Does Indoor Pitching Create Mechanical Problems

[Hurrlers Dad]

My DD likes to pitching workout indoors at our local facitly vs pitching on a field. It is more convenient because it is where she does her conditioning workout. Her lessons are also indoors and in both cases she is wearing sneakers. Can this cause problems when she is in game situations on a real field. I haven't seen any issues with it but I was just wondering what other thought about this.

 

[Goobie]

When inside, my DD often gets air under her pivot foot... when outside she drags perfectly (she dig's a little hole in front of the rubber). That being said, there are some advantages with pitching outdoors. The most important I see is learning how to pitch when it is windy. Last weekend we had 15mph cross-winds all day. My daughter loves windy days and did well. Others struggled to find the plate.

 

[mad hornet]

I agree it is always best to simulate game like conditions as best possible, but when you don't have the weather it is still good to work indoors. I do know some people around Ohio who have indoor facilities with dirt floors. My girls workout in the winter on astroturf / carpet and have seen no detrimental effects.

 

[shockcoach]

As a couple mentioned, the foot dragging is something to watch when you get back outside. The girls don't like to drag on the gym/carpet floor.

 

[abbygale]

I have switched to liking a semi-soft and flat surface for my dd to practice from. My daughter no longer digs out in front of the rubber since changing to pitching with just the back of her heel touching the rubber prior to her leap. Now when there is a huge hole in front of the rubber, I just have her shift her foot over to a more flat area. Yes, her powerline has to change and she has to deal with it, but I am thinking more about long lasting mechanics. As an added benefit, it makes her push harder with her calf muscle. She is 12 now.

This past season, if there was a hole dug out in front of the rubber, she would start to turn her foot to help pre-turn her hips open when she pushed off. It seemed like most of the other girls were doing the same thing, so as a bona-fide non pitching coach, I didn't think it would matter. Little did I realize that by the end of the summer her leap sucked and her foot was doing a snowplow drag (along with most of the other girls) and her hip mechanics and leap were basically shot. Those were not the mechanics I thought she should use.

Now if she starts trying to pre-turn that foot when leaping then she has to be prepared to run around the block. I give her a couple warnings then off she has to go. And yes. I time it so that she can't do the out of sight out of mind game. She hardly has a problem with turning her foot now. I am hoping by the start of next season it will be so ingrained that she won't consider turning her foot even when she is getting tired. Up and over. Her hips still get open, she just was forced to learn how to use certain leg muscles better.

After a consistent month, I have noticed a marked improvement in what I think of her overall mechanics.

 

[RulesMeister]

It's good to hear people are concentrating on dragging the foot and pitching legally. This is something the umpires are doing a better job at watching each year. Kudos!

 

[PEPPERS]

When the outside conditions are not good for pitching (rain, cold, etc.) indoors is a good option we have a few indoor facilities that have dirt floors so that helps.

When we practice pitching outdoors we find the worst mound and the worst worn out ball to work with and look forward to windy days, as I tell my daughter harder in practice easier in a game.

 

[halskinner]

Weather comditions aside, pitching indoors is normally done on a flat hard concrete surface or hard flat wood flor of a gym. Those are definitely NOT the same surfaces you pitch from in the game. The conditions of the ground in the pitchers circle can be from really nice and good, to horrible and even dangerous, depending on the particular field you are at.

The surface conditions in the circle have to be dealt with and many times is way WAY different then what they have been practicing on. It can have a HUGE effect on their mechanics. It CAN be devastating to their performance. IE: stride foot landing in a deep hard as steel hole, stride foot landing on flat dirt that is hard as steel, slidong forward on the stride foot can hurt you. Etc, etc.

If your pitcher does great at practice indoors, but has a terrible outing in a game, dont forget the condition of the circle. It might not be her mechanics at all.


SneakySoftballPitching.com

 

[starsnuffer]

My daughter has managed to create a 6" deep hole and u shaped trench from her leap and drag in the backyard. I've filled it in and wet it down who knows how many times but that only delays the inevitable. The "superdad" part of me wants to build a nice 10' long pitching lane with nice aggregate material and the whole 9 yards, but the other part of me figures if she can pitch as is, she'll be better off, seeing as she still gets a fair amount of indoor and real field pitching practice as well. Besides, it's nice to see that hole getting longer and further away from the rubber as she grows and improves.

I guess the point is that they should learn to pitch anywhere, and not always focus on the "perfect", but rather pay particular attention to "making it work".

-W

 

[halskinner]

My daughter has managed to create a 6" deep hole and u shaped trench from her leap and drag in the backyard. I've filled it in and wet it down who knows how many times but that only delays the inevitable. The "superdad" part of me wants to build a nice 10' long pitching lane with nice aggregate material and the whole 9 yards, but the other part of me figures if she can pitch as is, she'll be better off, seeing as she still gets a fair amount of indoor and real field pitching practice as well. Besides, it's nice to see that hole getting longer and further away from the rubber as she grows and improves. I guess the point is that they should learn to pitch anywhere, and not always focus on the "perfect", but rather pay particular attention to "making it work". -W

The pivot foot is supposed to be like the rudder on a ship, no drag because of excess weight on that foot like the anchor of a ship. There should be ONLY enough weight on that foot to keep it in contact with the ground, not an ounce more. Sounds like this is the more predominant problem that should be dealt with. Sounds like her weight might be too far back, way too soon.

sneakysoftballpitching.com