Controversial pitching coach quote

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Apr 20, 2017
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This is a very interesting discussion to me. If you think about a lot of the great pitchers over the years most were originally taught HE. Their bodies developed the IR naturally and they rise to the top. How do we know most were taught HE because that is what they teach. With my DD she was taught by a former SEC standout and started learning what I found out on here was HE. Now watching videos you could tell that is not how she pitched in college. Over time my daughter started developing more IR movement naturally. And had many of the important parts of IR that she was never taught or even had a clue they were happening. So it does make me wonder if trying to teach movements instead of the body figuring it out is better/worse. Once they figure it out naturally is it better to exaggerate /make tweaks or let the body teach itself? Not every girl will be a great pitcher. No matter the instruction or amount of time put in. So are some pitchers that are natural getting held back by changing and teaching mechanics that give everyone a better chance to make it? Or would the top pitchers be better off learning the same way most of the former greats learned?
 
Jun 8, 2016
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One thing I have always pondered is whether somebody who learns do something correctly "naturally" within the context of how their own body operates has an advantage over somebody who is "taught" the same actions in "isolation". Not saying the latter shouldn't be done if somebody isn't able to do it naturally but the ceiling may be lower..of course this may be a chicken and an egg scenario since the kids who do it naturally may be more gifted to begin with hence their ceiling is higher by definition.
 
Jun 26, 2020
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I taught my daughters to throw underhanded first. Then we went to a modified style of pitching with no windmill. They did it quite well. Then we graduated to a full windmill. We didn't do any lessons
 
Sep 17, 2009
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I'm more of a hitting guy, but I think it applies to pitching as well. Traditionally, players (both baseball and softball) have often been taught simple, easy, athletic mechanics that get them to point A. Followed too closely, those mechanics often have limits, often interpretive limits (ie, in hitting swing down, yes, but HOW do you swing down). The very best, typically through trial and error against the very best, figure out how to optimize those actions for power (in hitting), speed (pitching) or nuance (hitting feel, pitching savvy and spins), etc. etc. Their brain and body adapt naturally and something new and better comes out the other end. Those that don't fall by the wayside, ie, baseball hitters that can't make their swing 'work' with wood or don't have a mechanic to adjust to a truly excellent fastball/changeup combo. Learning by doing is a bit of a unicorn skill, many get left behind and don't know what happened to them.

I think a lot of today's instruction is about jumpstarting the self-optimization step by trying to decode and actively teach the 'tricks of the trade' that tend to turn up in those final, optimized mechanics. I think what the OP suggests is that's not as easy as it sounds and can often be counterproductive. I think we are still in a trial and error phase instructionally with a lot of it in terms of understanding what we should teach, what happens naturally and what all too often never happens in too many players, and why.
 
May 15, 2008
1,913
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Cape Cod Mass.
I have always theorized that back in the day when HE was the only method taught the pitchers who survived long enough to move up and try to spin the ball developed IR. You can't throw a rise or a palm up curve unless you intuitively figure out how employ IR. Of course when these 'successful' pitchers graduated to teaching pitching they went back to 'wrist snaps' and HE because they had no understanding of how they actually pitched. There's a lot of former pitchers out there teaching bad mechanics.
 

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