L.A Times
Headlines
September 22, 2003 GEAR
A new spin on training pitchers
Jeannine Stein What's not seen in a pitcher's graceful arc of the arm
or the slight flick of the wrist are the hours of work and practice necessary
to make a pitch appear to be a combination of art and athleticism. Two
longtime pitching coaches have come up with devices to help pitchers perfect
their technique. Baseball Spin Right Spinner and the Perfect Circle: Cheri
Kempf, a private pitching coach in Nashville, found it difficult to teach
her students how to get the right spin on a variety of pitches. The problem,
Kempf says, was getting them to see the spin on the ball while it was
traveling. With the help of a physics professor at Vanderbilt University,
she designed the Spinner. The first version was for softball pitchers;
a new style is for baseball pitchers. The urethane disk is the same diameter
and weight as a baseball, and the shape makes it easier to see the axis
of the ball during the spin. The Perfect Circle is an elastic band that
fits around the upper thigh, with a square cotton flap that extends out
a few inches. When doing windmill pitches for softball, the arm should
touch the flap every time; going too far outside the plane can cause the
ball to go askew. "It's a muscle memory device," says Mike Fairchild,
a private softball pitching coach in Levittown, Penn., and inventor of
the device.
Jeannine Stein
L.B. Bailey
Former Pitching Coach Chinese Olympic Team,
Certified Ernie Parker Pitching Instructor
Endorsed By The International Softball Federation
The Perfect Circle
I think the Perfect Circle is a very good product. It helps teach the
pitchers, a lot of good fundamentals. Its very good in perfecting the
arm circle, its also good for pitchers to work on their pitches. One of
the most important things on throwing pitches is the arm has to stay in
tight to the body, and this product promotes that. I have found that this
product works specially good with the rise ball. I like the product, and
would deffanatly recommend it to pitchers young and old. It has a purpose
for both.
Pitching instructor
L.B. Bailey
To:
Mike Fairchild
From: Rom Holt
Re: The Perfect Circle
01/28/03
Mike,
I’ve been working with
your product, The Perfect Circle’, and I’d like to provide some feedback
on this training tool.
‘The Perfect Circle
may be the single best fastpitch softball-pitching tool I’ve come across
to date. Simple in design,
compact, easy to use, affordable, provides instant feedback and the bottom-line;
RESULTS! What’s not to like?
After pitching with it myself and using it with my students, I believe this should be a mandatory tool for all fastpitch-pitching students. Specifically, this tool allows the pitcher to receive instantaneous feedback on each pitch with respect to their arm position at the bottom of the circle. An arm position too far away from the thigh at the bottom can cause a whole host of problems, not the least of which include control problems, lack of speed and even worse may cause undue stress on the shoulder socket. Many pitching students, when learning the motion, simply do not notice their arm position. Without their instructor standing right there to tell them to bring the arm/hand tighter to the thigh at the bottom, they can develop improper muscle memory. By using The Perfect Circle, the students get instant feedback on their arm location and the improper muscle memory never becomes part of the equation. This tool actually allows you to prevent problems rather than correct problems. As an instructor, I’ll take prevention any day.
Thanks for creating this great training tool. The Perfect Circle is going to make the task of instructing just that much easier.
Ron Holt – Owner/Instructor
Windpitch: Windmill Pitching Instructions
P.O. Box 923
Liberty Hill, TX 78642
www.windpitch.com
512-924-5488
SOFTBALL NEWS
Mike Fairchild, Inventor of THE PERFECT CIRCLE TRAINING SYSTEM
Jack Kislan, Executive Director of NASF
Mike Fairchild with Mike Walthall
Every now and then a product comes along that seems so simple and so effective that one says "Why didn't I think of that?" The Perfect Circle is just that type of product. Developed by Mike Fairchild an ASA Certified and former collegiate pitching coach, The Perfect Circle is designed to help a pitcher enhance her muscle memory. A flag is strapped to the pitchers leg and set up in her release zone. This allows the hand to contact the flag as the pitcher's hand passes by her leg. "It really aids in reinforcing the proper release point...on every type of pitch; fastball, change-up, curve, drop rise and screwball" stated Mike Fairchild, co-owner and inventor of the Perfect Circle. Mike and his partner, Ken Goodman were on hand at the NSA Pitching Clinic to demonstrate their invention. "I've had it sitting on my desk for seven years, finally with Ken's help we began marketing it in October" added Mike. The response has been tremendous, "Our website has really generated the majority of our sales but we gain added exposure by attending these clinics", added Ken Goodman. "It's a great training aid not just for new pitchers that might have developed bad habits" said Mike Fairchild. The Perfect Circle sells for $24.95 and comes with an instructional CD and a very handy carrying case that easily fits into a bat bag. "We'd like to think that this will become a standard piece of training equipment for every pitcher" added Ken Goodman.
