An instructors "Bag of tricks" for teaching pitchers.

[BoardMember]

You defend slapping,,, but you dont promote it?? Defending or condoning something is a form of promotion.

You kidding right?...........

Hal, This is your student.........She slaps the CRAP out of her leg.........I was listening pretty hard on this video for you to reprimand your student for her severe glove slapping flaw so she didn't end up in the emergency room with life threatening thigh/wrist injuries........And all I heard is you say was "Go for it".........Which I assume meant slap the crap outta ur leg..........And "Good Pitch".........Which reinforced it..........

 

[BoardMember]

There are variations of potential "hammering" injuries as well..........What's the difference between slapping the glove and pounding the wrist into the leg?.........Like this for example........



Now what do you think caused your glove arm/hand to come into your side so hard in the live throw vs. not at all the practice non-throw? Why do you think your mind/body felt the need to violently contract BOTH sides of the structure (Contralateral Contraction) at the same time when balistic movement is the goal?..........

The brains motor cortex region is recruiting both sides of the structure to create symmetrical contractions that are necessary for coordinated ballistic action..........

Purposely shutting down this bio-mechanical "reflex" results in asymmetrical contractions that limit the overall output.......

That isn't a "guess"............It's a fact........

 

[halskinner]

BM, I thought you were more experinced than that. Guess I was wrong. In the case of the 10-year-old, that is not 'glove slapping' that is a case of 'Glove swimming' that we fixed soon after. For future reference for a 'Glove slap' is when the pitcher pulls the glove down on the front of the leg, flat and with alot of force, can sound like a cannon.

You call what she does "Slapping the crap out of herself"??? I strongly suggest you go out and actually watch some pitchers that DO 'slap' so you might know what you are talking about next time.

As far as me throwing the sub in that video, thats all you have to say about it? Nothing else stands out to you as far as MY mechanics?? Now that is funny. You give these soap box explanations for everything you try to point out and you say you have pitching experience. Good for you.

NONE OF THAT CONCEALS THE FACT THAT YOU ARE A ROOKIE INSTRUCTOR. Dont insult everyone and try and make them think you are not.

 

[BoardMember]

BM, I thought you were more experinced than that. Guess I was wrong. In the case of the 10-year-old, that is not 'glove slapping' that is a case of 'Glove swimming' that we fixed soon after. For future reference for a 'Glove slap' is when the pitcher pulls the glove down on the front of the leg, flat and with alot of force, can sound like a cannon.

You are so full of it sometimes Skinner.......Your attempt to divert attention from this young ladies glove slapping because she swims is childish........And because of your ego, you missed the entire point. You told Slingit that NOT caring about slapping is as good as "condoning it".........Yet this young lady is your student and is a classic slapper........And the point of it is......You are a Hypocrite........

You claim glove slapping is on the front part of the thigh? You just make stuff up don't you........Show me a glove slapper who hits the front of the thigh and uses classic open mechanics.......You've got a lot of nerve calling me a rookie instructor.......

Classic RH'd glove slappers USUALLY hit the thigh to the LEFT of the knee cap, and sometimes to the side of the thigh.......Because they are open to the target and the arm is either in line with the shoulders or swam behind the shoulder line JUST LIKE THIS KID...........

This is a CLASSIC GLOVE SLAP.........I've isolated it after the sound of plant and before the ball hits the catchers glove, slowed it down and turned up the volume..........You hear the slap impact.........You see the glove "rebound" off the thigh left of the knee cap.......

[video=youtube_share;oN-EVFq7Ld8]http://youtu.be/oN-EVFq7Ld8[/video]

You call what she does "Slapping the crap out of herself"??? I strongly suggest you go out and actually watch some pitchers that DO 'slap' so you might know what you are talking about next time.

I've seen and coached more female softball then you ever have, or ever will..........

And I agree with Slingit.........HALF of my Division 1, 2, and 3 pitchers are/were glove slappers..........In fact, half of all the pitchers I work with are glove slappers........100's of them..........Some had some bruises sometimes and used a leg wrap.........NONE suffered any serious side effects or long term injuries..........INCLUDING my own DD who was a very successful D1 pitcher..........And a classic glove slapper.......

All this "gloom and doom" about glove slapping is a JOKE IMO.........

 

[halskinner]

This young lady is not throwing with open mechanics. Her hips are at 45 degrees at ball release. In case you didnt notice she releases the ball in front of the hips, like the rulebook calls for.

Good luck with your open mechanics pitchers, because you dont know squat about closed mechanics. I was under the impression you taught step style from some of your replies and that was why you seemed so confused. Now I get it, you teach them to pitch sideways.

If you think this young lady is glove slapping by touching the fingertips of her glove to the side of her leg is glove slapping, you really need to get out more. You cannot mistake the sound a glove slapper makes when they hit the frromt of the thigh, everyone in the stands will hear it. It may be a pop, or it may be more like a clap of thunder. In all the tournies I have been to I have seen some hundreds. I took no videos of any of them, why would I? None of them were students of mine and I sure wouldnt use them as examples for my kids. Didnt need videos, they ALL knew what people were talking about when they said someone was a glove slapper, they were the pitchers that hit their leg soi hard everyone heard it and the front of their leg was a shade of red at the end of the game.

Maybe your area of the country has few instructors that teach the slap. When I was still instructing, there were quite a few in NorCal that taught it. Many times it was the first thing that had to be fixxed before we could proceed.

In retrospect, I think the vast majority of the slappers were in the 12u, 14u and 16u divisions.Cant recall any 10s or 18u's doing it. The 10s probably wouldnt do it because it hurts. The 18s probably just said no, this is a stupid thing to do.


The young lady you are pointing out was a 10u state and national champion. She had a great career and got a full ride to the college she wanted to attend. She is about to conclude her 2nd year of college. After winning a state championship tourney at the 10u level, the state UIC came up to her and her Dad and said, "I watched every game you pitched and that was the most brilliant pitching performance I have ever seen in my 25 years of being an umpire".

In her first few weeks as a college pitcher, her insane idiot of a head coach had all the players in the gym working with heavy weights, like a football team. This pitcher was 6 foot tall, slender and had great speed. The coach had her doing squats and she tore the muscle, completely tore, in the front of her thigh. After getting the diagnosis and unable to walk on it, crutches, the coach had her on a barstool in the circle throwing batting practice. She quit that afternoon and gave back the scholarship. A week later, I was told, one of the asst coaches and 3 players also quit the team. She did not come back to pitching but stayed at that school, wilkl get her LVN certificate in Sept. A college softball horror story.

At any rate, she was not an open mechanics pitcher nor a glove slapper. If you think she was, ya need to wake up.

 

[BoardMember]

This young lady is not throwing with open mechanics. Her hips are at 45 degrees at ball release. In case you didnt notice she releases the ball in front of the hips......

WTH? Wow.......You are floundering now........Grasping at straws.......Running "serpentine" trying to avoid the bullets..........

Since when is a pitcher who is OPEN 45 degrees from the target NOT an open style pitcher?.....Vs. a pitcher who slams the door "closed" to deliver the ball.......Or never "opens" in the first place........

You make the statement she is "open" 45 degrees to the target at release.........And then she is not an open style pitcher???.........Stop Hal.....You're sounding stupid now.........

If you think this young lady is glove slapping by touching the fingertips of her glove to the side of her leg is glove slapping, you really need to get out more.

"Touching her leg with the glove"????? TOUCHING HER LEG WITH THE GLOVE???? Do you think if you say it enough it comes true Dorothy?



This conversation is going no where, so I'm done with it.........When you start denying/lying about something that is PROVEN on video just to save face.........It becomes like debating with a 3yo child........"Did the monster eat your homework" too?..........

The funny part of this whole thing is......I LIKE HER MECHANICS........Just like they are.........Glove slap and all.........And I'm willing to say it..........

YOU sir are a hypocrite.........

 

[halskinner]

Where the heck did you dig that misguided description up from..


Open mechanics = the hips get all the way open and stay that way through release.

Closed mechanics = the hips open to at least 45 degrees (or thereabouts) and stay at that angle through release.

It has always been that way. Slam the door mechanics are neither of those.

If you teach your students to have the hips at 45 degrees at LFT, good for you, I did when I was instructing. Just like is outlined in the Steadman - Hawkins report.


You say you teach open mechanics and I have to assume you teach what Bill H teaches. THAT is open mechanics, always has been.

Open mechanics, closed mechanics and slam the door. They all refer to the angle of the hips at landing foot touchdown.



You dont understand the simplest of definitions yet you call me stupid and a liar. Conversed with many pitching instructors over the years and you take the cake in one category for sure, you are the biggest BLOW HOLE of any instructor on the internet. I would be much more impressed if you worded your 'Teachings' so a 12-year-old would understand the points you make. You are way too busy trying to impress the parents to ever achieve that.

By all means, get back on yuour soap box and give another Fillibuster reply.

 

[Ken B]

Not trying to feed any fires, but my understanding of open has been 45+ at release. Square to catcher or door slamming=closed.

 

[halskinner]

Ken, I guess many do think that or thats what they were tol,d, or whatever.

At ball release;

The door is completely open at 90 degrees.
The door is hafway open at 45 degrees
The door is closed at zero degrees.

I remember that traveling / barnstorming team from New Zealand when I was maybe 7 years old. Their pitchers got all the way open and stayed that way. When I asked one of the pitchers about it he said they threw open like that in their country. That was 50 years ago.

Based on that experience, 90 degrees = open mechanics.

If zero degrees is 'Closed;, what do we call the one in between? Halfway open mechanics? Halfway closed mechanics?

If we call the first two open and closed, what is the last one? Beyond closed?

I call them what they have been called long before I was around.

 

[BoardMember]

Closed vs. Open people..........It's pretty obvious..........

Sideways at release???.........Where? Who?.........Show me someone who is 90 DEGREES SIDEWAYS at release.......

Not a Glove Slapper????? Whatever Skinner........You're clueless.........Or you think the readers are anyway.........