What do you think. We actually increased her velocity by 3 mph compared to this pitch by focusing on a sprinter’s mindset.
Thoughts on pitcher
- Thread starter Shawn
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How does she translate 'sprinter's mindset'? I'm guessing that it sets the intention to push off aggressively, which is a much better way to improve that part of her motion than some vague internal cue like 'use your legs more'. I will add this though, during practice it's often much easier to get a quick increase in velocity because most pitchers are 'cruising' and not giving max effort, which is understandable. See how much of the increase she retains at her next practice, without reminding her of the sprinter's mindset intention. She looks very good with those mechanics.
I told her to get into the blocks and sprint. Having the sprinter’s attitude.
Yes, I don’t like pushing hard. It’s much more then just pushing hard.
Yes, I don’t like pushing hard. It’s much more then just pushing hard.
I will take video of the sprinters attitude. The back leg is a spring system. Her back leg doesn’t look snappy. She is smooth, just not sure that is a great thing.
If she was 6’0 smooth and relaxed it might be a more favorable attribute, smooth.
Last edited:
- Aug 21, 2008
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Yea, I'm in the camp of not understanding a "sprinter's mindset" or attitude. But maybe I am missing something.
It's incredibly hard to think or act like a sprinter when there's nothing to push off from, the way a sprinter does. They use starter blocks, we use the pitching rubber. I don't know where you live Shawn but, this is one of the top issues that pitchers face who live in cold weather places. Pitchers in California are not usually better than most because they can pitch year round, a kid in Wisconsin can pitch year round too. But the California kid gets to do it OUTSIDE. It's hard to quantify how big of a difference that is. Cold weather places, where we pitch inside is the best we can do but, it's a serious disadvantage to living somewhere that the pitcher can do workouts on an actual field. It changes everything. Even if there was a mat on the ground with the pitching rubber attached, it's not the same as being able to dig your cleats in and thrust from a hole in front of the pitching rubber.
Indoor training is where I do 99.9% of my lessons (even in summer) for a variety of reasons but, every student is encouraged to pitch OUTSIDE as much as they can, weather permitting. It's very hard to work on things when indoors. Nobody will ever get the maximum drive or push from the rubber indoors and it can be hard to work on locations/movement. Actually no, it's easier to do some things indoors because there's no fear of landing awkwardly in a hole, which can happen in games and outdoor practices. It's kind of like going to the driving range for golf. It's easy to hit long and straight from those tees. But in an actual game, my ball goes all over the place. No, I'm not saying it's a waste of time. But I am saying that pitching indoors and outdoors are 2 very different things and that needs to be recognized.
It's incredibly hard to think or act like a sprinter when there's nothing to push off from, the way a sprinter does. They use starter blocks, we use the pitching rubber. I don't know where you live Shawn but, this is one of the top issues that pitchers face who live in cold weather places. Pitchers in California are not usually better than most because they can pitch year round, a kid in Wisconsin can pitch year round too. But the California kid gets to do it OUTSIDE. It's hard to quantify how big of a difference that is. Cold weather places, where we pitch inside is the best we can do but, it's a serious disadvantage to living somewhere that the pitcher can do workouts on an actual field. It changes everything. Even if there was a mat on the ground with the pitching rubber attached, it's not the same as being able to dig your cleats in and thrust from a hole in front of the pitching rubber.
Indoor training is where I do 99.9% of my lessons (even in summer) for a variety of reasons but, every student is encouraged to pitch OUTSIDE as much as they can, weather permitting. It's very hard to work on things when indoors. Nobody will ever get the maximum drive or push from the rubber indoors and it can be hard to work on locations/movement. Actually no, it's easier to do some things indoors because there's no fear of landing awkwardly in a hole, which can happen in games and outdoor practices. It's kind of like going to the driving range for golf. It's easy to hit long and straight from those tees. But in an actual game, my ball goes all over the place. No, I'm not saying it's a waste of time. But I am saying that pitching indoors and outdoors are 2 very different things and that needs to be recognized.
