Model Pitchers....Kinda

[ga_smith]

Can we get some pitching coaches **the ones who know IR and drive mechanics** to put up some model pitchers on here by age?...10u, 12u, and 14u. I look at all of these great/advanced model pitchers but comparing them to a younger pitcher as a reference is difficult. I would really like different angles that are age specific. I really like the 10u girl javasource uses on the drive mechanics 2 step but the release and finish are not shown.

Also, thanks to all the people who post meaningful pitching instruction on this site. You have help me and my daughter more than you can imagine.

Thanks,
Smitty

 

[Classof2020]

I've thought about this quite a bit. When you are trying to help a 12 or 13 year old look like a 23 year old pitcher. But you wonder what did that 23 year old pitcher look like when she was 13 . . . do we have time to continue to morph and grow into that, or was that player at 13 already a complete phenom. Did she every break a habit of dragging on the side of her foot, did she ever switch her entire arm motion . . . it is awesome that so many posters do share videos of where their DD's are and you do get a glimpse into other girls your DD's own age.

 

[JJsqueeze]

Interesting idea-I think it would be difficult to do though. At the younger ages all of the pitchers are still trying to perfect their motion so they are works in progress. Since they all typically have at least a couple of glaring flaws they are not good models yet. Also- video of young pitchers is restricted since many folks don't want to post video of their children.

I would just go back to the video of Lizzy as an example of what a model pitcher at this age should look like. You can find that in the model pitchers thread.

 

[riseball]

I've thought about this quite a bit. When you are trying to help a 12 or 13 year old look like a 23 year old pitcher. But you wonder what did that 23 year old pitcher look like when she was 13 . . . do we have time to continue to morph and grow into that, or was that player at 13 already a complete phenom. Did she every break a habit of dragging on the side of her foot, did she ever switch her entire arm motion . . . it is awesome that so many posters do share videos of where their DD's are and you do get a glimpse into other girls your DD's own age.

I am wrestling with this right now. I usually work with older kids and have time scheduled with a 13yo sister of an older pitcher. Don't really remember what a 13yo pitcher should look like. Guess I will find out.

 

[jryan15]

I sympathize with the request, but at the end of the day. The model pitchers are and should always be the elite pitchers. The sooner that we get our students to accept that, the better off they will be.

I've thought about this quite a bit. When you are trying to help a 12 or 13 year old look like a 23 year old pitcher. But you wonder what did that 23 year old pitcher look like when she was 13 . . . do we have time to continue to morph and grow into that, or was that player at 13 already a complete phenom. Did she every break a habit of dragging on the side of her foot, did she ever switch her entire arm motion . . . it is awesome that so many posters do share videos of where their DD's are and you do get a glimpse into other girls your DD's own age.

I bet most of the "greats" were athletic beasts in their youth. Certainly a different class of athlete than my DD and most I work with. I bet most of them relied more upon sheer athleticism than mechanics to separate from the pack. More than likely high level mechanics lagged their performance level.

I know I don't want my DD emulating Jennie Finch before she learned to IR. Take for instance Carly Hoover from LSU. I can't speak for her at the age of 9, but I bet a 5'11 9 year old would be a flame throwin' HE machine.

 

[Jojo]

I agree with JJ, I have some great 10's, 12's, 14u's but every one of them is working on a mechanical issue of some sort.

I had one of mine complain the other day that she was never going to perfect her mechanics and I agreed with her she never was.

I told her to watch a college game and listen when they interview a pitcher and what she says, it's usually about working on some kind of mechanical problem in the off-season, or needing to work on one, or working on perfecting a spin more, etc. You're never perfect, there is always something you can work on to get better.

 

[Jojo]

I sympathize with the request, but at the end of the day. The model pitchers are and should always be the elite pitchers. The sooner that we get our students to accept that, the better off they will be.




I bet most of the "greats" were athletic beasts in their youth. Certainly a different class of athlete than my DD and most I work with. I bet most of them relied more upon sheer athleticism than mechanics to separate from the pack. More than likely high level mechanics lagged their performance level.

I know I don't want my DD emulating Jennie Finch before she learned to IR. Take for instance Carly Hoover from LSU. I can't speak for her at the age of 9, but I bet a 5'11 9 year old would be a flame throwin' HE machine.

My DD pitched against Amanda Scarborough for the first time in 12u. She was 11. We were a scrappy good hitting little team that always appreciated seeing a good pitcher, Amanda was one of them, I remember thinking if she got better mechanics she could probably be pretty good. And of course she had 0 fielding support. I remember that game because she was also scrappy and competitive and her team was doing her no favors. I told my DD to make sure she told her that she did a really good job pitching during the end of game handshake.

 

[Coachmom]

My DD is not a model pitcher by any stretch but this is a video I made years ago. (it's a little grainy) but shows some of the evolution of a young pitcher.
Ages 7-13
[video=vimeo;2708907]https://vimeo.com/2708907[/video]

 

[Jojo]

Coachmom, first that is an awesome and inspirational video. Can I ask how old your DD is now? Those uniforms look so much like what my DD used to wear years ago.

 

[Coachmom]

Thanks so much. It makes me cry when I watch it sometimes. She is 20.