Brush- Drills vs Full

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Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
This is very common. Often because at full motion she is throwing to you on a bucket. Correct? Hang a tarp and get her to throw full out into a tarp a few feet away. This will focus her on brush, posture, and all things mechanical and not on the results of the pitch. Throw only into a tarp every day for at least a week. Keep at it until brush is always there. Then have her go full to someone standing at full distance. If she can maintain brush then and only then should you squat. If she regresses go back to the tarp and start the process over.

I was debating setting up one of our hitting nets for the pitcher I'm working with, but I wasn't sure if this would be a good idea or not. Sounds like it could help her focus on what we're working on and not the end result of the pitch (I stress process over result to my players, but in a shocking twist, teenage girls don't always buy into that concept).
 
Jul 15, 2016
115
18
Following this. My DD (turned 11 last week) has been working hard on the transformation from HE to IR and has some of the same issues as the OP. Great brush when we are just doing circles but at full pitch misses the elbow in.
 
Sep 15, 2015
98
33
One other thing I will add is do you have full arm circle in your progression of drills? we were doing 9 o'clock and show it and throw it and then going straight to full motion. I think adding a full circle to drills was helpful.

Adding to this point (and the larger theme that learning BI is progressive), my dd thought it was very helpful to have an intermediate step between full arm circles (without footwork) and a full pitch. She called this work "3/4," and it basically just started with a little step and throw, to which she would steadily add more leap as she was able to consistently get good BI. After a few weeks throwing into a tarp mostly from "3/4" she was able to consistently leap and drag with good BI (and the vastly improved control and posture that comes with it). This intermediate position also was a way for her to work on dragging her back toe, rather than the side of the foot, and getting the back knee under the rear hip at release.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
Adding to this point (and the larger theme that learning BI is progressive), my dd thought it was very helpful to have an intermediate step between full arm circles (without footwork) and a full pitch. She called this work "3/4," and it basically just started with a little step and throw, to which she would steadily add more leap as she was able to consistently get good BI. After a few weeks throwing into a tarp mostly from "3/4" she was able to consistently leap and drag with good BI (and the vastly improved control and posture that comes with it). This intermediate position also was a way for her to work on dragging her back toe, rather than the side of the foot, and getting the back knee under the rear hip at release.

Why would you do a full arm circle without the footwork? I understand you are focused on BI but that movement never occurs in full motion.
 
Sep 15, 2015
98
33
Why would you do a full arm circle without the footwork? I understand you are focused on BI but that movement never occurs in full motion.

Oh I am sure you could do it either way. I assumed "full circle" in the earlier posts meant a full arm circle without moving the feet, which is why I suggested that the next step be to move the feet but with less leap than a full pitch (maybe that's an obvious point anyway). I think my daughter kept her feet stationary for a "full circle" because she learned the prior steps in the sequence (lock it in, unlock it, and T-drills) without moving her feet, so it was natural to keep the feet stationary while she continued to focus on an upper body adjustment (getting brush). Here's a video (which I realize has a different and specific focus) but that shows what I had in my mind when people refer to a "full circle." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCQefxZjBgw
 
Jun 19, 2013
753
28
I second this.

I was trying to describe what you had her doing as we progressed in I/R . . . wasn't that with just minor movement in the lower half . . . just a little step and bring the knee in the other knee if you can picture what I'm describing.
 
Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
I try to get kids to here ASAP:

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Of course I expect a little more adduction with the glove side and knees than what this guy is demoing... ;)
 
Last edited:
May 8, 2016
4
0
This may be a ridiculous question but is it harder for someone to brush if they are thin in the hips/legs/arms? My daughter is just naturally extremely thin and it almost seems easier for the arm to slide right by.
 

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