Do Not Copy the Wrong Things

In every pitcher’s, or even hitter’s, motion, there are two specific movements:
1-Those which give her power/speed.
2-Those which are necessary to compensate for problems that harm power/speed.
Before studying video so your daughter can imitate a specific movement, you must know the difference. First, you must understand that there are no perfect hitters or pitchers. A perfect pitcher would never allow a hit. A perfect hitter would always take it over the fence. The goal is to live up to your potential, to minimize the issues which detract from the ideal. Today we will talk from the perspective of a pitcher, but it applies equally at the plate.
Every great pitcher will tell you there is one thing in her movement that she could do a little bit better. If the takeoff is weak, she may involve the upper body more than she would like. So, the glove may fly outward in an attempt to help “pull” the body forward. It is a subconscious effort. Some may not align their hips properly or they fail to fire the back hip powerfully forward, so they re-plant (crow hop) in order to get both hips moving in the right direction.
Some of these pitchers are amazing. They may be able to overcome these issues because they are incredible athletes or they may have a work ethic that is simply off the charts. Their performance is not bad, but they are forced to put a lot more effort into getting the result. A kid without great athleticism will find it hard to emulate that success. She needs to be as efficient as possible in order to succeed.
If a young pitcher or her parent watches video and decides to copy a specific movement, the possibility exists that they can adopt the compensation move instead of a move that will actually help her. It takes a special eye to know the difference.
We have a big group of Certified Instructors and we spend a lot of time studying tiny variances in the movement patterns. What effect does a crowhop have on speed when we test it over hundreds of kids? If the glove flies out to the side and gets tight and jerky, what does that mean in actual miles per hour when tested across the country? What is the most efficient takeoff position? The bottom line is this. Make sure you are copying the right things. Sadly, we repeatedly see kids who have been taught to imitate things that actually hurt their performance because someone did not know the difference. If you or your instructor have questions, feel free to contact us.
***Note: Texas is one of several states begging for one of one of our Certified Instructors. Texas kids are travelling to Virginia in significant numbers. We would love to have someone in place there, especially in the Dallas and Houston markets. If you are a former college pitcher who wants to learn more about our Certification process, contact us. The need is also great in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.