Pitcher feedback - 11 years old

[AndyS]

Ok sorry for the clutter on the forum. This is my daughter. She is eleven and been pitching since January. I have included the slide shots from the dartfish video. I only have the reader and this was shot at a softball camp she attended. I look forward to feedback and again apologies for the clutter.

 

[gummi10]

what seems to be her main problem..doesnt look to bad to me..maybe getting a little back on her follow through...i am just wondering what you are asking for here?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Welcome Gummi. We just offer info on how the girls can improve and drills on what they can do to solve their problems.

The big glaring problem with this young lady (moo) is that huge leap she is taking, if I am seeing that right. It looks neat, but I am afraid that she is getting too much air.

That could just be a result from being in the gym, though.

 

[AndyS]

what seems to be her main problem..doesnt look to bad to me..maybe getting a little back on her follow through...i am just wondering what you are asking for here?

She has been taking lessons since January and we (both dd and I) are extremely happy with her instructor. He emphasizes the fundamentals and mental aspects of the game and has even gone out to watch her pitch on his own time. And I sent him the internal rotation thread and he explained it so I could understand. So the reason I am posting is I am "just her dad" and looking to learn as much as possible, so I can ask more intelligent questions in her lessons and understand the concepts discussed here in relation to what I am seeing my daughter perform. She loves to pitch and I have a feeling I am going to be sitting on the bucket for the next several years and I want to be as effective as I can be as we do her workouts!! I have to say I have learned alot from her lessons, but those are just once a week and this forum is pretty amazing, so thanks in advance.

 

[gummi10]

yeah it looks like she maybe getitng a little ir there but lots of times that occurs in the gym just make sure that toe is pointing down and it will all be good.. she looks very strong fundamentaly to me and looks like she will have success as a pitcher..where abouts are you all from?

 

[AndyS]

The big glaring problem with this young lady (moo) is that huge leap she is taking, if I am seeing that right. It looks neat, but I am afraid that she is getting too much air.

That could just be a result from being in the gym, though.

Amy thanks for the feedback and I see what you are saying. In her last lesson her pitching instructor had her loading her right leg much more by shifting her weight over her toes which seems to get her momentum going more out than up if that makes sense. She pitched in a local (St. Louis area) 14u tournament with some decent success with the new motion. She throws in the mid-40s and actually seems to gain strength as the innings go on and I wonder if that is because she naturally gets a little less leg kick as she tires? I had not really thought about it until your post.

But that leads me to maybe a silly question, is there a rule of thumb around how much is too much? Both in distance and amount of air? She is an ex-travel volleyball player so her natural inclination is to really leap.

Thanks again.

 

[cshilt]

Your instructor is doing a great job. IMO she need to keep the weight back a little more and not drag her pivot foot so hard. Look at the stress to her knee she is causing in pic #4. She should be dragging her big toe and not the side of her foot.

 

[cshilt]

But that leads me to maybe a silly question, is there a rule of thumb around how much is too much? Both in distance and amount of air? She is an ex-travel volleyball player so her natural inclination is to really leap.

Thanks again.

Well, your DD is a leap-and-drag style pitcher so my rule of thumb is that you'll want her to stride (leap) at least the height of her body. I didn't measure, but by my eye you look good.

The height of her stride foot looks a little high, however, where you usually only want the stride foot no higher than knee high. You want her momentum going toward the catcher, not into the ground (if that makes sense).

 

[Amy in AZ.]

is there a rule of thumb around how much is too much?

Yes, when it is illegal.

Does George Jones still teach in St. Louis? He was a stickler for leg work and I liked his ideas on rhythm and balance.

 

[AndyS]

Well, your DD is a leap-and-drag style pitcher so my rule of thumb is that you'll want her to stride (leap) at least the height of her body. I didn't measure, but by my eye you look good.

The height of her stride foot looks a little high, however, where you usually only want the stride foot no higher than knee high. You want her momentum going toward the catcher, not into the ground (if that makes sense).

Yes that makes complete sense and will be something good to watch for as she works out. And regarding your previous post on the stress on the knee (pic #4), that is why I like this forum so much. I never noticed it, but when you pointed it, it looks pretty obvious.

And as far as your point on the instructor thank you. The thing I probably like the most is he comes out and watches her pitch in competitive situations which is obviously a big time commitment on his part. The whole process of finding a good pitching coach is probably a thread already on this board but it was a something of a journey for us.