11 year old converting to IR/ need help

[attma]

I've seen pitchers pitching with IR, but I wasn't really sure what they were doing. All the stuff I've read and "experts" I've heard teach the traditional technique. I found this site the other day and was impressed with all the information especially on IR.
My DD just turned 11 and is starting her first year of 12U. She's pitched for two years. She has naturally thrown with IR on numerous occasions, and I of course "corrected" her every time. Today was her first day of offically working on pitching with IR and I would really appreciate some of ya'lls IR expertise in coaching her up. Of course feel free to critique any other non IR issues as well. Except for her push foot coming of the ground. Its alot easier to see it from the side in slo mo than in realtime behind the plate, so today was the first time I noticed.

YouTube - pitch vid.wmv

 

[Ade's Dad]

She is using IR.

 

[Jojo]

Nice set up you got there in your yard!

 

[attma]

Maybe I didn't explain that right. Today was her first day of pitching with IR, and the video and the pics are from today. She IS pitching with IR, but since its her first day and I'm not an expert on it I could use an evaluation. Thanks

 

[attma]

Jojo - Yeah, she's known around the neighborhood by the adults as "that softball girl" cause she's always out in the yard pitching. As long as the weather is nice, its ideal for practice time.

 

[Bill Bollinger]

Nice set up you got there in your yard!

The real question I want to know is how on god's green earth did you get the wife to agree to the pitching circle in the front yard?

 

[attma]

It looks bigger and more in the front of the house than it really is. The house is on the corner of a little circle/cul de sac thing so the yard is wierd, and I have a side yard that is kind of in front of my neighbors house. It seemed perfect for a pitching area. At first we just pitched on the grass, but then the grass got all torn up so I dug a liitle rectanglular "mound" with a pitching rubber and also put in a home plate. She pitched on that for a little over a year, but it was small and she always drug all the dirt into the grass with her toe, and then I'd have to get more dirt. So when I had to move it from 35 to 40 feet, I decided to dig a full circle. (My wife wasn't to happy about it, but really if I keep it raked and the edges really crisp, it actally looks fine, especially during the warm months. It gets all weedy during the winter but whatever) It's not regulation. The circumference is smaller. And actually, my DD is almost to the edge and she says sometimetimes she steps on the edge of the grass, so I think I'm gonne move the rubber back a couple of feet within the circle and the then move the plate up the same distance. It allows her to practice alot more than she would otherwise so I'm really happy I put it in.

 

[Mike]

She looks real good, in the second clip the rear leg doesn't finish and she has what I call a t-rex follow through. The younger kids I have been helping get a good laugh when I call it that, I make them make a t-rex noise whenever they don't follow through naturally. To help the follow through, when we do windmills they make 5 revoloutions, they release on the 4th and complete another complete revolution after they release the ball. No it doesn't create a bad habit, not one yet has done an extra revolution when full pitching.

Stay loose,
Mike

 

[attma]

She looks real good, in the second clip the rear leg doesn't finish and she has what I call a t-rex follow through. The younger kids I have been helping get a good laugh when I call it that, I make them make a t-rex noise whenever they don't follow through naturally. To help the follow through, when we do windmills they make 5 revoloutions, they release on the 4th and complete another complete revolution after they release the ball. No it doesn't create a bad habit, not one yet has done an extra revolution when full pitching.

Stay loose,
Mike

Yeah, that's actually one of my questions on IR. Before the IR, she finished high and outfront with her elbow at 90 degrees. However with IR it doesn't look like that. A lot of the videos I've seen show the follow through with the arm straight out, palm down. Although some, including UNEO ??? (not sure how to spell it) have their arm all over the place. I don't even know how to start breaking that down. I can get her to finish straight out palm down, but is that the goal? As to the leg fiinish, I videoed her for about ten minutes and she didnt finish with her back leg about half the time. I'm glad I'm doing this cause it let me see some things i've been missing from behind the plate. I really appreciate the input man.

 

[Mike]

My expierience with IR. I have done a ton of research on this and have even changed pitching coaches since BM's IR post. IMO, IR isn't a style, its simply the way successful pitchers from 10-U all the way up to the Olympic team throw the ball underhand. Some kids just get it despite the number of times they have been told to get there hand on top of the ball and wave it through, and some kids have to be taught. Yours seems to just get it so don't fill her head up with IR terms and conditions, just keep promoting a loose relaxed fluid motion. As far as follow through I don't believe there is a standard as it will do something different with each pitch, just make sure her arm goes forward after she releases the ball. The windmill drill I described really does work wonders with follow through mechanics, took my daughter roughly 3000 arm circles before she started staying loose on the follow through.
Stay loose, stay fluid, stay sideways.

Mike