Pitching with no backswing?

[_MIA_]

Jordy is from Omaha, where I've lived the last 3 years. I'm very curious to see how she does in the college game. Before I had met her at our training facility I went and watched her pitch at a High school tournament, she does keep the ball in her glove. I was sitting in the bleachers near the 3rd base side on deck circle while she pitched and could easily pick her rise (she throws her change off her drop grip). She made light work of Nebraska high school hitters who had no clue against her. I'm not sure she surrendered a run in 4 years of school ball. From what I saw of how she tipped the pitch, Mike White will have a field day calling her pitches when they play. Will that matter? I don't know. Maybe it will get into her head. Maybe the Texas hitters will be trained to hear White call pitches and quickly make adjustments. Or maybe Jordy will blow it past them no matter what. But I'm very curious to see the cat/mouse game when they play.

Give Patty a call..maybe you can get a consulting fee

 

[TonyK]

I am a believer of pitching out of the glove. However, my DD did lose 2-3 mph compared to her old backswing (kind of a big deal when velo is high 40's). I have suggested for her to concentrate on throwing her arms forward as she drives off the rubber with little success. Any other cues or suggestions? It just seems like she hasn't been able to match the arm speed she gets from using a backswing.

 

[HunterMO]

I’m a proponent of pitching out of the glove. But I also understand pitching isn’t a one size fits all position.

Pitching out of the glove fixed A LOT of issues for DD. And we’ve stuck with it. When she plays around and tries a backswing it screws her up.

As she moves up the age and skill levels, Im seeing much more out of the glove versus backswing.

 

[Hillhouse]

I am a believer of pitching out of the glove. However, my DD did lose 2-3 mph compared to her old backswing (kind of a big deal when velo is high 40's). I have suggested for her to concentrate on throwing her arms forward as she drives off the rubber with little success. Any other cues or suggestions? It just seems like she hasn't been able to match the arm speed she gets from using a backswing.

Almost everyone will tell you they feel like they lose a few mph with keeping the hands together. I still believe that those MPH will come back when they get the feel of this and get the timing back. When they start utilizing the thrust of the glove hand side in the push off, those mph will come back and probably even increase. Keep in mind, when using the backswing, 99.99999% of pitchers stop their glove at the waist when the arm/ball swing backward. Then, during the push forward, only the hand with the ball thrusts forward. That means the entire glove hand side isn't helping with the push forward. That's almost 1/2 of the entire body not being used the way it could be. Once that gets channeled into the pitch, those MPH will come back.

I'd be remiss if I didn't say, one of the other problems with the swing back is it tends to lock the pitchers arm. In the overwhelming majority of cases, that locked arm stays locked all the way around the circle. And in the majority of those cases, the arm is locked at release from the muscle memory trained from doing wrist flips. The straight arm issue has huge ramifications on movement pitches. The looser the arm, the more whip at the delivery. The more whip means, more speed and spin on the ball, combined those 2 things and you get more movement.

Personally, I'd sacrifice 2-3 mph, even 5mph if it meant I got more movement. Pitchers, parents, and coaches that are blinded by speed neglect this.

 

[El Oso]

Personally, I'd sacrifice 2-3 mph, even 5mph if it meant I got more movement. Pitchers, parents, and coaches that are blinded by speed neglect this.

But that is literally 99% of them. haha