- Jun 18, 2010
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Thread: "DD's Arm Circle....Hopefully it is Better??"
"Up Through Her Vision" is not a term I'm familiar with, although I can understand the concept of it's meaning. However, I also think there could be some confusion as to what it really means........Let me say this. "Up through the vision" does NOT MEAN: Bring the ball up directly in front of your entire face"..........It means that if the shoulders are turning to about 45 -75 degrees open as the ball passes parallel to the ground in front of you, you should be able to SEE THE BALL with your eyes DIRECTLY in front and toward the target. The ball should NEVER pass LITERALLY BETWEEN YOUR ENTIRE FACE AND YOUR TARGET..........
The idea of this is to promote a straight toward the target arm circle EVEN THOUGH the shoulders are open, which brings the ball close to the vision line..........Some kids arm circle follows the shoulder line, instead of the target. When the shoulders open before the arm reaches the vision line, the circle can go OUT away from the body and target line as it follows the shoulder line. This cue will teach them to keep the arm circle constantly in line with the target REGARDLESS of the position of the shoulder line. The shoulder can open and close, but the arm circle remains constantly in line with the target........
Cat has one of the most open mechanics on the planet. The ball never passes DIRECTLY between her face and the target.
I think its a good cue. But like any other cue or drill, in the wrong hands it can be as bad as it is good...........
What concerns me about the result of this is that your DD is turning her fingers INSIDE THE BALL on the way up the circle..........This is NOT GOOD........Watch carefully what happens:
This move ALONE will create a horizontal bent at the elbow joint.
She needs to keep the ball facing DOWN through 3:00 in front of her, then FOWARD at 12:00 above her head, with a RELAXED elbow, NOT a BENT ELBOW. Never twisting the ball inwards or outwards between 3:00 in front and 12:00 above.............
Lets get the terms straight so we're on the same page........
On the left is a Flexed wrist. On the right is an extended wrist, which is also called "Dorsi-Flexed" wrist.......
NEVER extend (dorsi-flex) the wrist in the front half of the circle.........If anything the wrist should be slightly flexed. (See Hillhouse Above). Notice his wrist is NEVER extended (dorsi-flexed) past parallel with the forearm.......And in fact is slightly flexed almost the entire circle........
There are certain change ups and drops and crops that work better with a dorsi-flexed wrist.......But that happens as the ball is past 12:00........Later in the sequence..........
Everyone has given great tips on things to work on and KnightSB did a great job of breaking down your video for you. Many an NFL team could use his talents! Someone posted a vid of their daughter wanting help with the whip. I created this clip of his DD and the greats focusing on rotation. True IR is the upper arm pausing for a split second against the rib cage allowing the forearm to rotate as it releases the ball. This pause establishes a secondary (and smaller radius) pivot point for a faster whip. Look this clip over and then go back to KnightSB's clip of your DD from the side.