Correcting Pitching Mechanics

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SlickMick

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Need some help. Is there any drill to help a pitcher who momentarily stops (hesitates) her arm at the top of the windmill motion? Thanks in advance
:)
 
 
SlickMick said:
Need some help. Is there any drill to help a pitcher who momentarily stops (hesitates) her arm at the top of the windmill motion? Thanks in advance
:)
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Film your DD and watch her stride foot. Is it still in the air(her foot) when her arm is at the top of her windmill motion (about 12 o'clock)? If it is: Her arm can not continiue untill her foot plants on the ground so she can pull down on the back motion. Without seeing her I would say she is over striding causing this pause. Your stride should be 96% to 104% of your height. Anything longer will cause a pause. Where are you located? Hope this helps. Coach Mark
 
It's a formula 2 pitching coaches taught me, Bob Pele US girls national team pitching coach and taught at the Kent State clinic, and Doug Finch while my DD and I were in Calif. for lessions one year. Anytime you over stride or under stride something happens to reduce speed. Coach Mark
 
I guess I don't know how practical 104% is as opposed to say 107%...but at any rate, clips of top pitchers show that all of them are more like 120-130% stride length/height.
 
Well Purple Jack, maybe those pitchers are between 7' and 8' tall... I agree... most of the clips that I have seen in slow motion puts the top pitchers landing either on the circle line and some outside it....:wallbang:
 
Top pitchers meaning collage and olympic do over stride but you are talking about the best of the best. This is the best starting point to keep all pitching mechanics in check. The elite pitchers don't throw the same as when they were 14, 16, or 18. Pitching has to be taught in steps. Once you perfect your form then you start to expand. Most pitchers can't push off to the top part of the circle without raising their stride foot too high. As a result you will see the soul of the shoe she wears and a pause in her pitch. Your stride foot should glide about 4" off the ground. Pitching is not an exact science and you wouldn't teach a young girl to stride to the top of the circle at her first pitching lesson. As stated this is a formula to start with. Coach Mark
 
Fast2home, I haven't seen any 7' or 8' tall pitchers. The circle is however 8' from the rubber. Even for a 6' tall pitcher landing on the circle would be 133% of her height.

Mark, interesting, I guess there are lots of ways to teach. We just had a conversation last week about this with my daughter's pitching coach (who is pretty well known and respected in Ohio) and he told her she has to work to get her stride foot at least as high as her knee. DD is a sophomore and been pitching a while though. I agree its not an exact science and has to come along little by little. Last year, we were working with a different coach who is also well known and she had her students pace off seven steps, mark a line, and then work on striding to that point. The girls there were about 7th-9th graders, so 7 paces...maybe 6-7 feet is about 125-130% of height.

Do you know if Bob Pele or Doug Finch have published any instructional materials? I'd be interested in reading what they have to say.
 
I talked to Doug today and he said he's trying to get his video out by the first of the year. I had a short cut to Bobs web site but it is not working. I will try to get back to you on it. The girls you talked about 7th-9th, there advice was not bad depending on the shoe size of each kid. A girl size 8 is 10 inches long, so each girl was ask to stride 70" or 5' 10". If the average height is 5'6" they were within my specs. I know the instructors that teach the stride foot as high as the knee. Does he film your DD and make suggestions on how to fix any problems. You would be suprised what the eye can miss. I am glade you are happy with your pitching coach but with this style you need to watch out for pauses in the delivery. This is not a knock on this coach, it's just that some girls have a hard time pulling this style off without a pause. One of my DD friends went to a person who teaches the same way. She is in Fla in college and still has the same problem. My DD and her play one another each year. Coach Mark
 
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