All About Pitching

Pitching Mechanics — The Balance Position And Pitching Velocity

If a pitcher moves faster will that adversely effect his pitching mechanics, his balance or his velocity?

If a pitcher wants to improve both is pitching mechanics and his pitching velocity then moving the body faster is one way to accomplish both.  Developing good pitching mechanics is not about moving slow.  Actually pitching mechanic faults are reduced the faster you move the body.  And when you move the body fast you improve pitching velocity...and control. 

But then you get questions about how pitching mechanics such as "the balance position" are effected by moving faster.  Won't you lose balance?

When kids first learn to ride a bike do they lose balance or gain balance as they start to pedal faster? They gain better balance by moving faster. This is also true when we apply it to pitching mechanics.  When we move the body faster we actually reduce the amount of pitching faults including pitching velocity and control. 

But what do coaches propose for nearly every pitching mechanics problem including  control problems?  Move slower.  This is wrong and by moving slower the pitcher will reduce the amount of momentum and thus his pitching velocity...and his control. 

I was recently asked by the father of an 11 year old Little League pitcher about how to build more forward momentum by stepping back to improve pitching velocity and if that would negatively effect his son's balance position. 

Here was my response:

Forget about the balance position. There is none. I stopped using that a long time ago. Don't let any coach have your son stop at the "balance" position or do the foolish balance drill where he is told to lift his leg and hold it there for 5 or 10 seconds.  This has ruined more pitcher's mechanics than any single thing being taught.  It is a dead heat as to which is worse...the balance drill or the towel drill.  I will discuss the towel drill in an upcoming article.

If a pitcher doesn't have good balance he is going to be falling off to one side or the other. He simply needs body awareness for fixing it. He will get body awareness by seeing himself on videotape.  Practicing being in the "balanced position" doesn't make sense because a pitcher is never stopped in any position during his delivery.  So instead of stopping or hesitating the pitcher simply needs to maintain good upright posture with his head and trunk as he moves his body sideways into landing. 

Focus on Posture...Not Balance 

Stepping back toward second base as the pitcher's first move only makes sense since this keeps the pitcher in a direct line toward the plate.  Why would you step to the side if you want to move forward? This actually makes no common sense.  If you want to jump across a small stream, do you step to the side first or do you step back?  You of course step back so you can develop momentum to get over the stream. And yet baseball coaches and instructors have it all backwards.  They have not given this much thought.

Think about what you are trying to get the body to do while pitching.

There should be only one goal - to get the body moving faster into landing while in a good throwing position. Nothing else can improve velocity assuming the pitcher is smooth which means sequencing his body properly.  If he steps to the side first he slows down his forward momentum. So stepping back first only makes good sense.

Out of the stretch you shift back and load as quickly as possible in order to put those muscles on stretch to then drive sideways into landing. You are quickly building energy.

Most Coaches Do Not Understand Pitching Mechanics

Most coaches will not like this because they do not understand how velocity is created or how balance fits into the equation and why it takes care of itself when you understand good posture and moving faster...like learning how to ride a bike.

Pitching coaches do not like the big rocker step back because they have all learned to use a small rocker step to the side and not let the head go behind the front foot. But notice what happens when you take that big rocker step back. You get a huge stretch in the entire core area and trunk which helps once you unload with more energy as you move into the pivot.

Many will be concerned with rushing the motion which is all controlled by adjusting the body position when the weight is shifted forward. Rushing the motion has nothing to do with body speed but body position where the trunk is too far forward upon landing.

Nolan Ryan's Big Leg Kick Actually Slowed Him Down 

If Nolan Ryan knew how forward momentum helped him and was the reason why he threw so hard he probably would not have lifted his leg up so high. If he just got it to waist height he would have gained much more. Energy going up is energy that cannot move toward the plate. However, you notice that Nolan Ryan continued to to move toward the plate the entire time he was lifting up.

Koufax did something similar to get him going.

And do not try to do what Nolan Ryan did. Do not copy him because you will not get good results.

You could end up losing velocity for a number of reasons. However, if a kid has good body orientation before moving sideways into landing then taking a big step back will jump his velocity as long as something else does not change.

Yes, the Japanese have been doing this stepping back for years but they loose the advantage of gaining more forward momentum by stopping or slowing down to a snails pace before they start their move away from the rubber.

So if you want better mechanics with better balance and more velocity then why not take a big step back toward second base to initiate your delivery and then watch the results.

The one caution...always seek to remove any slow movements or hesitation for maintaining forward momentum.  Slow movements and hesitation reduce velocity.

Dick

Don't Forget - My Complete Pitching Instruction program is the only complete "pitching clinic" home study course available that is backed by real sports science research. It's designed for parents, coaches, and players of all ages. Whether you're a pitcher just starting out, or an advanced pitcher looking for answers, we make it simple to understand for both the parent and pitcher.

"Dick’s program has given me the knowledge I need as a pitching coach to help young people succeed. I highly recommend it to any pitcher Little League through college. From mechanics to conditioning to the mental aspect, everything he does is top notch. His program helped our pitchers go 29-1, have a 0.80 ERA last season, and win a State Championship."

Banks Faulkner, Gilbert Indian Baseball, Gilbert, SC

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