechanics but I am not sure if there is not an easy key word or drill that I am not or do not know that would help.

I Just know what ever does not come natural to her is a CHALLENGE and this was her natural stride

only thing I have ever worked on with her is just the feet. on drive off and load everything after that is her natural stride

She is dipping a little with that landing leg. I don't think she should land on a locked front leg, but she needs to land a bit firmer. That is, she shouldn't let that leap energy slip away by dipping with that front leg.

Also, in my opinion, I think you need to be very careful that you don't overload her with things to work on.

actually she only pitches like once every 2 weeks or so so I give her stride drills every other day like this one and she does some back side arm drills the other days I have very weird work schedule no I didn't mean locked front leg I like her knees I mean well I guess its because she gets the front foot so high it kinda stands out to me but instead of landing on the stride leg she actually pulls the leg back to her about a foot and places it on the ground ball of foot first and then rotates her heel down (think of being a rotational hitter and ball of foot hits but shoulders do not rotate till the heel has rotated down)


That's why I was wondering if it is her body telling her she is over striding

I interpret detail and then wrap it up in a full motion with out her ever hearing the detailed words while I am specifically looking for the said detail been a coach for 20 years am very well versed in the words "OVER COACHING" just not a per say pitching coach

no its cool I am back building all the info I need Luckily My DD plays on a high school team where she is number 3 in the depth chart as a pitcher

she is freshman but have a senior and sophomore in front of her

and will not have travel game till after HS season

I am not a PC but the over stride is one of my pet peeves; It is not a long jump competition.

Sorry your post is not going the way it should yet, it will.

Doug Romrell said:

She is dipping a little with that landing leg. I don't think she should land on a locked front leg, but she needs to land a bit firmer. That is, she shouldn't let that leap energy slip away by dipping with that front leg.

Also, in my opinion, I think you need to be very careful that you don't overload her with things to work on.

Click to expand...

DMaegan,

IMO, your DD's drive mechanics are really decent. Think not in terms of length, but efficiency and urgency. I see Maegan as a girl that assaults the front of the plate. She wants to get out and off of it. Stride length focus can create this... so it's not always a bad thing... but it can create situations where pitchers over-stride; locking out the hips, forcing anchoring, etc. This said, I don't think your DD is over-striding.

Point being, your daughters 'leg spread' has a limitation specific to her physiology. You should know what this is... so that she can be in a position to maximize her use of kinetic energy transfer. At times, flexibility limitations may necessitate that you increase this, but IMO, I don't see this with your daughter. Think less of reaching with the stride foot... and more about getting out BECAUSE of the drive foot. Increase the push... not the spread. For your daughter, that is...

I see above average hip flexion. I see really good sprinters position/muscle activation. I see ability and naturalness towards achieving dorsi-flexion and good shin angles... and on and on and on. She is athletically coordinated and has a very good stride.

Compliments aside... it could and should be better. Understand that you can and should train the lower extremities... but doing so through the core is absolutely necessary. I suspect that your DD has some significant core weaknesses. Meaning, when I watch this video... I see the inability to control the torso... not recover from the stride. Make sense? Address those core weaknesses, then the lower extremities. Understand that the adjustments to strength and length of a stride through growth/training/maturity should NOT create timing issues for pitchers, but that they often WILL if there are underlying deficiencies in her musculature. The body is well-timed naturally, unless an underlying weakness prevents it...

Most importantly... your DD NEEDS improvement with her whip and torso control. They are easily her most glaring issues. For this reason, I completely agree with Doug... and this is why I quoted him. Resolve these issues and if you are to have the occasional diversion for 'spice and variety'... I'd recommend a core program... and then a lower extremity program... as they will only benefit her work towards maximizing the whip.

Going nutty on Drive Mechanics is a decent idea (I'm naturally biased)... but in comparison to what she needs to address... of much lesser importance.