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Aug 31, 2017
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My DD is 11 years old. 5' 8" tall and 135lbs. She has been working on pitching for one year now. We have been to various pitching coaches here in kentucky and she has worked on hello elbow and forearm fire. She has the mechanics of both forms down pretty well and she is pretty strong in the legs. her problem is inconsistency. I believe alot of it comes from where she sometimes leans at release. Sometimes the pitches are really high where it looks like she maybe pushing the ball. Sometimes low in the dirt. She can pitch a decently hard fastball for her age. Just want to know what I maybe able to do to help her consistency and what I can do to get her to use her size to generate speed. Thanks
 
Apr 28, 2014
2,316
113
I'm no expert but one of the things that my DD struggled with as we learned together was too much information. I constantly was reading and so was she, both trying to find the right motion and slight change that would be the game changer. This lead to her always trying new things and for a while not developing a consistent motion. It's very hard to make tweaks to a motion when it's always changing. I don't know the answer but DW was the one who said "She needs to do the same thing over and over to make it stick".
That helped and now she's making great progress!
Good Luck and enjoy the journey.
 
Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
My DD is 11 years old. 5' 8" tall and 135lbs. She has been working on pitching for one year now. We have been to various pitching coaches here in kentucky and she has worked on hello elbow and forearm fire. She has the mechanics of both forms down pretty well and she is pretty strong in the legs. her problem is inconsistency. I believe alot of it comes from where she sometimes leans at release. Sometimes the pitches are really high where it looks like she maybe pushing the ball. Sometimes low in the dirt. She can pitch a decently hard fastball for her age. Just want to know what I maybe able to do to help her consistency and what I can do to get her to use her size to generate speed. Thanks

Your first mistake is right there. Get her to a pitching coach who is teaching Internal Rotation. Read the sticky notes here in the pitching forum. There's a ton there, but it's worth the time. HE and FF are not what high level, successful pitchers use.

Do a search for a Tincher pitching coach near you. You can find them here. Location Directory - Fastpitch Softball Pitching Lessons
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
What is forearm fire?

I haven't checked out his stuff lately, but forearm fire is an interpretation and teaching method that Phil Schonberg of Fastpitch Power came up with in an attempt to explain/teach whip. He was off base when I last checked.

Here is some of the best info I've found on the net:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DZw6Nr3f4KXKJokOkoCQkldKP6c93VAaqaKtrG6Bp8Q/edit?pref=2&pli=1
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18CuUI2qjz3TSNnj28xm2dXKg9xJBDUslQIEJrUY-xDo/edit?pref=2&pli=1
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfxecAGYoi5Hav_GIfV47yA
Videos | Balswick Fastpitch
https://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-pitching/27761-pitching-lessons-rick-pauly.html

Update: I checked on the recent videos at FP and there have been no changes in their misinterpretation of whip since '12.
 
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Feb 22, 2013
206
18
I taught my dd Brush Resistance first. I told her to let go of the ball when her forearm hit the inside of her hip, about where her 1st belt buckle would be if she was pitching in jeans. I wanted my dd to have a consistent release point. 13+ years ago, when I started teaching my dd how to pitch, I thought that releasing the ball when hitting the hip(Brush Resistance) was the key to fastpitch softball pitching.

There is a pretty good "sticky" in the pitching forum on Brush Resistance.

For my dd, hitting her hip was key to her ability to not only throw strikes but also in throwing controlled balls.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
I taught my dd Brush Resistance first.

that was the smart thing to do..."throwing strikes" gets her time in the circle.

She needs to move on to "internal rotation" and forget hello elbow.
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
what is internal rotation? hoe does it differ from hello elbow?

"Hello Elbow" might look like these:
Softball Pitching: How To Pitch a Softball | Softball Drills & Tips Video Library | PlaySportsTV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc99t_g9RUs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83tC79baMU0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDUC-B-eGA

Hello Elbow can be characterized by these points:
-Ball facing 2nd base at 12 o'clock
-Wrist cocked back--ready to snap
-Arm speed is critical
-Ball is pushed down to release
-Wrist snaps violently at the "release point."
-Hand/fingers peel up the ball
-Arm forcefully pulls up hard and finishes with the fingers touching the shoulder and elbow pointing at the target
-Hips snap through and face squarely to target after release


Arm whip (IR) looks like these:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5X86nD_WS4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmiG4ji3onQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6z39S19x8o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQz7CKn0SS4

Whip/IR might be characterized by:
-The ball is pulled around the circle
-Lower arm is loose and relaxed, resulting in a lagged lower arm and ball
-Palm is facing upwards from 9-8 o'clock
-Upper arm pauses at the ribs allowing the lower arm/ball to accelerate
-Upper arm internally rotates, elbow stays flexed
-Lower arm wraps/rolls/brushes around the hip--triggering release
-Lower arm/wrist/hand rotates from a palm up/supinated position to a palm downish/pronated position
-Overall follow through is relaxed and natural
 
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