Pitcher hoping for feedback

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Aug 3, 2022
10
3
Hi everyone, I was a pitcher when I was a teenager/kid and then I stopped playing. Joined an adult fastpitch league a few years ago. It’s a rec league but the players are alright. I’ve been pitching full games and doing alright but have been trying to improve my motion last couple months. One team wins every game and it’s pissing me off, I’d like to beat them. 0-0 going into 5th the other night then I messed up and we lost.

Anyway, would appreciate some constructive criticism on my pitching motion. Ive been obsessing too much and now I can’t tell what I’m doing wrong. I just record myself pitching into a net using my shoe to prop up the phone then try to make adjustments.

Sorry for the video if it’s kindof far. Thank you.

https://youtube.com/shorts/qX_Mmwk7K8c?feature=share



Edit:
https://youtube.com/shorts/1WN4dtUeF4U?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/LMJqILsUTbs?feature=share

There’s a couple more videos
 
Last edited:
Apr 5, 2009
748
28
NE Kansas
Good for you on pitching again! Going zero's into 5 means life was good. What do you think happened?

Next question is what commitment level are you looking for? How are your spins? Your motion looks comfortable and since no scholarships are happening, I wouldn't get concerned. Can't tell your intensity, that always pays off.

I say keep having fun!!!
 
Apr 12, 2015
792
93
Good for you!

Just taking a quick look at the videos and without going into too much depth, the biggest thing I see that you should work on is allowing your shoulders and hips to work naturally.

Taking this still here:
1659860985082.png

Both your hips and shoulders are closed (meaning facing the catcher). This causes your arm to get stuck behind your body so to speak. It also looks like it puts terrible stress on your shoulder. You want to pitch from a more sideways position.

First, try to make sure your stride foot lands at about a 45 degree angle. This will help keep your hips open.
Second, get your glove side working with your throwing arm. A simple saying is "Up together, down together". Meaning your want your glove arm to go up with your pitching arm, and come down as your throwing arm comes down. This will help your shoulders open and close to the right angles. You'll want to try to look something closer to this:
1659861141476.png
Lastly, notice the bend in the arm in the above picture? You'll want to have some bend in your arm as well. Right now it is very stiff which causes you to not whip the ball. Think of a limp noodle or something similar.

Best of luck to you.
 
Aug 3, 2022
10
3
@DNeeld ;

THANK YOU

I noticed the glove hand coming down too early when I was watching some of my videos, and also what I thought was a “turn” closed at release, and I thought I was “pitching with my body/shoulder.” But I have had no luck fixing them by just focusing on them. I tried pitching with glove hand up the entire time and even then my body would still close.

Also noticed lack of snap despite being able to do an isolated snap into my own glove.

I hadn’t made the connection to the 45 degree front foot as my front foot is often maybe 20.

Had a very frustrating hour trying to remember to do all of these things (stay open, 45 degree, and keep glove up.)

Glove arm forced itself down and shoulder forced itself closed.

Now just got home and was doing an “open together closed together” kindof movement into my own glove with just a snap.

Realized when I do it at home, my glove and ball are “facing each other,” glove is facing up/in with a relaxed elbow facing down. When I pitch my glove arm is locked and straight, with the glove facing down.

Just tried going through pitching motion a few times with my glove arm relaxed and facing the ball, like in my glove snaps.

I think that might be the issue that was causing all the rest. I felt the ability to comfortably stay open to 45 and snap my arm around.

I think I was locking my glove shoulder forward and so it was locking my other arm which was locking my entire motion.

Still have some practicing but thank you VERY MUCH for the thoughts as I think I may have finally figured out the root cause of all the issues you identified.


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sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
We need to see your motion in more detail. There is a way to blot out your face if you want to maintain your privacy.

@DNeeld is correct.
osterman-9.JPG
From what I can see, your not getting everything out of the IR (internal rotation) of the forearm. This is a picture of the great Cat Osterman. Notice how her arm is bent when the ball is behind her. You need that bend. The palm should be facing up at 9, then you brush your hip with your arm, and then your forearm starts to rotate.

There is a thread called "IR in the Classroom". @BoardMember provided some drills which are helpful in developing. You should go through the threads and do the drills. They will really you get your IR better..
 
Aug 3, 2022
10
3
@sluggers ;

Thank you. It has been frustrating because as I’m warming up (before doing a full arm circle) I have the proper bend/whip/brush. But then once I do the arm circle I can’t physically do it.

The other comment above mentioned it looks like I’m too square to home plate with my throwing arm uncomfortably stretched behind at 9.

I think my posture (square to catcher with shoulder stretched back) is making me unable to keep the bend and loose enough arm for whip, once I go to the full arm circle.

And this morning I was able to trace back the incorrect (square) posture to a glove arm issue. I am hoping fixing the glove arm then helps everything else fall into place.

I will try to take a better video when I practice again later, it is possible I’ve fixed some of it but we’ll see.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Jan 25, 2022
880
93
Hi everyone, I was a pitcher when I was a teenager/kid and then I stopped playing. Joined an adult fastpitch league a few years ago. It’s a rec league but the players are alright. I’ve been pitching full games and doing alright but have been trying to improve my motion last couple months. One team wins every game and it’s pissing me off, I’d like to beat them. 0-0 going into 5th the other night then I messed up and we lost.

Anyway, would appreciate some constructive criticism on my pitching motion. Ive been obsessing too much and now I can’t tell what I’m doing wrong. I just record myself pitching into a net using my shoe to prop up the phone then try to make adjustments.

Sorry for the video if it’s kindof far. Thank you.





Edit:



There’s a couple more videos


You're circling above your head, and the simple act of the body trying to correct that will push the arm away from the body (or at least outside the ball path you want) on the downswing, which will stop you from getting the brush contact. Once you get the things others have mentioned taken care of, you'll need to reassess the arm path. Good on you for playing ball again!
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
@sluggers ;


Did you do a long slow pitch pitching, by any chance?

Your problem is you aren't getting open enough at 12, and then your body is completely closed at 7 or so, so everything is messed up. You're never supposed to completely close when you pitch. The torso is supposed to be at about a 45 degree angle at release.

Do this...get in the exact same position you are in the 2nd set of pictures, except throw overhand. Pay attention to your body. What do you do? You turn sideways, you stretch your body, you throw, you never close and you end up balanced on your left foot. It is the exact same sequence for throwing underhand.

The only thing you do at the beginning of the pitch is get into proper position to throw the ball. That position is the same whether you throw overhand or underhand.

Look at the pictures of the the pitchers at 12. Snow, Osterman, and Garcia could be throwing the ball overhand...If you didn't know they were pitching, you couldn't tell if they were throwing overhand or underhand.

You need to throw the ball and stay open when you throw. Don't close.

One drill is to do is to simply do everything except *DON'T CLOSE*.

Another drill is called 3 pump. You get open, you put your weight on your right foot, put your toe on the ground, and then you do three circles. You tap your toe each time around. The third time, you throw. You will feel like a reciprocating saw the first few times you do this drill.

Another drill is "the stork". Get open. Bend your right leg, stand on your right foot. Lift your left foot off the ground. Throw. DO NOT LET YOUR LEFT FOOT TOUCH THE GROUND until the catcher throws the ball back to you. Sounds ridiculous? When my DD was "good," she could do 10 to 15 pitches in a row without ever letting her left foot touch the ground.



mw90-12.JPG
mw90-1.JPG
 
Aug 3, 2022
10
3
@sluggers ;

No I’ve never pitched slow pitch. But I taught myself how to pitch (fastpitch) when I was a kid and never had a pitching coach so never had perfect mechanics.

I’m pretty sure there is one thing wrong w my mechanics that’s making everything else off and once I figure out what it is everything else will fix itself. Bc I can do drills and throw from an open stance and it’s all good. Then I do the entire pitch and I can’t physically help but close. Also sometimes I’ll have one day where I’m suddenly pitching 10mph faster and haven’t made some fundamental change. So I think it’s something small but significant that’s having a chain reaction.

I think I might be landing too far left w my stride foot and that’s forcing me to close


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