Pitching Video of DD and advice

[BB875]

DD has been on & off for 4 years. We changed instructors and she has a new interest in pitching. She hung it up 2 years ago after getting hit while pitching. We let her cool off a year and forget about it. This year she has regained interest & I want to get her going in the right direction. Please let me know what things she needs to correct. I see her leaning forward & we discuss keeping her shoulders back. I also see a little skip off the rubber instead of pushing off towards catcher. She's a 12YO. Thanks.

 

[BB875]

In the 2nd video we had a little discussion on opening her hips all the way. I told her go about 45 degrees or 1/2 way. Is that good advice?

 

[sluggers]

I told her go about 45 degrees or 1/2 way. Is that good advice?

Not only is it bad advice, it is awful advice. She has to get completely open.

The hips on a woman (which your DD is becoming) are wider than her shoulders. If she doesn't get open, the arm will have to go around the hips. Attached are pictures of Osterman and Finch. Their hips are fully open.

You should be working with her to stay open, and not close at all. Tell her to leave her right foot behind her left foot after she throws.

The biggest problem I see right now is that she leans forward when she throws. She has to keep her upper body back. The easiest way to teach this is for her to throw the ball, but keep her right foot up after she throws. She then has to keep the right foot up until she gets the ball back from the catcher.

 

[BB875]

Thank you Slugger! I appreciate it.

 

[Lozza]

Echoing slugger that she needs to open more. Even if I hadn't read your post asking the question, I would have said that, as she looks extremely uncomfortable with having to go around her hip.

First off, go buy a pitching plate. I really can't stress that enough. She needs to practise on that.

Second, there's no power there. She's not putting 100% effort into any of her pitches. She's just rolling her arm. Each pitch needs to have 100% effort from her.

Is there a reason she's stepping at the end and not dragging her foot? (besides ruining your lawn ;-) I think that could be where she's losing some of her power.

She looks good for her age though!

 

[BB875]

Thanks Lozza. What's great about these comments is that she & I can sit down at the computer tonight and read what others have to say. Sometimes when "Dad" says something its taken as just criticism...She is very open to listening to others.

 

[Lozza]

I was the same at my age. What did my mum know about pitching? She was only a current A grade, former state player. What could she possible teach me?

 

[starsnuffer]

Who is her pitching instructor? She's not legal, so her success would depend on the umpire at this point. Hard to tell if that's a symptom of not having a rubber or not, since it looks like she's hopping towards the catcher and not really pushing off of anything. I'd get her a good instructor and start at square one, rather then keep her going making bad habits permanent bad habits.

-W

 

[BB875]

starsnuffer,

We did that a couple of weeks ago. That was the new instructor's first comment, she needs to drag her toe and push everything forward & quit that skip thing...However, she has thrown many games and never called for leaping. She keeps her drag foot down.

We're working on it. I showed her this drill.YouTube - Softball Pitching Tips and Drills - Increase Speed Video
We started it last night after the video.
Thanks.