Skip to main content

8 replies

Picking up the Glove

B BaseballMom10100+ posts
Hi All,

13 year old son has "developed" a habit of taking his sign from the catcher and glancing away as he comes set. Almost like he is holding a runner at third, even when there are no runners. As he begins his motion, his eyes come back to the glove.

My comment was that he HAD to be looking at the glove when he separated because I didn't want to get hit!

Is this glancing away common? Is it a bad habit that I should have him correct?

I have seen kids that when they hold runners they are literally looking at the runner well after they have separated their hands and beginning their stride to the plate. (particularly runners at second base)

I have no idea how they throw like that...
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

BOFBOF10,000+ posts
My son's pitching coach has him focus on the glove and only the glove once he starts his motion. This will also help reduce "head bob" and stabilize him some.

That said he sometimes glances over with a runner on 2nd to change his look for runners. He will also spin move while not looking at them if they are on second.
RT Roger Tomas100+ posts
A somewhat common problem caused by looking away and then back at the target is that the head turn to look at the target can cause the front shoulder to open up early.

Then there's the issue of how long it takes for the eyes to locate and focus on the target.

I agree with the earlier comment about focusing on the target once the delivery is begun.
B BaseballMom10100+ posts
Coachric,

That is a good point. I have noticed this glancing towards third thing when he is pitching to me out of the stretch, not the windup.

I think out of the windup he glances down as his hand go up over his head ...

The movements aren't huge head turns, more his eyes shifting off the target momentarily.

I am not a pitching coach/expert, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn last night... If this is a potential problem, I would rather have him STOP IT before it becomes ingrained.

Of course getting son to listen to Mom isn't always easy either.... Smile

Thanks for eveyone's help.
bballmanbballman10,000+ posts
I would say that it is not a huge issue as long as he picks up the target early enough and keeps it on the target through delivery. I see alot of MLer's doing this. I have also coached a number of kids that do this and are still accurate with their pitches.

Like I said, as long as he is picking up his target early enough, not jerking his head and stays on the target through delivery, I wouldn't worry a lot about it.
Midlo DadMidlo Dad10,000+ posts
If he were struggling with his command, then this might be an area where you would try focusing on the mitt throughout and see if it helped.

But lots of pitchers do this, particularly out of the stretch when they are trying to keep the runners guessing. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Meaning, if his command is fine, leave it alone.
M MLBVeteran10+ posts
There is no problem turning away from the glove as he gets set, just have him pick up the glove as he starts his leg lift.Concentrating on one area for a prolonged period of time tends to tighten up the body,and mind for that matter.If he prefers the stretch then so be it, Of course in the wind up there will be no glancing so that will correct you concern.I will consider this a habit ,but not a BAD one.

Add Reply

Post
High Level Throwing

Driveline Baseball

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Link copied to your clipboard.
×