Missing high

[JAD]

Not a pitching expert, but I have spend a lot of time on a bucket, and I would guess the heavier ball has slowed down your DD's arm speed, which has messed up her release point, which is causing pitches to go high. It is similar to slowing down your arm to throw a change up. Keep working at home and she will find it.

 

[riseball]

Sans a video I will not offer a guess on mechanics. However, I will challenge you to look carefully at your practice regimen. As with most new bucket parents I would suspect the following:

#1 More often than not you are having her throw to glove positioned at or above what would be belt high on the batters she faces.

#2 In the context of #1 how often do you work the very bottom to the point that she can consistently locate the ball below the zone?

I am sure she has some mechanical things going on. Once you get those resolved make sure you do not practice throwing bad pitches.

 

[strawman]

Regarding fixing this posture...

What usually accompanies this move, is a little booty pop because they feel they need to create clearance. Their butt pops out backwards causing them to slightly hing at the waist and that relaxes some or all of the 4 points off resistance in the torso...for a RHP they hinge towards 3rd, butt to 1st and then they tip forward like a teapot. In the pic I posted you can see her pelvis moving away from the power line. I wish I knew you were going to ask this question because I just had a lesson with this young lady earlier tonight and I could show you before and after...

Anyway...

Take some time and talk about this to your DD. I use my laptop in lessons all the time because a gif can demonstrate what you cannot explain.

The easy cue is keep your nose up in the air...

Rick Pauly's natural open drill is great:


If she gets good with this (note how upright Rick stays) with her feet planted, let her take a step with it starting from this same position...make sure she is staying tall. Make sure that as she comes into the throw she does not tip forward. Make sure as she comes into the throw her lead shoulder (left shoulder for RHP) does not over-rotate through the pitch. If she does this she will send it high\left. She needs to feel her torso stretch and resist against her hips. This will force her to use rotational energy and whip to send the pitch.

She may revert when she takes the step...If she reverts, go back to "flex it." Have her take a step but NOT throw a ball. Just have her "air" through the motion. Her head will probably move forward when she steps...pay attention to what the rear leg is doing...she needs to learn how to transfer linear energy into rotational energy...this is what will stop the "tipping tea pot" posture when she gets into full pitches.

Here's Sarah Pauly:

Here's what I'm talking about in regards to the rear leg:

View attachment 10477 View attachment 10478

My student (3rd lesson when this was taken) has almost no movement "into" her front hip. All linear...no rotation. Her rear leg is facing 3rd base with no signs of it internally rotating anytime soon...no lower body support...booty pops out, torso relaxes and posture goes to hell in a hand basket...compare her to Sarah at a similar point...Sarah is "into" her front hip and her torso is stable while she is coming into the throw...rear leg has internally rotated

What I did with this particular girl was to get her doing 9 o'clock drills while her torso was already square with the target. When she struggled with this, I moved her back to 7 o'clock and had her throw standing on her left leg only...only a few of these but I told her to focus on keeping her core firm and arm loose. The hip action took care of itself and she stopped tipping...

The next progression is to start to incorporate drive mechanics into this...you will probably go backwards here because you are adding forward lean into her motion when you just told her to stop leaning forward...

...keep the faith...you're on the right path...

...let's stop here for now...can you post some video?

CP

Good stuff. Thanks CP.

You pretty much described my daughter to a tee (tipping at the waist (forward and toward 3b), all linear/no IR whatsoever in rear leg). She actually threw a ball into her left inner thigh the other day because she's still brushing her right thigh but her left drive leg is going so far behind (like a bowler) when she tips.

Thanks for the response. I'll try to get some video up in a new thread in the next day or two.

 

[BT3100]

Are you catching her at practice using a tall bucket?
I learned on here to use a small bucket. Been using a baseball bucket. Since then problem sloved.