Arm circle problems

[mountyfan]

2019-03-25_10-50-16-532.mp4

My daughter is college pitcher that over the last year and a half has had some major arm circle problems. She is bending her elbow from just after her reach out and cutting off her arm circle. When she does walk through or slow motion she is fine. Full motion she is muscling the ball instead of whipping her arm. We have tried everything and are now at a loss. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Ken B]

Upload the video to YouTube then post the link.

 

[mmeece]

Post the video and you will get some good advice. From what I've seen, circle problems are often timing problems.

 

[sleepwalker]

Without looking at any video and from what I picture in my mind from your description above, my two cents from the peanut gallery would say that if you want to improve your dd's arm circle, have her cup the ball when she is bringing the ball up in front of her body. The back of her pitching hand will be pointing towards the catcher as she brings the ball up and her arm circle will be pretty tight as there really isn't a comfortable way to bring the ball up with a cupped wrist where the pitching arm would deviate away from body.

I think it was Page Parker at Oklahoma that used to cup her pitching wrist and push it into her glove hand while standing on the rubber and then bring her pitching arm up in this position, most likely to improve her arm circle on the way up.

 

[mountyfan]

These are the videos of my daughter. The swim isn't as bad on these videos because she is really forcing herself to keep everything in line. As soon as she gets in a game the glove arm swims and the throwing arm is extremely shortened. A bent elbow at almost 90° on the 3 o'clock position. Any expert advice would be appreciated.

 

[DNeeld]

Yep, she is muscling. Has nothing to do with the bend in the elbow, though. She is blowing through the release, totally missing any upper arm stabilization. In other words, her upper arm never pauses and lets the lower arm whip by. She is missing a ton of angular acceleration. That is where the problem in the motion is that I see.

Keep in mind "arm circle" is a misnomer. It is more accurately an arm oval, Bend/Flex/Bend, however you want to think of it.

There are many pitchers that follow through into that faux HE release, with the elbow pointed and it doesn't affect them. It is totally an extraneous action done well after the ball is gone. However, your DD is shutting down whip action in order to do it, so it is affecting her.

Is her pitching coach in college perchance enforcing HE mechanics? In my eyes, your DD wants to throw properly but is forcing some HE mechanics into her motion which is causing problems.

 

[DrRiello]

Yep, she is muscling. Has nothing to do with the bend in the elbow, though. She is blowing through the release, totally missing any upper arm stabilization. In other words, her upper arm never pauses and lets the lower arm whip by. She is missing a ton of angular acceleration. That is where the problem in the motion is that I see.

Keep in mind "arm circle" is a misnomer. It is more accurately an arm oval, Bend/Flex/Bend, however you want to think of it.

There are many pitchers that follow through into that faux HE release, with the elbow pointed and it doesn't affect them. It is totally an extraneous action done well after the ball is gone. However, your DD is shutting down whip action in order to do it, so it is affecting her.

Is her pitching coach in college perchance enforcing HE mechanics? In my eyes, your DD wants to throw properly but is forcing some HE mechanics into her motion which is causing problems.

I totally agree. By the bottom she switches to an HE muscle release. Ball faces catcher and arm actually looks bent, in the wrong direction.


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[mountyfan]

Yes. I can see the hello elbow at release now. She is all over the place on release, footwork and everything else. She says nothing feels comfortable any more. We are trying to get this resolved in the off season starting soon. Her speed is way off. She seems to be having timing issues and in other videos I can see where she is definitely cutting her circle short. Her glove hand pulls out quickly during games and her pitching arm follows the same type of circle if that makes sense.

 

[DrRiello]

Yes. I can see the hello elbow at release now. She is all over the place on release, footwork and everything else. She says nothing feels comfortable any more. We are trying to get this resolved in the off season starting soon. Her speed is way off. She seems to be having timing issues and in other videos I can see where she is definitely cutting her circle short. Her glove hand pulls out quickly during games and her pitching arm follows the same type of circle if that makes sense.

I would go back to basics. Lock it in drill , 9 o’clock drill. Focus on I/R release. Then work to full circle. Slow it down to focus then speed it up as you reinforce her mechanics. When she loses mechanics slow it back down.


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[DrRiello]

I would go back to basics. Lock it in drill , 9 o’clock drill. Focus on I/R release. Then work to full circle. Slow it down to focus then speed it up as you reinforce her mechanics. When she loses mechanics slow it back down.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk