Zombie Drill Tips

[sluggers]

One of the reasons we decided to try something different with DD's journey is because we were getting real good at doing drills, but not seeing any carryover to actual pitching.

LOL. Pitching ain't the Olympics...you don't get points for form.

The way to use drills is pretty simple: The kid pitches regular pitches. If she has a problem with something specific, than you do a drill aimed at fixing the problem. Then, go back to pitching.

E.g., my DD had problems with leaning forward. If during practice she started leaning forward we would do walk throughs with an emphasis on her keeping her right foot up after she released the ball.

 

[Hillhouse]

One of the reasons we decided to try something different with DD's journey is because we were getting real good at doing drills, but not seeing any carryover to actual pitching.

Exactly why learning to pitch from drills is not a great idea. A lot of pitchers end up looking like robots, nothing smooth and fluid about their motions. I'm not suggesting the OP is doing this, hence my questions about this "drill" and what its for. But personally, I see it all the time where a young pitcher's lesson consists of one drill after the next, then comes the disconnect of trying to put it all together.

 

[hummingbird]

Not really a fan of drills either but I think in younger players, it can help break things down to make things easier to understand, and maybe have some fun in the process. As my DD has gotten older and more experienced in pitching, we've moved away from drills for the most part. Same is true for hitting and fielding practice. Seems to have been helping with little to no hindrance on her development, in my view, but since there are no games to play right now, it's hard to say if it pays dividends or not..

 

[Cornbread]

My DD was having issues with timing I think. She was basically throwing with all arm. Her ball was at 1:00 (she’s a lefty) when her stride foot started to descend. Her drive foot knee was getting real low to the ground during the move out and the stride leg was lagging way behind her. She wasn’t detaching from the rubber until about 12:00. She wasn’t getting good drive leg extension either. We have incorporated this drill into her full motion. I could post that video with a before and after. I’ve been around long enough to not just do drills lol. We have began doing this drill, and two others prior to pitching. Bill, we did up together down together throwing into her glove focusing on whipping elbow when she first started pitching. Did that along with BMs internal rotation stuff. Folks that watch her pitch think she has put in a ton of work. Honestly, she hasn’t worked on pitching near as much as others her age/ability. I attribute that to us focusing on doing the “right drills”. She did one lesson with a HE guy and that’s the only lesson she’s ever had. Through the contributions of folks on this board, I’ve built her from scratch.

 

[fanboi22]

I don't remember the details of the drill except the intent was to help with sequence and overlap. It was helpful for DD to get a 'feel' on the sequence. We only did it a few times, but it was helpful. I am in agreement that drills for the sake of drills don't help. But you can't just say practice pitching if you are not sure how to fix the problem. I have been there many times with DD and have used drills to help bridge the gap until I could figure out specifics. I think this is more so in hitting. Just my 2 pennies.

 

[Hillhouse]

Just my 2 pennies.

If you put your 2 cents in, but someone offers a penny for your thought.... what happens to the other penny?

 

[BigSkyHi]

Heard they call it drill for skill.

Have found that those who are willing to do the drills to expand their game end up making the difficult plays look routine.

Those who don't are only able to make plays they made when they were younger. Because they are older and stronger they will run faster, throw harder and swing harder. It appears they have improved, but there has been minimal improvement in their skill set needed for the next level.

 

[fanboi22]

If you put your 2 cents in, but someone offers a penny for your thought.... what happens to the other penny?

Well i suppose no one asked, so i am just out the change.

 

[radness]

Ok, I read it. But I still don't understand it's purpose. Is it designed to fix something? Help something?

Off the top of my head, I see this as another "drill" that is NOT teaching the pitcher to use their arms to help momentum. Similar to one of the reasons I think the backswing can be useless, this doesn't have the pitcher leading forward with the arms. I don't see the upper half helping load the lower half for the push. ARMS LEAD THE WAY off the rubber. Just like arms (plural, not just 1 arm like with a backswing) should lead the way when someone jumps up in the air, jumps forward, when they run... all of these examples have the arms (plural) helping the body's momentum. Think of yourself jumping upwards to touch a high ceiling, you use BOTH of your arms to help lift your body. Or if you jumped forward in a broad jump, you'd use both of your arms for the push forward. Pitching isn't any different. Arms lead the way in the push. I don't see that in this exercise so I am not sure what it is that someone is doing.

There are a lot of "drills" I see that I don't understand so this isn't unusual for me.

Bill

Zombie drill Mr. B
it teaches personality
and game face

 

[Hillhouse]

Zombie drill Mr. B
it teaches personality
and game face

OOOOOOOH, ok. I thought it was open casting for the Walking Dead.