How do you explain when...

[radness]

Appreciate when a person can look at more in mechanics than just looking for one thing like internal rotation.
Perhaps that is what differentiates when a person only wants a specific one thing to happen regardless of all other things involved.

Particularly because the other things involved can have a cause and effect of Their Own. A reason for why the differences are apparent!

This is a direct compliment to @Northball .
Its a very good example of looking at more than one thing! Which is directly about the topic posted.!!!

Badda Bing

 

[_MIA_]

This is a direct compliment to @Northball .
Its a very good example of looking at more than one thing! Which is directly about the topic posted.!!!

Badda Bing

 

[_MIA_]

I'm traveling a lot for softball this summer. Do they offer it online?

Get your priorities in order..

 

[_MIA_]

I am pretty clearly up front about my perspective

So you are an instructor, tell us what you do with a kid who comes to you who has been successful at whatever level she is at (say 12U) but has a long arm action (eg throws like an OF) on throw downs to 2B?

 

[Rolling Hard]

So you are an instructor, tell us what you do with a kid who comes to you who has been successful at whatever level she is at (say 12U) but has a long arm action (eg throws like an OF) on throw downs to 2B?

This probably can be fixed but should have been fixed much earlier. The time to get proper mechanics is when they start playing. If a player is allowed to throw or hit with obviously poor mechanics, the longer they were allowed to use poor mechanics the tougher the correction will be and the longer it will take.
I had a player in 12u rec ball. Good athlete(now cheerleader) with painfully poor throwing mechanics. I thought I could fix her. Nope. She had been playing since 8u and the poor mechanics were just too ingrained. I think she could have changed but the time and dedication to do so was not there.

 

[_MIA_]

This probably can be fixed but should have been fixed much earlier. The time to get proper mechanics is when they start playing. If a player is allowed to throw or hit with obviously poor mechanics, the longer they were allowed to use poor mechanics the tougher the correction will be and the longer it will take.
I had a player in 12u rec ball. Good athlete(now cheerleader) with painfully poor throwing mechanics. I thought I could fix her. Nope. She had been playing since 8u and the poor mechanics were just too ingrained. I think she could have changed but the time and dedication to do so was not there.

She could have good mechanics for an OF but poor for a catcher. Plus that isn't the point, the point was (based upon the OP) she was a successful catcher in 12U throwing like an OF so how is this approached at that point in time, regardless of whether it should have been fixed earlier?

 

[radness]

So you are an instructor, tell us what you do with a kid who comes to you who has been successful at whatever level she is at (say 12U) but has a long arm action (eg throws like an OF) on throw downs to 2B?

Good question!

To set a standard of a goal in catching~ students I train by the time we start 14U (so that could be 13 years old)
our pop times would be at most 2.0
*Goal hoping to break 2.0 in future.

Because Pop times can be measured in elapsed time. That include~
1. Transition speed
2. Throwing Body mechanics
3. Throwing speed
4. Accuracy

Look at each of these things to help bring pop time efficiency down with a further goal of hopefully reaching at least 1.8.
Even for some 1.7

Shaving tenths of seconds becomes the technical in the technique.
Which really has to do with the goals, determination and individual training a catcher is willing to put in to becoming more efficient than 2.0

Not all players are striving to be a top-tier athlete and at some competitive levels 2.0 could have positive results. But less positive results against Speedy runners.
So the goal of an athlete that wants to play at a top level will have to break 2.0
Getting to 1.8 means they have to Define better their technical abilities to shave tenths of a second.

So look to the different 4 ways that we can find efficiency to accomplish that goal.
Generally, The sooner we get the ball traveling the quicker the pop time will be.

 

[_MIA_]

Good question!

To set a standard of a goal in catching~ students I train by the time we start 14U (so that could be 13 years old)
our pop times would be at most 2.0
*Goal hoping to break 2.0 in future.

Because Pop times can be measured in elapsed time. That include~
1. Transition speed
2. Throwing Body mechanics
3. Throwing speed
4. Accuracy

Look at each of these things to help bring pop time efficiency down with a further goal of hopefully reaching at least 1.8.
Even for some 1.7

Shaving tenths of seconds becomes the technical in the technique.
Which really has to do with the goals, determination and individual training a catcher is willing to put in to becoming more efficient than 2.0

Not all players are striving to be a top-tier athlete and at some competitive levels 2.0 could have positive results. But less positive results against Speedy runners.
So the goal of an athlete that wants to play at a top level will have to break 2.0
Getting to 1.8 means they have to Define better their technical abilities to shave tenths of a second.

So look to the different 4 ways that we can find efficiency to accomplish that goal.
Generally, The sooner we get the ball traveling the quicker the pop time will be.

Related to the original question, giving them a number to shoot for which is highly correlated with success, is a nice thing to have and perhaps makes motivating an already successful athlete to work on your list of 4 things, easier. Not so easy for activities which are more reactive (hitting for example). You can have a great exit velocity but not be able to hit worth a lick in a game.

 

[radness]

So you are an instructor, tell us what you do with a kid who comes to you who has been successful at whatever level she is at (say 12U) but has a long arm action (eg throws like an OF) on throw downs to 2B?

Here is another example encountered Often by people coming to do catching lessons.

It happens that, Previously some catchers have been taught to squish down into the dirt and block everything.
Taking them out of an athletic posture Generally in earlier ages that may be effective to just keep the ball in front of them because Runners are not yet wise to recognizing the downtime that happens with the ball is getting away from the Catcher. Cuz they have to pick up the ball even if it's right in front of them.
When Runners start realizing they can take off because the ball is not in the control of the catcher and it makes their pop-time longer.
Comes a time when catchers trying to throw Runners out is not happening.
( there are times when blocking and picking it up and throwing can have success it does not always happen and certainly takes longer. So if you're looking to have a 1.8 1.7 pop time. Have to strive to find ways to shave time)

It is often I will get catchers who are in that predicament where coaches are now saying I need you to control the runners. Even though previously they were taught or told they just needed to block the ball.

Additionally there are catching workout groups that do not train enough on receiving dirt and wild pitches and transitioning into a throw. So some catchers have not been trained well enough to be efficient enough to handle the task of being a defensive player and throwing Runners out.

When I talk to them about the mechanics I teach which include explosive range for defensive ability to retrieve the ball and throw it. ( of which I train extensively on efficient pop times)
To include dirt pitch recovery field and fire instead of blocking everything. They recognize that they have the opportunity to enhance their productivity by not just being a catcher that blocks everything.
Additionally develop the ability to move side to side to high pitches in the air transition and throw.
This increases their efficiency by utilizing controlling the ball with their glove and developing into fielding/ transitioning and firing. (A play just like a defensive player would do)
This in turn lowers their pop times and they start becoming more productive.

This is a critical technical element of why the training provided has been successful.

Have definitely experienced parents that were angry about the money they spent going to lessons to produce a catcher who can block but cannot control runners. Generally in these situations I tell the parent just remember that by you paying attention to this performance requirement that you have learned one lesson the hard way but it is brought you to a place where you can learn a way to get those fast Runners out.

 

[radness]

Related to the original question, giving them a number to shoot for which is highly correlated with success, is a nice thing to have and perhaps makes motivating an already successful athlete to work on your list of 4 things, easier.

Not so easy for activities which are more reactive (hitting for example). You can have a great exit velocity but not be able to hit worth a lick in a game.

Yes, understand that point you made.

Actually being a catcher has a lot of reactive requirement needed. Lots of visual things happening that also have to do with a moving Target aka the runner.

Thankfully now there are tools for hitting that are helping people recognize the technical part in the technique and help them find ways where they can be more productive.

In either case of catching or hitting (anything on the field really) it is hard to measure the talent level to be able to recognize true productivity.

Example
In one game an outfielder would have caught that, in another game it was a double.