Creating Correct Core Torque

[javasource]

It is about core torque... but that might be an issue, too... Ken sent me a PM on this thread about your post, and I think I can safely say that he and I both agree there may be some issues there, too - specifically as to how it relates to the timing.

The K-drill is static in nature... usually having the ball around 11ish (for rhp). From this position, you can get 80-90% of the speed.

Another area she might be falling apart on, with the full motion pitch that is, would be the process and timing of how and when she gets the ball over the top of the circle - in relation to her stride. That's a really critical aspect in achieving speed.

Take a video of her if you don't have one already. When reviewing that video, see where her stride leg is in relationship to her arm at three o'clock. This is usually the part most timing falls apart. If her leg is at the highest and most extended point, you should see a descent (falling) happen shortly afterwards. By 12 she should be really close to her foot touching down, if not there already. This will start the torque that naturally happens... and the body weight will shift forward onto the stride leg. The ball will... for lack of a better word... "whip" over the top of the circle, if the timing is correct. Providing she's not turning the hand out over the top (which throws the shoulder into a compromised and slower, less powerful position) - you should start to see that speed you witness in the k drill.

If her stride leg is still extending past 3 o'clock then her pre-motion is the cause of her timing. You want the knee of the stride leg out, fully loaded, and in front of the body, before her arm goes passed the 6 o'clock position. That arm lags behind the stride leg.

Do a search for: "BoardMember overlap" on here... there is much better descriptors than what I've given you.

Lastly, if you have a video that you'd share... this would be much, much easier.

Sounds like you're making great strides... no pun intended... glad you're posting! ~Cheers!

Willy... I've added one of my favorite gif's I've made to help you and others see the timing aspects of a good pitch. Pay specific attention to the correlation of outward and then downward movement of her body - as it relates to the position of her arm at that time.

 

[Ken B]

I finally said to myself this is it, I can't teach it unless I can do it and for the first time in my life I whipped it with a perfect flick/snap.

Also very cool. I followed the same path when we started our journey. I learned right along with my own kids and now can feel what I see, which make communicating with the kids I work with so much easier.

 

[Ken B]

WillyT,
To clarify, is this kid whipping well when the lower half is static, but when she adds the leg drive, she starts pushing again?

 

[WillyT812]

Thanks again guys and specifically JS. I obsess over things and having the arm at eleven o'clock at toe touch in k-drills was and is one of the things I obsessed over. In fact I changed the name of our k-drills to touch and go drills just to reinforce the fact that during the drill the stride leg moves first then the arm circle initiates. Pauly put a gif on her of his daughter doing a k-drill, good video by the way. Then only thing I would change is she is at ten o'clock at toe touch. Look at those high-speed videos of Finch and Scar, at toe touch perfect alignment, you could draw a straight line from their toe to the ball. I video my student(s) every day with the iPad and replay it for them for visual feedback. They love it and I believe it helps them move along more quickly. I'll figure out a way to get some of it off the iPad and post.

 

[WillyT812]

Ken, I think she can whip, about 50% of the time in k-drills. I don't think she does at all when she does a full pitch. What I tell her I'd like is to still whip the same at 43 feet just throw it higher and let the spin pull it down through the strike zone. Around here that would be an unhittable pitch. I think her subconscious doesn't believe that can happen and she reverts to pushing the ball which is why the flick/snap/spin is gone. She can throw strikes pushing it but it isn't right, it isn't what I'm trying to teach. It's a fairly flat pitch that will get the snot knocked off of it. Also, she hasn't been pitching long enough with proper mechanics to hit corners on a consistent basis with her hello elbow pushing style. So, as I mentioned before...I decided to do a total rebuild on her. The Whip.

I tell my girls there are a number of ways to get a batter out. Speed, location and movement. Speed only works for so long and then the batters catch up and they'll kill it. These girls I'm working with are way behind their contemporizes in the states when it comes to both hitting and pitching. Softball is not organized over here to the degree it is in the states. No ASA. If I can get just a few of them to whip with a 1 to 7 spin it's all they need to win over here at this level. After that we'll work on location location location. My estimation is it will take a full year for those that have the ability to achieve it and I'm only talking about the whip with movement due to a high velocity spin. Control spinning to nick the corners is a next year deal unless one of them surprises me.

 

[mike s]

Not an expert here. Just wondering do you ever have her pitch with full arm circle from an open position? Kind of in-between full pitch and K drill. Have not seen you mention this drill. To me this is a backward chaining drill before going to full pitch and might help her concentrate on the arm whip thing.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Willy... I've added one of my favorite gif's I've made to help you and others see the timing aspects of a good pitch. Pay specific attention to the correlation of outward and then downward movement of her body - as it relates to the position of her arm at that time.

Nice GIF.

Let's use it to see the the orientation of the throwing "hand" relative to the throwing "elbow" at various positions on the clock.

I especially like to look at the orientation at 9-o-clock and pre-6-o-clock.

At 3 O'Clock ... palm oriented towards 1B:

At 12 O'Clock ... palm oriented towards catcher:

[... to be continued]

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

[... continued]

At 9 O'Clock ... palm oriented towards sky:

At 7 O'Clock ... palm oriented towards sky.

At 6 O'Clock ... palm re-orienting.

Big difference in whip depending on orientation of the throwing palm as the "rear elbow" approaches 6 O'Clock. Starting from the 9-O-Clock position, experiment with the orientation of the throwing hand "palm up" vs "palm oriented towards 3B" vs "palm oriented towards the ground" ... the difference in whip is significant.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

 

[Doug Romrell]

These (Scarborough and Pauly) are FANTASTIC! Thanks FFS!

Now, I can't seem to save these as clips. Whenever I try, they just save as a picture. Any suggestions?