The simple reason Cali teams are better then Ohio

fairman said:

Then I would like someone to tell me why at 12 years old you have not shown your daughters/ kids you are coaching how to throw without their arms and elbows hurting? Why most of them can not throw over 45 to 50 MPH? Please be specific enough in your answer as to why the female has these issues verses the male and possibly offer a way to teach the female how to throw correctly like an athlete not like a boy?

This has a lot to do with female growth patterns. At 10U most girls look very much like most boys. Their hips are narrow, they walk upright and their muscle mass is similar to boys. At 12U the estrogen kicks in and their pelvis's start to spread and tilt changing their basic physical structure/posture. This is tilt is complicated but chest development and further complicated by limited upper body muscle development. This process continues through 12U, 14U and 16U and is generally complete by the 18U age group.

Little girls start at a similar point as little boys but end with a significantly different body at a structural/muscular level. Boys have a much straighter growth path with height, weight and strength being added to the existing frame.

So while the girls are learning how to operate this new body at 14U; the boys are just adding to already learned skills with a body that is not structurally significantly different than the one they started with. In the midst of all these changes we are trying to teach them to throw, catch, run, slide, hit and take on a 3-0 count. It is a little overwhelming, and what worked when they were athletic 10 year olds will not work when they are 17.

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Hitter said:

We just did a clinic with Hillhouse and this subject came up and Deb Hartwig put Jennie up and she finished across her body and then went up. More style than mechanics as she finished across after the arm slowed down naturally. Each click of the mouse was 1/60 of a second. Just as in throwing over hand the arm should finish towards the glove side thigh across the body. About 80% of the arm injuries are due to deceleration phase after the release not during acceleration phase prior to the release.

I would ask you to observe your daughters, kids you are coaching and look for the following when throwing overhand: does their back leg release from the ground after the ball is released when throwing over hand? Did their throwing arm go straight down? Did the arm finish across their body? Did their hips drive forward or go off to their glove side at an angle? Did their glove side arm just lay on the chest resting passively? Or was it active with the elbow and glove being moved rearward? Then ask your kids if their elbow and shoulder hurt after a double header?

Then I would like someone to tell me why at 12 years old you have not shown your daughters/ kids you are coaching how to throw without their arms and elbows hurting? Why most of them can not throw over 45 to 50 MPH? Please be specific enough in your answer as to why the female has these issues verses the male and possibly offer a way to teach the female how to throw correctly like an athlete not like a boy?

I get PM's and email's every day asking about some of these questions as they do not want too look stupid by asking what they can do to help improve their daughters performance on a discussion board. I had a group here over the summer and the team will remain nameless...the mother bragged about how good a catcher her daughter was and she throws everyone out that tries to steal on her. I threw her three soft toss pitches, a standard test I do with every kid, inside, middle and away and she pulled all three pitches and I stated you probably do not throw well either. Mom defended her and said she is wonderful! I said lets see you throw. After three throws I said I wish I had a radar gun as I doubt if you throw 45 MPH. The coach that brought them had a gun so we threw 10 more balls to get some data points...44 MPH was max!

I told her mother I would bet her we could increase her speed by 5 to 8 MPH in less than 15 minutes and she laughed, it took about 8 minutes and she was throwing at 52 MPH. This girl was 16 years old! How did she get this far without someone teaching her how to at least throw? +

We go over this at our clinics as it is a foundation that seems to be elusive in the general softball community around here for some reason. The weight shift involved is also taught during the hitting. In 20 years I have never been wrong when I see poor to no weight shift in hitting mechanics they also throw with no weight shift mechanics. In the past three months I have worked with about 80 to 100 coaches and they witnessed why they do not understand how the female body works differently than the males. When I do a mini clinic they bring two girls I have never worked with before and we do a before and after demonstration so they can see the difference. It was interesting talking to Howard K about what he teaches. I said how can you teach a kid advanced fielding techniques when they do not understand basic balance or throwing? A few weeks later he emailed me and tried what we discussed and saw the improvements.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to your answers or suggestions.

Please be specific enough in your answer as to why the female has these issues verses the male and possibly offer a way to teach the female how to throw correctly like an athlete not like a boy?

Howard

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PC SOFTBALL said:

Here is Jenny Finch giving pitching lessons.See how and what she says about her arm at finish.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPl3VUTNQIM It is not across her body.

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ks08 said:

All this pitching discussion is interesting. Back to the topic. California coaches don't waste time making long distance runners or so called good athletes. They gear their entire conditioning to 20 yard burst speed and core training. That is why they get to the ball hit into the hole and the line drive in the gap. That is why they beat out a bunt and take the extra base. That is why pitchers get a strength burst off the pitchers plate.Do you want a breathe paced anything in softball?Even the big bodied power hitter has that burst or that first quick step.They build power muscles not skinny legged distance runners!They build softball players not cross country runners and orthopedic patients! Forget the two mile run or running foul pole to foul pole and run the 20 yard sprint.That is why they beat people. Their joints are not used up! They are in the present century of training not the dark ages!

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Thunder's Dad said:

I just watched a whole bunch of Finch videos. In not one instance did she finish with her hand anywhere but high and to the right side of her face. she definately does not finish across the body. She finishes in the "high and loose" form that is taught and practiced by nearly everyone but Hillhouse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3_dHfBoAKM

I understand that in overhand throwing we want the right hand to finish by the left thigh. The windmill is different than overhand throwing. First of all, its reversed therefore using complimentary muscles to overhand throwing. Second, I have never seen anyone make their arm go in a complete circle when throwing overhand. I believe these differences are some of the reasons that all the pro pitchers that I have looked at finish in a simmilar manner.
Sorry Howard, I don't have RVP on the comp, I can only go off of what I see in videos like the one that I posted here.

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factoryrat said:

training in the dark ages

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bouldersdad said:

I sure wouldent check for sliders......... some guys can pull off the kilt look, and even though it is the dress of my native ancestors , Im afraid I wouldent be one of them. I would say thats a more primitive version of the whip hit. Did they play baseball in the highland games lol.......... and would a team matchup have been the Perthshire Picts Vs the Glasgow Claymores

Tim

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ks08 said:

Fine example of a rotation swing though! And a reason for helmets with a face mask!

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