It looks like she's bowling

[Wookie]

I had the first chance last night to see DD pitching from some other position than behind the plate. It was from the dugout during a scrimmage for TB, and I noticed what her PC was saying earlier in the day - she's bending over a the waist to deliver the ball. Like the title says, it looks like she's bowling. She did fine - threw strikes, got the outs, control OK, speed normal.

She just recovered from a broken pinky finger on her pitching hand and hasn't pitched for about 1 month, but we were doing "dry" pitches to keep her muscle memory. Also, right before that we abandoned learning the leap and drag since it was really getting ugly and messing with her control and speed. We decided to go back to the step and slide (?) when the finger got broken. I don't believe she's pushing or guiding the ball, but it did look bad from the side.

What drills can I do to get of the bending issue?

 

[redhawkridge]

That's one of the most common bad habits that pitchers develop. It compromises the speed attained in the windmill, and blocks development of other good techniques in the delivery. My experience says (unfortunately) that you're wrong about her not pushing or guiding the ball. Because every pitcher I've ever seen "bowling" are doing it to throw strikes -- they're aiming the ball. And probably extending their arm forward at the end to "point" the ball toward the target.
She needs to back up in her training, forget about accuracy, and learn how to pitch with an erect body. Motivate her by showing her all the pictures of Finch, etc. where they have a backward lean of the upper body.
She should do breakdown drills like the K drill to get comfortable with driving forward without the bend.
jim

 

[stephanie]

I just wrote this to someone else today...

I hold my DD's ponytail when she practices....It's kinda hard to lean when your mom has a power grip on your scrunchie!

 

[Wookie]

Red - thanks for the advice. I talked to her PC last night to see if she's been doing this for a while, even before trying to learn the leap and drag, and she hasn't. Like I said, she missed a month and Sunday was the first time the PC noticed the bend as well. I wouldn't doubt that she was trying to impress the TB call so she did what she had to do to throw strikes. Last night at practice she wasn't doing it as often, maybe every 4-5 pitches she'd bend at the waist.

Steph - she has shorter hair, so there really isn't a ponytail to hold. PC said have her stand on a milk crate with her lead leg while doing K's and full K's, which is pretty much the same thing, right?

The really sad part is that she was doing the leap and drag correctly at an indoor tourney at the end of February during our "free" time. Problem was it was all cement, so she was sliding on her spikes and fell a few times, but it was PERFECT. After that, she said she wasn't comfortable with it and wanted to go back to the step and slide, but seems to have forgotten how to do that too!

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I try to tell the girls that getting up into their power K position, is pretty similar to guarding someone in basketball. And, that they don't want to get any shorter than that on their release.

A drill that I do, is the one that has the girls step and arm circle all the way across the diamond. I really like to do this in a gym, too. The glove hangs at your right hip (for me) and you stride, arm circle and pop the ball into the glove on release. It is continuous. Try it. Stride, pop, tiny step to get ready and then, stride, pop.