Need some advice on Youtube's Fastpitch Power Techniques

[JAD]

Learning proper mechanics is important to prevent injury and to maximize a pitchers potential, but every pitcher does not have to throw exactly like an instructional video to be successful. If you compare side-by-side video of the top collegiate pitchers, there are going to be differences in their mechanics and pitching "styles". A good pitching coach takes a pitchers natural tendencies and works with them to make her the best she can be.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

First let me say that OLF has a point.....I was probably a little harsh in my assessment. The young lady may be a very good pitcher who excelled with technique different than what I would teach.......there are many ways to skin a cat.

To better phrase my post I should have said that the (brief) viewing of the two videos was displaying some "highly trained" movements/release actions and that would give a viewer a different understanding of what happens as the ball is released than what really does happen. For a beginning pitcher I would keep things much simpler........for a more advanced pitcher there could be something there that would get something to click after having exhausted other avenues.....but again, it would not be my preferred starting point.
To OLF's other point I'd kick it up a notch from NPF and check out recent Olympic pitchers like Osterman, Abbott, Finch, Ueno, Lawrie. Each of these has some very distinct "style" differences but their release actions tend to fit into a narrow range and are less "trained".
Don't have a great definition of "trained".....maybe "muscled" is another description.

You appear to not like his description of what happens as the ball is released. That leads me to believe you don't like his "forearm fire" description. What is your preferred description of this action?

 

[Rick Pauly]

FiveFrame
Didn't get to the forearm fire stuff.....but you have peaked my interest enough to go back. Will try to "constructively" comment on it.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

I appreciate that Rick. He describes "forearm fire" here ... Hand Action Series Part 1 - YouTube.

 

[curiousgeorge]

Many of you long time posters, readers of this forum will remember "Carly" who was a frequent poster on this board.

This video is of her father. Thought some of you might find that interesting.

cg

 

[Rick Pauly]

Viewed the youtube video you posted the link to.
Couple comments:
1) I guess I don't have any heart ache with his cue phrase "forearm fire".....some cues work great for some pitchers when a totally different cue works for another pitcher when attempting to accomplish the same task.
2) As the "forearm fire" is demo'd at the 3:00 minute mark I'd have to say two things are extremely exagerated: a) the amount of angle of the forearm to upper arm....what is shown is way more than what happens in reality. But if you were working with a pitcher who had been trained to throw with a "long-straight arm circle" you might have to exaggerate a bit. In viewing this I would fear that a literal interpretation and following of this drill might cause a lot of bruising as the elbow jabs into the side.
b) The second exaggeration is in the amount of cupping under the ball that is being displayed....again, probably much more than is typical at the juncture shown in the beginning of the drill. But, if trying to overcome some significantly ingrained poor muscle memory this may help.
3) FFS I think you may have been leading me into this one:
The indication in this video is that the forearm is providing the whip action; it is my opinion that brush interference is the key component to transferring the energy into the forearm then wrist/fingers. I wish Phil would have said something about that ( he does use the phrase "tip of the whip" which if referring to the fingers is a pretty good cue)....then I would have warmed up a little more to his drill. Certainly he demoed the first interference of the upper arm and rib cage side (albeit the exaggeration of elbow into side) but made no mention of the forearm and hip/thigh interference relative to energy transfer.

With just a little push he could have said "brush interference" with an "I/R" release action. These are just cue phrases I would use.

You appear to not like his description of what happens as the ball is released. That leads me to believe you don't like his "forearm fire" description. What is your preferred description of this action?

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Thank you Rick.

IMO the forearm fire that is being described is the feel of acceleration going into the brush assisted whip … Jillian demos that at 3:31.

A big yes to brush assisted whip/interference.