10 yo dd pitching open for all feedback good or bad

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YouTube - 10u pitcher working on footwork

Right now her drag foot is of most importance. Really bad habit of leaping.Cant see it too much on this video because thats what we are working on, but in game situations it is pretty bad. It doesnt get called in 10u but it will in 2012 when she goes up to 12's 1st pitching coach we went to told her to push off as far as possible and as a result she tries to go head 1st and lifts. New coach has since changed a few things but looking for some more advise on what to work on.

 

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She also has a problem with the rotation of the ball. She frequently gets a bullet spin instead of the end over end spin that you would want on a fastball. We have since changed to having her hand on top of the ball when she first goes into her backswing and that seems to help. Are we on the right track with this?

 

[sluggers]

IMHO, you are worrying about the wrong stuff. 80% of the speed of a pitch comes from the arm rotation and whip, not from the legs and not from the snap. Your DD's arm motion is messed up.

Pitching underhand and throwing overhand are very similar when it comes to the arm. The elbow "leads" the hand until release. That means at 12 o'clock, the elbow is bent, and at 3 o'clock, the elbow is bent. At release, the hand is leading the elbow...which creates "the whip".

To fix this, she needs to do about a million "half frames". Seriously--I would have her spend probably 20 to 30 minutes of every practice session for the next couple of months just doing half frames. A half frame is where the pitcher gets open (faces 3B), raises the ball to 12, and throws. When she raises the ball to 12, and before she starts her motion, have her bend her elbow so her arm forms perhaps a 160 to 170 degree angle. She pulls down with her elbow to start the throwing motion.

Attached are shots of Jenny Finch (perhaps the best pitcher ever) at 12, 9 and at release. You can see the bend in her arm, and at release you can see "the whip" where the hand starts leading the elbow.

 

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I agree that everything is messed up right now. We spent alot of time last year with a pc that didnt teach a whole lot. Needless to say, we arent there anymore. But she has developed alot of bad habits that even an untrained eye like mine can see. We will certainly give this half frame thing a look. No games till spring so now is the time to work on it. I normally catch for her. It is almost impossible for me to see her mechanics and try to catch a ball at 35ft at the same time. Got any ideas for that? Thanks

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I catch almost all of my lessons because no one else will do it. I see a dad at lessons about 1 out of every 10 lessons. So, by now, I can tell a lot about the pitch by catching it.

Everything is not messed up. She is pretty much like every young beginner that I see.

I really like her attitude. She was smiling and anxious and perky. Those are pretty good attributes for a pitcher.

Have her take some time between her pitches and have her "think." Right now, she is just firing away.

Do not try to fix everything at once, but go back and work on correcting her forward lean, because it will get worse. Do a lot of stork stands and balancing on the right foot.

And I would like for you to sit lower. Then, after her pitch, have her approach you before you throw the ball to her. You guys will easily get frustrated throwing the ball around. Also, I can't tell if you have put down a home plate or not. I use one that is colored red down the middle, because you do not want her pitching strikes down the middle, lesson after lesson. Move your glove around - inside, outside, higher, lower.

Keep asking questions and good luck. How much are you paying for lessons in your area?

 

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Amy,
Yeah, I know she isnt all messed up. I used that term loosely with the understanding that she is 10 and things will be messed up. She has been very successful in league ball and average in travel. She does enjoy pitching and I enjoy the time spent with her. Going to have to invest in some shin protection here soon because I cant say I enjoy the bruises, but they are worth it.


I normally catch. In this vid I was not catching, a couple of neighborhood kids were so that I could take the video. Forward lean is one thing that our pc is working on. I agree that she does rush her pitches. I think she likes it so much she cant wait to get the next one off.lol. Yes, there is a home plate. I am paying 25.00 for 1 hour and she has 1 other student in class with her. That is pretty average around here. Some are a bit higher but not much.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Thanks for sharing the video with us. I have to agree with sluggers that she has very little arm whip (first thing I noticed) and needs to work on that immediately. Is she practicing with a purpose and going through a routine of drills in progression prior to the full motion? For example in this order: overhand throw, wrist snaps, T-drill, upper body windmill only, walk-throughs, then full motion.

While I like her care-free attitude and she is having fun, BUT is she very focused and concentrates when you practice with her? I would make sure that you practice with her with no one else around and you go through a specific set of drills, everytime with goals. IMO, pitchers need to be aggressive and challenge themselves to improve, even at this young age. From the video I see a pitcher who enjoys herself and likes to throw strikes. I would concentrate on having her throw hard, using better arm whip mechanics first. Good luck.

 

[starsnuffer]

Focus on the arm movement first. The footwork issues come from the fact that she's not getting open and she's not pushing off the rubber, she's just taking a big step forward which makes her back leg come up. Sprinter starts can help with that.

Put a power line down, that will help her visualize everything.

-W

 

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SoCalDad,
Thanks for your contribution to this thread. To answer your question normally she is much much more focused than this, like I said before, we had some neighborhood kids catching so I could video which leads to a bit of clowning around. Normally it is one on one and this time of year in Indiana we are inside a gym on a volleyball line with the rubber duct taped to the floor. Probably not the ideal way to do it but me must use the resources available. We normally use progression type workouts just as you described and in that order except for walk throughs, except when time is short then we normally do a good warmup, snaps, and then full pitch.

starsnuffer

Thanks for your input as well. After we correct the arm motion/whip we will certainly look at that.

So far this has been good stuff from everyone. Keep it coming. I realize from looking at other posts that this is literally a huge challenge ahead and that no matter who you are improvements can always be made. But I have faith in her. She never really settles for "average" in anything. I am glad we are playing travel ball for her to see some of the other better pitchers out there. She will no doubt push herself to be the best.