Arm circle problems

[JENJ5001]

The role of the shoulder plays in the arm circle goes largely unnoticed. This is not surprising since most pitchers perform it adequately and it is a "no teach". The shoulder leads the arm in it's circle and is responsible for generating some velocity. This is especially important in the 4 o'clock to 1 o'clock part of the arm circle. What is generally thought of as "opening up" is more of a pull back action which adds speed to the arm circle. Shoulder/arm/hand action is similar to that of a sling (as in David and Goliath). A sling has a pocket for the stone and two strings that are held in the hand. As the pocket/stone is whirled in a near vertical circle to build velocity the hand which holds the strings also moves in a small circle and leads the pocket/stone. Similarly in pitching the shoulder leads the arm in it's circle. Look at first 20 seconds of this video of Amanda Scarborough and focus on her shoulder, you will see that it makes a circle. At 9 o'clock she is open, from 6-4 she is about square/closed, from 4-1 you can see her pull back with the shoulder which accelerates the arm/hand. If the timing of this sequence is incorrect, such as opening up early, there is a loss of velocity. This same pull back action is very noticeable in the 17 second video of Cat Osterman





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very intresting, I see what you are saying with the shoulder pulling back which in turn accelerates the arm circle. The sling shot (David and goliath reference) is very fitting. Thank you for taking the time to respond. This was very helpful.
If you dont mind me asking what brand of Neoprene sleeve do you use for youth. My DD is 10 but is 5'3 and about 106 pounds?

 

[ArmWhip]

very intresting, I see what you are saying with the shoulder pulling back which in turn accelerates the arm circle. The sling shot (David and goliath reference) is very fitting. Thank you for taking the time to respond. This was very helpful.
If you dont mind me asking what brand of Neoprene sleeve do you use for youth. My DD is 10 but is 5'3 and about 106 pounds?

The shoulder rotation is something that most pitchers do naturally, without thinking about it, thus there is generally no need to complicate things and teach it. Opening early or not opening fully are the variations where it needs to be addressed.

The sleeve size varies by manufacturer so I would suggest that you try some on and find one that is relatively tight but not uncomfortable, especially when the arm is properly flexed/bent. You can find them at sporting goods stores, drug stores also carry them. The sleeve is a focus point for attention and helps provide feedback on the proper amount of elbow bend/flex. Once that becomes locked in then wearing it is optional.

 

[BillyD]

I would go back to basics. Lock it in drill , 9 o’clock drill. Focus on I/R release. Then work to full circle. Slow it down to focus then speed it up as you reinforce her mechanics. When she loses mechanics slow it back down.


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My daughter does have a bent arm and not a wide arm circle. She,s the closest in this video. Her speed is stuck at 51-52.

 

[Tjmate]

The role of the shoulder plays in the arm circle goes largely unnoticed. This is not surprising since most pitchers perform it adequately and it is a "no teach". The shoulder leads the arm in it's circle and is responsible for generating some velocity. This is especially important in the 4 o'clock to 1 o'clock part of the arm circle. What is generally thought of as "opening up" is more of a pull back action which adds speed to the arm circle. Shoulder/arm/hand action is similar to that of a sling (as in David and Goliath). A sling has a pocket for the stone and two strings that are held in the hand. As the pocket/stone is whirled in a near vertical circle to build velocity the hand which holds the strings also moves in a small circle and leads the pocket/stone. Similarly in pitching the shoulder leads the arm in it's circle. Look at first 20 seconds of this video of Amanda Scarborough and focus on her shoulder, you will see that it makes a circle. At 9 o'clock she is open, from 6-4 she is about square/closed, from 4-1 you can see her pull back with the shoulder which accelerates the arm/hand. If the timing of this sequence is incorrect, such as opening up early, there is a loss of velocity. This same pull back action is very noticeable in the 17 second video of Cat Osterman





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I think my DD lacks this "pull back" action of the throwing shoulder. Can you offer some suggestions on how I can help her develop this?

 

[ArmWhip]

I think my DD lacks this "pull back" action of the throwing shoulder. Can you offer some suggestions on how I can help her develop this?

The problems I see is that pitchers will open up on their backswing and stay open, or open on their way up to 9 o'clock. Ideally you want to start to open as you pass 9 o'clock. If she opens on her backswing make sure she comes back to being square or almost square. If she opens too early on her upswing try to stay square until she gets to 9 o'clock.

 

[DrRiello]

We as a pitching community need to realize that the drive is the foundation to the entire pitch!!!
Remember the story from the Bible where the 2 men build houses, one on solid rock and the other on sand?
Pitching is just like that. If the foundation (drive mechanics) is poor, everything else has nothing to build upon.
Hanna is a stud athlete for sure, and is honestly getting away with a lot of inefficiencies because she's so strong and athletic.
Study up on DM, and have her doing a lot of drills specifically designed to get a better outward thrust rather than the dominate left leg reach.
Secondly the premature arm bent from 2-12 is a direct reflection of how her body is turned open so early, the torso is already sideways there... where else is her arm supposed to go?
**Drive OUTWARD not open (use the right leg to thrust, this will keep her more square)
**Shove the ball and glove OUTWARD towards the catcher (this will keep her torso more square initially)
** The arm circle will get the torso opening to about a 45 degree angle as the ball comes over the top (we don't need to be completely open)
** These simple adjustments will correct several issues
PM me if I can further assist you. Maybe you could road trip to Indiana for a few hours with me

James has this one wired. Listen to this man.
If I may, she also is trying to push the ball before release. Although her arm is bent and even gets some brush, she is blowing through the whip. There really isn’t any whip. She is so tight and forceful. The pushing action, the forcing the ball forward is killing her whip and also killing her speed. Maybe college coaches are just reinforcing power vs whip. Trying to throw hard with ir usually results in slower and less accurate.


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