Weight Back

[jamiejames82]

Well this is my first post, so take it easy it on me.. My daughter just turned 9, and is in love with the game. She has the desire and the drive to be a pitcher, and I (of course as her dad) feel the talent is there as well. She has alot of power/speed as well as getting pretty accurate, however, her weight appears to be extremely forward. I know that is something that she will need to work on in order to utilize all of her ability. I was hoping that someone might give me some pointers on drills to work with her on. Ill attach a video below, please understand she is just beginning, and I am no pitching coach (hence the reason I am here). I know that she has alot to work on, we are just trying to get some fundamentals down before we make too many bad habits/muscle memory. Thanks for all the input and wisdom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LtWvPizf48&feature=youtu.be

 

[javasource]

Weight back is something we can better accomplish during a forceful drive out to the plate. At the moment, your DD is simply stepping out.... however...

I see the primary reason of her weight forward as a result of her pushing her shoulder forward... during the throw. We must learn to stabilize our torso when throwing. Take a look at the beginner videos I posted on youtube... as well as Rich Balswick's videos on there, too.

Watch all three:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ijHqW1ZpcV8

Watch all three
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCfxecAGYoi5Hav_GIfV47yA

 

[GoCaboNow]

There are a lot of things going on for a young pitcher to get the hang of. For your question, I like using a 12" cone (BOSU ball etc.) to have DD put her front foot on top of the cone and then work through 9 oclock, 12 oclock, full windmill progressions. Since they have no real weight on their front foot they HAVE to release the ball on, or closer to, their back foot. Automatically keeps their weight back.

 

[sluggers]

Your DD is a lefty, so:

a) Walk throughs. A walk through is very simple...she starts behind the rubber, takes takes two steps forward. When her foot lands on the rubber, she throws the ball. *BUT* she keeps her left foot off the ground until she catches the ball you throw back to her. She, of course, is going to have a heck of a time doing it because she is bending forward so much. If she stands up straight and doesn't lean forward, this drill is easy.

here is a video of the drill:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r7o7MC1XX5k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

b) Three pump. This is a drill uniformly hated by young pitchers everywhere. It is really simple. So, she takes the ball and gets open. Open means her hips are facing 1B. She lifts her right foot up and does three rotations. Each time she goes through her release point, she taps the ground with her right toe. On the third rotation, she throws the ball. An experienced pitcher will not move her upper body other than her arm. She simply "stands" on her left foot and does the rotations. Your DD is going to look like a reciprocating saw going back and forth. It will really tire her out.

 

[jamiejames82]

Thanks for the help, this gives us some stuff to work on!

 

[coach james]

You need to change your description to "leaning forward".... (weight) implies which foot is bearing the body weight or lack of resistance. We certainly don't want body weight on the back side....