Maddie had an instructional session with Janelle Lindvall (Oregon, USWNT, NPF) last night as a tune-up in preparation for upcoming TB action. It's been since October since Maddie has had the opportunity to work with Janelle. Janelle is a wonderful person, and a really good teacher. It's always worth the drive (1 hr each way) for Maddie to learn from one of the best in the game.
Throwing: Maddie is pretty well recovered from a rotator cuff strain that limited her at the start of the HS season, and is back to throwing close to full speed. However, Janelle pointed out that she's over-rotating her shoulders (turning her back to the target too much) that is costing her a little time in her throwing pattern. She doesn't need that much shoulder turn to make a strong throw. She can improve her quickness by shortening her turn (shoulders aligned with target).
Blocking: Admittedly, blocking isn't one of the strongest parts of Maddie's skill set. In practice, she tends to do pretty well. In games, however, she mostly picks, and does a good job with it. When she does block in games, it's pretty poor form. It's a mental thing that she's never really sorted out. In this session, she had a couple where she was off balance and tipping forward, and her mitt was not getting all the way down. She definitely needs more work in this area.
Receiving: Multiple left knee injuries over the years have lead Maddie to developing this slightly tweaked stance with her left heel off the ground and low knee. It's comfortable for her, but a bit off-center, and sometimes leads to less-than-great body and arm positions. Janelle has worked with her on getting into a more symmetrical and centered position in the past, and worked on that again in this session. Maddie still tends to default back to the same kind of tweaked setup.
Throwing: Maddie is pretty well recovered from a rotator cuff strain that limited her at the start of the HS season, and is back to throwing close to full speed. However, Janelle pointed out that she's over-rotating her shoulders (turning her back to the target too much) that is costing her a little time in her throwing pattern. She doesn't need that much shoulder turn to make a strong throw. She can improve her quickness by shortening her turn (shoulders aligned with target).
Blocking: Admittedly, blocking isn't one of the strongest parts of Maddie's skill set. In practice, she tends to do pretty well. In games, however, she mostly picks, and does a good job with it. When she does block in games, it's pretty poor form. It's a mental thing that she's never really sorted out. In this session, she had a couple where she was off balance and tipping forward, and her mitt was not getting all the way down. She definitely needs more work in this area.
Receiving: Multiple left knee injuries over the years have lead Maddie to developing this slightly tweaked stance with her left heel off the ground and low knee. It's comfortable for her, but a bit off-center, and sometimes leads to less-than-great body and arm positions. Janelle has worked with her on getting into a more symmetrical and centered position in the past, and worked on that again in this session. Maddie still tends to default back to the same kind of tweaked setup.