Leg slapping

[halskinner]

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

Neither did I. No way did I want my glove down that low in the event one got hit straight back at my gourd!.

BTW, after the one time with the thumbtacks, then just put a piece of plain ducttape and they remember.

 

[go4fpsb]

Totally agree with BM on this one. Watch and learn from the best IMO. Used to think if a pitcher made any noise while pitching, whether grunting, slapping, yelling, etc my batters could time off that and hit her pitches better, not any more. Once I understood how that pitcher could change her speeds and make the batters twitch off that sound I encouraged my pitchers to use it. The use of a slap or brush against the thigh during drills and delivery reinforces correct timing. JMHO also.

 

[BBRB]

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........

Except for the last pitcher shown they are just brushing the thigh compared to what we are dealing with. I believe in watching the best and doing what works for them but since their are MANY other high level pitchers that do not have this habit I don't think that it is critical to their success. Thanks for your comments and video.

 

[Jojo]

Except for the last pitcher shown they are just brushing the thigh compared to what we are dealing with. I believe in watching the best and doing what works for them but since their are MANY other high level pitchers that do not have this habit I don't think that it is critical to their success. Thanks for your comments and video.

Finch's slap is also after release.

 

[BoardMember]

Except for the last pitcher shown they are just brushing the thigh compared to what we are dealing with. I believe in watching the best and doing what works for them but since their are MANY other high level pitchers that do not have this habit I don't think that it is critical to their success. Thanks for your comments and video.

It's absolutely NOT critical to the success of a pitcher. Which is why some does.......and some doesn't......

My point is that everyone develops a "style" as they learn. For some reason slapping comes "natural" to thousands of female pitchers. Your DD for example.

I never disourage it......Because it is a Symmetry and balance move. So all my pitchers do it. It just might be a genetic predispostion for females, which would explain why SO MANY female pitchers do it.

None of the pitchers in my clips simply "brush the thigh"........They all "bounce" the glove against themselves. Some on the front, some on the side, some lower, some higher depening on height and posture.

BTW, the bottom pitcher is the only pitcher NOT filmed in high speed slow motion video.

Best of luck to your DD no matter how she does it. I just wouldn't spend countless hours try to train her away from something she uses natually to assist her in her goal to be the best because your worried about long term injury.........

 

[SBFAMILY]

If you talk to Finch or any of our Olympic players they will tell you they are filmed countless hours and every pitcher they play against has countless hours of film. Nothing wrong with slapping, grunting, but you better not give away a pitch doing it. Here are a couple of true stories. 1. A pitcher would bite her lip slightly every time she threw a change. 2. A pitcher would put her hand inside her glove a little deeper on a rise ball. As a hitting instructor , I have watched many pitchers and I can tell you many give away a pitch. We even work with our pitchers to make sure they do not give away a pitch. So the more you do, in terms of what we call extra's, the more things you must control so that the hitter doesn't guess what you are throwing. I'm glad that some of you have kids grunt to fool the batter, but many young girls don't. They grunt different on different pitches. Watch it at the younger levels and it is easy to pick up. I have been accused of stealing signs, but if you watch a pitcher and even the catcher you can pick up the pitch. I suggest you film your pitchers and watch them . You might be surprised at what you see. .

 

[cyfairslam]

Add Christa Williams to the list as well. I believe the All American pitcher Kristen Schmidt from LSU did as well.

BTW, the glove Cat helped develop at Wilson does not have any knots on the thigh/knee side of the glove.

I don't think glove slapping is a major aspect of pitching and a prerequisite for solid pitching. However, I do think it assists in a young girl developing timing and balance while learning to pitch and assits it keeping the shoulder from flying open before release.

Every glove slappiing thread has the immediate response that the sound helps the hitters time the pitch. I guess if you are rec league throwing fastballs down the middle of the plate it might help. Otherwise, I don't believe it helps the hitters at all.

 

[go4fpsb]

If you talk to Finch or any of our Olympic players they will tell you they are filmed countless hours and every pitcher they play against has countless hours of film. Nothing wrong with slapping, grunting, but you better not give away a pitch doing it. Here are a couple of true stories. 1. A pitcher would bite her lip slightly every time she threw a change. 2. A pitcher would put her hand inside her glove a little deeper on a rise ball. As a hitting instructor , I have watched many pitchers and I can tell you many give away a pitch. We even work with our pitchers to make sure they do not give away a pitch. So the more you do, in terms of what we call extra's, the more things you must control so that the hitter doesn't guess what you are throwing. I'm glad that some of you have kids grunt to fool the batter, but many young girls don't. They grunt different on different pitches. Watch it at the younger levels and it is easy to pick up. I have been accused of stealing signs, but if you watch a pitcher and even the catcher you can pick up the pitch. I suggest you film your pitchers and watch them . You might be surprised at what you see. .

Totally agree SBFamily. To go along with your point here is a true story of mine. One of my teams faced a pitcher who would grunt on every pitch except her change, for the first two innings I noticed it and told the girls. Got one hit on a change and the pitcher immediately changed the pattern. Just like the stories I have heard from Bustos at her clinics, setting up the pitchers to throw her the pitch she wants. Many younger players don't appreciate how to use the mental side of the game.