Closing Hip Too Soon

[starsnuffer]

Looking at the ground is actually taught quite a bit. By looking at the ground (or anywhere), and then looking at the target right before release, it actually helps the human brain focus more on what it is really seeing and this has been said to improve accuracy. Since what a pitcher sees of the target when they're standing at the rubber in prep is at a different angle and location from where the target is at release, it's kind of pointless to focus on the target at the start. That's the theory at least. I know my daughter was taught to look at the ground where her front foot is supposed to land and use that as a cue.

As for the toe, she's pushing off straight ahead, then her body goes completely open, and this is where you're seeing her laces towards first, if you're completely open they can't be otherwise. She "closes" in the traditional figure 4 pattern that drags the toe in a calf to calf motion before assuming a fielding position.

She's awesome to watch.

-W

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Looking at the ground is actually taught quite a bit. By looking at the ground (or anywhere), and then looking at the target right before release, it actually helps the human brain focus more on what it is really seeing and this has been said to improve accuracy. Since what a pitcher sees of the target when they're standing at the rubber in prep is at a different angle and location from where the target is at release, it's kind of pointless to focus on the target at the start. That's the theory at least. I know my daughter was taught to look at the ground where her front foot is supposed to land and use that as a cue.

As for the toe, she's pushing off straight ahead, then her body goes completely open, and this is where you're seeing her laces towards first, if you're completely open they can't be otherwise. She "closes" in the traditional figure 4 pattern that drags the toe in a calf to calf motion before assuming a fielding position.

She's awesome to watch.

-W

I agree she is awesome to watch. She actually looks down twice during her motion, so in roughly two secs during the pitch she looks ahead, looks down, looks ahead, looks down again, and finally looks ahead. Almost if she is double checking herself at each stage to make sure her mechanics are spot on.

With regards to the laces, a lot of pitchers drag the pivot foot directly into the figure 4 position or on a 45 degrees angle away from the pitching plate (towards first base dugout for RHP). Few do what I see as three moves with the pivot foot: the hop, the drag, and the kick. Wondering if the kick contributes in anyway to help close the hip for more power or balance?

 

[BLB]

Here is what I see...she gets airborne until just past the 12 o'clock arm position where her weight falls on the ball of her pivot foot and quickly squashes the bug. She definitely doesn't drag her pivot foot away from the rubber. Her hips like many pitchers, help the arm by turning (hip thrust) from about the 12 to the 9 position then stop. By release, her knee and laces have turned towards the catcher or even slightly beyond. Her pivot foot starts to drag towards 3rd base about the time the stride foot lands then her drive leg ends up stacking against the front leg. Her arm motion on this pitch immediately after release indicates a very similar arm whip action that you see on most elite male pitchers and that you don't see on a lot of elite female pitchers.

 

[redhawkridge]

I use 2 keys for my students to use in keeping their bodies open. First, I also use the drill of the pitcher standing open, then making multiple windmills and then releasing the ball while still fully open. But I found some girls have a tendency to twist their bodies into the pitch, thus rotating their hip forward.
Key 1: The pitcher should be able to see her glove arm shoulder in the corner of her eye while making the prelim arm circles -- as she releases the ball she should still be able to see that glove arm shoulder in her field of vision.
Key 2: The pitcher should use the glove arm in conjunction with the pitching arm -- think of making snow angels -- the glove arm should swing up when the pitching arm swings forward, when the pitching arm is swinging down to the release point, the glove arm should swing down TO THE HIP, not to behind the hip. If the glove arm swings past the hip, it will pull the body around to the closed position, and the pitching side hip rotates closed before the pitching arm can sweep by.
Jim