Arm hitting side

[drc9805]

My daughter's hip is always red when pitching but she was actually taught to brush the hip with the inside of the forearm basically to use the hip as a guide. Is this a bad thing?

 

[Carly]

Carly, I normally agree with you, but it depends if the pitcher is opening to 45-52 degrees like Amanda, Jenny, or Monica, or if she is completely open like Baylor's Whitney Canion. This for DD and I was a slippery slope. We always that we wanted to be completely open during delivery, and have since changed to about 45 degrees which for us improved speed and acuracy. At 45 degrees she is not brushing the shirt by her bellybutton, she is brushing the shirt by her hip like these pitchers:

You're right, 45 degrees is good. Typically if I have a pitcher who is completely hitting her side and I tell her to aim for her bellybutton, she ends up somewhere in between. But I have to be careful about my language when I'm writing advice and not supervising in person.

 

[halskinner]

In my experience, it is best to teach open mechanics to a kid going through puberty. If you teach them to be partially closed, like the collegiate pitchers above, then they will constantly struggle and have to readjust as their bodies develop.

After they have finished their major body changes, then you can have them pitch partially closed. Many male PC's do not understand this and try to teach absolutes, with the assumption that a 12 year old can and should pitch like a 16 year old. It makes sense in the male logical mind, but it is a far cry from reality.

-W

LOL. Thanks I needed a good laugh and that is the funniest post I have seen in a very long time.

Do you realize how many pitchers pitch with closed mechanics vs how FEW pitch with open mechanics?? As long as they open up to 45 - 52 degrees they do not need to open any farther, unless you are talking about a pitcher who has a rear end 2 axe handles wide!

Google the 'Steadman - Hawkins Report to coaches' and you will see what the safest hip angle is for the female shoulder complex.

 

[Carly]

Hal, I can't speak for others, but personally I consider 45-52 degrees to be open mechanics. I've always considered "closed mechanics" to be when girls are taught to face the catcher the whole time (which is silly, because the arm circle will naturally make you open up a little bit... but nonetheless, I know this is taught sometimes).

What does everyone else think? I want to make sure that if someone asks me a question I'm able to give a response that isn't confusing.

 

[Jojo]

Hal, I can't speak for others, but personally I consider 45-52 degrees to be open mechanics. I've always considered "closed mechanics" to be when girls are taught to face the catcher the whole time (which is silly, because the arm circle will naturally make you open up a little bit... but nonetheless, I know this is taught sometimes).

What does everyone else think? I want to make sure that if someone asks me a question I'm able to give a response that isn't confusing.

Carly I'm with you on that, I consider 45-52 as open.
There was a PC here that teaches "closed" mechanics. Absolutely no rotation of the body whatsoever. My DD had a teammate who was a student of his. He allowed for a slight rotation of the shoulders just enough to allow the arm to move through the shoulder then back closed again, any movement of the hips was forbidden. Toe drive was straight over the laces, knee straight forward through the whole pitch.

 

[halskinner]

Hi Carly,

As I have understood them in my lifetime.

Closed mechanics have the hips at 45 to 52 degrees at landing foot touchdown. A pitcher can open their hips all the way when pushing off, as long as they close them to 45 to 52 degrees at LFT.

Open mechanics - hips open fully at push off and stay fully open through the release.

Shut the door and 'Slam the door' mechanics are different than the first two. Rarely EVER hear of simply closing the door anymore, always slamming the door.

Many promoters of open mechanics would have folks believe that closed mechanics are the same as slamming the door and they have even compared closed mechanics to how the pitch in slow pitch softball.

 

[Carly]

Thanks. There weren't a ton of other pitching coaches or resources in the area where I grew up and then taught till I moved to PA recently, so now I'm finding that my terminology is different than a lot of what's accepted.

 

[halskinner]

One thing about being an old pitching instructor. I've been around the bases a few times. We used to have 'communication meetings' every month with the owner and all the instructors at that facility. A question popped up that the others couldnt figure out, oh yeah, everybody looked at the old guy for an answer. Gave an answer one time and one instructor said "You're kindahandy to have around when the poop gets deep". I said thank you and then I said,"You do realize you just promoted me from pitching instructor all the way up to toilet plunger, right?"

 

[TNdad]

Hal, I can't speak for others, but personally I consider 45-52 degrees to be open mechanics. I've always considered "closed mechanics" to be when girls are taught to face the catcher the whole time (which is silly, because the arm circle will naturally make you open up a little bit... but nonetheless, I know this is taught sometimes).

What does everyone else think? I want to make sure that if someone asks me a question I'm able to give a response that isn't confusing.

I agree with you. I have seen girls really emphasizing opening completely and they seem to turn before they actually start to drive off the
mound. From what i have seen that causes them to lose velo and accuracy.

 

[Carly]

I agree with you. I have seen girls really emphasizing opening completely and they seem to turn before they actually start to drive off the
mound. From what i have seen that causes them to lose velo and accuracy.

Yes, I've found this to be one of the biggest challenges with teaching open mechanics. It takes a lot more physical strength than most girls have to push forward powerfully first and then open up into the K position. Their natural reaction is to cheat and open too early, often too much, and just stay in that position through the whole delivery.