No one has attempted to change her because very few at the level ball she has played been able to hit her. She has been dominant....averages about 12 to 15 K's game. During the fall we played several D1 schools and they did a little better job. She beat a couple of D1 during the fall but I know they may have not played there starters. she does have some D1 loking at her for next year.
But, she is illegal.
What part of the country is she in?
But, she is illegal.
What part of the country is she in?
How does one get to the junior college level of pitching and not be called for an illegal pitch? I have seen IPs called in 8u all-star tournaments for much less egregious offenses than this women's pitching mechanics. I'm dead serious.
Yes...that is a classic leap, and as Starsnuffer pointed out she's illegal (based on what we're viewing) three different ways. Every foot she gains toward the plate on her leap adds approx. 3mph to her pitch speed.I am not going to comment on the 1st one, other than to say that looks like a leap.
The 2nd one is OK. She maybe closing the hips too soon, but I don't know what the pitch was.
(I hadn't read Starsnuffer's post before I posted. He is more direct than I am.)
I don't know what it's like in the rest of the country, but many young pitchers in my neck of the woods are taught to pitch exactly like this (pitcher #1). I think it's a by-product of the excessive emphasis on keeping the hip open and to have a long stride, especially for those who are converting from step-pitching. The sequence is basically - take a huge leap, open wide and stay wide open, replant (this comes very naturally when you are leaping sideways and trying to gain more distance), and pitch off of BOTH legs. The latter gives these girls a leg up (sorry!) on those true leap-n-draggers, whose pivot leg supplies the initial forward momentum, but which becomes a "drag" throughout the rest of the motion. As a result, I believe many of these sideways leaping crow-hoppers throw harder than they would have otherwise, and may even have somewhat better control (the complete lack of obstruction from their torso and hip, combined with the severe forward lean in the follow through, produce a comparatively longer and more linear release path for their hand).
Unless and until these pitchers are called, or if they are overcome by severe back pain, there is virtually zero incentive for them to change (you might as well attempt to re-train a crab to crawl forward). At the youth level around here, I virtually never see these pitchers being called, even though their infractions are obvious. To do so would have put an end to some of the games, given that pitchers on both sides use exactly the same motion (and might have had the same pitching coach). Net result - I think this particular motion is here to stay, at least around where I am.