Timing at the line vs the rest of the approach

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weunice
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Timing at the line vs the rest of the approach

Post by weunice »

Relatively new coach here ... been doing it on and off for about 3 years with mostly small children. Now I am coaching high school kids.

I worked a student today who is brand new and has late timing. With her, I was working on getting the ball out with the first step rather than the second. I had another student working on spares with me that I filmed to watch later today.

This kid has a 4 step delivery. He pushes out low, knees bent, with a long first and second step. The ball is at the height of his backswing at the end of the 2nd step. The 3rd step is really short and then he has a long slide. His timing is fine at the end. His finish position is balanced at the line (most of the time).

If I showed you his first two steps you would think he would fall down. It is almost uncomfortable to watch. Then again, his brain and body seem to make it work. Honestly, I intend to leave it alone and work on other things with him ... but I want to know if that is a mistake.

Should I worry about how he got there as long as he can consistently produce a balanced and repeatable finish? Am I impressing the timing issue that I was working with the other student onto him because he doesn't line up exactly with the standard look for a 4 step approach?
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deanchamp
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Re: Timing at the line vs the rest of the approach

Post by deanchamp »

It's a bit hard to tell without seeing the video. How high is his backswing? If the ball is at the top of the backswing by the end of his 2nd step, then he will likely have early timing at the start of his slide and at the the foul line. Has he stopped sliding before he releases the ball? I'm guessing he probably hasn't. How stable is his upper body during the release - does his head drop as he releases the ball?

These factors are important along with balance at the line, so he can be efficient with his body motion and transfer of energy to the ball.
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