An instructors "Bag of tricks" for teaching pitchers.

[Jojo]

My DD was a glove slapper, the older she got, she stopped slapping, on her own.

Some of my young students glove slap, the ones that complain, we work it out, the one's that don't, I leave them alone.
Almost everyone of my students that glove slap eventually grow out of it.

 

[JDBerry]

WHY is it not good mechanics???? No one can answer that question. It does not affect the mechanics of a pitch. Does it affect her drive, arm whip, opeing of the hips, spin of the ball, how she plants her foot, or her follow thru? No, no, no, no, no, and no! So it is not bad mechanics it is something some people disagree with. But to SOME, if they disagree with it, it must be wrong.


Is a glove slap needed? No. Is CT going to the rosin before every pitch needed? NO. Is Ricketts twist before her wind up needed? NO. If they begin that way and it is comfortable for them they stick with it. If it does no harm and they think it helps them why change???? If was to cause a problem or injury, I would be the first to scrap it and make a change. Do or did you play sports? Did you not have certain"rituals" you performed before certain tasks? Take free throw shooting, you see so many crazy preshot rituals. You may see a 92% freethrow shooter give 2 bounces, wrap around their body, shoot, and leave the follow thru in the air for 3 seconds. Is all that necessary? Not to anyone but that shooter. Somewhere along the way her learned that. Whether it was taught or he came up with it himself. Someone else may say "I want to shoot free throws like that" and they never achieve the same success.

You answered your own question. It's bad mechanics because it's unnecessary.

There is a huge difference between a "habit"/ritual a kid picks up vs being taught to do something unnecessary. It's a "bad" mechanics thing to teach, IMO, because it enforces younger pitchers to lessen their follow through with their pitching arm. From what I've seen of younger pitchers that slap, they're very tight and rigid right at release and their arm basically stops.

 

[slingnit]

You answered your own question. It's bad mechanics because it's unnecessary.

There is a huge difference between a "habit"/ritual a kid picks up vs being taught to do something unnecessary. It's a "bad" mechanics thing to teach, IMO, because it enforces younger pitchers to lessen their follow through with their pitching arm. From what I've seen of younger pitchers that slap, they're very tight and rigid right at release and their arm basically stops.

Unnecessary does not make it bad mechanics, that makes no sense at all. How does it lessen the follow thru??? The young pitchers you see that are tight at follow thru are more than likely throwing with a straight arm and finishing with a hellow elbow. The glove slap SHOULD in no way hinders follow thru. If your left arm(glove hand) at your left SIDE what restriction is ther to your throwing arm? None(My dd actually slaps closer to the back of her leg than the front). Once the ball is released your arm has done it's job and free to go where it wants, it can go straight, across, up, any of those spots are open and free of your glove arm. Don't get me wrong I'm not advocating teaching the slap, I just don't have a problem wth it like some.

 

[slingnit]

Why glove slap?

It is not good mechanics for pitchers who use good mechanics all the way through. Citing successful players is attempting to use exception to establish a rule.

There are many great pitchers and great hitters who use "improper mechanics" and outperform their peers in both softball and baseball. There's also different strokes for different folks. It might be fine for your daughter, but my question for any additive is why?

So, why the glove slap?

And furthermore citing successful players is not an attempt to establish a rule. Knowing that the vast majority of successful pitcher either glove slap or have their hand that would be in the same position as a glove slap but without actually slapping their leg. That sets a precendent of how elite pitchers throw! And one more question. If the are not glove slapping and there glove is in the almost exact same spot as if they were to slap would it not take more energy to stop a glove hand then to just let it fly, just happens it is flying into the leg?? You would not try to stop the motion of a pitching arm would you? No, after release you let it go where it wants.

 

[Sweet Lou]

Sad. What started out as such a great thread with tips for us poor bucket dads who get sucked into team pitching coach has devolved into and argument over glove slapping.

 

[halskinner]

I wasnt arguing about anything. Anything that causes injury in pitching, I consider it a bad thing for that reason. Some are apperently huge advcocates of the action. Oh well.

 

[PGSAKen]

And furthermore citing successful players is not an attempt to establish a rule. Knowing that the vast majority of successful pitcher either glove slap or have their hand that would be in the same position as a glove slap but without actually slapping their leg. That sets a precendent of how elite pitchers throw! And one more question. If the are not glove slapping and there glove is in the almost exact same spot as if they were to slap would it not take more energy to stop a glove hand then to just let it fly, just happens it is flying into the leg?? You would not try to stop the motion of a pitching arm would you? No, after release you let it go where it wants.

So it appears many are "allergic to peanuts" and you are not. Point noted move on.Are you trying to persuade someone. If you are not then point noted next topic.

 

[JDBerry]

O

Unnecessary does not make it bad mechanics, that makes no sense at all. How does it lessen the follow thru??? The young pitchers you see that are tight at follow thru are more than likely throwing with a straight arm and finishing with a hellow elbow. The glove slap SHOULD in no way hinders follow thru. If your left arm(glove hand) at your left SIDE what restriction is ther to your throwing arm? None(My dd actually slaps closer to the back of her leg than the front). Once the ball is released your arm has done it's job and free to go where it wants, it can go straight, across, up, any of those spots are open and free of your glove arm. Don't get me wrong I'm not advocating teaching the slap, I just don't have a problem wth it like some.

Apparently, whatever reason one has, you will have a discount.

You do not seem genuinely interested in the discussion or in the counter-opinion. I won't be drawn further in

 

[halskinner]

UH OH. My wiofe just brought up something else from my 'Bag of tricks' I forgot about.

I also had a few pictures of the following;

1 A canal full of water.
2 A shark.
3 An alligator.
4 A Pirhana fish.
A really scary looking spider.

These I used for training a young beginner to stride out fast and far eniugh.

Here is what I would do. After we started off with my Foundation Method, they would usually stride out far enough but most would not do it as quickly as I knew they could.

So, first I would show them the picture of the canal. Some knew what one was some didnt until they saw the picture. Then I got some chalk and drew a straight line about 6 inches in front of the rubber, lengthwise for the full length.

Then I drew another line about three inches short of where their stride foot heel was supposed to land. Then I said "Those are the sides of the canal. It's not real wide, you can make it across. But, the canal is deep and way over your head,, and the water has been sitting there for a long time, its really green and stinks big time. You DO NOT want to fall in there".

Then I added, The water is not the worst part. There's a big old shark in there" showed them the pix. "And an alligator" showed the picture, :And there's a lot of Pirhanas" Showed the pic as most had heard of them but had never seen. ?And lots of spiders" showed the pix.

Then I would say "now that shark is really old but his vision is REALLY good. He will watch you go over the canal and if you dont do it fast enough, he will come up out of the water and grab you by the foot or the leg and either tear em off ya or pull you down and eat all of you. So, I want you to get over the canal quick cause I already lost two students this month and I dont work with one legged pitcher so, do it fast OK".

Then I had them start making it over the canal and throwing pitches/

If they didnt do it quite fast enogh, I would kneel down on the glove side and a few pitches later, they would start their pitch and I would quickly grab their stride shoe for an instant and then I would yell and dive over to the side. Then I would say "WHOA, you OK? They would say yes and I added "Are you sure?" Yes. "Man that scared me, I thought that shark had ya for sure!. You gotta do that faster. I'm gonna stand over here just to be safe".

Now the kid is standing there looking down at the 'Canal' with a 'Wuuut' kind of look on their face

Then we comtinued the lesson. And anytime there was a push off or stride issue after that, it was all about the canal, the alligator, the pirhana or the spiders : That shark is watchin you again" "Dont step on the alligator: if their pivot foot was too far forward "Dont fall into the canal". The Moms and Dads picked up on those same cues and used them from the stands in the game too.

They never forgpt the canal. Some years later, if they came back for a tune up it was, " Do I need to draw the canal and the shark and" 'NNNOOO!" and they would laugh.

Twice this method backfired on me with 8 year olds that their dads said they had spider and shark nightmares that night. Oops.

Commuinicate on THIER LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING and improvise, overcome and adapt like the U S Marines. Ya hafto, they are little kids, not little adults!

 

[Jojo]

Ha Ha, I've tried the alligators before, also laser beams that shoot up from their foot that will take their head off if their head crosses over their front foot at release--That one is a little graphic, so it's only used on the really problem kids. I do tell them they have very attractive heads, and it would be ashamed to have to walk around without it.