PitchingAce Tips Page

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WHY YOU SHOULD NOT PITCH FROM THE TOP OF THE RUBBER

In our pitching teaching we find a lot of players make the mistake of pitching from the top of the rubber. This is not a good idea. It annoys the space aliens and throws them off their game. You don't want to mess with them. They have ray guns, you've only got a bat!

"It is erroneously believed that the pitcher should pitch from the top of the rubber. That is not so. Pitching from the top of the rubber will actually mess up your balance and mechanics.

If the essence of pitching is balance, pitching off the rubber will force the pitcher to fight for his balance. If the pitcher is to be effective, balance must be maintained from the beginning of the delivery to the end of the delivery.

He wants to have his balance and not have to think about it or work at it. Pitching from the top of the rubber creates just such a situation. The pitcher will be working to maintain his balance, while at the same time trying to keep his mechanics. It can't be done.

It is believed that the pitcher will get more velocity while pitching off the rubber and thus pushing off the rubber. The power in pitching comes from hip rotation and flexing the torso. In this way the pitcher creates a whipping action of the throwing arm and hand, after setting up a firm base with your foot plant.

Plant your posting leg in front of the rubber, with the side of the foot in contact with the rubber."

Ref: The Louisville Slugger Complete Book of Pitching. Doug Myers and Mark Gola. 2000, pg 22

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MAXIMIZING VELOCITY

The secret to velocity is speed, timing and a smooth delivery.

Pitching, like golf, is a skill sport. It is not a strength sport. Pitching is about the speed of the body. It is about how fast the pitcher gets his belt buckle turned from the side to the front. The faster the pitcher moves the belt buckle from the side to the front, the faster the arm comes around to deliver the pitch.

Remember, the pitcher wants his body to move fast, exceedingly fast, through space. The faster the pitcher moves through space, the higher the velocity of his pitch.

Add to this all parts of the body moving in sequence, just the way the body is meant to move, and you've added the smoothness to the delivery. Those two components combined, work to upset the hitter's timing.

A perfect example of this is major league pitcher, Mariano Rivera. His delivery is so smooth and effortless the ball seems to be moving faster than it actually is. And because the batter is timing Rivera's delivery, the effortlessness and smoothness of the delivery actually upsets his timing.

What About the Weight Room?

The weight room will actually disrupt a pitcher's delivery by creating imbalance and flexibility problems.

Because pitching is about speed, and not about strength, as the body moves faster, it cannot use the strength it has. It is the same with a sprinter. The only strength the sprinter needs is to get himself off the blocks. Once he's out of the blocks, it's all about speed. In the same way, the only strength the pitcher needs is to accelerate his core during the middle of his delivery. So, pumping iron is a waste of time. A pitcher will better use his time by pitching. Pitching, pitching, pitching, to train the body move faster.

"Remember, the pitcher is trying to move a five ounce baseball, not a fifty pound medicine ball. We do that by getting all the parts moving in a smooth sequence."

What Kind of Training Should a Pitcher Have?

"Speed training is what is needed to maximize a pitcher's effectiveness. The pitcher wants to get from his back foot to his front foot, to get that belt buckle turned from side to front in the fastest possible way."

Ref: Did Mills' Explosive Pitching (DVD)

To Throw a Ball 90 mph.

The speed of the ball is important in winning the game. There is a proper way to get speed.

"To throw a ball ninety miles an hour, the hand behind it must be moving the same speed. Think about it: the arm and the hand hold the ball—a yard of human bone, sinew and muscle—go from zero to ninety miles an hour in less than a tenth of a second. The hand stops; the ball flies. In sports like javelin throwing and cricket, the hurler develops speed by running toward the target. The baseball pitcher works from a standing start, giving the ball momentum out of the force of his own body movement, the energy of swivel and whip.

Throwing a ball is not just in the arm and hand. The pitching motion is a coordinated launch maneuver, from legs to hips to trunk to arm to forearm to hand to fingertips. As each body segment moves, the next picks up the speed of the one driving it and adds more speed until the ball is released."

Ref: The Hurlers, p58

A ball thrown at ninety miles per hour is traveling 132 feet per second.

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IMPORTANCE OF A LONG STRIDE IN THE FRONT LEG

When a pitcher lands and braces up against the front side, the stride length is app. 87 – 90% of the pitcher's height, sometimes more, depending on the development of the pitcher.

A pitcher can stride out as far as he wants, as long his head stays over the front knee. If the stride is too long, the ball will to into the ground.

Why a pitcher needs a long stride.

Think of a pitcher's body as a huge rubber band, the more you pull the rubber band back, the further the distance it will go. If you shorten the distance you pull back on the rubber band, the shorter the distance it will go.

What this means to a pitcher is the longer the stride, the more the velocity, the shorter the stride, the less the velocity. In other words, this is critical to a pitcher's velocity, and translates into more or less velocity.

Getting out on that front leg also gets the arm up into the proper throwing position. It gets it up on top. The pitcher's arm comes up and over and what that means is that when you are top that way, the ball in being thrown in a downward direction, which is the right form for throwing a baseball properly. Pitching, is, after all, throwing downhill.

"We want a long stride to use the body's elastic energy. If a pitcher gets into a long stride, as most power pitchers do, they use all the elastic energy of their body. Once they land on that long stride and they close up, all their energy goes into rotation and bringing the arm through".

Ref: Dick Mills, Pitching.com

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LAND ON A FLEXIBLE FRONT LEG

I can't stress how important it is to land of a flexible front leg. It is one of the five absolutes of pitching.

"The key to incorporating the lower body into the art of pitching lies in flexibility of the legs, especially the font leg (the left leg in a right-handed pitcher and the right leg in a left-handed pitcher).

"After nearly two decades of major-league experience and close observation of my fellow moundsmen, I cannot emphasize enough how important a flexible front leg is to aspiring pitchers. If you keep your front leg stiff while delivering the baseball, the lower half of the body works against the upper half. It is likely that in a few years the only delivery you will be capable of is the mail delivery.

"Whereas a right-handed pitcher derives his power from his rear right leg, the left leg bears the brunt of every pitch as it is released. The more flexible that front leg can be trained to be, the less the strain you will place on your delicate shoulder and arm muscles.

It may be easier to throw with a stiff front leg. It takes a lot of concentration and much more physical effort to incorporate your lower body in every pitch. You may even have thrown several no-hitters in high school and shutouts in the lower minor leagues off a stiff front leg. Ultimately, however, the odds on injury to your upper body, especially your arm and shoulder, will increase.

One of the most dangerous side effects of throwing off a stiff front leg is the bullwhipping reaction of your throwing arm. After each pitch, the arm coils back on itself like a rubber band that had been snapped violently.

To correct landing on a stiff front leg, keep most of the weight on the right foot (right-handed pitcher), throughout most of the motion so you can land more flexibly on the left foot.

Don't wait for an injury to develop before developing proper mechanics. Perfect good habits early in your career. The longer you retain a bad habit, the more difficult it will be to break and correct that habit."

Ref: The Art of Pitching, Tom Seaver, 1984, pg 60

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METABOLIC WASTE AND SHOULDER STIFFNESS

Lactic Acid is carried in the bloodstream and accumulates in the muscles during periods of strenuous activity when the body cannot fully keep up with the muscles’ demand for oxygen. At one level this process results in the minor muscle soreness and stiffness experienced by weekend athletes. But if too much lactic acid enters the muscles, they will cramp and ultimately be unable to move at all. A well-conditioned professional athlete can still compete—his muscles will still contract—with considerable amounts of lactic acid in his system. However, the sooner the lactic acid in converted through stretching and exercises into carbon dioxide and water and exhaled through the lungs, the healthier the athlete will be. A major purpose of the small weight work and the trainer-assisted exercises in to free your body of unwanted substances like lactic acid.

Information Compiled from book: The Art of Pitching, Tom Seaver

Dealing effectively with Metabolic Waste

To get rid of Micro trauma in the joints

Run for 20 minutes to get rid of metabolic waste

20 minutes of cardiovascular activity

Flushes out injured arm with new oxygen in the blood

If there is inflammation, use ice.

Ref: Conditioning Manual, p140-150

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SUGGESTED PITCH COUNT AND RECOVERY TIME

The number of pitches thrown is more important that the number of innings.

The maximum number of pitches allowed in one outing should increase with age.

A pitcher should be limited to two appearances per week (well spread apart).

Compared to younger pitchers, older pitchers can throw more pitches given the same number of rest days.

The participation in multiple leagues should be figured into rest and recovery.

A child can start throwing a fastball at 8, a change-up at 10, and a curveball at 15.

Improper technique is a major factor in injury.

Conditioning of the arm and the entire body can reduce injury.

While the number of pitches should be limited, the younger pitcher should be encouraged to throw.

When symptoms of arm discomfort or fatigue arise, longer periods of rest are recommended. (But start rehab right away using the tubing exercises).

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Basic Checkpoints of a Proper Delivery

1. Keep your head over your pivot foot throughout the entire delivery.

2. Don't start any forward momentum toward home plate until your lift leg reaches its apex.

3. Lift—don't kick—your leg up to its maximum height.

4. Maintain your hands at the center of gravity—from belly button to upper chest level.

5. Maintain the same upper body posture you achieve in the balance phase of the delivery.

6. Always adhere to "tall and fall" (taking a controlled fall toward home plate in the tall posture you achieved at balance), instead of "dip and drive" (pushing off the rubber as you reach your balance, dipping down, and then releasing the baseball).

7. As you begin to move toward home plate, make sure your entire front side—foot, hip, elbow, knee, and glove—is aligned with home plate.

This is what is known as a closed, compact delivery. Hips must stay directional (toward home plate), until the landing leg hits; all hip rotation takes place after this point.

8. Land with your front side directional but your landing foot "closed off" -- a right hander's left big toe should point slightly toward the third-base side of home plate; a left hander's right big toe should point slightly toward the first-base side of home plate -- blocking off your forward movement. This transfers your forward momentum up through the body and into the arm at your release point, and ultimately ensures a less stressful deceleration of the arm.

Points of Emphasis:

Movement toward home plate starts once the leg lift reaches its apex. Head stays in line with the front knee in the launch position, eyes are on the target.

Stay as closed as long as possible. In a closed delivery the hitter has less time to see the ball. By standing tall on the mound, it is difficult for the hitter to pick up the release point. Pitchers who stand tall and explode to the plate, never have problems with weight transfer.

Information Compiled from book: Nolan Ryan's Pitcher’s Bible.

"That which you do not know, the doing will quickly teach you."
-- Lao Tzu

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FOUR ABSOLUTES OF PITCHING

Balance, Direction, Deception/Launch, Weight Transfer
--Tom House

1. Balance:

Balance is a pitcher's ability to stabilize his center of gravity. You have to position your body to direct all your energy straight toward home plate. There's no angular momentum, nothing to throw you off course.

Ideal balance is the same for every pitcher. The balance point occurs when you lift your leg to its maximum height and your hands are aligned at the center of gravity--between chin and belly button. Ideally, hand and glove are just above the lift knee at this stage. Your head is directly over your pivot foot.

You want your posture as tall as possible. The taller you are in the balance position, the more angle downward in the trajectory of the ball you'll have at the release point--and the harder it will be for the hitter to see the pitch.

2. Direction:

Once you achieve optimal balance, begin a controlled fall toward home plate, your front foot leading the way. Your hands will break naturally; turn your thumbs under to force your elbows up into launching position. Your entire front side--glove, elbow, shoulder, hip, knee, and foot--should be perfectly directional and on line with home plate. There's no rotation of the torso yet, no violent movements to displace ideal direction.

Think of the body as a gate that moves together as a single unit--no part of the gate should fly open as you advance toward home plate. If the pitcher opens up--hip rotating out toward first or third base-he'll place undue stress on the throwing arm while limiting the efficiency and power of the delivery.

3. Deception/Launch:

These two components work in tandem. Your throwing and front side elbows will both attain shoulder height at the launch phase. Let your forearms and hands form a 90 degree angle (in relation to upper arm), to maximize arm strength and leverage. The forearm, wrist, and glove on your front side, if they are properly aligned, will impede the hitter's view of your pitching arm in its launch position--this is the deception element of the equation. That front arm will delay the hitter's picking up your release point. (This is a common trait of pitchers considered "sneaky-fast." Mariano Rivera is a good example of this.)

4. Weight Transfer:

This intangible of mechanics accomplished in a few distinct stages. Once your throwing elbow leads the throwing arm forward, your strong side replaces the directional side as weight is transferred to the landing leg. Your shoulders pass each other in opposite directions. Your head stays directly over the bent knee of your landing leg--again, to maximize leverage.

Here is what happens at the release point: Your throwing arm--and wrist--snaps straight to full extension, then the palm rotates the thumb down and out, away from the body, as the ball leaves the fingertips. At this precise moment all acceleration ends and deceleration begins. Weight transfer is completed as your head and upper body are pulled past the knee of your landing leg. This final coup de grace allows the forces of deceleration to be transferred from the arm, through the upper torso, into the lower back and finally to the legs, rather than compelling the shoulder to bear the brunt of resistance.

A 200 pound pitcher generates 1,200 pounds of force when the landing leg strikes. A mechanically efficient hurler--one who understands the four essentials of pitching--translates that energy up through the entire upper body. If, however, you rush your delivery, spin out of direction or fail to transfer your weight properly, then you are likely a candidate for stiffness and soreness in the rear deltoid (shoulder), area.

The other common injuries tied to mechanical inefficiency are a tender elbow or strained front deltoid muscle. These elements are often the result of drifting toward home plate while lifting the leg (before it reaches its apex), or rotating toward third or first base during the controlled fall. When you don't rotate your hips properly or when you fly open, your arm and shoulder have to make up for the mistakes of the body. Pitching is tough enough without adding to the stress.

Information Compiled from book: Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible.

"That which you do not know, the doing will quickly teach you."
-- Lao Tzu

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GAME ADJUSTMENTS

I. Game Adjustments with the Fast Ball

PROBLEM CAUSED BY ADJUSTMENT

A. Wild High Rushing
Over-striding.


Low cocked position.

Slow lead arm action.
Keep weight back.
Shorten stride, flex more at the waist.

Break hands earlier, get hand up.

Drive lead elbow down and back earlier.

B. Wild Inside
(RHP to RHH;
LHP to LHH) Stride too closed.
Lack of trunk rotation.


Low cocked position.

Improper grip.

Early pronation of hand.

Flails arm behind body


Front side flies open.
Stride straight to plate
Forward and inward drive of the back knee.

Get hand up during backswing.

Balance ball with grip.

Keep fingers behind ball.

Flex elbow on way up; proper alignment.

Drive front shoulder toward plate.

C. Wild Low Stride too short.
Upper body dives in.


Arm circle too small.
Push off rubber earlier.
Lead with front hip, not front shoulder.

Use a down, back and up arm path.

D. Wild Outside Body tilts too much to side.
Fingers on the side of the ball.


Lands on a stiff front leg, falls away.
Lead with front hip and shoulder.
Keep fingers directly behind the ball.

Land flexed, then brace up leg.

E. Lack of Movement Thumb on side of ball.
Wrist and forearm muscles too tense.

Bringing 3rd finger up on the side of ball too much.

4 Seam grip for control and velocity.
Keep thumb under fingers.
Use a firm grip, but loose wrist and forearm.

Flex ring finger, use only to stabilize ball.

2 Seam grip for movement.

F. Lack of Normal Velocity Ball gripped too tight or too deep.
Rushing – body ahead of the arm.
Firm grip, loose wrist, space between thumb and finger.
Close up, keep weight back.

II. Game Adjustments with the Curve Ball (RHP)

PROBLEM CAUSED BY ADJUSTMENT

A. Poor Break Wrist and forearm tense.

Ball choked in hand.


Fingers on side of ball.
Firm finger pad pressure, but wrist and forearm relaxed.
Leave space so the thumb can flick up over ball.

Get fingers on top of ball.

B. Hanging Curve ball (continuously high) Low cocked position.
Overstriding -- lack of flexion at waist.

Lack of hand speed.

Get hand & elbow up like Fb.
Drive head and shoulders down over lead leg.

Think fastball until arm accelerates forward. Turn palm inward to face head.

C. Curve ball in dirt (continuously low) Arm circle too short.
Upper body leads (dives).

Rushes motion.

Release too close to head (12-6) rotation.
Use normal arm swing.
Lead with front hip.


Stay back as on fast ball.

Hand wider at release. (1-7 rotation).

D. Loss of Normal Velocity. Wrist curled inward.
Ball gripped too loosely.

Ball choked in hand.


Hand turned inward too much.
Hand and wrist in neutral position.
Firm finger pad pressure.


Leave space between thumb and 1st finger.

Open palm of hand slightly toward hitter.

III. Game Adjustments with the Change-up (RHP)

PROBLEM CAUSED BY ADJUSTMENT

A. Control Problems (High) Slowed arm speed.
Lifts fingers too early.

Low cocked position.
Normal Fb arm speed.
Relax fingers at release

Get to normal high cocked position.

B. Control Problems
(RHP to RHH) Arm slot too wide.
Poor hip and trunk rotation.

Early pronation of hand.
Stay on top of the ball.
Square body off to plate.


Pronation upon release.

C. Too Much Velocity Too much backside drive.
Grip too firm.

Too much wrist flexion forward.

Arm slot too wide.
Collapse body upon release, don't brace lead leg.
Loose grip, lift fingers.

Pronate hand, or stiff wrist.


Move arm slot in toward head.

Information Compiled from Bill Thurston's Pitching Manual
Coach Bill Thurston, Amherst College
Pitching Consultant, ASMI

"That which you do not know, the doing will quickly teach you."
-- Lao Tzu

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THOUGHTS ON THE FASTBALL

“It doesn’t matter how fast you throw, everything works off the command, not the velocity, of the fastball.”

“As long as you can learn how to control your fastball and mix it in with some combination of changeup, curveball and such, you can pitch, and win, at any level.”

—Leo Mazzoni, Pitch Like a Pro, p59

The pitch most thrown in major-league baseball is the fastball.

More outs are recordeded every game on the fastball than any other single pitch

It is the basic pitch

Every other pitch is a variation

Every pitcher, whether a knuckleball pitcher or a fastball pitcher, throws a fastball, yet not every pitcher throws a knuckleball, a slider, or even a curveball. Therefore, the fastball is the most important pitch.

If he’s a fastball pitcher, he needs the fastball to get most of his outs.

If he’s a breaking-ball pitcher, he needs a fastball to offset his breaking-balls.

More than any other pitch, the fastball must be worked on if the pitcher is to learn to throw his fastball harder than he imagines he can.

It must be worked constantly so that he is able to throw it so that it does not merely approach the plate in a straight line, but at the last second, takes an additional rise, dip, or tail.

A good fastball is the best pitch in baseball, and it needs a well-developed motion

A motion that will give the pitcher the ability to synchronize his arm speed with his body’s forward momentum.

"That which you do not know, the doing will quickly teach you."
-- Lao Tzu

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IF YOU WANT TO BE A SUCCESSFUL PITCHER...
Here are a few things to keep in mind

As a pitcher, you have a job to do that requires 100 percent of your mental energy and 100 percent of your physical energy. You have a game to play, and you must put everything else out of your mind.

Pitching is not a job for the physically timid or the mentally lazy.

You must maintain constant concentration on the task at hand.

The essence of a pitcher’s challenge is the constant one-on-one confrontation between pitcher and hitter. All real pitchers thrive on it, live for it.

How you handle the baseball determines how well you do, how much you succeed. You must develop the feel for it that an artist has for his paintbrush.

A pitcher who can make his ball move and control its destination has the potential to master the art of pitching. However, such mastery comes only through infinite patience and constant practice.

THE ART OF PITCHING, Tom Seaver

"That which you do not know, the doing will quickly teach you."
-- Lao Tzu

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THE DELIVERY

Basic Pitching Mechanics from the Wind-up Position

Preliminary Stance

The pitcher should have good balance, be relaxed and squared off to the plate. The pivot foot spikes should be in front of the rubber and slightly open. The free foot should be slightly behind the pivot foot and about shoulder width apart. The pitching hand and wrist should be held deep inside the glove, hiding the grip and ball from the batter and coaches.

The Pump

The pitcher may use an over-the-head motion, or a compact chest high pump. If a pitcher has balance or coordination problems, we prefer the compact wind-up because there is less movement and fewer things to go wrong.

The Rocker Step

The rocker step should be a soft, short step back with the free foot at about a 45 degree angle. For good balance, the head should stay over the pivot foot and the center of the body.

The Pivot Foot

The pivot foot should be pivoted to the parallel position off the front edge of the rubber. A RHP usually pitches from the right half of the rubber, the LHP from the left half. This position helps the pitcher’s stride in a straight line to home plate and also improves the angle of the breaking pitch from a RHP to a RHB, and LHP to a LHH.

Leg Lift

The lead leg knee should be lifted up, not kicked or swung up which puts many pitchers out of balance. Let the free foot hang straight down from the knee. Rotate the front hip closed to at least a 90 degree angle. Keep the weight back over a fairly straight, firm posting leg to maintain balance. Do not allow the body to drift forward until the lead leg reaches maximum height or starts to move downward. A pitcher may lift his lead knee up to the chest area if he can maintain good balance in the posting position.

Hand Break

The hands should break apart between the letters and the belt near the midline and fairly close to the body. The hands break apart when the lead leg starts downward. The throwing hand should go down, back, then up toward the cocked position in a continuous motion keeping the fingers on top of the ball. The glove hand moves forward and upward toward the hitter.

Lead-Arm Action

Good lead-arm action helps proper shoulder alignment, trunk arching and flexion, and a good trunk rotation. High glove action can be deceptive to the hitter. There are two basic methods of developing effective lead arm action:

Fire the glove and lead arm toward the late and following stride foot contact, violently whip the glove and elbow down and back outside the lead hip. Do not allow the glove to go far behind the lead hip.

Lead with the elbow right at the plate, and following the stride foot contact, whip the elbow down and back outside the lead hip.

The Stride.

As the stride leg lowers, the lad foot should move downward (not be swung out) and slide just above the mound surface. The body should just drift forward. The pitcher should not push off the rubber until the stride foot has landed stabilizing the body. Actually, it is a pulling action of the hip flexors and a pull of the back knee forward and inward not a push-off from the rubber.

Stride direction. Measuring from the ball of the pivot foot directly to home plate, the ball of the stride foot should land within one to two inches across the mid-line (closed). This direction helps to keep the front side closed and yet does not overly prevent good hip and trunk rotation.

Stride length. Measuring from the front edge of the rubber to the tow of the stride foot, the length of the stride is usually close to the pitcher’s height. A long stride is not a problem if the pitcher can get his head and shoulders over the lead leg at the time of ball release.

Landing foot position. The pitcher should land on the ball of the stride foot, or flat footed. The toes should point slightly in a closed position. If the pitcher lands hard on the hell, the foot will usually fly open which causes the hips and trunk to rotate open too soon. It may also cause the pitcher to get onto a stiff front let too early which causes a recoil action, pr puts him out of proper balance and alignment during the acceleration phase. This negatively affects control and pitch velocity.

Transfer of weight.

Nearly all pitchers have a problem with rushing their motion. Rushing means that the body has moved forward toward the plate too early, causing the arm position to be too low at the time of stride foot contact and arm acceleration. What I have observed in power pitchers is that the weight is held back over a firm posting leg until the lead leg starts downward. The lead foot comes downward a little more than shoulder width apart and slides along the ground to the contact area. The upper body and the head stays at the top center of the widening triangle of the body. The body has only drifted, or fallen forward. There is no major push or drive until the front foot has stabilized the body.

Landing leg position. Upon firm stride foot placement, the lead leg lift is flexed at the knee at about a 135 degree angle. As the trunk is rotated to a squared off throwing position, the lead leg starts to brace-up so there is a firm base, a firm front side to rotate up against.

Rotational forces of the Hips, Trunk and Shoulders.

The bracing action of the lead leg stops the body from continuing to move forward, allowing the hips, trunk and shoulders to generate tremendous horizontal rotation and centrifugal forces which produce great arm and hand speed, and thus ball velocity. Many young pitchers, 14-18, after foot contact, allow their lead knee to stay flexed and actually continue to drift forward. This prevents good rotational forces and causes a loss of power and velocity.

Trunk Extension to Flexion.

As the high velocity pitcher moves to his maximum cocked position, there is an arching of the spine. This becomes much more pronounced as the trunk rotates squaring off to the plate. The check is thrust out and the spine arched back. Upon acceleration and release, the trunk springs from extension to flexion and the head and shoulders come over a braced lead leg. This action generates additional force, power, and proper alignment.

Arm Action.

At this point in analyzing the pitching motion, let’s focus only on the throwing arm action. I sincerely believe this is one of the least studied and discussed phases of pitching; yet, it is one of the most important aspects of throwing a baseball. It is also a phase in which many improper techniques such as wrist hooking, arm hooking, flailing behind the back, stiff arming, etc., can occur and severely limit a pitcher’s potential performance. Again, through the study of high speed video of professional, college and high school pitchers, I have discovered common traits of high velocity successful pitchers, and have seen common faults with pitchers who either cannot throw hard, have control problems, or have experienced arm injuries.

In the following section, I will cover only the techniques observed in high velocity successful pitchers. The arm action begins with the hands breaking apart so we need to go back to that point of the motion.

Hand Break. The pitching hand breaks the downward out of the glove between the letters and the belt near the midline of the body as the lead leg moves downward. The fingers should stay on top of the ball and the wrist is either in a neutral position (hand straight with the forearm), or extended back slightly.

Arm Path. The path of the throwing hand should go down, back, and up in a continuous controlled motion with the fingers staying on top of the ball. Some hard throwing pitchers short-arm the back swing (never fully extend the arm). Most drop the hand to a near-full arm extended position as it drops downward from the hand break. But, both types of pitchers flex the elbow early (reducing the arc of the circle), allowing the hand to get up into a high cocked position quickly and efficiently. During arm swing, the hand and arm should be generally aligned with the body and shoulders (in a line between home plate and second base).

Early Cocking Position. Upon stride foot contact, the pitching hand should be approximately cap high, and the hand of a RHP will be slightly closer to third base than the elbow. The hand and forearm should be extended back (toward second base), slightly further than the elbow, with fingers on top of the ball.

Maximum Cocked Position. At this point, the body is ready to rotate and square off. Most pitchers will have the ball cap high and above, the elbow shoulder high, and the forearm nearly perpendicular to the ground with the palm of the hand facing the shortstop (RHP). LHP’s palm faces the second baseman. The wrist is extended back slightly in a loaded position.

Acceleration Phase. As the hips, trunk and shoulders rotate and square off to the plate, the shoulder externally rotates. The elbow leads forward. The forearm and hand then fires forward, coming outside of the elbow. The trunk goes from extension (arched back), to flexion. The arm and hand accelerate to the release point.

Release Point. As the hand comes parallel to and crosses the trunk and face, the wrist snaps from an extended back to a neutral position at release. The fingers are right behind and on top of the ball and angled outward close to 45 degrees. The body flexes at the waist over a braced front leg. Upon release, the hand and arm will naturally pronate as the arm starts to decelerate.

Deceleration of the arm. This is the time of great force and stress in the posterior shoulder muscles. There should be a long smooth continuous arc of deceleration and a transfer of forces onto the major muscle groups of the trunk and legs.

Follow through (of the body). The body weight is brought onto the braced lead leg and the throwing shoulder should come down over the lead leg with the hand and arm finishing down outside the lead leg shin. Pitchers may need to use a “jump step” to square off and control the body. The glove should be brought back in front of the body. The glove should be brought back in front of the body quickly to protect the pitcher and help field his position.

To save energy, and to help maintain a good visual perception of the plate, the pitcher should just back up on the mound when receiving the return throw from the catcher. This allows him to stay n a good pitching rhythm.

Basic Pitching Mechanics from the Set Position

Of course, the top priority for a pitcher is to get the batter out. But, with the aggressive running style of today’s game, the pitcher must also be adept at holding runners. The left hand pitcher has a major advantage when pitching form the set position with a runner at first base. Not only is the left hander facing the runner, but he does not have a change or adjust is leg lift, hand break, or arm action. The RHP needs to lower and quicken the leg lift, quicken the arm action, vary his motion, and unload the pitch as quickly as possible to help the catcher. With a runner at second base, the LHP should quicken up and adjust his delivery.

Position on the rubber.

The pivot foot is in front of and parallel to the rubber with only the outside edge of the instep actually touching the rubber.

The RHP words from the right half of the rubber, the LHP from the left half. This angle threatens a RHH vs. RHP, and LHH vs. LHP, and enhances the angle of the breaking pitch.

Stance.

We prefer the pitcher to be upright, balanced, and relaxed when taking the sign. Hands must be clearly part with the pitching hand at the side or back.

We prefer that young pitchers hold the ball in the pitching hand for feel and grip, plus it gives the pitcher a quick pick-off move. The pitcher adjusts the grip for various pitches as he brings the hands together.

The Stretch.

The pitcher can take his stretch in various ways, but we prefer the pitcher to use a little forward, then backward rocker step for body rhythm, relaxation and balance. The feet should be about shoulder width apart.

The pitcher must come to a complete stop, or use a change of direction with his hands.

Stop at least above the belt. We prefer the RHP to stop between the letters and the chin so the pitcher can break the hands downward and not bounce the hands up as he starts his motion.

During the stop, the front shoulder and front hip should be closed and aligned directly to the plate. Check the runner, and vary the looks and the holding time.

The Leg Lift.

The RHP must quicken up and reduce the height of his lead leg lift. A good technique to use is to bring the lead knee back to the pivot leg thigh area which transfers the body weight over the pivot leg. A little leg lift is necessary to allow time for a pitching arm to make its normal arm swing to the cocked position, and to transfer some body weight and momentum back before starting the body forward.

The Hand Break and Arm motion.

The hands should break down along the mid-line of the body between the letters and the belt. The action of the pitching arm should be down, back and up, exactly the same as in the wind-up. The RHP may want to break the hands on the first downward movement.

The LHP may use a lot more preliminary hand action of up and down to hold and deceive the runner (runner on first only), but the RHP must break quickly to get the hand up into a good cocked position and unload the ball quickly.

After hand break, the pitcher’s motion and arm action should be the same as from the wind-up.

Use of the Slide Step Technique.

This is an effective pitching technique to control base runners, but should be used sparingly because it necessitates a change in arm action, causes more stress on the shoulder, and often negatively affects control

It’s effective to use occasionally on pitch-outs, on high percentage steal attempt situations, and is a good way to vary the pitching rhythm to prevent runners from getting a consistent read on the pitcher.

Special Situations where Pitchers Should Pitch from the Set Position.

Runner on third, less than two outs. Take away the squeeze attempt.

Bases loaded, three-two count, two outs. Keep the force-out in order.

When certain pick-off lays have been called.

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AIR CURRENT AND THE CURVEBALL

The speed of the air moving past the ball's surface is the trick to a curveball. As the ball spins, its top surface moves in the same direction in which the air moves. At the bottom of the ball, the ball's surface and the air move in opposite directions. So the velocity of the air relative to that of the ball's surface is larger on the bottom of the ball.

The higher velocity difference puts more stress on the air flowing around the bottom of the ball. That stress makes air flowing around the ball break away from the ball's surface sooner. The air then travels at the top of the spinning ball, subject to less stress due to the lower velocity difference, can hang onto the ball's surface longer before breaking away.

When a pitcher releases a curveball, the pitchers grip will put a spin on the ball. As the ball moves through the air it experiences a force called drag or air resistance.

If the ball isn’t rotating the drag will only make it go slower. For a baseball, when it is rotating, the force of the drag is different at different points of its path. The air friction is less on one side of the ball and because of that the ball tends to curve.

Something else that helps a baseball to rotate or spin is the roughness of the ball. If the stitches on the baseball weren’t on the ball the ball would be really smooth. If that were the case any of the special pitches such as the curveball wouldn’t be possible. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, as the spinning ball throws the air down, the air pushes the ball up in response. A ball thrown with backspin will get a little bit of lift.

"A major league curveball can veer as much as 171/2 inches from a straight line by the time it crosses the plate. Over the course of a pitch, the deflection from a straight line increases with distance from the pitcher. So curveballs do most of their curving in the last quarter of their trip. Considering that it takes less time for the ball to travel those last 15 feet (about 1/6 of a second) than it takes for the batter to swing the bat (about 1/5 of a second), hitters must begin their swings before the ball has started to show much curve. No wonder curveballs are so hard to hit." (http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/)

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FLAWS IN THE DELIVERY WILL CAUSE:

Landing on the Heel:

Jars the delivery, making it impossible to land softly.

Makes it hard to follow-through

The foot is so far out in front of the body it is hard to catch up with it and throw over the leg: a full follow-through is impossible.

Swinging Leg Kick:

The body starts toward the plate while the leg is still swinging back, leaving the arm behind, causing arm drag.

Too much hip rotation:

The body starts to the plate before the leg has caught up.

The leg has to try to catch up to try to catch the body.

Causes arm-drag and inefficient timing.

Makes the body start toward the plate before the leg is ready. This knocks off timing. The leg cannot catch up with/to the rest of the body. In other words, there are two things going on at the same time/ the two are not working together. /and the leg cannot catch up as a result. The body starts moving toward the plate before the leg is ready, the timing is off for the leg and it cannot catch up

If the arm is dragging, the shoulder is taking the brunt of the pressure. That’s an imbalance and that imbalance has to be compensated for somewhere in the body. In this case, the shoulder.

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BALANCE, TIMING AND CONTROL

"Establishing good balance and body position is an essential ingredient of good pitching. It allows the pitcher to be less reliant on timing, a quality not constant enough to be reliable." ---Randy Vorhees, Ref: Coaching the Little League Pitcher, Intro, p.x

Every good pitcher, every successful pitcher, has good timing and control. All the parts of the delivery are fully synchronized

All falling apart and then coming back together. It is all synchronized by good timing. Perfect timing. Or you may see an elegant pitcher and when you see that you’ll know what good timing is. Dwight Gooden is an excellent example of perfect timing.

There’s the perfect moment when you’ve stored all the energy for the pitch you are about to throw. You feel it. You know it. You come back, hold in your energy. The way you do that is to tighten like a spring. You coil back until you’ve gathered all your energy and then you spin and release it.

Proper hip rotation is so important that when used to its maximum effort, you are pitching with your highest velocity and control.

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WHAT PRO SCOUTS LOOK FOR WHEN DRAFTING A PITCHER

Velocity: This is a key component. It doesn’t mean you have to throw 90 mph because if you are a high school pitcher they will project whether this pitcher might throw harder later because of maturity and growth.

Movement: Does the ball sink, tail or is it straight? They definitely are looking for movement.

Overall mechanics: Is his delivery smooth with good rhythm? Is he low or high ¼ or over the top, sidearm or submarine? Is his delivery fluid or forced and labored?

Arm Action: Is it smooth and effortless? Does he get to full extension at ball release? Is his arm action herky-jerky or fluid? Does he look like an arm injury waiting to happen?

Breaking ball: Does the ball have good rotation and bite (sharpness) with good depth (two plain break)? How much does it break? Does he give it away or does he throw it from the same arm angle as his fastball?

Other pitches: Does the pitcher have any other pitches such as a change-up or splitter or forkball that he can control?

Change-up: This pitch is considered vital for success in professional baseball. How often does he use it, can he control it and what situations does he use it?

Control: Does the pitcher have some command of his pitches or is he just maxing out? It takes control to be successful at the professional level.

Type of pitcher: Is the pitcher overpowering, a finesse type with good control and does he know how to mix his pitches well?

Remember: with high a school pitcher, scouts will project. In other words, the pitcher has more time to develop. So, his low 80’s fastball might end up low 90’s five years from now.

Ref: Breaking Into the Big Leagues, Al Goldis and Rick Wolff. Leisure Press.

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PITCH CHART

Click here for printable PDF file of Pitch Chart.

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HARD HIT AVERAGE CHART

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Muscle Fiber Tears

It is normal that when you pitch, muscle fibers are torn. When you come to spring training, scar tissue adhesions have formed where muscles have been torn in pitching. What you have to do is to stretch those muscles out and break those adhesions. Even between starts, when the torn muscle fibers start to heal, you are going to have to stretch out some muscle fiber and get blood back in that area. This is why your arm feels extremely stiff when you first throw. The most important thing to do between starts is throw with your natural delivery. Don’t throw any differently than you do in an actual ball game.

-Jim Palmer, Pitching

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