12 (now 13) yo DD worked hard all winter and spring. Heading into May, she was throwing hard, consistently hitting spots, and throwing a decent change. End of April, pc got busy and basically missed the month of May. Games started and gameday nerves & bad habits kicked in (the most significant being leaning at the waist on release). This has cost her control and accuracy. She can throw strikes, but they're slower and really don't move much at all since she is getting a lot less spin on the ball due to bending over.
PC got back in the picture in early June. Slowly but surely, I see the good technique coming back. She's making a conscious effort to stay tall and she's driving harder off her right foot. When she uses the good technique, she can spot her pitches, they're fast, and they have a natural drop.
Short story long...if there was one good thing to come out of the bad habits, I think it might be the fact she is using more IR. When you bend at the waist, the hello elbow pretty much goes out the window. I think she naturally compensated for the lean by using more IR when she pitches. When games started she was very slow....as the season has progressed she has picked up speed (I think) by using IR. If we can lose the bend and keep the IR, she ought to be in good shape heading into school ball this fall. Does this make sense?
PC got back in the picture in early June. Slowly but surely, I see the good technique coming back. She's making a conscious effort to stay tall and she's driving harder off her right foot. When she uses the good technique, she can spot her pitches, they're fast, and they have a natural drop.
Short story long...if there was one good thing to come out of the bad habits, I think it might be the fact she is using more IR. When you bend at the waist, the hello elbow pretty much goes out the window. I think she naturally compensated for the lean by using more IR when she pitches. When games started she was very slow....as the season has progressed she has picked up speed (I think) by using IR. If we can lose the bend and keep the IR, she ought to be in good shape heading into school ball this fall. Does this make sense?
