My 10yo DD rhp consistently steps left of the power line. When pitching to either side of the plate she steps about 8-10 inches left of the power line. Her accuracy is good. Decent speed 46-47 mph. She's #1 pitcher on her tb team. Last tournament she had 4 walks in 10 innings. We practice staying on the power line but she says it feels better when she steps left. Whats the downside?
power line question
- Thread starter humpty
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If she is not getting her hips fully open it becomes harder to have a good stacked firm front side from which to throw. Often pitchers that don't get their hips open also do not get their shoulders open and wind up with in inefficient motion and throw more with their arms around their bodies than with their legs. This is all generalization and speculation of course with regard to your DD. It would much easier to tell with video of her pitching.
Well, I mean she could be OK. She might be the 1 out of 100 girls that is different. Dallas Escobedo (ASU) is. I do wonder about your DD's shoulder and the stress that she is putting on it, but we really need to see a video and see what her shoulders and hips are doing.
I have had one closed pitcher come to me. She was about 15. She was unable to get her speed up to what other 16U where throwing. I was unable to help her.
I have had one closed pitcher come to me. She was about 15. She was unable to get her speed up to what other 16U where throwing. I was unable to help her.
Last edited:
- Jul 26, 2010
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She's probably doing it because she is not getting open enough, stepping out is keeping her from hitting her hips.
What she should be doing is making sure she loads properly, strides out and up, and at the moment she feels weightless, she needs to turn to get open. This is a conscious motion and does not just "happen". From here, she will be able to pitch from an open position and her follow through will happen after the ball passes her hips.
She can practice pitching into her own glove for starters. After that, make sure that she is not torquing her upper body to force the pitch. All of her warmups should be from an open position, her shoulders should never turn when her feet are planted.
-W
What she should be doing is making sure she loads properly, strides out and up, and at the moment she feels weightless, she needs to turn to get open. This is a conscious motion and does not just "happen". From here, she will be able to pitch from an open position and her follow through will happen after the ball passes her hips.
She can practice pitching into her own glove for starters. After that, make sure that she is not torquing her upper body to force the pitch. All of her warmups should be from an open position, her shoulders should never turn when her feet are planted.
-W
I've used a stride board for years and it works great. It is a 2x4 that they must stay on .
- Apr 25, 2010
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Our DD had a bit of a problem swimming. We had her stand with her left shoulder a couple inches from a wall and then pitch. If she went left, she hit the wall. Obviously, start slow so they don't bash into the wall full speed and kill themselves. However, fear is a great motivator!...lol.
Anyway, that problem seems to be fixed.
Anyway, that problem seems to be fixed.
What you should see when catching is she goes from square, head on, where you see both hips, to just 1 hip and one shoulder as she opens up. You, as the catcher, should not see her other hip til after you see the ball and preferably after release. She may feel like she is striding across her power line. That is OK for now. Note that the power line is from her push foot toe to the desired destination. She should feel her hips pivot open as she drives out and drives her hips open. If she is not doing this it will feel different for her as she will be engaging new muscles to do so, namely her glutes and upper leg muscles. Stick with it, getting open and pitching from a strong position opens the door for greater velocity and accuracy.
Carly
Pitching Coach
A note: she shouldn't be landing ON the power line anyway. The power line ends in the catcher's glove, so ideally her arm should stay on it and her hand should travel down it in order to throw a strike. If her BODY is directly on the power line, it is actually BLOCKING her hand's clear path to the target.
That said, 8-10 inches off might indicate that she is overcompensating for something; I like to keep my students' strides 4-6 inches off the line only. A picture or video would be helpful so we can see if there is something else causing her to step like that. Otherwise, crystlemc's suggestion of wall work is great. She should be able to start with her glove-side shoulder a few inches from a wall or fence and pitch without hitting it. Just make sure she doesn't then step on or across the line to avoid the wall.
That said, 8-10 inches off might indicate that she is overcompensating for something; I like to keep my students' strides 4-6 inches off the line only. A picture or video would be helpful so we can see if there is something else causing her to step like that. Otherwise, crystlemc's suggestion of wall work is great. She should be able to start with her glove-side shoulder a few inches from a wall or fence and pitch without hitting it. Just make sure she doesn't then step on or across the line to avoid the wall.
