10yr old DD - Working on fundamentals (Videos)

Yes she did. You cannot throw a ball fast underhand without using the set of mechanics referred to as I/R on this site. it is not a style any more than putting one foot in front of the other is a style of walking.

BT3100 said:

Did Jenny Finch Pitch IR?
Just asking as I don't know.

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Show me a great pitcher and I will show you internal rotation in action. Jennie was elite at it. She may teach HE at her clinics but no doubt she used IR on every single pitch she threw since she was a little girl.

I'll be the one to take the Grenade here. Triton...I overheard the conversation about your daughter playing UP to 12U. I don't know what level you're talking about, but if it's a local rec league, and she throws somewhat accurately and all you are aspiring for is local rec....then you're OK. If she's looking to play at the travel level, she needs a lot of work. No fault of hers, but she's headed down a dark lonely road if she continues to pitch like that. If you follow the boards here, you'll hear folks refer to the detrimental hello elbow. Your daughter is being taught just that, and unfortunately, she's doing it quite well....textbook in fact. Problem is, it's not what you want her doing. Look at JJ's post and compare the two. Not meant as a beat down on your young athlete..... just a reality check.

Triton- There is also a lot of good to build on here so it is not like going back to square one, it is really just a couple of tweaks to get on the right path. Please respond letting us know that you were not scared off and you can get a lot
Of specifics on how to get things going on the right path

FrozenRope said:

I'll be the one to take the Grenade here. Triton...I overheard the conversation about your daughter playing UP to 12U. I don't know what level you're talking about, but if it's a local rec league, and she throws somewhat accurately and all you are aspiring for is local rec....then you're OK. If she's looking to play at the travel level, she needs a lot of work. No fault of hers, but she's headed down a dark lonely road if she continues to pitch like that. If you follow the boards here, you'll hear folks refer to the detrimental hello elbow. Your daughter is being taught just that, and unfortunately, she's doing it quite well....textbook in fact. Problem is, it's not what you want her doing. Look at JJ's post and compare the two. Not meant as a beat down on your young athlete..... just a reality check.

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I thank the good Lord for helping me learn to teach DD IR mechanics! Learning IR mechanics prior to "IR in the classroom" was a dark lonely road... Now thanks to the great stickied threads, the road is at least illuminated, but it is still lonely. At least you have the voices in your head to talk to (equating this to all us DFP'ers).

- Forget finding a local PC who teaches IR
- Be prepared for confused and sometimes scornful looks from PC's when you try and demo it
- No more mini-conversations fishing for tips from the parents of stud pitchers (unless you want an ear full of HE)
- Can't rely on head coaches anymore, parent and DD have to become information filters
- Spending many a bucket night at an indoor facility hearing parents and PC's teach everything so wrong...

To me it's lonely, but I wouldn't change a thing...

jryan15 said:

I thank the good Lord for helping me learn to teach DD IR mechanics! Learning IR mechanics prior to "IR in the classroom" was a dark lonely road... Now thanks to the great stickied threads, the road is at least illuminated, but it is still lonely. At least you have the voices in your head to talk to (equating this to all us DFP'ers).

- Forget finding a local PC who teaches IR
- Be prepared for confused and sometimes scornful looks from PC's when you try and demo it
- No more mini-conversations fishing for tips from the parents of stud pitchers (unless you want an ear full of HE)
- Can't rely on head coaches anymore, parent and DD have to become information filters
- Spending many a bucket night at an indoor facility hearing parents and PC's teach everything so wrong...

To me it's lonely, but I wouldn't change a thing...

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Great post and as we have started down this road with our daughter felt many of the same things. Think we got lucky and found a local PC that teaches IR. Will know next weekend for sure but her first sentence of her first email to us after asking for some more information she stated that she teaches IR style so that brought a big smile to my face. Can't wait as it feels like we are at a point that we need someone with some more knowledge then we possess on this topic.

All the knowledge here is a great asset and I appreciate everyone sharing that info as it has been a great help.

jryan15 said:

I thank the good Lord for helping me learn to teach DD IR mechanics!

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I've been called a lot things in my life.........OK OK JUST KIDDING

I put together this clip of one of my pitchers to give an idea about whip. Your daughter, as everyone on this thread eludes to, needs to learn how to whip. Which is effectively leading with the elbow. I want my girls to understand when we throw underhand it is no different than throwing overhand in energy and whip. So I devised this drill, to get them to relax and whip both overhand and underhand with the same amount of energy and relaxation. Teach your daughter to whip underhand first, not pitch. There is a difference.

@WillyT812 Nice video and very helpful.

In reference to Frozen's dark lonely road analogy.

I worked with a pitcher at my local league clinic. It was a beginner clinic for non-pitchers, but a board member decided to send her DD over to me. I guess so I could tell her how wonderful her DD was pitching.

I told her to go get her mother. Without trying to be scary frightening or, "Your DD is messed up for life", I pointed out what her PC was teaching her to do, I pointed out how impossible it was for her DD to do what she was being asked to do. I couldn't even pitch that way. I pointed out what her DD was doing in order to work around what she was being trained to do.

So basically I told her-You are sending your DD to a PC for training, but your DD is finding another way to pitch all on her own. Neither way is the correct way. She's going to be fine in 10u as she has found a way to lean over and throw strikes, but at some point in time after 10u, she's going to need another PC that knows what they are doing.

The mother got a little upset with me and walked off. I don't care. Because sometime in the near future when this kid can't cut it anymore as a leaner, tosser, pitcher, I want that mom to know that somebody had brought it to her attention when she had time to correct it.

I'm working with a 14yr old right that has taken 3 years of instruction from a leaner tosser PC. She throws 42mph and can't throw strikes. She's the equivalent of my 9-10yr olds. Her dad brought her to me because that long dark road had come to an end, and there was no use out there for her to be a pitcher anymore. And this is an athletic kid.
I understand that most parents really trust their kids first PC. Because at the time, the parents don't know anything about pitching so anyone that knows something is better than what they got. It happened to me.

Last weekend at the park, I watched the 10yr old take a lesson from her PC. The PC was also her catcher. Every time she tossed in a strike, the PC yelled good job! And every time she threw a strike, it was because she leaned over and snapped her release backwards. Even though she was supposed to finish with a "modified hello elbow?" I don't know what it is, but she's supposed to stop her elbow at her side and draw her hand up into her shoulder leaving the elbow down in the ribs.