13U Pitcher Review / Comments needed.

[Goobie]

My 13 YO DD changed PCs and styles in October (From "Step 'n Stride" to "Leap 'n Drag"). It is still a work in progress but she has worked back up to her cruising speed of about 52mph. Not a speed demon yet but consistent and working on the junk. Good Change, Good drop, Good screw, Just started Learning the Curve.

I posted some slow motion video of her last lesson (just fast balls) and would like to hear some comments / suggestions. The florescent lights caused a flicker and the videos are a little dark, but they are all I have right now. I forgot to shoot any full-speed videos.

Front View
Side View
Rear View

Couple of notes / questions:
1) On the video (which was shot indoors) she sometimes leaps... however outside in the dirt she has a complete drag line and continuous ground contact most of the time. It is a work in progress that she is trying to fix.
2) On the rear view her pitching coach was trying to get her to pitch outside so she is off the center line.
3) After reading the threads about replanting I would like to know if you think she is replanting. In my opinion at full speed she doesn't push off a second time but in slow-mo it might be there.
4) We have also been working on breaking the habit of slapping her leg. She gets bruises sometimes. Any suggestions here would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[ASAPAump]

3) After reading the threads about replanting I would like to know if you think she is replanting. In my opinion at full speed she doesn't push off a second time but in slow-mo it might be there.

IMHO, she is clearly replanting. It's probably one of the more obvious crowhops I have seen. Sorry, but this is a habit she will have to break. It will probably be difficult given her high step with her lead foot. That high step seems to be causing her to be slightly off balance, which she tries to correct with the replant. Or, at least, that's what I see.

 

[tojo]

If you say she has continuous contact when she pitches in the dirt then she is entirely legal, but if the video is representative she is replanting. However, she does not appear to be pushing off with her foot. She looks to be dragging her foot by her closing the hip. When striding she is looping the leg quite a bit. Even for an outside pitch she is striding too far off the power line IMO. Leg slapping can be a hard habit to break.

 

[Dave D]

Here's what I see that concerns me: At takeoff, her right knee is not loaded at all. I assume that's what tojo means by not pushing off. If you can get to any of the RVP video or just look at any clips of strong pitchers, they all load that right leg quite a lot at the knee as they start their forward motion. Your DD is working really hard to take off from her windup position, but isn't getting anything out of her push leg. Since she's not using her right foot to push off, she seems to be reaching more with her left which gets her out of balance on her stride. That's the first thing I would look at, anyway.

 

[tojo]

Dave D, I was referring to the second push that is considered crow hopping.I agree with you the way she loads on her right leg is not helping with her leg drive forward. The way she loads on her pivot foot has her push up more than out.I like the effort she puts into her pitchs but she does need to adjust her stride.

 

[sluggers]

She is replanting. Pitching indoors in tennis shoes and on a mat causes a lot of crow-hopping. It might not be that big of an issue outside.

 

[nfhs ump]

She is illegal the moment her pivot foot loses contact with the ground (or the plane of the ground if there is a hole). So she is illegal. If she does it inside, I am sure she does it outside. Then she replants creating a new impetus for the pitch. Also illegal. One push and one push only and it must be from the pitcher's plate.

These illegal pitches are to be called at all levels, and will be more and more from now on as the NCAA and state associations are finally trying to put an end to illegal pitching techniques. The problem is that a lot of umpires don't call it so it is never fixed. they don't want to embarrass the girl, or they just don't care and only want their paycheck. And then a girl gets to a regional final or a state tournament and then it gets called. And the coach always says, "Nobody called it all year." But that doesn't make it legal. I would suggest getting a different pitching coach that does teach these illegal techniques. I would ask the coach why he/she taught the kid to leap and replant and ask for my money back. There are plenty of other great pitchers that keep their drag or pivot foot on the ground and don't replant.

 

[tojo]

She is illegal the moment her pivot foot loses contact with the ground (or the plane of the ground if there is a hole). So she is illegal. If she does it inside, I am sure she does it outside. Then she replants creating a new impetus for the pitch. Also illegal. One push and one push only and it must be from the pitcher's plate.

These illegal pitches are to be called at all levels, and will be more and more from now on as the NCAA and state associations are finally trying to put an end to illegal pitching techniques. The problem is that a lot of umpires don't call it so it is never fixed. they don't want to embarrass the girl, or they just don't care and only want their paycheck. And then a girl gets to a regional final or a state tournament and then it gets called. And the coach always says, "Nobody called it all year." But that doesn't make it legal. I would suggest getting a different pitching coach that does teach these illegal techniques. I would ask the coach why he/she taught the kid to leap and replant and ask for my money back. There are plenty of other great pitchers that keep their drag or pivot foot on the ground and don't replant.

When my DD played in a tournament years back, she was called for an illegal pitch. She touched the ground and went directly to the ball. It is illegal and I didn't argue. When the opposing pitcher started in the bottom of the inning, she was crow hopping. I asked the ump between innings why he didn't call an IP on their pitcher. His response was she was not gaining an advantage. My response to him was " If it's illegal, it's illegal. He laughed.If the IPs are called when young, the PC will be under more pressure to address the problem.

 

[Goobie]

If she does it inside, I am sure she does it outside.

Thanks for the feedback. This is from several months ago. As I said in the original post she changed PC's in October due to an "illegal" style from her original PC. The new PC stresses legal pitching so she is working on it. The goal is to be 100% legal. It is now June and she is 95% legal. No leap, but still struggling with the screw and uses what you are calling a "replant" for balance. She doesn't throw it very much as a result, so in games is OK. She got rained out this weekend but I should probably post some new video soon.

Welcome to the discussion board. While I appreciate you taking your time to review the video and provide comments regarding illegal pitches... you should be a little careful with stating your opinion as fact. You said... "If she does it inside, I am sure she does it outside." How sure are you? You see three pitches INSIDE and are "sure" she does it OUTSIDE even though I (seeing roughly 1000 pitches a week) said she doesn't do it outside and has a complete drag line. People generally don't like to be called a liar. As an Ump you probably wouldn't appreciate someone watching one video of one of your blown calls and saying "I am sure he/she blows all of his/her calls."

Thanks again however for your time and constructive feedback.

 

[sjsss]

Agree with Sluggers, have seen it so many times - I teach at an indoor facility and agree that it is common for someone who does not normally replant to do so on concrete. Just because she does it inside does NOT necessarily mean she will do it outside.