SevenFramePitching - SixFramePitching?

[bobbyb]

Screwball: I couldn't agree with you more.

SparkyGuy: I do like the concept of "Fluid Explosion". Do you do any special training with the wrist snap?

I hope my post doesn't come across as if my observations...would be part of me & dd's training. My using that for seeing if we get faster arm speed this off season is just a way to have a measurement for us since we are going to do some specific training. The other observation stuff just has me curious, thats all.

I do not relate to my dd... all that goes through my thoughts on pitching...that would screw her up good. I always try to find something she can relate to...or go about trying to get the result without her consciously aware of my thoughts on the why's. In fact...I almost never go into "why's" with her. We keep it more on the lines of "how". She can understand the rest of it later.

I probably will still stay curious about this and even get some shots next season with gun readings for when i am playing with video and measuring again. So if any of you doing video and you find some correlations..or lack of it..PM sometime.

 

[Sparky Guy]

Screwball: I couldn't agree with you more.

SparkyGuy: I do like the concept of "Fluid Explosion". Do you do any special training with the wrist snap?

In fact...I almost never go into "why's" with her. We keep it more on the lines of "how". She can understand the rest of it later.

You have it backwards. First thing. She must understand the what first. She has to know WHAT she is trying to accomplish with each drill. If she can see the goal the why's become easier to understand. Face it.... Drills are BORING!!!!

One of the best tools for working the wrist is a football. You need a rubber 3/4 size football. Not a nerf one, it has to have some weight to it. The grip is similar to throwing the football over hand.

Grip the back of the ball using the laces with the little and ring finger, mush the same way as throwing the ball overhand.

From the fully open position (RHP facing 3rd) feet spread wider than the shoulders. Knees flexed, feet flat, weight shifted slightly forward on the balls of the feet. Both arms extended.

Start at the 9:00 position with the nose of the ball facing straight down or even slightly towards the rear. The wrist must be cocked.

The arm must swing all the way through the bottom of the arm circle with the nose of the ball leading everything. The little finger leads the way on the hand with back of the hand facing the body. The arm must be kept close to the body. As the hand passes the 6:00 position the wrist fires and the ball is thrown with a long follow through letting the ball roll off of the finger tips. Tell her to be sure to let her throwing shoulder relax and let it follow the arm through the motion without forcing it. That will help with the follow through.

The object is to throw a spiral with the ball. When thrown correctly the nose of the ball will be up on a 45 degree angle and it will look like it is floating towards you. The ball should have a slight upward trajectory. This is NOT a speed drill. Start slower and let her build the speed as she learns how to throw the ball. The GREATEST thing about the drill is the ball does't lie. There are no arguments if it's being done right the balls floats to you.

She will struggle with it and hate it because she can' make the ball do what she wants. Once she gets the ball to sail properly she can move to 12:00 and eventually 3:00. Let her increase the arm speed as she feels comfortable.

My daughter carried her football with her all during college. It was one of the few drills she did that anyone on the team would be able to catch for her. IT's something that need to be on a continual basis to keep bad habits from creeping into the pitching motion.

The weather just turned nasty around her. If I can I'll try and get a video of my daughter doing the drill and how the ball is supposed to fly and post it for you.

 

[Sparky Guy]

I probably will still stay curious about this and even get some shots next season with gun readings for when i am playing with video and measuring again. So if any of you doing video and you find some correlations..or lack of it..PM sometime.

Do yourself and your daughter a big favor. Put the gun away for a long time. Let her get her motion smoother and her timing better first. Too many people get hung up on nothing but speed as a measure of a pitcher.

I NEVER used a gun on my daughter when we practiced with one exception when she was 13. I was able to get the use of a real police radar gun. The only other times she was gunned was at a pitching exposure camp, a college camp and a speed competition amongst the pitchers in the organization she played for. Speed is important, but let her focus on fixing the mechanics without being graded all the time. A good analogy would be if you were on a diet. Weigh yourself everyday and the results are minimal, once every two weeks and you can really see the results.

 

[bobbyb]

You have it backwards. First thing. She must understand the what first. She has to know WHAT she is trying to accomplish with each drill.

Different perspective here…good life lesson for young ones imo ….WHYS are other peoples opinions and theory. We all know about opinions… and theories can contain “no facts”, “be partially true” or “be totally true”. Unless someone is in research...they can waste a lot of life energy sorting thru these. Knowing WHAT your doing and HOW to do it…is where we want to spend that energy…then we can come up with our own opinions and theory. So I am with you there.

Do yourself and your daughter a big favor. Put the gun away for a long time.

Oh maaaan! I don’t have one… but have it on my Christmas list! I was looking forward to playing with a new toy.

I like what another poster said on “intent” to throw faster and getting immediate feedback with a gun. We have never done that ourselves. I will not do it every practice but maybe one week out of every 4-6 weeks. I also do not video every practice…only seldom. I carry enough stuff around in my truck as it is. I promise not to get hung up on the speed and gun issue. I can’t promise that when I first get it…that I will not radar everything…including my dog!

I think I am with you on the drill. Except maybe…“wrist cocked”. You mean wrist is extended/bent backwards at 9 oclock? If so…is that exaggerated to fully cocked or what she finds comfortably cocked?

I can see a lot usefulness in this drill and I can see how she will struggle with this for a bit too. I look forward to seeing the video. I appreciate it Sparky Guy.

 

[qwikvr6gti]

The release should be like a whip. When you crack a whip, you are actually hearing a sonic boom. Sonic Booms are achieved when an object achieves 761 mph. If you can release the ball at your finger tips at anywhere near that speed you will be throwing the ball pretty fast.

 

[Sparky Guy]

I think I am with you on the drill. Except maybe…“wrist cocked”. You mean wrist is extended/bent backwards at 9 oclock? If so…is that exaggerated to fully cocked or what she finds comfortably cocked?

Comfortably cocked as if she was throwing a fastball. What happens is the girls have a tendency to want to curl the wrist inwards and lock it when they are holding a football.

I don't need a gun for my dogs. I know the speed is 0 unless I grab the food dish. Then I think it comes close to the speed of light.