9 yo DD Video

[Coletrain]

Been working towards Hillhouse mechanics for about a week. Had to make several changes from what she was taught before. Please let me know what is good and bad! Thanks!

VID-20120304-00001 - YouTube

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[sluggers]

Ok...the first thing you have to do is stop her from closing her hips when she throws.

In this video of Cat Osterman, watch her lower body, and especially the position of her legs and feet at the end of the pitch.

[video=youtube_share;7LqYXr98HA8]http://youtu.be/7LqYXr98HA8[/video]

You'll see that her left foot (she is a left handed pitcher) doesn't pass her right foot.

Here is another one:

Amnda Scarborough video

Again, look at the position of her feet and legs at the end of the pitch.

Here is the deal:

Pitching is about "momentum transfer". So, the pitcher gets her body going in a nice straight line toward the catcher and then stops it. The momentum is transferred to her arm, and the ball "shoots" out of the hand.

If you placed a brick on the dashboard of your car and you wanted it to go through the windshield, would you slowly stop the car? Or would you slam on the brakes and bring it to a full stop?

So, your DD is continuing to move forward after she throws. She needs to work on finishing with her right foot behind her left foot.

Here is Jenny Finch warming up. Watch her leg and hips during the pitch, and specifically where her feet are after she throws. This is a really good drill your DD should do.

Link: Jenny Finch Warming up

 

[Coletrain]

Thanks slugger! I can see that now!

 

[Coletrain]

OK! this is video from today. Trying to make corrections that slugger gave!

VID-20120305-00000 - YouTube

 

[Amy in AZ.]

One thing that I would tell her, is to pitch and then, stay where she is and come forward to get the ball. Like most of my beginners, she is pitching and racing to get back to the rubber.

 

[Steve Huff]

Well all I have to say is that if she could make those adjustments in one day, she is quite gifted. Seriously, most kids her age struggle with body awareness. Whatever was done to impress on her how to make changes, whether video, cleaning up her room, a technical talk, or whatever, it is an amazing transition and portends a great future. So keep note of it!

 

[COACH SLIM]

I agree with Steve...that was a big adjustment in 1 day. Keep up the good work!!!

 

[Perfect Circle]

Been there done that...here is my 9yr old early in the transition...Get a piece of tape or something for a line, the cross it with another 3" short of her height @ 45 degree angle. Better yet, since your out side, get a piece of wood the same size of the rubber, 6"x24" x 3/4" thick, paint it white. Leave it unsecured. Then teach her to dig in her hole in the dirt, for her starting block. This way she don't depend on the rubber. The hole will keep her foot straight. Lightly scratch the angled landing point. This grounds keeping slows things up. Always approach from behind, do a last min check of the markings, this cues the catcher. Have her follow ASA pitching rules EVERY pitch, EVERY time, even in practice... including the shaking off of the call. Always shake no in practice, This needs to be engrained early.
It will slow her down...love the confidence !!!

Working on it ... - YouTube

 

[Coletrain]

Thanks guys! She has pitched 3 tournament games so far. She does work really fast. Her first game she hit the ump twice because she pitched the ball before the catcher was set. I have to remind her to slow down. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Steve Huff]

Thanks guys! She has pitched 3 tournament games so far. She does work really fast. Her first game she hit the ump twice because she pitched the ball before the catcher was set. I have to remind her to slow down. Thanks for all the help!

I had a good laugh over that one. Aggressiveness displaces fear in sports or even combat! So she has a good quality we would hope she can maintain. The one thing I want to elaborate on more is physical awareness. Every athlete deals with adjustments through a cycle. Technically is is called: "Unconscious Incompetence" - the athlete doesn't know they are doing something wrong. The coach or dad makes corrections and this turns into "Conscious Incompetence" - the player is now aware and tries to figure out how to fix it. This is where physical awareness comes in. The older a player gets, generally until 16 or so, they don't know what their back leg is doing in relation to their front leg, or what angle their hand is facing at 12:00 in the pitching circle. Young girls your DD age aren't supposed to have any physical awareness; at least that is the norm, and even if they focus on a body part during execution, they can't tell you what it did. Later as they develop the skill, if they focus on doing it right, it turns into the "Conscious Competence" phase. Lastly is the goal. That is the "Unconscious Competence" phase of learning. By repetition they achieve the ability to repeat the skill correctly without thinking about it.

Your daughter is very advanced in this regard for her age. That is two strengths. I would suggest to you to tell her she isn't pitching to the plate. She isn't pitching to the batter. She isn't pitching to the catcher. She is pitching to the mitt. Focus on the mitt! I used to put a white circle patch in the palm of the mitt for a target and point of focus. If she doesn't see the white spot, she doesn't have a target to throw to. This also gives a point of focus to throw to.

Good luck.