The Power Pause

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Dec 3, 2012
636
16
West Coast
Part observation and part question. My DD has started taking some lessons to get ready for the season and the instructor and ex top pitcher threw some pitches during the session. It looked so effortless; the speed of the ball leaving his hand in comparison of the effort he put into throwing it was really impressive. My first thought other than I wouldn’t want to bat against him was wow, how does he do that? What seemed to be the biggest difference was his perfect timing and the slight arm pause at the top of the motion and taking advantage of the weight transfer while the body is coming down during the pitching motion. I have been right next to top D1 pitchers and while they threw fast it just wasn’t the same impression of speed I got from him throwing. It really impressed upon me that it’s not just the leap and resist against the front leg but an up together and down together like B. Hillhouse likes to say. We use Bill’s progression of drills to go through but does anyone use anything else specifically to impress upon the young pitcher the importance of the timing of the arm with the weight transfer?
 
Nov 26, 2010
4,784
113
Michigan
be careful about any pause in the arm, a pause in the arm turns out to be a crow hop in the legs.

But yes timing is everything, just don't chase it by gimmicking up the motion to include a harmful pause at the top.
 
Dec 3, 2012
636
16
West Coast
Maybe I phrased it wrong. His timing was so good and his arm gained speed so fast that it just looked like a pause even though it wasn't.
 
Jul 26, 2010
3,567
0
Men will "accelerate" through the pitch, starting slower and building up speed. Women, for some reason, are more successful when they start fast and stay fast.

This has always been my biggest complaint because so many male pitching coaches will try to force a kid to slow down at the start and speed up at the end. While this sounds good in theory, what really happens is the girl will shorten up and muscle the ball, which kills their arm whip.

-W
 

halskinner

Banned
May 7, 2008
2,681
0
When you observed him doing this, was he in the classroom setting? Who was catching him? You? Your daughter? Was the catcher fully geared up?
 
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Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
The arm should be slowing down at release to maximize the whip.

Do you mean that the elbow around 6:00 will stay at the hip while the forearm and and hand rotates quickly through release? This I agree with in fact around 9:00 (behind you) the elbow drops "into the slot" as the forearm and hand rotates with palm to the sky. I believe there is a slight lag as the elbow goes from this position into the release and this action creates the arm whip that generates the speed of the pitch. I'm sure Boardmembers can do a better job explaining it than I.
 
Apr 5, 2009
748
28
NE Kansas
I think that the longer the arm, the longer it takes to get up to speed regardless of gender. The shorter armed girls seem like they can just spin their arm around while the longer armed girl has a few extra feet of arm circle to cover before release. Those longer armed girls are the ones who seem to power up thru the circle.

I also think that there can be a feeling of going up the hill and coming down the hill in your arm circle. It is the girls who stop on the hill who seem to develop the crowhop while they are waiting for their arm and feet to synch up. I think that they like the feeling of pushing down the hill.

Don't know if any of this makes sense to others. :) It is just something I feel.
 
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Dec 3, 2012
636
16
West Coast
When you observed him doing this, was he in the classroom setting? Who was catching him? You? Your daughter? Was the catcher fully geared up?

It was in the middle of a private lesson and my DD had been working on location against a batters strike zone and he threw them at the same target area.
 
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