Pitching Mechanics / Illegal Pitches / Teaching Children Properly From Day 1

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by LoRafter

I am on my third season of coaching my daughter's 6-U now 8-U softball teams. I am a bit frustrated with the mechanical flaws that are being taught at clinics and by other coaches. I could care less if the umpires call players on certain techicalities; however, I want to see the kids learning proper mechanics from the get-go.

Okay, this is extraneous info. Umpires call the rules of the game whether it is young ladies or old men playing, that is their job. You are the coach, you teach the mechanics, we call the games. BTW, how much less could you care if the umpires call players on certain technicalities?

Let's parse this action.

This pitcher starts her rotation with the ball in her glove

I assume prior to this point, the pitcher contacted the pitcher's plate with both feet and her hands were separated and simulated taking a signal from the catcher, coach, parent, lady selling hot dogs. If not, it is now an illegal pitch.

then swings her arm back past her hip then forward until she has the ball back to her glove

Assuming she was good to this point, by separating the hands and then coming back together, it is now an IP.

fully extended above her head, then with no pause she brings the ball back down past her side then forward again to the traditional windmill rotation.

To start, no pause is allowed once the hands separate. Other than all the illegal stuff, sounds pretty good to me

In any event, my understanding has always been that you can only cross your hip on the back swing then through the windmill until the release at the hip. Please correct me if I am mistaken.

Consider yourself corrected. In FP, the hip isn't a consideration as it concerns when the ball must be released.

Thank you!!

You're welcome. I know this is late, but I didn't want to be left out.