What Shakira can teach you about generating speed

My pitching learning curve is populated by points that i have marked as things I see as being important but am not sure why. First among this has been the hips.

Long ago, when the drive mechanics thread was pretty new, I asked Java about the hip snap I see in powerful pitchers. he answered it well, but as usual I did not understand. Rick posted some stuff that involved the hips and it made sense but I could not translate it to really concrete understanding either.

Java even posted the Shakira reference at one point and said the hips don't lie. Recently I finally had my aha moment and it all clicked and I wanted to share what I found.

For me it clicked with a hula hoop.

Here is the basic summary.

When hula hooping, the force the hips are exerting on the hoop needs to LEAD the motion of the hoop just as the hips in the pitching motion need to lead the arm circle. The hips open in a leading action and pull the torso open, this is the "gear" engagement and links the hips to the arm circle, that stretch stays engaged and the hips complete their opening and then change direction and close to 45 degrees WITHOUT losing the engagement, via stretch, between them and the shoulder. This whips the arm around and sligshots it into the final I/R phase. The feeling of the timing (as far as the leading nature of where your hips are engaged on the hoop vs the direction of motion of the center of the hoop) is almost identical to the timing you feel when you hula hoop (about 90 degrees).

Here is Rick's clip talking about the hips:



here is the exchange in the drive mechanics thread sith some gifs that show the hip action nicely.

[URL="http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-pitching/18135-drive-mechanics-2.html#post229909]Drive Mechanics[/URL]

and the most important part

JJsqueeze said:

When hula hooping, the force the hips are exerting on the hoop needs to LEAD the motion of the hoop just as the hips in the pitching motion need to lead the arm circle. The hips open in a leading action and pull the torso open, this is the "gear" engagement and links the hips to the arm circle, that stretch stays engaged and the hips complete their opening and then change direction and close to 45 degrees WITHOUT losing the engagement, via stretch, between them and the shoulder. This whips the arm around and sligshots it into the final I/R phase. The feeling of the timing (as far as the leading nature of where your hips are engaged on the hoop vs the direction of motion of the center of the hoop) is almost identical to the timing you feel when you hula hoop (about 90 degrees).

Click to expand...

Good point.

DD has been working hard as of late to re-align hips/shoulders.
She has never had any issues with "getting open" with both,
but has always left the hips behind in a more open position through the release zone,
while shoulders rotated more closed.
Classic "disconnection".

Trying to ingrain the inverse (hips leading the motion while shoulders remain in-plane/stay-back),
has been a real struggle; but she has been slowly improving.

As she improves her shoulders/hips "connection", her rear leg position, body angle, release proximity/brush, etc. have all improved similarly.

I started out looking for how Pitching, Hitting & Throwing are the same... & or different... still always looking

Perfect Circle said:

I started out looking for how Pitching, Hitting & Throwing are the same... & or different... still always looking

Click to expand...

Power is derived in a very similar manner regardless of the activity or sport.

Java,

If I am reading that content correctly, you are saying that the throwing side hip coming through from open to about 45 degrees closed, is passive and a result of the landing energy just transferring through the body. Is that a correct read?