Arm whip

[Shawn]

What does it mean for you,

1) How is it created?

and

2) how would you explain it to a student?

 

[Shawn]

What does it mean for you,

1) How is it created?

and

2) how would you explain it to a student?

Your answer doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t make it a simple answer. Strike 3

 

[sluggers]

Show them Amanda Scarborough's great video on arm whip.

 

[Shawn]

Show them Amanda Scarborough's great video on arm whip.

Yes, I actually used that video recently.

Although, that video is very vague. It only talks about a loose arm.

I plan on using it again with Amanda pitching as well which I have shown in the past.

 

[Bonesaw]

Show them Amanda Scarborough's great video on arm whip.

This is fantastic. I think for real beginners it can help to have a half bat(or short bat and choke up a bit) and let them swing it like Scarborough there in the video. It's not a make it happen but a let it happen thing IMO.

 

[Shawn]

This is fantastic. I think for real beginners it can help to have a half bat(or short bat and choke up a bit) and let them swing it like Scarborough there in the video. It's not a make it happen but a let it happen thing IMO.

Amanda doesn’t say how and is only talking about a loose arm. What goes into letting it happen?

 

[ArmWhip]

It's not something I explain, I demonstrate it. Elbow flexed and leading the downswing, hand on the side of ball. When the elbow touches the hip/side, the arm whips across. I always have them do it repeatedly without the ball. I typically run into two issues, they want to get on top the ball early and push it into release, and they want to finish palm up.

 

[Fluid Fastpitch]

Here's how I've explained it to somewhat older players... Maybe 10u up. And if they're into science I'll even bring up Newton's 3rd law. Talking about a whip, and somewhat simplifying - the cracking sound the whip makes is the tip breaking the sound barrier. That happens because the tip of the whip was lagging behind the wrist of the person using the whip when the user suddenly stops their wrist. That causes a chain reaction that gets faster and faster as it goes down the loose rope until it's so fast it breaks the sound barrier. I've never seen anyone be able to break the sound barrier with a 2x4 and their bare hands. That says to me the looser the arm the faster it's gonna go. The upper arm compresses into the ribs - that's like the handle of the whip being suddenly stopped. That transfers into the forearm, then the wrist, then the fingers. And the looser those things are the faster they will go.

That the kind of explanation you were looking for?

 

[Shawn]

Here's how I've explained it to somewhat older players... Maybe 10u up. And if they're into science I'll even bring up Newton's 3rd law. Talking about a whip, and somewhat simplifying - the cracking sound the whip makes is the tip breaking the sound barrier. That happens because the tip of the whip was lagging behind the wrist of the person using the whip when the user suddenly stops their wrist. That causes a chain reaction that gets faster and faster as it goes down the loose rope until it's so fast it breaks the sound barrier. I've never seen anyone be able to break the sound barrier with a 2x4 and their bare hands. That says to me the looser the arm the faster it's gonna go. The upper arm compresses into the ribs - that's like the handle of the whip being suddenly stopped. That transfers into the forearm, then the wrist, then the fingers. And the looser those things are the faster they will go.

That the kind of explanation you were looking for?

Right, Right the upper arm is like the handle of the whip and abducts into the side.

 

[HunterMO]

I've found having the player throw side arm can help. Both loose and then rigid. It usually provides a similar "feel" that they can look for. It at least was a piece (of many) that helped DD.