Suggestions for 9YO DD

[sed]

Been lurking out here and reading for a while and decided to post some video of my DD for some suggestions. She has been working at it for about a year now and started pitching games last fall with a good amount of consistency. We are currently working on the glove hand pushing forward instead of to the side. Not sure if she should work on that or work on her leg drive first. She is mid-season and I don’t want to throw too much at her at once. Any suggestions appreciated!

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[sluggers]

First, welcome. Don't be bashful about posting. The regulars here are a bunch of good people. There is no such thing as a stupid question...although there are stupid people.

There is a whole thread on "body-arm synchronization". Basically, the arm and body are supposed to be in specific positions relative to each other.

At release, your DD's torso should be centered more or less between her feet. Attached are shots of Osterman and Finch showing what I mean.

So, the second thing is that she is "stepping forward after release". The whole idea of pitching is to get a bunch of momentum moving straight toward the target and then "slamming on the brakes" and stopping the body. The momentum is transferred to the arm and then to the ball, and then the ball explodes out of the hand.

Your DD is stepping forward after release, meaning she is losing speed and accuracy.

The drill to do is "the drill of drills", the walk through...here is Amanda Scarborough doing the drill. Amanda is an amazing athlete. Look carefully at her feet position after she throws. Note how her right foot is behind her left foot and in line with her left foot.

Your DD needs to do this drill about 500,000 times. Seriously, my DD started doing this drill when she was 12 and didn't stop doing the drill until she quit pitching, some 12 years later. So, your DD might as well get started...

[video=youtube_share;r7o7MC1XX5k]http://youtu.be/r7o7MC1XX5k[/video]

 

[Jojo]

Sed, I have another good drill, along with the walk-through.

I call it the bucket kick drill-
Using an empty bucket, 5 gallon is fine but since your Dd is a little small a smaller bucket is fine. Set the bucket up upside down stride length away from your DD. This a good drill to practice into a tarp or pitch back, but if she's throwing to you, have her about 3/4 distance away.
She will now stride up to the bucket then place her stride foot on the edge of the bucket--toe up, heel down.
She will then continue the pitch motion with her arm circle keeping the stride foot on the bucket the whole time.

This will get her to stride in an upright position, and will force her to stay back--make sure she keeps her back tall for this drill, no hunching toward the bucket.
It will force her release more at the bottom and not out front, and help with her resistance.

 

[sed]

Thanks for the feedback! I noticed when she does the walk through drill, she usually still brings the right leg around at the end. Would it help to end the drill holding her right leg up? I am guessing she would tend to fall forward until she can adjust the release to the hip.

The bucket drill sounds interesting, but not sure I am visualizing it correctly. It sounds like she puts her foot on top of the bucket toe up (i think i would have to use a 2.5 gallon bucket) and do her arm motion from there while keeping her back tall. I imagine her right foot would be stationary at shoulders width behind bucket with her belly angled toward the baseline?

 

[Jojo]

Yes, sed, it's basically a step up onto the bucket then just finish the arm circle, with focus on arm whip and staying around 45 degress at release. Make sure she is lined up over right leg-the one one she's still standing on.
If she throws her weight forward she'll push over the bucket, immediate feedback that she's leaning forward.

 

[sluggers]

Would it help to end the drill holding her right leg up?

Yes...she'll catch on quickly. It is more fun for her too...it allows her to decide whether she did the drill correctly or not.