14yo need help

[flamethrower]

this video is just walk thrus which I know isn't great but it is all I have at the moment. Please take a look and hopefully some of you guys can pick up some things I may be missing.

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ceniiBRyeYg?hl=en&fs=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


thanks

 

[tojo]

Flamethrower, I like the determination and desire she displays. She appears to be driven young lady. I believe she is mechanically sound. One thing I noticed was her tendency to lift the throwing shoulder at release and possibly create tension in th arm. I would have her drop the shoulder at release instead. Keep the arm loose.

 

[sluggers]

1) Follow through...Did someone tell her that they would break her arm if she didn't touch her right shoulder with her hand after she releases the ball? Look at the 3rd pitch...she has beautiful IR, and then she destroys it by pulling her hand back to touch her shoulder. Why? She should simply "let her arm go" after her release. She doesn't need to be pulling her hand back toward her shoulder. Do you and she understand IR?

2) She never gets full extension of her right arm. At 3 and 1, she has bent her arm, and she continues the bend all the way around. She should keep the arm straight until 12, and then bend the arm. Compare her arm with that of Osterman. See the bend in your DD's arm?

 

[Lozza]

I think sluggers has put it very well, but from a safety point of view get those balls out of her way I was cringing when she was pitching and looked like she was about to step on a ball. She is working too hard to risk an injury from such a stupid error.

 

[flamethrower]

1) Follow through...Did someone tell her that they would break her arm if she didn't touch her right shoulder with her hand after she releases the ball? Look at the 3rd pitch...she has beautiful IR, and then she destroys it by pulling her hand back to touch her shoulder. Why? She should simply "let her arm go" after her release. She doesn't need to be pulling her hand back toward her shoulder. Do you and she understand IR?

2) She never gets full extension of her right arm. At 3 and 1, she has bent her arm, and she continues the bend all the way around. She should keep the arm straight until 12, and then bend the arm. Compare her arm with that of Osterman. See the bend in your DD's arm?

Excellent points. The follow thru has always been taught to her that way, have yet to find a coach down here that doesn't stress it. I will try to get her to allow her arm to make the more natural finish from now on.

The shortened/bent arm has been plaguing her since the last portion of the spring HS season and got worse thru the TB summer. She went from 57-58mph early this yr to 52 at the end of summer and being all out of whack.

Thanks for insights. I will try to get some vid of her pitching motion soon.

 

[Lozza]

Excellent points. The follow thru has always been taught to her that way, have yet to find a coach down here that doesn't stress it. I will try to get her to allow her arm to make the more natural finish from now on.

It's very old school that style. I used to be taught to make a fist. It's a hard habit to break.

 

[sluggers]

You do drills to fix problems. If a drill doesn't fix the problem, then you don't do the drill. Walk throughs are great for leg drive and "staying back." Your DD doesn't have those problems, so she needs to do drills to address those problems. In other words, she is wasting her time doing walk throughs.

As to the bent arm, the cue that helped my DD was to "come to a point at 3 and then reach for the sky at 12".

To fix the arm bend, she needs to throw at about 50% speed and focus on extending her right arm at 3, getting a good "point" toward the catcher, and then keeping that extension until 12. You need to ask her to focus on her arm extension so that she can "feel" the correct position. Have her gradually increase the speed up to 100%.

She needs to work on this probably 20 minutes to 30 minutes each practice.

 

[halskinner]

Good Lord!

This is to everyone on this board.

#1. You NEVER do the backswing when doing a run through drill. Hold the ball tightly against the throwing leg and bring it straight forward into the windmill circle the instant the pivot foot touches the pitcher's rubber, not before or after.

#2 As you take your steps from behind the rubber, you do it with a good forward lean at the waist and you push off the rubber with that same forward lean, just like when you pitch.

This young lady is approaching standing straight up and you can see how doing the backswing greatly slows her down and throws her off balance.

Do that drill again as I have described it and see what happens.

Push off with a forward lean and land with a slight backwards lean.

If an instruvtor taught her to do this drill like that, please show the instructor this post.

The run through drill is desihned to build speed in the push off, forward momentum and in the forward wind up. For a pitcher that uses a backswing, the push off does not start until the ball reaches the hip coming forward. Trying to do the backswing in this drill totally defeats the purpose abd will do absolutely zero good for the pitcher.

The pitcher must go from standing still, to running as fast as they can,,, AND THEY ONLY HAVE ONE STEP TO ACCOMPLISH THAT! THAt is WHY it is called 'The Run Through Drill'.

 

[Mike]

Maybe to nit picky but those are almost run thoughs not walk thoughs. Slower is smoother, smoother is faster.

http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-pitching/1706-carolina-walk-thrus.html

This is a walk through. Not saying run throughs are bad though.

 

[halskinner]

Maybe to nit picky but those are almost run thoughs not walk thoughs. Slower is smoother, smoother is faster.

http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-pitching/1706-carolina-walk-thrus.html

This is a walk through. Not saying run throughs are bad though.

The run through drill is taught to pitchers that are strong leap and drag pitchers.

A walk through drill is taught to step style pitchers.

My bad. Thought we wanted a strong pitcher.

"Slower is smoother, smoother is faster". Got a few more for ya "What you do in practice, you WILL do in the game". "Practice hard play hard, practice easy, get your butt kicked come game time!"