Advanced pitcher analysis: Figure four vs knee to glove

[stv]

What about knee to the glove style?? I know the hip can get in the way if the ball and hand is not in front of it.

She also seems to kind of walk through. Or is it just letting the energy out??
It also looks like she could get more power from her back at release. But if shes throwing 70+ maybe not.
Curious what others think of her technique.
thanks

 

[Lozza]

To me the figure 4 is a horrible follow through. It gets the pitcher off balance and less likely to stop a ball coming back at them.

I hear people say the glove slap is for timing. A lot of pitchers have no issues with timing and they don't use the glove slap. Just leads to bruised thighs.

My question is more focused on what the runner? is doing. It appears she's on third, yer she's swinging with an invisible bat!?!?!?!?

 

[Jojo]

When I watch Ueno, I thinks she has a very efficient way of transferring energy into her release.
As far as her release, she does release with her shoulder back, I believe she has so much left over follow through it involves her shoulder which pulls forward at release and makes her step.
All I can say if she can get more MPH's by staying back I say Wow!, But honestly, some things moving that fast just cannot be stopped without injury.

 

[Nunthia1914]

figure 4 follow through??

To me the figure 4 is a horrible follow through. It gets the pitcher off balance and less likely to stop a ball coming back at them.

I hear people say the glove slap is for timing. A lot of pitchers have no issues with timing and they don't use the glove slap. Just leads to bruised thighs.

My question is more focused on what the runner? is doing. It appears she's on third, yer she's swinging with an invisible bat!?!?!?!?

figure 4 follow through is best way. It does not get pitcher off balance. That statement does not make any sense at all. The whip of figure 4 follow through causes the ball to spin more of 12-6 rotation therefore keeping the ball low and making the fastball your drop.

 

[starsnuffer]

Uneo is a freak of nature, that does a lot of things very "wrong" yet makes them work for her. She has the body of a very strong 12 year old boy, and is able to pitch nearly completely closed with a lot of hip/shoulder rotation going on. She couldn't finish figure 4, because she's facing the catcher when she releases the ball.

Figure 4 does not put anyone off balance. The pitcher is not supposed to "freeze" and hold a figure 4. The back leg merely drags through, calf to calf, to the front in a figure 4 type pattern a moment before the pitcher assumes defensive posture to receive the ball. If pitchers are freezing and holding a figure 4, they're doing it wrong.

-W

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I teach what we describe as a "drag in the shape of a banana." We drag the toe. It never leaves the ground and we end in a fielding position.

 

[halskinner]

"To me the figure 4 is a horrible follow through. It gets the pitcher off balance and less likely to stop a ball coming back at them."

I strongly agree with that. One of the OTHER reasons to keep the toes of the pivot foot in contact with the ground; faster self defense.

It is highhly unlikely you will be able to move yourself out of the way of a sreamer if only one foot is in contact with the ground. Stand on one leg and have someone throw some rolled up sox at you, try and move out of the way quickly. Then do the same thing with both feet touching the ground and the pivot foot just behind the stride foot.

I must say that what I see this pitcher doing is not a figure 4 figure 4 follow through. Her pivot foot stays in contact with the ground the entire time. A figure 4 ends with the pivot foot NOT touching the ground, usually losing contact with the ground right after ball release and coming up higher on the stride leg. I am seeing a standard follow through with the legs for a leap and drag pitcher.

Hal

 

[Perfect Circle]

My question is more focused on what the runner? is doing. It appears she's on third, yer she's swinging with an invisible bat!?!?!?!?

Awesome observation !!! I think she is timing her...

 

[MandM]

I think in fact that Ueno's motion is very similar to Amanda Scarborough, who also rotates her hips to about 45 degrees at release- She does not completely face the catcher in the closed position until after the ball is gone. With Ueno you can see this better in the under armour commercial or in the slomo from ONtario fastpitch. Her follow thru with her shoulder forward and step forward remind me of a major league bball pitcher- a controlled release of tremendous energy she generates in her pitch.

 

[Ken Krause]

So do you think this is a bad finish? She didn't seem to do too badly with it.

[video=youtube_share;2Vbgyt_3wJs]http://youtu.be/2Vbgyt_3wJs[/video]