The Kelly Barnhill Thread

[FastPitchCat]

Pitchers like Barnhill are successful despite their poor mechanics, not because of it. For every one like Barnhill that is successful, there are many more that will fail. There are no shortcuts. You can roll the dice and take the easy route, but the odds are not in your DD's favor.

RB - is barnhill successful because she's physically bigger/stronger and can overcome her bad mechanics?

 

[cweb]

To take a kid like Barnhill and make her look or mechanically be like someone else would have been a mistake. So many people want this cookie cutter approach or look out of a kid. When doing this before they have true body awareness is a problem. Not all but many kids can not make big changes and remain athletic.. I am not a PC but one thing I know for sure KB is ATHLETIC! When my dd was 11 we worked very hard to take replant out. She became very mechanical and nonathletic. We promptly let her throw how it felt most comfortable for her. We used Ally Carda as an example and someone we tried to emulate. Now 16 we work every session for 20 pitches or so on keeping toe down and she is much more able mentally, physically and emotionally to adapt and make adjustments. I believe the biggest crime in youth fastpitch is coaching the athlete out of the kids. I see it all the time

 

[cweb]

Poor mechanics?? Wow. This is like saying Jim Furyk has bad mechanics. Could you imagine what would have happened to him if someone tried to make him look like Jack Nicklaus? He is in perfect position at impact as is KB at release. She is arguably not legal but to say she is not mechanically sound is not true.

 

[FastPitchCat]

Poor mechanics?? Wow. This is like saying Jim Furyk has bad mechanics. Could you imagine what would have happened to him if someone tried to make him look like Jack Nicklaus? He is in perfect position at impact as is KB at release. She is arguably not legal but to say she is not mechanically sound is not true.

so you advocate pitching illegally is okay? I don't think anyone is saying that you can't pitch with bad/poor mechanics. hey, quite a bit are doing it that's why we're in this forum to learn.

KB could be doing hello elbow for all i care, but pitching illegally? no, absolutely NOT. that's what the rules are for. otherwise, why make them?

 

[cweb]

I advocate that it is not getting called. Barnhill, Silkwood, Lowary at times, Carda, The kids from Washington and Texas.The list goes on.. These kids have scholarships to play in spite of their imperfections. The post you copied is about mechanics. The one above that is how people coach the athleticism out of kids.

 

[riseball]

RB - is barnhill successful because she's physically bigger/stronger and can overcome her bad mechanics?

Yes. Such is the case with many athletes with poor or non-standard mechanics. It is when you have a great athlete with high level mechanics that you get Ono, Abbott, Osterman, etc. Or in the case of the totally obscure golf reference in another post, a Tiger Woods.

 

[riseball]

Poor mechanics?? Wow. This is like saying Jim Furyk has bad mechanics. Could you imagine what would have happened to him if someone tried to make him look like Jack Nicklaus? He is in perfect position at impact as is KB at release. She is arguably not legal but to say she is not mechanically sound is not true.

So you consider Kelly Barnhill mechanically sound? That is certainly a unique assessment. With regard to her being legal there is nothing arguable about it. She is illegal but happens to get away with it.

 

[cweb]

If she wasnt mechanically sound how could she get that rise ball to jump like that?

 

[Doug Romrell]

If she wasnt mechanically sound how could she get that rise ball to jump like that?

Oh-oh...... There's that "jump" word.

 

[cweb]

Is that word dare I say, Illegal?