As an instructor I am probably too concerned with perfect form. There are a lot of ways to get it done. Of course there are a few absolutes, like IR, but outside of that things get fuzzy. I'm watching a Boston College game on tape and their pitcher, Abby Dunning, is only 5'4" and supposedly throws upper 60's touching 70. She lands well to the left of the power line and lurches to the right like many of the men do. They said she had made some changes since 2023 but they are subtle. Here is the best I can do for video.
Pitchers With Less Than Perfect Mechanics
- Thread starter ArmWhip
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There are many ways to pitch. Try teaching that to someone new to pitching. I have two right now a 8yr old and a 13 yr old who is progressing fast, she took some lessons before me, not many. Hand on top of the ball in warmup at 9 and snapping the wrist straight up bending the elbow as the upper arm remained locked. She was also taught to push and drive hard, which I think is horrible advice for a starting pitcher. On top of that she was taught to open, but not how. She was opening like a block, turning/pivoting the back leg/foot backwards, back foot dragging sideways the entire time. She couldn’t throw strikes.
So yes there are many ways to use your body.
This is learning to throw underhand and pitch at the same time. You have to learn to walk before you can sprint. I think this is lesson 4 second time doing this drill. If you’re wondering about the arm lift at the start it‘s her trying to keep the arm action directly through the plate and mitt. She threw a couple to the left and right and this is her reminding herself. Although most control problems are from guiding and getting stiff. You have to trust the whip and let it fly.
I think there is a best way. Although as they become more advanced they might deviate from the best way. I think she is going to be a good one and plans on practicing for a year, so she can possibly play HS as an 8th grader. We are doing everything, throwing and hitting. Fun challenge, I love it when they really want to learn.
So yes there are many ways to use your body.
This is learning to throw underhand and pitch at the same time. You have to learn to walk before you can sprint. I think this is lesson 4 second time doing this drill. If you’re wondering about the arm lift at the start it‘s her trying to keep the arm action directly through the plate and mitt. She threw a couple to the left and right and this is her reminding herself. Although most control problems are from guiding and getting stiff. You have to trust the whip and let it fly.
I think there is a best way. Although as they become more advanced they might deviate from the best way. I think she is going to be a good one and plans on practicing for a year, so she can possibly play HS as an 8th grader. We are doing everything, throwing and hitting. Fun challenge, I love it when they really want to learn.
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Sandercock is doing something different. it’s a physics thing. You offset the front foot/leg to the back foot/leg and the hips. The off set at foot plant. Physics takes care of the rest. Closing up. She is not planting on the power line.
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She looks like she has one pitch.
Compared to Dana above, Amanda has the spirals working way more than
Dana. Amanda uses her body to a higher degree.Dana looks effortless and even lazy. She has big girl mechanics. Amanda keeps the shoulders from opening longer, stronger coil. You can even see the spirals in the back leg turning inward.
Someone who holds the shoulders closed longer
Point being there are different styles. Not all styles may work for you according to your body type.
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John Gay who taught me, was tall with long legs and arms. He preached just get sideways and open up, stay open. Dana above. Tall pitcher style.
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I was watching Jala Wright pitching for Duke. She jumps left and lands outside the lines, which is technically illegal. I'm see more girls who do this, like Abby Dunning, land pretty far to the left which makes you tilt to the right, add in some monkey butt, however they make it work. As a pitching instructor you frequently face decisions about when to intervene and when to go with the girl's natural motion. If I had Wright or Dunning as a 12U girl, with those basic mechanics, I would probably be trying to change them. Would that be stifling the body's ability to figure it out?
We had a girl at our HS a few years ago in fact she was giving my 13 old lessons before she came to me. She threw hard for for HS, 60-62 and we had strong players as well. She went left completely out of the pitching lane throwing what she called a screw ball back into the hitter. It was just the unfair advantage of creating an extreme angle of the pitch that made it difficult to hit. Basically she told my 13 year old and parents that she didn’t know why she threw hard, only that she could. She didn’t know how to teach it. Therefor Macie wasn’t making any progress. After one lesson of changing her arm action she said that is so much easier.
Are we to allow illegal mechanics as a coach?
