5 Important Questions You Might Have About Pitching

by Dick Mills on September 23, 2009

Is pitching instruction today working to improve overall pitching performance, velocity, mechanics, and control while reducing the risk of pitching arm injuries? 

Here are 5 questions about baseball pitching that many parents, coaches and players may be asking themselves:

• Do you wonder why coaches want to slow down your delivery when your arm has to move fast?
• Does stepping to the side, lift to balance or tall and fall sound like it could produce the fastest human motion in sports - a pitcher's arm accelerating?
• If adding strength or getting bigger and stronger is important for improving pitching velocity how does 5'10" 170 lbs. skinny Tim Lincecum reach 95-100 mph?
• If major league baseball is doing everything right why have pitching skills seemed to have declined while arm injuries continue to skyrocket?
• If pitch counts, arm care exercises or long toss work to improve arm strength or reduce pitching arm injuries why do 45% of Little League pitchers and 60% of high school pitch with pain?

Video analysis of a pitcher's motion is the key to pitching improvement...not pitching drills. And so isn't building functionial strength and flexibility. This is what I have been focusing on in our Explosively Pitching DVD program since 2004.  We teach parents how to help their sons use their bodies to pitch instead of just their arms. And how to get specifically stronger for pitching without losing flexibility. Not only does this improve velocity but reduces the risk of arm injuries. http://www.pitching.com/products/

"My 14 year old son's velocity jumped 12 mph, his control improved dramatically and his arm pain vanished. For the first time since he has been pitching, he finally understands what he is doing...what causes the ball to do what it does and how his body functions to be effective...now that is priceless." Mark A Smith, Downers Grove, IL