Feedback on Pitcher Please

[STRIKE3]

2 thumbs up! Looks good and can tell she will keep getting better.

 

[Ken B]

She has the second best rise spin I've seen in person--right behind Anna Miller! The credit for her rise goes to her previous PC.

 

[djcarter1966]

Hard to tell but still looks pretty good...I am going to double down on my low and hunched over comment though. It's a small issue...looks like she just collapses her front leg too much, the problem is we don't want her jamming her front leg into the ground either it has to have some give in it the problem is she has just a little too much give. Also on the rise she should probably be back a little more versus forward and over but can't see side and where she is releasing and angle...lol after we wanted front view now we need the side angle.

Maybe just start with a simple cue/reminder to stay tall. Again from the side it looks pretty good she pretty much has her back vertical but it is ever so slightly forward. here are a few pics...p.s. just notice after I posted look at front leg comparison your DD is slightly more collapsed...again I would not try to make a big deal about except maybe just a stand or stay tall cue and see if that helps I would NOT give her any kind of Lock and Keep stiff front leg cue as that might hurt more than help since we want the front leg to have a little give in it as it lands.



Well the nit picking is over...keep up the good work and if she is working with a PC just ask them how they think her posture is at release.

 

[Doug Romrell]

While I really like this pitcher, there's one thing that really sticks out to me as needing tweaking.... She seems to get too stretched apart with those legs, which I think dampens her landing and somewhat contributes to the crunching down into release.



Abbott does get pretty stretched out, but she's very tall with very long legs. Abbott does come down into landing much more erect (taller posture). And, even though Abbott's stride leg gets straight much earlier than Ueno, Abbott has that stride leg pretty high, and comes down with quite a lot of force. I don't see the pitcher we are discussing come into the ground with as much force as there is there for the taking.



Personally, for this pitcher, I prefer what Ueno does. I see Ueno as the poster child of a THRUST-dominant drive, as opposed to a stride-dominant one. It is my strong opinion that the stride foot should not be kicking forward past the stride knee until the THRUST of the thrust leg is very nearly fully spent. Why? To help continue forward the forward motion that the thrust leg can no longer contribute to.



If this pitcher were to get a smidgen of this Ueno look at this stage in Ueno's drive, and at the same time work to stay a bit less crunched down into release, she would improve from the great place she already is.

 

[Crystal Brown]

I think your dd has a lot of good going for her, she looks very athletic. From the stills of the 1st video, she does hunch down a little. Just a side note...I wish I had the type of definition in my arms and shoulders that your dd has.

 

[Crystal Brown]

This form is very similar to a local freshman who I have watched pitched for the past 3 years. It seems to not affect her speed(she has been clocked at 60mph) but her accuracy seems to be affected deeper in the games with her walking more batters. I am not saying this is the case with your DD.

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[4KidsDad]

When is she going to learn the crowhop/replant? Will definitely give her an advantage.

 

[djcarter1966]

Going to agree with Doug I was actually thinking the same thing about a little too much stride. Again I hesitate because the first reaction might be shorten stride you stretch too far and that causes her not to be as explosive I think these are all little things but will help in the end

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[Classof2020]

Thanks so much to everyone for your replies, pics, gifs, questions, etc. I think only pitching parents, pitchers and pitching coaches know how much time, work and mental energy goes into this position. I have never publicly shared her videos trying to stay somewhat anonymous on here and just gleaning from you great folks for the last few years. But as she hasn't been clocked over 52 yet and is heading into varsity this next year I thought we better pull out all the stops and try to see where we are leaking energy.

My guesses before this post were the back foot that can still drag down on it's side occasionally, front stride shortening as she tires in a game, and losing her brush and reverting to old release away from the body. But I think there is quite a bit of input about maybe stride too extended and we'll work on power without getting the front leg completely straight too soon. We'll keep drilling loose lower arm as much as possible and lots of brush . . .

I will try to post more videos soon.

 

[javasource]

...heading into varsity this next year I thought we better pull out all the stops and try to see where we are leaking energy.

Hey B,

Marvelously put... "Leaking energy"...

Before I get too far into providing a little feedback on those two videos, I think I'll take a little moment and share some insight, for what it's worth (it's free...).

I have the pleasure of working with some incredible talent, some less so, some just starting off. Regardless of the experience, the one that thing that constantly jumps out to me is an athletes willingness to:

1. Recognize what they are doing... right or wrong... meaning observe, free of judgement from anyone (including themselves). In essence, just become more aware of what it is they are doing. May seem commonplace, but this trait is quite rare, and no doubt about it... can be developed.
2. Seek out a contrast in their movements compared to other elite pitchers... for the true purpose of just that: contrast... or comparison. The less common observations are the ones that carry the most weight to me... like... the way her drop falls compared to mine, or the posture of the athlete at release compared to mine. Despite the common example used on here of "do this/do that"... I like the concept of contrast to be one that forces the student to internalize... as opposed to try and produce an "external" similarity to someone great. It's this internalized curiosity that creates true focus... an as such, ALWAYS better results.
3. Work towards modifying their drive, posture, delivery, spin, etc... Key word there is modifying... as athletes try too hard to make a wholesale change to their entire motion... rather than just try to hold or maintain ONE modification.

Here I am writing a book... which may seem like a complete contrast to my next point: We need to TELL LESS. Good pitching is not about telling a kid what to do... it's about asking the right questions. This forces them to internalize... and when they do, they always seem to produce a solution.

So... when I see your marvelous DD, it's quite evident that there is a solid foundation, DFP strong. THat said, I wonder if the "noise" that surrounds pitching (maintain rank, being competitive, throw 6 pitches, Do this/do that, throw fast, "throw strikes", etc...) is keeping this young lady from seeing the forest through the trees at times. As a comparative/contrasting thought... the "noise" never leaves this game... but one's opportunity does.

I do recall either you or Ken sending me video of her... and I looked back on that to see that "A" has made progress to the "whole"... but there are still some basic traits she exhibits that sort of scream where her deep focus has directed her movements... rather than awareness/contrast/modification.

I hear that she has worked on developing the drop, improving her whip, and posture. I also hear that she is part of a very competitive team... and with that carries performance expectations that must be "maintained". But... when I watch these videos... I get the feeling that one of her DEEP focuses has been "throwing strikes". Please don't take that the wrong way... it's NOT a criticism.. simply a visual observation. The most important aspects in pitching are speed, spot, spin... so I totally get the why (if my hunch is correct).

Having said all that stuff... what constitutes a good drop to her? The answer I get when I ask a question like that is usually a list of "how to throw a drop"... rather than what it really means to her in the context of MODIFYING her existing interpretation of throwing the ball underhand.

What about posture? Not... why is it important... but what can she do to modify her existing form at release... getting away from WAY TOO MUCH ROTATION and tentatively throwing the ball?

That is what I see... but more importantly, what is it she views herself doing during release? Does she see a collapsing stride leg, shoulder rotation, etc? What purpose does she have in pulling the rear leg in during the whip? Is it to "get stacked"... is it to "bring the rear side through"... or has this simply become an unconscious representation of "throwing strikes"? And... most importantly... if she wants to get to work on fixing these massive "energy leaks"... is she ok with working towards holding a slight modification rather than a wholesale change? And... is she prepared to do so at a speed that she can sense the modification?

Sorry to respond with all of this "deep" stuff... but B... you've been around on this site as long as me... and I know telling you to "do this/do that" may be comforting for some... but you already know most of that stuff.

Lastly, I take this approach with you guys... because you already know me enough to know I say these things with the best intentions for her development.

Also... I take this approach... because coordination, athleticism, etc... are NOT issues with "A". Timing of movement in pitching is usually a representation of those things... something she does NOT struggle with at all. These "fixes" are going to need to come from within... not the sidelines.

Best, ~JS