The coffee can drill

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halskinner

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May 7, 2008
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The Coffee Can Drill. (AKA: The Weight Back and balance drill)


You should know how important it is to start your pitch off in a balanced pitching stance. For the smoothest motions, you must also maintain that same balance through the entire course of your motions when you pitch.

Here is a drill to give the pitcher a feeling of balance during her motions: the feeling of a slight lean forward at the start and having the weight back at the end of the motions.

Have your pitcher stand on the rubber and bend her stride knee to 90 degrees, like a stork.

Have her throw three pitches like that balancing on her pivot foot and keep her balance. Don't let her foot come down until the catcher catches the ball.

Now, take an empty metal coffee can and set it upside down about 1 foot directly in front of her stride foot. Have her place her foot against the top edge of the can, lean SLIGHTLY forward and throw three pitches from that position while keeping her balance.

Do this again at two feet in front, throw 3 pitches standing straight up and keep good balance.

Now, place the upside down can about 3 feet out in front of her stride foot and have her do the same thing. She might need to use someones arm to steady herself as she is putting her foot against the top edge of the coffee can, not flat on top of it. Make sure she keeps her balance and does not kick over the can. Place as little weight on the can as possible. She should have a slight backwards lean when doing this.

Now she has experienced how balanced you must feel at the very start, part way into and near the end of her pitch.

She will also experience how she must have her weight slightly forward at the push off and must also keep her weight back at the end of the pitch.

Winning Fast Pitch Softball
 
Jul 28, 2008
18
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i like the sounds of this drill. as my dd has a weight to far forward problem, we have being doing some other drills to help this problem. i am also going to try get my dd doing this one.

what a great website! alot of great free advice.

woohoo, back to the practice feild with my dd.
 
The Coffee Can Drill. (AKA: The Weight Back and balance drill)


You should know how important it is to start your pitch off in a balanced pitching stance. For the smoothest motions, you must also maintain that same balance through the entire course of your motions when you pitch.

Here is a drill to give the pitcher a feeling of balance during her motions: the feeling of a slight lean forward at the start and having the weight back at the end of the motions.

Have your pitcher stand on the rubber and bend her stride knee to 90 degrees, like a stork.

Have her throw three pitches like that balancing on her pivot foot and keep her balance. Don't let her foot come down until the catcher catches the ball.

Now, take an empty metal coffee can and set it upside down about 1 foot directly in front of her stride foot. Have her place her foot against the top edge of the can, lean SLIGHTLY forward and throw three pitches from that position while keeping her balance.

Do this again at two feet in front, throw 3 pitches standing straight up and keep good balance.

Now, place the upside down can about 3 feet out in front of her stride foot and have her do the same thing. She might need to use someones arm to steady herself as she is putting her foot against the top edge of the coffee can, not flat on top of it. Make sure she keeps her balance and does not kick over the can. Place as little weight on the can as possible. She should have a slight backwards lean when doing this.

Now she has experienced how balanced you must feel at the very start, part way into and near the end of her pitch.

She will also experience how she must have her weight slightly forward at the push off and must also keep her weight back at the end of the pitch.

Winning Fast Pitch Softball

Hal do you have a video clip of the coffee can drill? I've read your explanation many times in the past but just can't visualize it. It sounds like it may be a great drill.
Rick
 

halskinner

Banned
May 7, 2008
2,681
0
Hal do you have a video clip of the coffee can drill? I've read your explanation many times in the past but just can't visualize it. It sounds like it may be a great drill.
Rick

Don't have a video of this one. Don't try to visualize it, try it yourself. As long as you have good balance, it's easy to do with a little help from someone as you place your foot on the edge of the can as it gets farther out.

If the pitcher has any distraction forces at work (pulling to the left or right in the arm circle), she WILL NOT keep her balance and the foot will come off the can as she stumbles.

The main thing to remember is to keep the foot against the top EDGE of the can, not place flat on top of the can.

Hal
 

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