Daughter pitching at 13

[CoachFP]

I am surprised no one gave you the obvious flaw. She doesn't turn. Her left shoulder faces home plate the entire pitch. That is why she is left of the power line. Get her to open up (turn that shoulder) and she will improve.

 

[cshilt]

She has always been very accurate, but has started to struggle lately (last month or so). She has started hitting her hip and keeps missing high. she has also lost velocity on all of her pitches. She seems to have lost her flow or rythm. She does tend to swim the glove and has been working on that most of the winter......old habits are hard to break. Thanks to everybody for their insight. Feel free to offer more if you see anything else.

It only takes a few times of hitting your hip to decide that it hurts! If you look at the clip taken from behind you see the angle of the foot, the hips stay open, effect? You hit your hip unless you change your arm angle. I don't think that keeping the glove on line is an "absolute", but it sure does help keep everything lined up. When my DD starts getting sloppy with the power line, I tell her "big foot, big glove, stay straight". In other words, high leg kick, glove above the shoulder, and stay on the line.

 

[Spaghetti9er]

Can someone comment on the height of the stide foot? Is it ok, or is she getting too high. We have worked on "getting out there more" or driving toward the target better. It seems that she might be over striding at this point. I appreciate all of the comments so far, and was just wondering about the stride length also.

 

[mrslug01]

I personally wouldn't worry about the height of her stride foot now. She really needs to concentrate on starting off more closed and getting her left foot on the power line at 45 degrees. She too open throughout her entire delivery and coming around her hip at release. I would correct that first.

 

[ifubuildit]

MR Slug,

Define your meaning of open and closed. I think it might be opposite for some others on here. Myself included.

Dana.

 

[ifubuildit]

According to the view from the rear, when she starts her forward arm circle it seems to start forward more sideways than down. Is this an anomoly and for those that know, does it matter?

Abby that should not be considered normal. That is happening because she is "Wrapping" her hand behind her back on the backswing. It is probably also a result of pitching around the hip instead of past it.

Dana.

 

[ifubuildit]

Spag,

From another thread earlier today.

A word of caution. You can get the pitcher too leap out too far and when she lands she will be off balance. Have her take 6 steps heal to toe from the center of the pitchers plate. Then put a line across the dirt. This will put her in the general direction of how far she should leap out. It works well for all of my students. She should be able to keep the drag toe in contact with the ground at that distance. Have her leap out more than up at this point until she feels comfortable with the distance.

 

[cshilt]

Can someone comment on the height of the stide foot? Is it ok, or is she getting too high. We have worked on "getting out there more" or driving toward the target better. It seems that she might be over striding at this point. I appreciate all of the comments so far, and was just wondering about the stride length also.

The height of the stride foot is fine. Compare it to the elite, you'll see a high stride and often a high, aggressive glove arm. IMO, it helps the pitcher keep their weight back behind their knee at foot plant. What you want to see at release is nose behind knee, knee behind toes.

 

[mrslug01]

MR Slug,

Define your meaning of open and closed. I think it might be opposite for some others on here. Myself included.

Dana.

My mistake, I wrote it backwards. I meant to say she starts closed and stays that way. That said, she does and I would worry more about that than anything else at this point.

 

[Hustle Coach]

Stop the vid when her right arm is at the highest point of her back swing and you will see the start of the problems. When the pitching arm goes back further than the glove arm her body side loads to that side. Her hips shift to the glove side and her right foot heal goes that way to. When the foot gets in that position it will cause her to 1. not get to her toe pushing off. This will cause you not to get open all the way. 2 She will leap to the side like she is throwing a screw ball getting off the power line. and 3 Pushing from there will drive the stride leg forward and down more not giving time for hips to get open and change your timing. We make our girls use the double arm pump equally to start with. If they want to side load or front load we make sure there is no cheating to the ball side.
Work on the hips keeping square and the foot stright leaving the mound. This will get her open more ,on the power line , and help her not cheerlead her glove or swiming her glove . Make sure she is all the way on the tip of her toe leaving mound.

Ron