I agree completely. The lesson learned from Barnhill is that you should teach your pitcher to do whatever it takes to throw as hard as possible. It's obvious that no instructor or coach of Barnhill has ever been concerned about anything else. If you don't copy Barnhill then you will be left behind. If she is ALLOUD to dominate at DI and in International play then there will be plenty of young pitchers coming along that will copy her. If your daughter doesn't then she might be left behind. I am very disappointed in the Gator program for allowing her to continue and it's a win a all cost mentality that causes this to occur. I think opposing coaches should refuse to play against her.
The Kelly Barnhill Thread
- Thread starter knightsb
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I agree completely. The lesson learned from Barnhill is that you should teach your pitcher to do whatever it takes to throw as hard as possible. It's obvious that no instructor or coach of Barnhill has ever been concerned about anything else. If you don't copy Barnhill then you will be left behind. If she is ALLOUD to dominate at DI and in International play then there will be plenty of young pitchers coming along that will copy her. If your daughter doesn't then she might be left behind. I am very disappointed in the Gator program for allowing her to continue and it's a win a all cost mentality that causes this to occur. I think opposing coaches should refuse to play against her.
So on one hand you are disappointed in the Gator program for allowing her to compete outside the rules, and feel that other teams should boycott games with her in the circle. At the same time you advocate others teaching and promoting the same actions so their DD is not left behind?
Kelly has been pitching with those mechanics since she was in middle school, and since no umpires ever called her on it, she has no incentive to change. But don't kid yourself, her mechanics may help some, but she would be a dominate pitcher even if she modified her mechanics to become legal. I have watched her warm up before a HS game and she throws balls from one foul pole to the other, which if my math is correct is @ 268'.
Wow, 30 pages.
It starts at the travel/high school level. She hasn't ever been called on any consistent basis, so she's never changed it. Still not getting called and she's still dominating, why change it?? Keep doing what your doing, keep striking them out, as long as its not getting called. Go Gators!!
On the other hand, I knew a girl who pitched all season in high school (all her life actually) illegally (crow hopped all the time, every pitch) and it was never called. UNTIL the state championship game, 13 illegal pitches and they lost.
So, take your chances I guess but it might just get called at the worst possible time.
It starts at the travel/high school level. She hasn't ever been called on any consistent basis, so she's never changed it. Still not getting called and she's still dominating, why change it?? Keep doing what your doing, keep striking them out, as long as its not getting called. Go Gators!!
On the other hand, I knew a girl who pitched all season in high school (all her life actually) illegally (crow hopped all the time, every pitch) and it was never called. UNTIL the state championship game, 13 illegal pitches and they lost.
So, take your chances I guess but it might just get called at the worst possible time.
- Dec 27, 2014
- 311
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I'm such an idiot. My then new pitcher, and nine year old, developed this exact crow hop from a winter of pitching on cement and not wanting to drag the toe of her pretty tennis shoes on the rough ground. I finally noticed it, hard to see from the bucket in winter light, and she spent a month of laboriously trying to keep the toe down. It was so much funner for her to just fly off the rubber and skip to her release. She called it "letting the horse out". 
If I would have known this was actually legal, at least not called illegal, I could have saved the month of killing the horse and a half a dozen pair of shoes before I discovered shoe goop and then Ringors...
If I would have known this was actually legal, at least not called illegal, I could have saved the month of killing the horse and a half a dozen pair of shoes before I discovered shoe goop and then Ringors...
- Sep 10, 2013
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Do what you need to do to get ahead as long as you don't get caught? seriously?
disappointed at the gators for allowing this to continue yet actually advocating DD's will get left behind if they don't do this?
do you teach your teen to blow thru stop signs just because there's no cop to give you a ticket? really?
I think sometimes I and perhaps others get lost in the illegal pitching aspect especially when we see so much success from those such as Barnhill, Carda, etc. etc. However over the years studying pitching and learning from this site more than anything else, I believe with 100% conviction that proper mechanics trumps the illegal stuff.
JAD said it best and I quote him above. I really do believe this to be true so wouldn't tell somebody they could pitch faster or better if they "cheated"
I disagree. Make her control her footwork and it will make a difference. Can't prove this but I believe it. It may not be a lot but, in this game, a little means a lot. JMHO
4gd please clarify what you mean. You say you disagree but then say to control her footwork and it will make a difference. What do you mean by control the footwork?
Make her legal and it will make a difference?
