I wish there was a simple, step-by-step set of drills that anyone could use to build a pitcher. I work with 20-25 girls a week and find that no two kids are exactly alike. Every girl has different strengths, varying degrees of body awareness, experience, previous ideas or instruction..., and the list goes on...
Today I had a brand new kiddo who'd never pitched before. She had great posture and whip with brush, so we went straight to the 2-step and circle rules. She rocked it like a kid who's been pitching for years. She is 8 years old. These sessions are rare... I have others who have deeply ingrained and inefficient mechanics that take weeks to rebuild. Their goal is to earn a couple steps farther back with more body effort.
Posture and whip are the foundation. Brush is usually a byproduct, but if needed, it can be taught--carefully... Start at whatever distance it takes to get successful reps. After demonstrating some consistency, try a step or two further back and add more effort and motion. If something breaks down, change something:
-Try closing the eyes
-Stand in front of a mirror
-Take the ball away and do reps without
-Move back forward a step or decrease motion or effort
-Throw into a net
-Always double check with a slow motion camera
-Remind the girl that the person on the bucket is a fetcher, not a catcher and have several balls on hand.
Try to avoid more than a few bad reps in a row before trying something from the above ideas.
I wish there was an easier way, but I haven't found it yet...
Today I had a brand new kiddo who'd never pitched before. She had great posture and whip with brush, so we went straight to the 2-step and circle rules. She rocked it like a kid who's been pitching for years. She is 8 years old. These sessions are rare... I have others who have deeply ingrained and inefficient mechanics that take weeks to rebuild. Their goal is to earn a couple steps farther back with more body effort.
Posture and whip are the foundation. Brush is usually a byproduct, but if needed, it can be taught--carefully... Start at whatever distance it takes to get successful reps. After demonstrating some consistency, try a step or two further back and add more effort and motion. If something breaks down, change something:
-Try closing the eyes
-Stand in front of a mirror
-Take the ball away and do reps without
-Move back forward a step or decrease motion or effort
-Throw into a net
-Always double check with a slow motion camera
-Remind the girl that the person on the bucket is a fetcher, not a catcher and have several balls on hand.
Try to avoid more than a few bad reps in a row before trying something from the above ideas.
I wish there was an easier way, but I haven't found it yet...