Brush Variations

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Jun 19, 2013
753
28
So here is what I THINK I am seeing but I want to check with those with more experience. Our general focus this past year has been to increase brush. I was seeing in videos that sometimes I feel like I'm seeing more than at other times. Then something dawned on me.

As we focus on getting true 12-6 spin on the drop (something that got away from us this season it seems - it's always something) then it looks like she has less brush - ok let's be honest NO brush.

But when I watch video of FB or RB I feel like it is almost what we are looking for.

And following this line of thinking I think it might make sense that with killing the whip on the CU that the brush might be more absent here too . . .

if this stinkin rain ever stops I will try to get video of different pitches from behind.
 
Apr 12, 2015
792
93
My personal experience:

When we were working the drop, my DD would get less brush (if any) than on her other pitchers. I didn't think much of it at first, but as I got more experience and learned more I figured out she wasn't truly throwing a drop. Sure, it had the right spin orientation, but not near enough RPS. She was purposefully avoiding brush to slow her pitch down and let gravity make it drop instead of the correct pitch action. IOW, instead of learning and working on a true drop, she was just throwing an off-speed pitch that didn't have enough juice to make it over the plate.

I don't know if this is the case for you, but that was my personal experience.
 
Jun 19, 2013
753
28
I think in our situation her drop seems a bit faster to me (but we haven't checked speed since like May) but her spin has morphed this past season to look almost like her i/r FB with an 11/5 spin - so really wasn't dropping much. As she works to get truer spin she gets bit more upright, i think arm comes around with a more pronounced turn over of the hand, arm not touching body and she looses the brush - video will tell if we can get some sun this weekend.
 

shaker1

Softball Junkie
Dec 4, 2014
894
18
On a bucket
Just me messing around, trying to get more spin on the ball, drop or rise, it's all about the brush. Using it to get more spin, more snap.
 
So here is what I THINK I am seeing but I want to check with those with more experience. Our general focus this past year has been to increase brush. I was seeing in videos that sometimes I feel like I'm seeing more than at other times. Then something dawned on me.

As we focus on getting true 12-6 spin on the drop (something that got away from us this season it seems - it's always something) then it looks like she has less brush - ok let's be honest NO brush.

But when I watch video of FB or RB I feel like it is almost what we are looking for.

And following this line of thinking I think it might make sense that with killing the whip on the CU that the brush might be more absent here too . . .

if this stinkin rain ever stops I will try to get video of different pitches from behind.

The degree of brush should be very similar for every pitch......what does vary is which part of the lower arm is being received by the hip/thigh. With dropping type pitches the key is to get enough pronation of the forearm such that the "meaty inside" of the forearm is making the brush. With rising type pitches the key is to fight the pronation, so in this case the leading edge of the lower arm is going to make the initial brush.......but in either case the brush location will be nearly identical.
 
The degree of brush should be very similar for every pitch......what does vary is which part of the lower arm is being received by the hip/thigh. With dropping type pitches the key is to get enough pronation of the forearm such that the "meaty inside" of the forearm is making the brush. With rising type pitches the key is to fight the pronation, so in this case the leading edge of the lower arm is going to make the initial brush.......but in either case the brush location will be nearly identical.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words....hope this clears up the position of brush for two very opposite pitches.....brush point is very very similar....just the degree of pronation of the forearm that differs.

Dropball Brush.jpgRiseball Brush.jpg
 
Jun 19, 2013
753
28
The degree of brush should be very similar for every pitch......what does vary is which part of the lower arm is being received by the hip/thigh. With dropping type pitches the key is to get enough pronation of the forearm such that the "meaty inside" of the forearm is making the brush. With rising type pitches the key is to fight the pronation, so in this case the leading edge of the lower arm is going to make the initial brush.......but in either case the brush location will be nearly identical.

Thanks so much Rick for the information and pics too! As we were in the kitchen last night and I was showing DD what I had asked and what you had answered (I hadn't scrolled down to the pics yet) she was going through motion and saying close to what you're saying "Mom I'm still brushing it's just more here . . ." and then I scroll down and see the second post with the pics and she is nodding "going yeah just like that see right here . . . yeah that's right (referring to your pics" haha so I guess we're on the right track at least. I'm not seeing the slowing of the upper arm really in the recent video but we'll keep working on that portion over the winter.
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
Posture, FSR and lock (whip) are the keys for A to focus on. Her upper arm/shoulder are still muscling a little. More and more, I like Hillhouse's cue of snapping the elbow/forearm.
 

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