Help with Kaylee from Arkansas

[MNDad]

Hello to all, I am Kaylee's dad. I'm fully aware that not all comments will be positive. I know you have to have thick skin and an open mind when you are wanting/receiving input on your DD. We are from a small school in Arkansas and aren't likely to get any recognition outside of our classification. I've read thru the above comments and I see and agree on front side resistance (I know she has started walking thru her finish), as well as understand the credibility of 'command of certain number of pitches'. Kaylee has better than average command of her curve, screw, and offspeed. I would like to add that the other pitches we use are more set up or fish pitches. Drop curve, and a rise ball normally are out of the strike zone, we use those pitches to change the eye level of the batter. I would love any and all feedback. I'm seeing what others think and looking for help to make her a better pitcher. I know there are some mechanical issues that need corrected, and I also am aware of the 'rock back step' is very taboo. I've allowed it because she feels that she creates a little more power doing so, plus it is legal here in High School fastpitch. My buddy that posted this is trying to help us out, he loves my kid and how much time we put into pitching. Kaylee would like to play after High School as most players dream, I'm a realist and I know that to play as a pitcher at the next he it DIII to DI is very unlikely. It's ok, always been a Dream of hers, can't reach the moon without shooting for the stars. Thanks again, Kaylee's Dad, Eddie Hinson.

Welcome to DFP! Plenty of D1’s, D2’s. etc. will be looking at pitchers this summer. Best of luck to her!

 

[JAD]

Hello to all, I am Kaylee's dad. I'm fully aware that not all comments will be positive. I know you have to have thick skin and an open mind when you are wanting/receiving input on your DD. We are from a small school in Arkansas and aren't likely to get any recognition outside of our classification. I've read thru the above comments and I see and agree on front side resistance (I know she has started walking thru her finish), as well as understand the credibility of 'command of certain number of pitches'. Kaylee has better than average command of her curve, screw, and offspeed. I would like to add that the other pitches we use are more set up or fish pitches. Drop curve, and a rise ball normally are out of the strike zone, we use those pitches to change the eye level of the batter. I would love any and all feedback. I'm seeing what others think and looking for help to make her a better pitcher. I know there are some mechanical issues that need corrected, and I also am aware of the 'rock back step' is very taboo. I've allowed it because she feels that she creates a little more power doing so, plus it is legal here in High School fastpitch. My buddy that posted this is trying to help us out, he loves my kid and how much time we put into pitching. Kaylee would like to play after High School as most players dream, I'm a realist and I know that to play as a pitcher at the next he it DIII to DI is very unlikely. It's ok, always been a Dream of hers, can't reach the moon without shooting for the stars. Thanks again, Kaylee's Dad, Eddie Hinson.

Does she play TB?

 

[sluggers]

***MODERATOR NOTE***

Please do not post the last name of a minor on DFP.

 

[sluggers]

(I have a lot of family in Mammoth Spring.) You asked for help and you say you have a thick skin, so:

a) You are making the classic mistake of "chasing pitches" rather than building fundamentals. A lot of newbie parents do this. She doesn't need anymore pitches. She needs to fix her mechanics. Every minute you spend trying to teach her a "backdoor scrise" is one less minute she has to fix her pitching motion.

b) Why are good pitchers good? Control. Not movement, not speed, but control. The biggest improvement your DD can make right now is with control.

c) I know the step back gives her more speed. It is illegal in college. So, you are wasting time. Tell her to stop doing it.

d) Your DD needs to do this drill (a walkthrough) about a million times. My DD started doing this drill at 10YOA, and she did this drill every day she pitched (games or practice) for 10 years. Have your DD look carefully at Amanda's feet and body at the end of the pitch. Notice that Amanda stopped moving forward after release, even though Amanda throws harder than your DD.

3) Please, please do not say your DD has seven pitches. Statements like that make anyone who knows pitching cringe. Trust me, your DD doesn't have seven pitches. (My poor DD only had three pitches...a fastball, a drop and a mediocre curve.)

 

[Kevin Burt Lasiter]

I told my friend this kid that is pitching in this video about this site, and asked him could I put her pitching on here and he said I could. How do you get the last name off the original post? He, her dad is very knowledgeable about pitching. She is a very good pitcher with pin point control. I apologize for the inconvenience

 

[sluggers]

Don't worry about the name issue. We don't like the name of a minor as a thread title. The problem has been resolved...no big deal.

 

[Doug Romrell]

...if you leave the drive leg behind, it is hard to get good front side resistance.

I think this is a GREAT point, one that is often overlooked. For me, if the drive leg has been explosive in its thrusting, particularly the ankle toward the end of the thrusting, there should be some springiness in the drive leg from the foot all the way up toward the hip socket that has that leg springing forward as a result of the explosive thrust. For me, "leaving that leg behind" is an important area of focus in terms of a problem that can be there in teaching good drive mechanics

 

[cowboy_hawg]

(I have a lot of family in Mammoth Spring.) You asked for help and you say you have a thick skin, so:

a) You are making the classic mistake of "chasing pitches" rather than building fundamentals. A lot of newbie parents do this. She doesn't need anymore pitches. She needs to fix her mechanics. Every minute you spend trying to teach her a "backdoor scrise" is one less minute she has to fix her pitching motion.

b) Why are good pitchers good? Control. Not movement, not speed, but control. The biggest improvement your DD can make right now is with control.

c) I know the step back gives her more speed. It is illegal in college. So, you are wasting time. Tell her to stop doing it.

d) Your DD needs to do this drill (a walkthrough) about a million times. My DD started doing this drill at 10YOA, and she did this drill every day she pitched (games or practice) for 10 years. Have your DD look carefully at Amanda's feet and body at the end of the pitch. Notice that Amanda stopped moving forward after release, even though Amanda throws harder than your DD.

3) Please, please do not say your DD has seven pitches. Statements like that make anyone who knows pitching cringe. Trust me, your DD doesn't have seven pitches. (My poor DD only had three pitches...a fastball, a drop and a mediocre curve.)

Thank you for your input. I don't think as highly of my daughter as some would think, as far as a pitcher. Reread my post as I stated, we have three pitches that are her go to pitches. Curve, screw, and change are her go to pitches. I know she has issues, otherwise I wouldn't be asking for help/suggestions. As far as the rock back step we will attack that issue come end of season, I'm not willing to take her out of comfort zone in the middle of the season. We only have one pitcher on staff. Control of her go to pitches is pretty good, is she the best at our level.... no, I'm not delusional. Fixing the mechanical issues is why I'm here. I know she is walking thru her pitches (until this year I hadn't noticed, sad to say but I nor the Head coach had ever filmed her before my buddy Kevin did this past week), it is kinda hard to pick up on the bad mechanics and still catch the ball without eating hi-vis yellow. Her control is better than average, we've been at this craft of pitching since she was 8, she is now 17. We had a pitching coach, but he moved to Florida 3 years ago. We tried to locate a new pitching coach, but getting into a permanent rotation isn't always as easy as it would seem. I continued doing what we had been doing, obviously some of the detail has eluded my eye, therefore bad habits have been created. As far as the multiple pitches, a kid has to try all of them before you will know what will work for an individual pitcher. We focus our pitching session on her go to pitches and tinker with the others, strictly for speed difference, or eye level. Last game out she threw a total of 105 pitches, 33 balls and 72 strikes. Mostly screw balls, and the curve ball inside or outside. We always do walkthrus, and we generally do them from greater distances than 43'. Thank you again, I assure you I am not upset while I respond. I truly appreciate the time you took with the advise. I know it may seem that way, but we practice what you have taken the time to say. I've been failing her as far as not catching and correcting the issues that have reared up. I'm aware of what needs to be fixed, looking for answers on 'How to'.

 

[sluggers]

That explains a lot.

Your DD has a ton of talent for pitching. So, you and her need to sit down and discuss pitching. If she fixes her motion, she will be able to play D3 without any problem. Alternatively, she could play juco and then try to make a D1 team in 2 years. (My DD and Riseball's DD played juco, got a ton of pitching time, became better pitchers, and then went D1. My DD did quite well, and Riseball's DD is doing very, very well for South Carolina.)

So, your DD could play in college. The question is whether she wants to.

If your DD wants to play in college:

1) She has to fix the front side resistance ASAP. Do walkthroughs at normal distance. After she throws the ball, she is not to let her right foot come down until after you return the ball to her. Don't be in a hurry to throw it back to her. She fixes her front side resistance, and she is going to gain 2 or 3 MPH. (Your DD was doing walk throughs 3 years ago to improve her arm strength. At her ability level, distance throwing is not particularly helpful.)

2) She has to get rid of the step back. No college coach is going to look at her until she does. It really isn't helpful.

3) She needs to find a travel ball team. I know it is a real hassle to find a team. Find a lower level team where she gets to pitch every other game.

4) At your DD's level, she doesn't need to see a pitching coach every week. There are good coaches in Memphis, Dallas, Houston, and Oklahoma. Go once a month. Alternatively, consider contacting Rick Pauly. Rick can work with your DD through videos. Rick is phenomenal. He can cut through a lot of junk and show you what she needs to do.

 

[cowboy_hawg]

Sluggers, thank you. I have spent countless hours and number of pitches on the bucket. It has been a while since we did that drill of her holding her right foot up (totally forgot about it) time to revisit some old drills. Like I said, we will address the step back at the end of the season. The step back is akin to a pacifier.