Hawkins Magic Carpet Ride

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Nov 25, 2012
1,437
83
USA
hawkins.jpg

***Need Edit Help*** I still cannot figure out how to add in a GIF. It always converts to JPG. Could someone paste in the GIF of Cheridan and her drive on this riseball? Thank you!


Anyone have any ideas on how to do what she does (her incredible glide)? We tried putting on a roller skate with one of those big toe stops but apparently that is illegal. :p

Seriously, I would welcome any comments, suggested drills, etc. to help with this. I am not looking for "needs to explode off the rubber, increase core strength, etc. etc." My daughter is the most explosive scissor kicker you have ever seen and extremely strong. She fires out hips first, strikes the plate, etc. etc. but does not have alot of GLIDE on her drag foot before her plant foot comes down. She has all the strength to do it but it is unquestionably her mechanics and I cannot seem to figure out a good way to "explain" it to her.

I tried to Google skipping without your foot ever leaving the ground but came up with nothing.

Anyway, if you have any ideas on how to "ride the magic carpet" which is what Cheridan looks like IMO please let me know.
 
Jun 18, 2010
2,624
38
hawkins_rise_pan_1200_zpsga3yay59.gif


hawkins_rise_side250_zpslt0rfqai.gif
 
Jun 18, 2010
2,624
38
Seriously, I would welcome any comments, suggested drills, etc. to help with this. I am not looking for "needs to explode off the rubber, increase core strength, etc. etc." My daughter is the most explosive scissor kicker you have ever seen and extremely strong. She fires out hips first, strikes the plate, etc. etc. but does not have alot of GLIDE on her drag foot before her plant foot comes down. She has all the strength to do it but it is unquestionably her mechanics and I cannot seem to figure out a good way to "explain" it to her.

My DD gets a decent amount of separation from the pitching plate.

[video=vimeo;120646398]https://vimeo.com/120646398[/video]

We use Javasource's push-back drill (found in the Drive Mechanics Thread).
 
Jun 18, 2010
2,624
38
1. We used to use printer paper under the drive foot to make sure she would drive away from the pitcher's plate without dragging an anchor and ripping the printer paper.

2. DD also does a rear leg kick drill to make sure she is not leaving the back leg behind. I'll try to record some video this weekend.

Make sure as she passes through the 12 o'clock position that she is not leaving her drive leg behind.

This:
8_zpsbfb3807b.png


compare the top & bottom set of images:
5-8_zps61bd3aac.png
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
Seconding knightsb's suggestion to learn optimum sequencing through the Pushback/2 Step. Try this: Do some high skips and vary the use of the hands and knee. Feel for how driving the hands and knee can add to the height of the skip. Done well, you'll feel the hands and knee pull the body higher. Once you can feel it during high skips, see if you can get the same feeling driving forward. To start, just swing the arms out to 3 o'clock and stop--you should feel a similar effect of being pulled.
 
Last edited:
Nov 25, 2012
1,437
83
USA
My DD gets a decent amount of separation from the pitching plate.

[video=vimeo;120646398]https://vimeo.com/120646398[/video]

We use Javasource's push-back drill (found in the Drive Mechanics Thread).

WOW!!! Impressive. Okay, I got it, it is an OREGON thing! :D Seriously, yes, she definitely gets great separation and has a great glide! Man, that is just simply awesome and congrats. I will show my DD this after school. Thank you for all the responses and she has been working so hard on so many things the last month and this is really the last thing on the list (for now) that we can't seem to get past.
Ball up at 9 - Check
Brush - Check
IR at release - check
Slide across the plate and strike to get going - check and she loves the slide thanks to Java
Front side resistance and pushback/lean - check
Firing out and maintaining weight on drag (glide) foot for any distance at all before stride foot plants - definitely not a check.

Thanks again for your help with the pictures and video. Very helpful!
 
Nov 25, 2012
1,437
83
USA
Seconding knightsb's suggestion to learn optimum sequencing through the Pushback/2 Step. Try this: Do some high skips and vary the use of the hands and knee. Feel for how driving the hands and knee can add to the height of the skip. Done well, you'll feel the hands and knee pull the body higher. Once you can feel it during high skips, see if you can get the same feeling driving forward. To start, just swing the arms out to 3 o'clock and stop--you should feel a similar effect of being pulled.

Thanks Ken and will put that to work as well!!
 
Nov 25, 2012
1,437
83
USA
I would like to see the rear leg kick drill and that will be great if you could post when you have time this weekend or whenever it works for you. It sounds much like what my DD may need as she does leave the back foot behind. I will see if I can search for it in one of the forums as I think I recall hearing about it before.

Thanks again Knightsb!
 
Nov 25, 2012
1,437
83
USA
Seconding knightsb's suggestion to learn optimum sequencing through the Pushback/2 Step. Try this: Do some high skips and vary the use of the hands and knee. Feel for how driving the hands and knee can add to the height of the skip. Done well, you'll feel the hands and knee pull the body higher. Once you can feel it during high skips, see if you can get the same feeling driving forward. To start, just swing the arms out to 3 o'clock and stop--you should feel a similar effect of being pulled.

Ken, as much as I have been trying to understand pitching for the last 4 years it always amazes me to how much I don't know. So I need to ask a really dumb question.....
How much does the backswing help in pulling the body forward? Swing back as the body moves forward then the arms come forward. Does this sequence add significantly to pulling the body forward and then to the glide, etc. etc.? Again, a dumb question I know but haven't thought about it like that before.
 

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