Need help explaining need to switch to I/R to DD

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Jul 1, 2020
9
3
Our DD has a pretty typical story of being a star in 10U this past year and just made the switch to 12U with the bigger ball and longer distance this fall. Seemed to transition well, but ran into eye-opening need to make some changes in her path. We love her PC, but she said most 12U hitters would not be able to catch up to DD's velocity, but would only need to use more movement pitches down the road as the girls get older. This didn't turn out to be true, because DD got hammered in fall tournaments. It was like batting practice for some of these hitters! I know this is typical for girls transitioning to the next level, but this exposed a big long term problem to me. Our DD is an early grower and will not grow much more beyond the next year. I have been reading all the stickies and threads about I/R and brush Interference and believe this is the path she needs to take to improve her long term picture. I understand it and value it, but how do I explain the basics of it in a simple way to my DD and rest of the family? Would someone be able to provide a list of the basic reasons why girls have a better path switching from HE to IR? I feel like the threads are so detailed, which is great, but i don't know how to describe it in a more surface level way. While no one in our club takes the same amount of pitching lessons, all of the older pitchers and all of the coaches (including even our high school coach) teach HE. I feel like other families will think we are crazy for making a change. To them, DD's mechanics are the best in the club, but now that I know they are HE I can't help but see problems and feel concerned! We also have a younger daughter that we would like to just start right off the bat with I/R mechanics instead of HE, but it will be a very eyebrow-raising and confusing move to people in our club who do not follow this DFP resource. Any tips would be very appreciated! Thank you to this wonderful community, because it has served as an amazing amount of guidance as we have embarked on this pitching journey in our family. I don't know what we would do without it!
 
Sep 19, 2018
928
93
I found this site just about 2 years ago. Like you, I read through all of the stickies. To somebody coming in from the outside, there are a LOT of BIG claims. However, slo motion video shows that ALL of the best pitchers of the last 20 years do it.

I came to the conclusion that if I went to a hitting coach who said, I know Manny R, Albert P, Miguel C, Edgar M, and A-Rod, all do this but I want you to do the exact opposite, I'd walk away.

This logic (along with my dd throwing a ton of strikes) convinced a friend to try a PC that teaches IR. I am not sure that logic will work on your 11yo DD though.

Ukiko Ueno -
Monica Abbott -
Cat Osterman -
Amanda Scarborough -
Michelle Smith -
Jennie Finch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pNrpi19d7s. (what the hand down the back side, not the finish)
Sarah Pauly - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPztyxKOGLU
Kelly Barnhill - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU7RqV2_NkU&list=PLPmjOssSv4F_b9TnTUYEGHE6k5K3YpPPl
Blair Luna - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZKnNaleT7I



My dd goes to a tincher. We never did the lock it in drill or 9:00 drill. I never had to talk to her about a new style. Luckily, she very quickly grew attached to her new PC.
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
I would tell her that it's the equivalent of hitting while holding the bat upside down. Sure you can do it, you might be able to get a few hits, but your future hitting prospects are limited. There is no way at the older/higher levels of the game will you be able to compete with other girls that are holding the bat the right way.
 
May 15, 2008
1,913
113
Cape Cod Mass.
When I take on a new student explaining IR is the first thing I tackle. I tell them that to be a successful pitcher they have to learn to 'throw' the ball underhand. I then demonstrate an overhand throw, with the elbow flexed and the arm whipping through release. I then show them the normal underhand motion (HE) and tell them that this is bowling not throwing. I then demonstrate IR and relate it to the feel of an overhand throwing motion. The last thing I do is ask if they have ever tried to skip a stone on a pond, most have done it. I then ask them to show me how they would do it and relate that feel to IR.

One other thing I talk about is muscle memory and how difficult it is to change it. To demonstrate this I ask them to quickly cross their arms, then look down and reverse the arms. I point out how uncomfortable it feels and relate it to the automaticity of muscle memory, you do it without thinking and it feels 'right'. Changing muscle memory feels awkward and wrong, you have to accept that. I tell them that a change has to feel different, if it feels the same it is the same and we want it to feel different.
 
Jun 19, 2016
858
63
Our DD has a pretty typical story of being a star in 10U this past year and just made the switch to 12U with the bigger ball and longer distance this fall. Seemed to transition well, but ran into eye-opening need to make some changes in her path. We love her PC, but she said most 12U hitters would not be able to catch up to DD's velocity, but would only need to use more movement pitches down the road as the girls get older. This didn't turn out to be true, because DD got hammered in fall tournaments. It was like batting practice for some of these hitters! I know this is typical for girls transitioning to the next level, but this exposed a big long term problem to me. Our DD is an early grower and will not grow much more beyond the next year. I have been reading all the stickies and threads about I/R and brush Interference and believe this is the path she needs to take to improve her long term picture. I understand it and value it, but how do I explain the basics of it in a simple way to my DD and rest of the family? Would someone be able to provide a list of the basic reasons why girls have a better path switching from HE to IR? I feel like the threads are so detailed, which is great, but i don't know how to describe it in a more surface level way. While no one in our club takes the same amount of pitching lessons, all of the older pitchers and all of the coaches (including even our high school coach) teach HE. I feel like other families will think we are crazy for making a change. To them, DD's mechanics are the best in the club, but now that I know they are HE I can't help but see problems and feel concerned! We also have a younger daughter that we would like to just start right off the bat with I/R mechanics instead of HE, but it will be a very eyebrow-raising and confusing move to people in our club who do not follow this DFP resource. Any tips would be very appreciated! Thank you to this wonderful community, because it has served as an amazing amount of guidance as we have embarked on this pitching journey in our family. I don't know what we would do without it!
I am just kind of curious of what your DDs velocity is? I only ask because you said that her pitching coach thought her speed would overwhelm 12U hitters.
 
May 21, 2018
567
93
I agree with cnardone. Show her/them slow motion videos of all the best pitchers of the last 20 years. This
is what I did with my DD, and she actually switched on her own (practiced the motion throwing into a bownet
over the winter).
 
Sep 19, 2018
928
93
So, you want your kid on the juice? lolololol.
Manny was not Juicing. He was having trouble getting pregnant and needed a little boost.

I hear what you are saying, but even without the juice, those guys have model swings. I could understand saying , one aspect is a 'no teach', but to pick something every single one of them does the same and teach the opposite .....
 
Nov 8, 2018
774
63
My dd was second year 12u when she joined travel. Pitched / bowled in rec. got her with a PC and realized quick what she taught and what she Did were different. So i investigated.
Found Bill Hillhouse videos and they made sense. So why bowl when you can throw upside down. Along came DFP. and the detail started coming.
Prior to DFP I showed my dd Bills stuff and how this would be a better fit for her. She is thin, light and not strong. Creating a whip would give her speed. It was enough to convince her.
After finding DFP AND those amazing coaches on it , read the stickies, asked for helped , saw a couple in person and finally getting certified thru Rick Pauley the rest is history.
I didn’t have to work hard to convince dd because she wasn’t very good. Anything that would help she was game.
In your case your dd was pretty good it appears. But she saw this fall that she needs to get better.
Show her the videos of the best in history and in the world. Help her understand that brush contact helps with speed spin and accuracy. And without those 3 she won’t be as successful.
The transition will take time. Finding the whip sometimes takes time. Especially when she is used to muscling the ball.
Once she feels the whip one time she will be sold. Then go to work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Jul 1, 2020
9
3
These are all incredibly helpful! Really appreciate all the suggestions and insight, and thanks for the great videos, @cnardone. To your point, I guess we could be unnecessarily complicating it. When I showed DD a couple drills online, she thought they made the arm motion "look weird." Then when she met with the new Tincher instructor, a video was taken of her and it showed in slow motion that she already naturally does a lot of what IR teaches. So we'll just keep having her meet with the new PC and stay the course on this journey, even when it doesn't seem that clear yet. BrianTx01, she has been clocked in the mid 40s, which definitely didn't overwhelm 12U hitters. Lots of work to do, but feeling encouraged by this new path. Thanks everyone!
 

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