My DD can’t get past the lock it in drill. We’ve been on it for several days. Each time we try to move on to slightly lifting the elbow off the waist/hip, starting at 3, and going back to 9, palm up, it just doesn’t work. She prematurely turns her arm once it starts forward, and back into HE mechanics we go. So, we go back to the lock it in drill. Maybe I’m missing something. Am I rushing it???
Lock it In drill
- Thread starter BktMom3
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Nah. You’re good. Slow it down. Way down. See how that goes. And/or start at 9 and bring it down to lock it in then go from there. Break it up. Then again try to go from 9 slowly with palm up without stopping.
Small progressions are the way to go. Don’t freak. Stuff takes time.
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Thanks! That makes sense.
Several days?? It doesn't happen that fast. Give it several months before hitting the panic button.
Do you mean starting at 6 and going back to 9?
2 suggestions - be sure she understands what it means to “lead with her pinky” to encourage a pulling vs pushing motion.
The other option is to try having her repeat the motion 2 times before throwing. So 1 - she goes from 6 to 9 and right back to 6, on 2 she repeats, and on 3 she repeats but actually throws the ball. The key is to make sure each repetition is performed correctly so your ingraining the right motion.
This helped my daughter get more reps of a movement, vs throwing each time and worrying about where it went.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
2 suggestions - be sure she understands what it means to “lead with her pinky” to encourage a pulling vs pushing motion.
The other option is to try having her repeat the motion 2 times before throwing. So 1 - she goes from 6 to 9 and right back to 6, on 2 she repeats, and on 3 she repeats but actually throws the ball. The key is to make sure each repetition is performed correctly so your ingraining the right motion.
This helped my daughter get more reps of a movement, vs throwing each time and worrying about where it went.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for the heads up. I didn’t know exactly how long it would take to master. It seems so simple, in my head. Going from lock it in to “slightly” unlocking it, doesn’t seem like rocket science. Old habits die hard, I guess. Admittedly, I’m not nor have ever been a pitcher. So, really I don’t know what it’s like to make a change like this.
First, yes you are rushing it. Marathon, not sprint. The problem with pitchers in your DD's situation is that a natural motion has been trained out of them and replaced with an unnatural motion. In other words, muscle memory has been ingrained to overcome a natural tendency. So you have to reverse it, basically training new muscle memory. That take a time and a lot of it.
Second, rig something up where you can hang a ball on a bungie at about shoulder level. Have your DD grab the ball at 9:00 and work on pulling her elbow to her side while leaving the palm facing up. Essentially pulling the ball down against the bungie. She should only pull the ball down 6" or so...just enough that her elbow starts to slot into her side. This will serve two purposes: First, it will give her the feel of pulling the ball into release. Second, she'll be able to feel negative feedback if she tries to turn her arm over into HE mechanics.
25-30 reps a day. About 1k total should do the trick.
Great idea! Thanks!
