Need help with 13 y.o. dh

[javasource]

thefinest,

Before reading the following… realize that the goal is to get her to open sooner… and stay open longer….

1. Your DD is performing a single-pump wind-up. That’s fine… BUT… the way that she is performing it is not… In pitching, we want them to open… and typically, that means opening 90 degrees. In the case of your DD, she opens in her single-pump… it appears around 60-degrees. SOOO… she needs to perform 150-degrees of rotation… on one leg… in order for her to get open. 150-degrees is an unnecessary amount of movement… and she doesn’t have a lot of time… POINT: ELIMINATE THE EARLY OPENING DURING THE SINGLE-PUMP WIND-UP.
2. Her timing is off… considerably. Normally, I’d say fix this first… but the unnecessary move of opening during her wind-up is worth eliminating… as it IS contributing. It prevents her leg (stride leg) from turning in earlier… which prevents her hips from opening earlier… which prevents her shoulders…. Her leg move out is being slowed down… BECAUSE her torso is performing a corrective rotational move (see #1). Improving #1 will allow her to get her leg internally rotating sooner (after maximum extension of the leg)… and that creates a better timed opening motion. IN ADDITION… AND THIS IS A BIG ADDITION… her ball hand and stride knee are coming out together. The ball MUST lag behind the knee drive. This is most easily attained by creating a contrasting move during her pump… the contrast is: As she’s pumping rearwards… her body MUST be moving forwards. GET THAT LEG OUT SOONER… AND GET THE BALL TO LAG BEHIND. This is easier with a backswing… but she’s more than capable of doing so with the single-pump.
3. Get her upright BEFORE her stride knee passes her drive leg knee. Her hips should thrust forward BY the end of her single pump. Her left leg and torso should be in a straight line (leaning.. so a straight diagonal line) before her left knee drives out. By NOT doing this… the extension of her leg will take longer… as it does now… BECAUSE the torso needs to straighten BEFORE the leg can full extend. This hurts her timing…. and timing is REALLY important for your DD.
4. Your DD is opening because the arm circle REQUIRES it… and that’s NOT the right way. You should start opening BEFORE THE ARM CIRCLE REQUIRES IT. See #1 & #2. I add this because it’s important that you understand why you open… and that you put your body in the right position to facilitate it… not force it.
5. Another thing that I’m playing a hunch on… is that it appears that her bicep is facing 1B at the top of the circle… and that makes me believe the ball is too… Can’t confirm it… but it’s worth YOU looking for. Get that ball facing home… GET HER HAND ON TOP OF THE BALL EARLY and get her to establish a hook BEFORE circle peak.
6. Another negative movement your DD is performing is with her ball and glove hands. They are traveling up the circle together… and more to the glove side… I’d recommend putting her arms in a position that facilitates the goal… GETTING OPEN EARLIER. If you stand up and try it… you’ll see what I mean. Bring the ball and glove up more to the glove side… and you’ll see that this facilitates staying closed… whereas slightly leading with the glove hand AND bringing up the BALL SIDE helps facilitate getting open.
7. As far as staying open… Again… I can’t see the top of the circle. At this point… I’d work on GETTING HER OPEN… then repost. I think that if she actually gets open… the mystery over the top and through the backside might become a little clearer.

With all do respect to other suggestions… I really recommend you ask WHY before doing something. If you’re just following advice that you don’t understand… well… then how on earth are you going to implement it? I can’t see how far your daughter is striding… and I don’t see a step-style (again… no disrespect). I don’t see a resistance issue… and by opening sooner and further… she’d stay open longer… helping her resistance... and I think that’s a better fix… FIRST. Again… no disrespect to any posters… you all rock in my book. Glove swim is hardly ever an issue... and I only address it after I know there are no other issues... again... no disrespect... Really trying here...

I’ve attached a really slow gif so that you can see these moves as they apply to your DD. Hope this helps.

Thank you Knightsb… for posting the gif!!!!

 

[stickpile39]

That clip of Osterman is so RICH with information on pitching mechanics!

Yup, I saved it in the "Elite Pitcher" file!

can someone GIF this please? Thanks

 

[JJsqueeze]

When I first saw this, I really saw an "all of the above scenario". For instance her glove swim would not be an issue if her upswing was timed such that the glove side does not start pulling her closed so soon. It also may not be an issue if she was not stepping so far right and having a bias towards being closed through the motion. She also has that "lean over to clear the hips" thing going on, so if she was more comfortable with less clearance between the arm and the torso then she probably wouldn't feel the need to step so far left in the first place. Lastly, she is bowling through release, the angle doesn't let me see if this is BOWLING bowling, or just I/R timed too early. From the rest of the motion, she looks a lot like the "power" bowlers I've seen. They tend to have that clearance step to the left and lean to the right for clearance and they tend to be much more closed.

 

[fastpitchdad8]

If I'm wrong, that's cool. But I still don't see from either of your posts WHERE I'm wrong. The OP says his daughter isn't GETTING open and he's right. Both of your posts show why it's impossible for her to STAY open..but she's never getting open.

Hanson Principal time - stand up and take a BIG step left of the power line. You won't get your hips/shoulders open and your right foot will have to come around to the right and catch you. Now do it with your toes landing on the power line. Of course your balance is much better this time. And when you do the latter your hips/shoulders are much more open than when you landed left.

Of course she wouldn't be able to do the walk through correctly either when she's landing so far left..notice Cat's landing correctly on the line. If anyone else (java?) could help me see if what I'm saying is correct I'd appreciate it as I'm trying to learn here myself (hopefully without taking anything away from the OP)

No, you are wrong. She is falling forward and to the right, so she has to use her right leg to catch herself.

In other words, *SHE IS OFF BALANCE*.

The right leg coming around causes the hips to rotate. The hips are connected to the spine, and there is only so far that the hips can turn until the spine starts rotating, causing the torso to rotate. You've got a chain reaction which is throwing off her motion.

Take her out and have her do it at full speed.

I bet you $5.00 she can't go out right now and do this simple drill:

[video=youtube_share;kK2opycNSOI]http://youtu.be/kK2opycNSOI[/video]

 

[thefinest]

Wow! Thanks so much for all the input!! I am posting a youtube video of her practicing in front of a mirror without a ball. I'm wondering if she should be using a different windup..if that would help her get open better? Her pc prefers the double hand to hide the ball better but its been really hard to get her to quit swimming etc...

 

[thefinest]

Also, to answer a few of the questions.... She does the walk up drill all the time and is accurate but is still cheating by not getting completely open. She is a very accurate pitcher cruising around 53mph...

I would like more info on the knee to gut drill..I just can't visualize what that is. She does the K, walk thru and then full pitch for her warm ups.

I see what slugger is saying about her balance.. would the stork drill be good for that?

She goes to a pc once per week.

 

[Jojo]

Wow! Thanks so much for all the input!! I am posting a youtube video of her practicing in front of a mirror without a ball. I'm wondering if she should be using a different windup..if that would help her get open better? Her pc prefers the double hand to hide the ball better but its been really hard to get her to quit swimming etc...

I'm curious, has she tried to keep her push hip back after release? What I mean is, has she tried to resist after release and just stay open or at 45 degrees, or does her PC want her to finish with her hips forward? It seems to me that she's more worried about the finish than the release.

 

[curiousgeorge]

My 2 cents is all its worth but there is Night and Day difference between her pitching clip and when she's not pitching. In my DD's lessons with BH, he would make her focus on her stride foot angle. When she was closed, her toes pointed more straight (towards catcher). When she Got open, her toes were at 45 degrees or so. That subtile difference had huge effects on her shoulders.

The glove swim is a biggie too. But, several others have Said that already. I don't know if anyone has mentioned the toes. Maybe it'll help, maybe not. As i said, all my Info comes from DD's PC, so thank him if it helps. I'm sure others have given great advice too.

CG

 

[thefinest]

It's really aggravating because she can get open when she actually focuses but as soon as she's in a game or warm ups she goes back to her old ways. I wish I had a microphone in her ear during those times to remind her to SLOW DOWN and get sideways.

 

[fastpitchdad8]

there is Night and Day difference between her pitching clip and when she's not pitching.

You're right. There's also a big difference in where the stride foot is landing in the pitching vid vs. the no ball vid. In the no ball vid she's landing right on the power line which leads to her balance being so much better IMO