Correcting arm circle problems

[zjack999]

Hello,
My 15YO DD has is struggling right now with keeping a good long arm circle. Last season she was throwing harder and more consistant. She has hit the age where she is going through a significant growth spurt and has grown 2 to 3 inches and 25 pounds since last year. She is much stronger now but has lost a lot of speed due to some funky things she is doing with her arm circle from what I can tell. Her arm is out of plane and she can't get any real whip anymore. How can we get her back on track?

Please check out her stride also.

Thanks,

YouTube - kjpitching5-9.avi

 

[Goobie]

To give her a little instant feedback on the pitching plane, you can try having her pitch next to a tarp. I hung up a tarp for my DD that is parallel to power line on her throwing arm side. She then sets up a few inches away and pitches along the tarp. If her plane is off and her arm pushed out, her hand and/or ball will rub along the tarp. I use one of the thin, blue tarps from Home Depot hung by hooks in the ceiling and weighted at the bottom. It stays put, but is not too resistant to movement. When she rubs it it makes a lot of noise and she instantly knows she is off plane (to the outside).

 

[Jojo]

The wall drill is a good drill, you can also try and get her to keep her ball hand closer to her glove on the way up.
Give her the "tiny circle" demonstration, where she holds her arm out to her side and makes a tiny circle and tries to see how fast she can throw it, then have her make the circle reaching above her head--bigger circle faster pitch.

 

[pbent67]

Regardless of her arm circle. I bet she has some strong fingers. That ball appears to be jumping out of her hand and her hand is finishing with her fingers curled.

 

[tojo]

Your DD is not opening her right shoulder. Her belly should be pointing closer to 3rd than home. Have her point her glove hand directly at her target and open her right shoulder to the point that she almost brushes her ear. She has to open up to stay in the plane. The wall drill and the tarp mentioned in posts may help accomplish her opening. She needs to put more effort in her pitching. Her arm circle issue need to be corrected or she could injure her shoulder.As far as her stride, her weight needs to be more balanced and less forward for a softer landing. This could also be attributed to not opening fully.

 

[zjack999]

This is very helpful information. The tarp drill sounds like a very good means to keep her aware of her arm position. I do apologize for the poor lighting in the video. This was the first one I have put out so wasn't sure how it would be viewed on Youtube. I will get one with better lighting and and also a side shot. DD has had shoulder issues on and off so we will really work on getting the circle corrected quickly. In watching a better quality video in slow motion I noticed that has virtually no arm whip because on the last part of her downswing her hand is behind her and needs to be rolled around her to get back on plane. She must be compensating with as much wrist flick at the end. She can get 47mph at this point. Any guess on increase expected due to good arm circle finishing with good whip?

Thanks to all for good ideas.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I would take about 5 days and have her throw only Power Ks and pitch from the 12 o'clock position.

IMO, she is a very good candidate to throw the Slingshot pitch.

I tell the girls that it is an arm circle, not an arm oval. They seem to think that is funny.

We use the tarp drill, but I use the chain link fence outside. The pitcher stands facing the fence, feet spread, nose about 12inches from the fence. Have her just bring the ball up out of the glove and pitch.

 

[blatour]

the X Celerator is a good tool to keep the arm circle strait. we use them all the time and they seem to work for us

 

[RMGC]

zjack999: Your daughter is not leading with the glove side shoulder and turning her hips to open up on landing the stride foot. In addition, her timing is off with relation to her snap and release and her lower body position. The lower half is too advanced through the motion in coordination with the arm circle. This timing issue can be changed by altering the height and length of the stride. If you look at the videos of the elite pitchers, (Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman), you will notice that their strides are spread out long and their front leg leads off high. This allows the arm to get further through its circle so that when the stride foot lands the are is closer to 3 o'clock. Better timing translates to more power. Also pitchers who are advanced on the lower end tend to throw high in the zone, so I'm wondering if this is also a problem with your daughter. Rich

 

[zjack999]

zjack999: Your daughter is not leading with the glove side shoulder and turning her hips to open up on landing the stride foot. In addition, her timing is off with relation to her snap and release and her lower body position. The lower half is too advanced through the motion in coordination with the arm circle. This timing issue can be changed by altering the height and length of the stride. If you look at the videos of the elite pitchers, (Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman), you will notice that their strides are spread out long and their front leg leads off high. This allows the arm to get further through its circle so that when the stride foot lands the are is closer to 3 o'clock. Better timing translates to more power. Also pitchers who are advanced on the lower end tend to throw high in the zone, so I'm wondering if this is also a problem with your daughter. Rich

Rich,
I don't quite understand if you are say her arm circle is starting too soon or too late?

Thanks,
Jack