Jennie Finch's Right Shoulder?

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Oct 23, 2009
966
0
Los Angeles
I was watching some video of JF pitching and noticed that on some pitches, she violently "throws" her shoulder to home plate prior to release. Is this a flaw in her technique or used on a certain kind of pitch? Maybe someone can post some video? I have not seen other elite pitchers do this.
 
Oct 23, 2009
966
0
Los Angeles
Video link

Ok I found it from yesterday, hope this works
YouTube - Jennie Finch pitching!

About 1:00 minute mark you see her throw a different pitch in which her right shoulder is noticeably "thrown" towards home before she releases the pitch. She ends up with her right shoulder closer to home than her left. With her other pitches, her right shoulder is no more than square to home or less.

Here are my questions:

1) what pitch would require this type of movement (it looks to me it is some sort of off speed pitch)?
2) how does this correspond or not to internal rotation?
3) if a breaking pitch should look just like the fastball, wouldn't this shoulder movement "tip off" the batter on what type of pitch might be coming?
4) would this type of "torque" on the shoulder cause unnecessary stress and injury to the shoulder.
 
May 4, 2009
874
18
Baltimore
To me it looks like she is rolling the pitch over to get some kind of drop on it. Why she has more than one kind of delivery baffles me.
 
Jan 14, 2009
1,589
0
Atlanta, Georgia
To me it looks like she is rolling the pitch over to get some kind of drop on it. Why she has more than one kind of delivery baffles me.

Several instructors in my area teach different deliveries for a drop, curve, rise and screw. The two girls that I know who are being taught to change deliveries for each pitch are starting to have control issues. Shorter stride for the turnover drop, step across powerline for the curve, etc.
 
May 4, 2009
874
18
Baltimore
Several instructors in my area teach different deliveries for a drop, curve, rise and screw. The two girls that I know who are being taught to change deliveries for each pitch are starting to have control issues. Shorter stride for the turnover drop, step across powerline for the curve, etc.

It is much simpler to keep the same motion and easier for the body to replicate than to have different motions for different pitches. It also can be a trigger to the hitter that a certain pitch is coming.
 
Mar 6, 2009
64
0
I have wondered this a long time (Sorry - Don't want to divert the thread). How can she get away with replanting her right foot on the rubber? I know you can slide the foot etc... but she is replanting and basically making a small step forward.

Bill
 
Feb 6, 2009
226
0
It appears to me to be some kind of turn over drop potentially. This is how my DD was taught and her follow through looks similar. If you freeze the video at release, her mechanics are similar in the two pitches. The second one might be a rise so her right sholder stays down more to get under it and her follow through is different. Thing is, what you're seeing is the follow through difference and the pitch is coming to the batter by then. If you were spending the .4 seconds you have watching her follow through, the ball would be by you.
 

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