If you can't hide stupid, can you fix it (more important, how is DD's piitching?)

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Jan 31, 2014
292
28
North Carolina
Here's the deal... I made a suggestion on one of these threads that I thought would help a young lady with her arm whip. Ken B quickly posted an alternative idea with samples, and that led to my own thread pursuing a better understanding of point arm whip takes place relative to the pitcher's hip (http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-pitching/27534-inside-outside-hip.html). After some great examples were added to that thread, I decided to quit using fuzzy phone videos, dust of the real video camera and get serious about some slo-mo analysis of DD in action. And wouldn't you know it? She's doing pretty much what Ken said with regard to her arm whip beginning behind the hip. Thank heaven her PC is smarter than I am.

Here's my dinner for tonight:
Eating Crow.jpg

Now, how about some insight on DD's progress. First time I've put her out there for you all. 14 yoa. Feel like she's doing pretty good, but see room for improvement specifically in her hand and in her drive. Rather than be say more, I'll shut up and listen. These are all fastballs, and I've put up the best and the worst pitch from each angle for comparison. Go to the YouTube channel below, and find clips from side, back, and front.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQBSny4Qwm6KqwYcc8NTSww

Thanks.
 
Nov 4, 2015
320
43
Looks great! This is the same way my daughter is being taught to drive off the rubber. She's nowhere near that yet, but at 10, she is working on it.
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
Really like her whip and how she uses her glove hand for power. Curious about her posture--does she have a focus on getting or staying open? I see her almost completely open through release with her plant foot at around 80 degrees. I'd like to see a little more upright posture, with the torso and plant foot around 45 degrees at release. (I should say this is a preference and if in looking at the the big picture, she had an above average rise and a couple other good pitches--I might not worry too much.) Although I have nothing to prove it, I wonder if an 80 degree plant puts more stress on the leg than something around 45?
 
Last edited:

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
Looks good to me.

Jacman, could you do me a favor and just show her feet? I'm trying to get some examples of footwork by advanced pitchers.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Jan 31, 2014
292
28
North Carolina
I must say I'm gratified for the compliments, and really need to pass them off to DD and to her PC. I'm just the enforcer. And I realize I left off something that might have been important for evaluation.

Her speed has leveled off at about 52-53 mph, so she has to be bleeding power somewhere, and I'm searching for ways to improve mechanics to harness everything she can. She's about 5'4", so she's going to have to be fairly precise to have a chance to run with the "big" girls.

I'm seeing a few individual things that seem minor, but that I think are adding up to a big drain on power. Here's where I really hope to hear from those of you that really know your stuff.

1. Her wrist looks stiff to me at release, not relaxed. PC says this is a significant point that costs her speed.
2. Beginning her drive, she looks to keep her weight primarily on her drive foot, losing momentum in the drive.
3. She starts out with a decent looking sprinter position, but then quickly stands up tall too early, pushing energy more upward than outward.
4. Her stride knee is starting to get high enough in the drive, but from the side it appears that her knee is really following her stride foot which is reaching more than the knee is driving.
5. From the front you can see that even though she pushes pretty straight over her drive foot, her legs turn to her right a little. This causes her to push her stride foot a bit to the right initially, and she makes a little arc with it before bringing it back toward the target. Plus the power in both legs really looks to be spent a little to her right. (She's a little inconsistent throwing outside to RH hitters.)
6. She's not allowing her rear hip to close completely most of the time. This may be due in part to the fact that she does land with her foot too closed, as noted earlier.
7. I think Ken is spot on in his post above about her not being upright enough at release. I think perhaps she's not quite into her leg enough when she plants, so she has a harder time creating that last drive upward against resistance as the ball is released.

My theory is that these drive issues are inter-related, and her biggest focus right now should addressing the sprint position at initial drive, driving her stride knee directly forward, and better managing resistance upon planting her front foot.
 
Last edited:

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,478
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top