- Jun 18, 2010
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When I try going through motion myself (haha don't picture it) I found it easier to get better brush with a slight turn than straight at catcher, as well as stopping the knee from wanting to collapse forward
I will ask her about thatIt would be interesting to ask her without showing her pictures or talking to her at all about it what is her thought process when pitching a change versus any other pitch...then have her walk through what she does different on change versus other pitches
Watch a pitcher from straight on. Look at their front leg. If they have a stripe on their pants, look at the stripe.
What's causing that front leg action?
What's the relationship between how the front leg moves and the action of the hips?
As the pitcher strides the hips open, just before the stride foot lands, the hips begin to close (core torque, hip snap, whatever you want to call it). The hips partially closing creates a stretch (as the shoulders are still open), and also puts the hips around 45 degrees to be in a good position for the brush interference. The position of the stride foot as it lands is a results of what happened or should happen up stream. JMHO.
Although whip and posture would be my primary focus, drive sequence wouldn't be far behind. At "go," I'd like to see a more aggressive attack resulting in her COM already in forward motion when the drive foot strikes the front edge of the plate:
View attachment 11874
I guess I'd call it an early push pattern vs a late push. By early, I mean striking the front edge before the body has begun driving/leaning far enough in the sequence.
I agree with what you've said but feel this is part of a much bigger issue. I am convinced that you will not be able to achieve the correct attack angle and correct the late push pattern without addressing the underlying issue... The cause of the late push pattern is the same cause as the poor attack angle that you pointed out... The athlete is conditioned to use her quads instead of her glutes for propulsion.
For people who use quads, achieving the tilt that Ueno has is completely foreign and wholly unnatural. For people who use glutes efficiently, it's much closer to normal. The loading that both athletes above are using is completely different. Ueno's posture almost feels like a weight distribution impossibility for a quad dominant athlete.