Leg slapping

[BBRB]

How does a young pitcher get rid of that habit after the "cool" factor wears off and it's just a pain (in more ways than one)

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

DD's 14 and is still being taught to "slap" her leg for timing purposes.

 

[SBFAMILY]

I know one thing. Hitters love to have anything they can time off up.. That is way you don't see it at the elite level. An Olympic hitting coach explained that and grunting are just more ways that a pitcher can give up a pitch. That very few pitchers do the exact same sound and motion when it is a change up to a fast ball. If you watch closely you will notice small differences and that is why they don't want pitchers do any of these extra things when pitching.

 

[SoCalASABlue]

DD has been seeing the same pitching coach for more than 3 years. Coach does not discourage leg slapping as long as it doesn't start breaking blood vessels, which it did eventually with her. Based on my own research on this site and others, as well as buying and watch Bill Hillhouse's basics video, I asked my daughter to try not slapping her leg and instead taking both hands back together to the side of the hip - what her coach now calls the chute - to start her pitching motion (hopefully I explained it right). Anyway, Coach decided that a small slap taking both hands back to the chute would still be OK for DD...long story short, DD does not have red welts on her left thigh anymore and has the beginning of a much more deceptive delivery.

 

[go4fpsb]

Would you tell this pitcher to stop slapping her leg? MOV 1 of 3, Windmill

 

[Amy in AZ.]

If I cared about her wrist and thigh, yes.

 

[halskinner]

'Would you tell this pitcher to stop slapping her leg? ' Yes. From what I am seeing, she is slapping her knee not her thigh. AND, she is not coming down hard at all.

 

[halskinner]

If a pitcher has been doing this awhile, here is what you can do.

Take 6 thumb tacks and put them in a straight line one inch apart on a table, points sticking up..

Take an 8 inch piece of duct tape and tape them to the table pushing the points through the duct tape.

Now, peel up the duct tape and tape the thumbtacks to the outside of her glove, where the glove comes in contact with her leg.

Ya got to make them think about it and not just pitch from habit. Pitching from habit is not pitching, it's throwing. If she comes down with that glove more than once, she either likes the pain or she is dumb as a box of rocks. This definitely stresses the point that the glove coming in contact with the leg IS A BAD THING!

 

[BoardMember]

No Slapping?........

Well then.......DON'T CALL ME for lessons...........

Finch slaps...... Guess she didn't listen to her olympic coach........Neither did Osterman........

Pauly Slaps.......

Ueno slaps.......

Seldon Slaps........

Hollowell Slaps......

I couldn't begin to name them all.........There are many, especially old schoolers who do not. Fernandez, Abbot, Smith, Evans do not.......Grainger did.......

Many high level females slap........Naturally..........

ALL my pitchers slap........Naturally......For 25 years. None have ever "lost a leg" over it......Some have had bruises that heal and eventually stop brusing all together. No different then a boxer taking "shots" to toughen up the stomach........

IMO the timing issue as a "tell" is subjective at best. Keying off the slap is no different then keying off the front foot plant. When the slap is consistant and the ball speed isn't, it hurts timing of the hitters more helping them. And all my pitchers grunt......LOUDER on the change for emphasis and salesmanship...........

I find the lace ties on the top of the fingers cause more damage then the flat fingers of the glove.

Most men do not slap.......I know I didn't........

 

[BoardMember]

If a pitcher has been doing this awhile, here is what you can do.

Take 6 thumb tacks and put them in a straight line one inch apart on a table, points sticking up..

Take an 8 inch piece of duct tape and tape them to the table pushing the points through the duct tape.

Now, peel up the duct tape and tape the thumbtacks to the outside of her glove, where the glove comes in contact with her leg.

Ya got to make them think about it and not just pitch from habit. Pitching from habit is not pitching, it's throwing. If she comes down with that glove more than once, she either likes the pain or she is dumb as a box of rocks. This definitely stresses the point that the glove coming in contact with the glove IS A BAD THING!

Nothin like a good dry sense of humor Hal........