I saw this topic come up in the discussion on a 12 year old pitcher, but didn’t want to hijack that thread.
My son and I have been focusing on improving his hip to shoulder separation for several months. I think he’s come a long way, but just wanted some feedback to make sure we’re on the right track.
Slo mo video:
Frames of hip/shoulder separation:
Looks pretty good but I think it could be better. Stop the video right at first contact of the front foot and look at his glove arm. You’ll see it already tucked to his side. If he can stay “equal & opposite” with his glove arm a bit longer, he’ll let the shoulders stay closed longer. That should let him get his release point a little closer to the plate and may squeeze a little more velocity out of him.
If your son feels like he’s having to hold his glove out front for an artificially long time, have him get his butt (meaning “center of gravity”) moving forward sooner and/or faster.
Thanks Roger for those observations! Just to clarify… The three frames below that I pulled out of the video are consecutive, so they show the position before front foot strike and after…and should show when he tucks his glove.
To make sure I get it right visually: are you saying that in the second frame (when his foot first hits), his glove side should look more like the first frame (and perhaps the glove side in the third frame should be more like the second frame), so he would be closed/glove & elbow to the plate a little longer (be equal and opposite in those frames, as he is in the first)? That will help me explain it to him.
Also FYI, here’s his external rotation:
[For some background, right now, he maxes out at 70mph. Usually “cruises” around 65-68mph in games.]
good stride distance
may i know how far he reach please??
how many percent of his heigh??
Hydejing, his stride is slightly over 100% of his height (last I measured). He’s 5’1" tall.
His mechanics are excellent for his age! The separation isn’t perfect, but it is better than most high school and college pitchers that I have examined. The only thing that I noticed is during his external rotation.
His upper body is still pretty perpendicular when his head and chest should already be above his plant leg. Look at this picture of Billy Wagner:
As you can easily see in the picture, during Wagner’s external rotation, his upper body is already positioned above the lead leg. This is a very small fix, but it could increase your son’s velocity even further. Anyways, good job so far!
[quote=“mcloven”]Thanks Roger for those observations! Just to clarify… The three frames below that I pulled out of the video are consecutive, so they show the position before front foot strike and after…and should show when he tucks his glove.
To make sure I get it right visually: are you saying that in the second frame (when his foot first hits), his glove side should look more like the first frame (and perhaps the glove side in the third frame should be more like the second frame), so he would be closed/glove & elbow to the plate a little longer (be equal and opposite in those frames, as he is in the first)? That will help me explain it to him.[/quote]
Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.
[quote]
Also FYI, here’s his external rotation:
[For some background, right now, he maxes out at 70mph. Usually “cruises” around 65-68mph in games.][/quote]
No concerns with his external rotation.
[quote=“Nathan.G”]His mechanics are excellent for his age! The separation isn’t perfect, but it is better than most high school and college pitchers that I have examined. The only thing that I noticed is during his external rotation.
His upper body is still pretty perpendicular when his head and chest should already be above his plant leg. Look at this picture of Billy Wagner:
As you can easily see in the picture, during Wagner’s external rotation, his upper body is already positioned above the lead leg. [/quote]
How do we know the pitcher’s picture and the picture of Wagner are at the exact same point in the delivery? Forward trunk flexion is the last thing that happens right before the arm whips forward. Could those two pictures be a frame or two apart?
Although you mention a “fix”, I think you’ve really just described a concern and indicated you’d like to see this pitcher’s body over the front foot more. What do you recommend he do to get there? In other words, what is the real fix (as opposed to the end goal)?
Thanks guys! That’s good feedback on where we are, and what we’ll work on in practice and the off-season.
Over the last year, he’s been working very hard on pitching mechanics, constantly trying to get stronger/faster and more explosive with his lower half, and is always looking to improve. [Personally I think the earlier you do things right, the better off you are…because it’s hard to unlearn bad habits.]
Any other thoughts/advice is always welcome.
That’s the perfect mindset to have