Getting from 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock ?

[lostcreek1]

What would you consider the ideal position for the hand and elbow to travel getting from 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock. How high should the ball be over the head, how bent should the elbow be when you get to 12. Should it look more like a circle with hand extended way above the head or more like an elbow rotating into position with the ball slightly above head with the elbow bent as it rotates into 12 o’clock. Any pictures or video that show what you would consider ideal.

 

[cnardone]

Look at slo mo of Amanda Scarborough. Monica Abbott, Yukio Uneo, Cat oesterman.

I know there are others but that is generally the top of the list of recommendations to look at.

 

[ArmWhip]

Rather than what is 'ideal' I have a 'range' that I consider acceptable. Some pitchers will gravitate towards a 'long' arm, with very little elbow flex, so their action will be more circular and have less of a contribution from IR. Others will have a lot more flex in the elbow over the top and rely more on IR to generate velocity. If crow hopping becomes common you will see fewer long arm pitchers.

 

[lostcreek1]

Rather than what is 'ideal' I have a 'range' that I consider acceptable. Some pitchers will gravitate towards a 'long' arm, with very little elbow flex, so their action will be more circular and have less of a contribution from IR. Others will have a lot more flex in the elbow over the top and rely more on IR to generate velocity. If crow hopping becomes common you will see fewer long arm pitchers.

So acceptable for you would be anywhere between the two?

 

[ArmWhip]

So acceptable for you would be anywhere between the two?

It's really an individual thing. With a beginning pitcher, or any pitcher that is struggling to master IR, I will encourage more arm bend over the top with a smaller ball circle. But as they develop I will generally let them find what works best for their particular build and body structure. For every pitcher that I see with nearly ideal form there are probably five others that are successful with mechanics that are less than optimal. Decisions on what to encourage/discourage are difficult.

 

[lostcreek1]

It's really an individual thing. With a beginning pitcher, or any pitcher that is struggling to master IR, I will encourage more arm bend over the top with a smaller ball circle. But as they develop I will generally let them find what works best for their particular build and body structure. For every pitcher that I see with nearly ideal form there are probably five others that are successful with mechanics that are less than optimal. Decisions on what to encourage/discourage are difficult.

My DD is very long at 12, ball about as far above her head as she can get it. which makes it very hard to get bent at 3. Have started working on getting a little more bend at 12 which seems more ideal to me after looking at a bunch of videos of very high level pitchers. To me it seems being a little more bent at 12 would help her fire her hip a little better also.

 

[ArmWhip]

My DD is very long at 12, ball about as far above her head as she can get it. which makes it very hard to get bent at 3. Have started working on getting a little more bend at 12 which seems more ideal to me after looking at a bunch of videos of very high level pitchers. To me it seems being a little more bent at 12 would help her fire her hip a little better also.

The key to making any change is finding a cue which works. Coming out of the glove or starting with a flexed elbow works for some girls. My favorite is having them focus on making the ball circle smaller, to make that happen they will have to flex the elbow.

 

[Hillhouse]

Look at slo mo of Amanda Scarborough. Monica Abbott, Yukio Uneo, Cat oesterman.

I know there are others but that is generally the top of the list of recommendations to look at.

You know it's funny, very rarely do you see anyone suggesting to check out a male pitcher. Don't get me wrong, the ladies mentioned here are top notch. But, it's just an observation of mine, it's not very common for someone to say "Go watch that guy pitch and copy him".

 

[El Oso]

You know it's funny, very rarely do you see anyone suggesting to check out a male pitcher. Don't get me wrong, the ladies mentioned here are top notch. But, it's just an observation of mine, it's not very common for someone to say "Go watch that guy pitch and copy him".

Never thought about it but you're right. It's even more interesting when you look at the hitting forums and realize that the swing examples used are almost always MLB players.

 

[4Martini]

You know it's funny, very rarely do you see anyone suggesting to check out a male pitcher. Don't get me wrong, the ladies mentioned here are top notch. But, it's just an observation of mine, it's not very common for someone to say "Go watch that guy pitch and copy him".

I would guess that for girls in the 10-14 age range that most of the questions here seem to originate from - they can see themselves more in a female pitcher - and it’s easier to think about replicating their movement. Just like you don’t see little league boys being told to hit like Alo. When I was growing up I looked at top female swimmers strokes because I dreamed of being like them one day. You have to capture the heart and mind to get buy in to the dream and that’s easier with someone a kid can see a little bit of themselves in.

Heck, my daughter was at a college softball camp and I was fan girling over the pool records still held from one of the women I was following in the 90s.