Pitcher feedback

DD just turned 12 and I wanted to get some feedback on her motion and mechanics. We will see a new pitching coach this week to get a second opinion on how she can improve but I wanted to hopefully get some feedback here. Thanks


[video=vimeo;179653325]https://vimeo.com/179653325[/video]

https://vimeo.com/179653325

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Pitching is about momentum transfer. The pitcher wants to get her body moving straight toward the target, then stop her body quickly. The more body parts moving toward the target after release means less speed. On DFP, we refer to stopping the body as "front side resistance" (kudos to Rick Pauly).

Whitney Canion was the best pitcher in the NCAA a few years ago. She is the poster child for front side resistance. Look at her feet. What do they do after release? Almost nothing. She gets total momentum transfer by having almost perfect front side resistance.

Here is a link to a video of her: Whitney Canion pitching

Take a look at your DD. She has very poor front side resistance. She bounces, which I'm sure looks and feels really cool...but, she is losing speed. She is also swinging her body around after the pitch, which is a big no no.

The "drill of drills" is the walk through.

Amanda Scarborough was kind enough to make this video for us at DFP demonstrating the walkthough. If your DD continues pitching, she'll do thousands of these. My DD did these all the way through college.

Look at Amanda's feet during the pitch. Notice the finishing position of her feet. Try to get your DD to replicate Amanda's foot work. (Amanda has so much force going forward that she slides a little bit at the end of the pitch. Your DD should *NOT* slide or hop forward.)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r7o7MC1XX5k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You'll notice an immediate increase in speed.

Thank you for the feedback, we have been working on her not turning her body and now we will also work on getting better front side resistance. DD says she doesn't hop all the time, I made her watch YouTube videos explaining why she needs to have it.

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To Sluggers point...do you have video of her throwing overhand? I'd like to see her front side on an overhand throw.

Do you have any video of her in full motion?

CP

Would be nice to see full motion, one other thing I noticed was arm circle it looks like her arm is locked but its hard to tell from angle.

Does she get shoulder pain at all? Or soreness like in the front of her shoulder area?

Bill

I don't have a overhand throw video, but I should have a full pitch somewhere that I'll put up. She does rotate her shoulders when throwing overhand though. She does not have shoulder pain, she does have soreness, but not in the front of her shoulder area.

pitch from a few months ago, she is still not consistent with delivery. Sometimes the arm comes up, sometimes it stays down, etc.

[video=vimeo;180070622]https://vimeo.com/180070622[/video]

The video makes things clearer.

In the video, she doesn't have a problem with front side resistance. But, she is having all kinds of trouble from 9 to release.

At 12 the ball and hand are in perfect position. Her hand is behind the ball, "pulling" the ball through the circle. Everything looks good....but, by 9, the ball and hand are in a terrible position.

She has the hand on top of the ball, meaning she is pushing the ball. (At 9, the hand should be under the ball.)

The result: A really messed up release. The pronation of the forearm during release is more or less absent.



The drill that will help is this one:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B6PW4DCqbW8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The pitcher pulls the ball from 12 to 9, so that the ball is up at 9 with the hand under the ball.

You might want to have her start at 9 with her hand under the ball.

You want to have her finish with her palm down and the hand extended toward home. A good description of the hand position is the "kiss my hand" position. (I think JJ came up with that great name.)