Pitching Mechanics Arm Action - Why Throwing Later Increases Velocity
by Dick Mills on January 21, 2010
If pitchers want to improve their pitching mechanics and their velocity they must learn that it is the body that produces pitching velocity and not the arm. Plus most pitchers get the arm involved much too early in the throw and thus they end up trying to get to ball release quickly...rather than later. This has not proven to produce optimum velocity or improved pitching mechanics.
If you observe most Little League or high school pitchers and many college pitchers as well, they take the ball out of the glove much too early. When the ball comes out of the glove early or when they break their hands too soon, the body does not have enough time to produce force and transfer that force as late as possible to the arm. This is a common principle for improving pitching mechanics.
Most high velocity pitchers understand how to shift their weight so that they end up with proper timing between the lower body and the arm. This simply means that we want the arm to get up into the proper cocked position just as the pitcher lands.
We also want to make sure that the throwing arm is fully extended back and cocked to shoulder height but not above shoulder height. And of course a low elbow is a mechanical fault as well.
The split screen photo above shows a high school pitcher compared to Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard. I have drawn lines to indicate two things.
1. the position of the back leg just before landing
2. the position of the throwing arm just prior to landing
Understanding the optimal timing between the arm and the lower body is crucial when evaluating pitching mechanics and velocity potential.
It is clear that the high school pitcher is doing everything too early. He demonstrates early hip rotation because the back leg is still bent at this point and he is trying to throw too soon before his throwing elbow has reached shoulder height.
Daniel Bard on the other hand, who throws 96-100 mph, demonstrates a near extended back leg which indicates he has moved sideways much longer and also notice that his throwing elbow has reached shoulder height at this point.
With the throwing elbow at shoulder height at this point we know that Daniel Bard's arm will be fully extended back which means all the muscles of his shoulder will be put on stretch to produce a "rubber band effect"...which can add to throwing velocity. But remember it is the pitcher's trunk that whips the arm through...not arm strength. That is important to understand.
A low elbow in the case of the high school pitcher will not allow his shoulder to be put on stretch thus he will not be able to maximize his pitching velocity.
Without videotaping and understanding what to look for most coaches are simply guessing at the reasons why pitchers are not able to produce more velocity.
Videotaping is the only way to recognize these types of mechanical faults since the acceleration of a pitcher's arm is the fastest human motion in sports. Trying to evaluate this extreme fast action using just the naked eye is futal and should not be relied upon.
Remember..."pitchers are made in the off-season." What are you doing right now to improve your pitching skills?
These are some of the important aspects 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. Not only does this improve velocity but reduces the risk of arm injuries. We teach them proper conditioning.
See our Off-season discounts on our instructional DVD's: http://www.pitching.com/products/
"I had spent several hundred dollars on a pitching coach who was leading my son down the path to ruin. He embraced every failed philosophy and technique you've identified - long toss, towel drills and more drills ad nauseum. My son's skills were deteriorating. When I found your website and read your report, I sense intuitively your words had merit and deserved further study." Mark Smith, Downers Grove,IL
