Changing the Mindset

One of our new Instructors says changing a kid’s movement pattern is fairly easy. The hard part is changing her mindset.

Recently this Instructor was helping a new pitcher overcome some serious issues in her form. She gave the girl some specific drills to do for a couple of weeks, explaining the particular benefits she should receive and the things she should feel when doing them correctly. A few weeks later the kid returned with the same issues. Our Instructor learned that she would quickly run through the drills and hurry to the mound every day in practice. She saw the drills as a distraction, so she got them out of the way as fast as possible. This is not unusual.

We regularly see new kids who were taught a couple of “warm up drills” in the past, but they have no idea of a benefit they should seek from it. They begin to believe that drills are something you have to get out of the way so you can “get down to business” and pitch off the mound. When our Certified Instructors give them drills and exercises that correct specific issues, they are confused.

If we could simply design ten steps to success, pitching would be easy for anyone. In order for that to be effective, every kid would have to be able to start at the same place, same age, have the same body type, and bring no barriers to the mound. We all know this is not the case.

With that in mind, we always spend the first few lessons assessing a new pitcher. If she has a crowhop, glove swim, bending at the waist, or pain resulting from pitching, we are going to spend a lot of time learning where it originates. In some cases we might determine that it is a poor movement in another part of the body which triggers the “hiccup”. How can we best help her feel the problem and, then, learn to feel the corrected movement? In some cases it may be improper strength or flexibility so we start by putting her with a great strength coach for FMS Screening so they can rebuild the body to allow the desired action.

Once we diagnose the problem, then it is time for “therapy”. Therapy, in our case, is a very specific way of helping the brain and body overcome old muscle memory and begin to do things in proper and efficient ways. Some of the drills target the brain to develop new “pathways” and to embrace correct feelings. Some will help the muscles fire in more efficient sequences. Other times it is a process of building physical strength that enhances a certain movement. In any case, we are working to get body and mind together, so she knows exactly how she should feel and how to make that happen over and over.

If your pitcher is simply going through the motions, she is starting on the wrong foot. If she cannot tell you how the hips or shoulders should feel in pitching, in very specific terms, something is very wrong. If the drills look unnatural to you, or if they seem to go against a smooth and fluid delivery, trust your instincts and look for better resources. Help her learn to make adjustments, feel things for herself, trust her own instincts, and to ask questions to be sure she knows exactly why she is doing things. Kids like that have a far greater chance of making the transitions that will help them be successful when the competitive levels increase.