John and I talked about this not long before he became ill. He said he’d been studying video of contemporary elite pitchers and had come to the conclusion that 45 degrees +/- was advantageous for both spin and speed.
Great man and greatly missed…
Looking for thoughts
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Great man and greatly missed…
And risk ending up with someone who isn’t curious with no desire to learn and grow?
Why is she starting upper half square and lower half open? She’s twisted up from the get go. Her bottom half almost doesn’t stand a chance in this drill.
Thanks, I see the issue and thanks for the advice.
It stood out from working with my DD. Her upper half would be square and her bottom half would be wide open. Both feet pointed at 3B. It was almost impressive that she could do it. But it caused her to be all twisted up and torqued (in a bad way). It didn’t allow the arm to operate correctly and was just a problem. She’d drop the anchor and monkey butt every time. No brush. Etc etc etc.
So we work through a progression drill that actually ends up at a point similar to your clip. (I’ve posted it in other threads but it’s been awhile.) It’s something her PC told us to do and it’s worked wonders. Hits on a few different things at once but aids in posture/stack and eliminating monkey butt.
It’s the only reason I called that out. She’s unnecessarily fighting herself is all.
I see two issues to consider:
1. With respect to posture, I have re-posted this before, but my DD found it hugely helpful to focus on release point, rather than posture itself, as explained in the BoardMember posts in the below thread. Learning to release the ball with brush at the back hip, rather than in front of the back hip, fixed her posture after a lot of time spent trying to "be taller" or to move straighter through space. Here is the thread. https://www.discussfastpitch.com/threads/around-instead-of-down-release.19476/
2. With respect to the drill itself, I might rethink it because I'm not sure it is promoting the best drive sequence. In a full pitch, most pitchers achieve hip extension by the time the back foot leaves the ground (or by the time the back foot passes the rubber, now that people can start further back). Early hip extension improves glute activation and horizontal thrust. By starting your athlete at a 45 degree angle with the stride foot in front, she appears to be encouraged (or allowed) to drive out by reaching with the stride foot and pushing using the drive-leg quad--rather than exploding with the hips and butt. You might try a similar drill where the athlete starts square to the target, hovers the stride foot just above the ground about 12 inches in front of the rubber, then moves the stride foot about 12 inches behind the rubber (still hovering), and then drives out. The focus is on hip extension with the forward move of the stride foot, hip flexion (or hinge) with the rearward move, and then back to hip extension with the drive out.
1. With respect to posture, I have re-posted this before, but my DD found it hugely helpful to focus on release point, rather than posture itself, as explained in the BoardMember posts in the below thread. Learning to release the ball with brush at the back hip, rather than in front of the back hip, fixed her posture after a lot of time spent trying to "be taller" or to move straighter through space. Here is the thread. https://www.discussfastpitch.com/threads/around-instead-of-down-release.19476/
2. With respect to the drill itself, I might rethink it because I'm not sure it is promoting the best drive sequence. In a full pitch, most pitchers achieve hip extension by the time the back foot leaves the ground (or by the time the back foot passes the rubber, now that people can start further back). Early hip extension improves glute activation and horizontal thrust. By starting your athlete at a 45 degree angle with the stride foot in front, she appears to be encouraged (or allowed) to drive out by reaching with the stride foot and pushing using the drive-leg quad--rather than exploding with the hips and butt. You might try a similar drill where the athlete starts square to the target, hovers the stride foot just above the ground about 12 inches in front of the rubber, then moves the stride foot about 12 inches behind the rubber (still hovering), and then drives out. The focus is on hip extension with the forward move of the stride foot, hip flexion (or hinge) with the rearward move, and then back to hip extension with the drive out.
So, is opening the direct cause to the arm straightening toward 9, losing the lower half?
Like in the snap shot earlier.
Like in the snap shot earlier.
- May 10, 2021
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My 14 DD is working on this currently. She was really turning that stride foot, losing balance and I was afraid of rolling the ankle.
Do you know any drills to improve the landing angle of the stride foot? Is the ideal angle 45 degrees or as close to straight as possible?
Thanks for any insight
Thanks everyone I see the error in trying to fit a square peg into round holes. Old pitching DNA.
I see the error in what John taught my niece, turn the back foot. John was against pushing the ball, but the error with just getting open he feed the problem. He called pushing the ball, bowling
. He wanted the pitcher to be upright, stable posture (upright upper torso) Whip.
I see the error in what John taught my niece, turn the back foot. John was against pushing the ball, but the error with just getting open he feed the problem. He called pushing the ball, bowling
. He wanted the pitcher to be upright, stable posture (upright upper torso) Whip.
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I've always read and been told no more than 45 deg, but less is okay. DD is typically at 45deg. The local HS Varsity pitcher (who is very very good) is much more like the Monica Abbott style. As long your DD can establish a good strong brake then I think it comes down to what works best for her. If she needs help not opening as much maybe try making her think about landing less than 45 on the toes (ala Abbott). She'd be forced to keep her hips more square to achieve that.
I'm a huge proponent of the "balance beam" as a tool for FSR and balance. If the brake is weak, pitcher is striding off center (by a lot), or not staying square (monkey butt)...then they will step off. It's an instant feedback/consequence tool. We use a 2x8 for DD. Once the issue resolves we put it away for a bit, but is something we revisit multiple times throughout the year.
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