how fast is fast

[Rick Pauly]

There are a zillion contributors to speed. Great pitching mechanics/timing are huge in developing speed.

What if I told you I know a girl who at age 13 threw only 46.8 MPH but went on to become a 3 Time NPF All Pro Pitcher that often hits 66-68 MPH in games?
I'm sitting here looking at a speed goal chart that her and I kept that started on Feb. 11, 1996 and ended Jan. 4, 2004.

It can happen with a lot of hard work--my hand hurts just thinking about the hours of catching.

 

[DonnieS]

There are a zillion contributors to speed. Great pitching mechanics/timing are huge in developing speed.

What if I told you I know a girl who at age 13 threw only 46.8 MPH but went on to become a 3 Time NPF All Pro Pitcher that often hits 66-68 MPH in games?
I'm sitting here looking at a speed goal chart that her and I kept that started on Feb. 11, 1996 and ended Jan. 4, 2004.

It can happen with a lot of hard work--my hand hurts just thinking about the hours of catching.

Rick, how tall was this 'girl you know' at 13 - I saw her at 19-21, isnt she at 6 foot plus now? I know size is just one contributor to speed - but her mechanics, to my amateur eye, were always excellent, at least when I watched.

 

[Mark H]

First I knew of her was, Wow, where did THAT school come from all of a sudden.

 

[Rick Pauly]

Donnie
Good to hear from you again.
Sarah is 6" 2" tall so yes she does have some leverage advantages. I also believe her mechanics are very good-----so good we just finished our first video which goes on sale this weekend.
One of the important things to remember is that all the motions in a pitch should be designed to deliver the maximum forward thrust into the fingers.
Lots of short girls do a great job of this-----short girls(and all girls for that matter) that throw fast typically have a great whip action from 8 O'clock into release. In my opinion this is one of the keys---lots of pitchers just don't get this whip (elbow leading the ball). If you get a chance look at video of Ueno, The Japanese pitcher who won the gold medal game . She definitely has some whip going into release.

Rick

 

[DonnieS]

Donnie
Good to hear from you again.
Sarah is 6" 2" tall so yes she does have some leverage advantages. I also believe her mechanics are very good-----so good we just finished our first video which goes on sale this weekend.

Rick

Rick, K is 5.6 now (just turned 15) and who knows, there are some 6 foot women in the family - my guess is that 5.8 or so will be where she ends up, just a wag though.

Where is the video available ? We want it. Are you still out east?

 

[Mark H]

Donnie
Good to hear from you again.
Sarah is 6" 2" tall so yes she does have some leverage advantages. I also believe her mechanics are very good-----so good we just finished our first video which goes on sale this weekend.
One of the important things to remember is that all the motions in a pitch should be designed to deliver the maximum forward thrust into the fingers.
Lots of short girls do a great job of this-----short girls(and all girls for that matter) that throw fast typically have a great whip action from 8 O'clock into release. In my opinion this is one of the keys---lots of pitchers just don't get this whip (elbow leading the ball). If you get a chance look at video of Ueno, The Japanese pitcher who won the gold medal game . She definitely has some whip going into release.

Rick

Not a side view like I would like to have gotten to illustrate your point but here's Ueno.MOV 3 of 3, Windmill

Relative to my answer to your question on long toss, long tossing with intent causes the mind to organize body movements, at a level we aren't concious of, to achieve the goal of, as you say, "deliver the maximum forward thrust into the fingers". So the purpose of instruction from you, the new dvd, immediate objective feedback like long toss is all the same. To shorten the learning curve of learning the individual "feel" of "deliver the maximum forward thrust into the fingers". Of course then there's spin, deception and all that but that's a different thread.

 

[mrslug01]

The DD in the question was mine. Nice to hear all the thoughts. She's 12, almost 13 and has pitched 5 years or so. She started pitching in the Albany area with Steve Price as her pitching coach 4 years ago and although we know velocity is important, she's got a good curve, drop and change with very good control. Her speed has picked up quite a bit since the summer. She consistently 50 now with a high of 53. Finally gave in and bought a cheap bushnell to track progress a few months back. The one thing I've learned over the past 5 years is teach mechanics and get them right young becuase it's hard to fix them later. Learned that with my 16 year old who loved to pitch but messy mechanics (we gave up but thankfully she was a better hitter anyway). Thanks for the input.