Encourage Her to Listen to Her Own Body

Over and over and over and over again, we meet new students who simply did not listen to their own bodies, and allowed someone to tell them to do things in a way that is completely unnatural. They started out strong, but it faded as their bodies developed. As a result they are no longer getting better, they are injured, or they are simply frustrated.

If your daughter is in any of the following situations, you may need to reconsider your approach:
-If she needs twice weekly lessons. (Sometimes it indicates someone is trying to force things into her body that do not come naturally. Yes, sometimes parents use this for an extra practice, but we prefer they take time away from the Instructor to learn to “feel it” and make sure it works for them.)
-If you fight with her about what feels right, because she knows the things you want her to do are not feeling loose and comfortable. (LISTEN to her to avoid the first point)
-If anything hurts when she pitches. (Pain indicates improper use of body, which also means she will not be efficient)
-If she has no concept of how to put power in the hips.
-If someone wants to take away her backswing. (Yes, it’s easier to take away something you don’t quite understand rather than to use it for dramatic enhancement.)
-If someone wants her to pull straight upward at finish with elbow pointing at catcher. (Let’s see, popular in the 1980’s, but not today)
-If someone wants her bending over at the start. (Lack of understanding how the body functions or how to fire the hips)
-If anyone wants her to square back to face the catcher at, finish. (Wow, we could write a book on this one)
You don’t have to agree. The purpose here is not to debate. Our calling is simply different. Put simply, we spend too much time of dealing with issues that come from such things. I get an average of 3 calls per day from across the country, due to injuries, and our Instructors get many more. We are tired of seeing new kids come to us because they are no longer getting better, and we have to spend months removing the barriers someone forced into their bodies.
We do not want to convince you that power comes from the hips if you do not understand the concept. We know your intentions are good so we’ll just go in different directions. We are interested in attracting Instructors who are not satisfied with the status quo, who are hungry for exciting new ideas.
We are always conducting research and we often challenge some of the most widely held beliefs in the game. We do not accept something just because that is the way it has always been done. We have over 50 former college pitchers in our organization. Some are not officially listed on our website because they are college coaches and we do not want to put their schools in a position of endorsing us. We have Strength Trainers with advanced degrees, a Physical Therapist, Head Coaches in college, Pitching Coaches in college, a former Pro pitcher, All-Americans, and the list goes on. We do the research and then work with some of the greatest minds in the game to put it to work on the field. And, our group has produced hundreds of college pitchers to prove it works.
The more we study together, the more we are shocked that kids are not being taught to listen to their bodies, or the role of various parts of the body in the pitch. Based on all of these things, we get really excited when new pitchers come to us who never had lessons, but who just went out and worked with a parent who allowed them to do the things that came naturally. They stayed off the internet, did not purchase pitching videos, but trusted the instinct of the girl while closely observing causes and effects. You would not believe how many of our Instructors, who were great college pitchers, were in that situation. You will not believe how many of those kids we now have pitching in college.
When in doubt, listen to her, and see if the things she advocates help her be smooth and dynamic. Avoid jerky, tense moves. See if the hips look powerful throughout the move, just as they would with a great hitter or someone throwing overhand. If so, you are on the right track.
And, if you are a former college pitcher who feels this is speaking to you, talk to us about our Instructor Development program. We love adding more creative people to a group that feels softball pitching can be much better.