“Stay Tall”

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Oct 11, 2019
38
8
Please help. My 12U daughter has been pitching for about two years, taking privates for the last year weekly. We are having the hardest time to get her to stay tall during delivery. It’s a combo of leaning forward toward home and bending towards 3rd (right hand pitcher). Any drills that have worked for your kids/players/students? Thanks in advance.
 
Aug 2, 2019
343
63
I just over exaggerate everything. She's leaning forward and needs to stand up straight, I tell her to be leaning back when her front foot plants.
 
Oct 11, 2019
38
8
I will try if I can figure that out even though it’s from backside at fence. I was just reading some of your comments on your thread related to sequencing and walk throughs. I think that may help.
 
May 9, 2019
294
43
This is a very common problem with newer pitchers, even experienced so don't feel bad. I think it's a natural instinct for a young girl to want to lean forward after the pitch, perhaps in an attempt to aim it in after she releases it. Think about those carnival games where you throw the ring into the milk jug.. everyone leans in that game :)

My DD had the hardest time with this. Literally worked on it the entire summer, fall, and winter. She's now finally started to stay back.
Tried everything. Ultimately, I think what worked is doing pitching without a ball. For some reason, if she didn't have the ball in her hand, she'd stop leaning forward. I kept having her pitch without the ball and eventually, she stopped leaning. As soon as I put the ball in her hand, the lean comes back. I'd go back and forth with ball, no ball, ball no ball.
Also, we took about a month off of pitching this January, and I think that also helped shake off some habits.

This may not work for you, so there are other techniques that I've tried that may work. For example, try having her pitch down a slight slope.
Tell her to keep her nose back. Chin up! Drill it into her that the legs will carry the body and the head forward, let the stride leg lead, not your face.
Also as the other member mentioned, try doing some exaggerations.. like literally leaning back to see if that helps.
Overall, I'd say be patient. I know it seems like it won't stop, but it will, trust me. Just keep at it.
I honestly thought my DD would never stop leaning, we never worked so hard and long at one thing before and finally I think it's stopped...
 
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The way my dd over came the forward bend was I got her to focus on the stride out being with her hip. If the hip flexor is extended and straight when the front foot plants she can stop the bend. If hips are bent forward even a little when the front foot plants her upper body momentum will be very hard to over come and she will bend over like in the picture. So drive with a locked out extended hip. Make sure she lands on ball of foot not heel(back problems). Start slow and work up.
 
Jan 3, 2019
85
18
Florida
No offense, but if it's been a year with a PC and they haven't addressed/resolved that issue yet then maybe you should look for a different PC. Not saying the one you're seeing isn't good but maybe they just aren't getting through to your DD. Sometimes a different person explaining the same concepts in a different way is all that it takes.
 
Aug 2, 2019
343
63
My DD gets in that same position when she's trying to aim the pitch. The other thing I tell her that helps is to push back with the front foot to hold her body back. It's just front side resistance, but explaining like that helped it sink in a little.
 

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