Pitching Arm hitting and brusing side

[coaching101]

How do you fix a 14 year old that pitches at the highest level ASA A to stop hitting her side with her arm? (Speed 51-54 and pitches all pitches) The bruse created after a game or 2 is about a 4x12 and blood red around her side. It looks as if she was hit by a bat. Her genetics line her elbow up directly with her hip and she's thin and boney. Any help would by greatly appreciated.

There is much to discuss in this basic area.
scpalazzo may I suggest you take a very slow and thoughtful approach to your dd issues. With some proper direction what she's doing could in fact become beneficial. Somewhere in the history of fastpitch pitching our mechanics have morphed into kids over working their bodies trying to over throw the ball only to create more speed by which hitters will hit.
Oldmanriver has the right approach in my opinion, May I suggest you listen.
Very difficult to explain but In my opinion brushing the hip is good and I would suggest we work toward teaching them how to brush their hip properly. I have studied the best pitchers in the world for years & I can say the best brush their hip. The students I work with I have found pros and cons. Where problems can occur is often pitchers on the back side or down side as they begin to get-in-the-power begin to expose the shoulder by getting way behind their back. As they begin to come into release point they're trying to come around their hips and some in fact will slam right into the hip.This in general is caused by over rotating the hips into the open or sideways position. Earlier a hula hoop was used as a reference. I suggest imagining this hoop around her hips, now slowly just rotate them a ½ inch or so. You will notice a worm reaction to said movement throughout the body. What is necessary is we create a solid posture in our shoulder - hip at 45/50 degree angle thus removing any unnecessary movement in the body and helping her create a solid circle based off a solid set of hips. Yes naturally brushing the hip is a good thing. Slamming into the hip and hurting oneself is not. Hey old man on the river, are you that same old man I had a beer with in Oklahoma 2009?

 

[Old Man River]

Hey, Coaching101,

After reading your response up above, I'm not sure we were drinking the same kind of beer! Your's must have been green! What in the world is a" worm reaction" to said movement etc. you said up above. ( I've been looking for worms in my backyard all afternoon to teach them how to pitch!) And I don't think you could get a hula-hoop around your hips!!

 

[coaching101]

I thought this was you - Hehe- yer a funny guy… We weren’t drinking the same beer. You had the skunk beer; you know the one with the wide mouth, lol… Speaking of hula hoops, you of all people know what I’m talking about with the worm reaction and the hula hoop. Don’t you use the hula hoop as tool in your daily life? Just from turning that head, the weighted movement alone; you know… bumper guard… lol… Timmmmmmberrrrr…. lol
Anyway, did you find any worms while you were crawling around? I can see you crawling around in the dark digging through the dirt feeling for the wiggly little critters. I’d almost pay money to watch you teach worms how to pitch, still I’d bet you’d be the only guy that could. You can teach. I’d still have to wonder what the mortality rate would be for those poor little worms. Just from the sheer weight of that massive crown of yours - when you lean forward, how do you stop from crushing those poor little worms ohhh - I get it - yer fooling with me again! Again very cleaver - you must use the hula hoop again like a bumper guard so when you lose control from the size... ahh got it - Cleaver – very cleaver! I always said you were creative.
Hope all is well with you!

 

[ifubuildit]

Another cause of this can be the arm going in front of the face just before opening. This often puts the ball behind the pitchers head when coming down into release and the elbow will slam into the side of the hip. Do some video of the DD while she is pitching from behind the catcher. Watch and see if she is bringing her hand in front of her face as she goes up with the ball.

Good luck.

Dana.

 

[redhawkridge]

1. Check her windmill to see that it is a solid circle aligned directly down the power line, including the followthru.
2. Teach her the trick of brushing her ear with the pitching arm as it passes 12:00
3. Make sure her step foot is landing at a 45 degree or more angle to the power line.
4. Check that she is not sweeping her glove arm down (snow angels) with the pitch so that it passes her hip -- this will turn the hip into the path of the pitching arm every time !
5. Work with her in a breakdown drill such as the k drill and have her maintain keeping the glove shoulder in her view during the delivery (she should be able to see it out of the corner of her eye thruout the pitch.) If her shoulder doesn't swivel out of view, her hips won't turn closed.
jim

 

[Ken B]

Double bump. Anyone know who Old Man River is?

 

[Kamero]

Where is she now?

How do you fix a 14 year old that pitches at the highest level ASA A to stop hitting her side with her arm? (Speed 51-54 and pitches all pitches) The bruse created after a game or 2 is about a 4x12 and blood red around her side. It looks as if she was hit by a bat. Her genetics line her elbow up directly with her hip and she's thin and boney. Any help would by greatly appreciated.

This sounds exactly like my 14 y/o pitcher! I'd love to know if you found a fix and where softball took her. My daughter's pitching coach is working on correcting her hip rotation to avoid the contact and bruising. I'm wondering if there are any other remedies that can also be recommended.

 

[Ken B]

Where is the bruising? What are her cues? Please post a video. Contact is preferable, but the wrong cue can lead to issues.

I've run into one kid with hip bruising who came back to me after trying another PC. Her fix was to get more forearm brush. Counter-intuitive, but an easy fix. She put too much emphasis on forcing the elbow to lead and released too far from the thigh.

 

[sbcowboy]

Kamero, My dd also had trouble with this bruising her hip. It seems this sometimes happens when pitchers are working on trying to get ball up at 9 O'clock. I think sometimes it is when the pitcher holds the ball up past 9 O'clock which drive the elbow into the hip. We Bucket dads should b careful of how we say ball up at 9 O'clock. We need to emphasize pull the ball down to 9 O'clock then lead with the pinky after 9 O'clock. It is hard to figure out what causes the problem. Video of the pitcher is best. My dd finally got pass this. Hopefully, that helps. I am no expert just a bucket dad.

 

[slingnit]

Kamero, My dd also had trouble with this bruising her hip. It seems this sometimes happens when pitchers are working on trying to get ball up at 9 O'clock. I think sometimes it is when the pitcher holds the ball up past 9 O'clock which drive the elbow into the hip. We Bucket dads should b careful of how we say ball up at 9 O'clock. We need to emphasize pull the ball down to 9 O'clock then lead with the pinky after 9 O'clock. It is hard to figure out what causes the problem. Video of the pitcher is best. My dd finally got pass this. Hopefully, that helps. I am no expert just a bucket dad.

Technically that does make you an expert! Lol