Common Pitching Mechanics Faults Of Most Little League Pitchers

Here is a common mechanical fault you will recognize in many, many Little League pitchers and in some high school pitchers.

It is apparent that this Little League pitcher has had little to no valuable pitching instruction.  His pitching mechanics are very poor and will prevent him from maximizing his velocity and control…while they will increase the risk of an arm injury. And yet what he is doing is very common to the large majority of Little League pitchers.

Learn From Giants’ Tim Lincecum

The biggest problem is that this pitcher is thinking about throwing the ball far too early. The key to pitching velocity is to get the energy from the body to the arm as late as possible.

For example, if you watch Giants’s Tim Lincecum, who at 5’10″ 170 lbs throws 95-100 mph, you will see that he gets his throwing arm involved very, very late in his delivery. In fact, his arm does not start lifting to the cocked position until his lead foot is almost on the ground.

Notice how soon this Little League pitcher takes the ball out of the glove. He actually removes the ball as he is lifting his leg up.  This gets his throwing arm up into the cocked position far too early so that it has to wait for his lead leg to land. This kills his ability to produce velocity. I would have pitching out of the stretch at least until he fixes this timing problem.

However, if he wants to lift his leg up, he should be breaking his hands well after his leg has started down and after he has initiated back leg drive. In fact, he should be driving his lower body toward the plate before he breaks his hands.

Also notice that he is stepping over toward first base before he lifts his leg. Does this make sense to anyone?  If his intention is to throw the ball in a line between second and home plate…wouldn’t it make more sense to step back toward second base in order to keep his body positioned on that imaginary line?  Stepping to the side produces a slowing action for all pitchers…even though many major league pitchers do it.

The Lower Body Produces Velocity…Not The Arm

When the arm gets up too early the lower body is not providing the energy to help the pitching arm act as a whip. To get the arm to act like a whip, the handle of the whip (the lower body) must get started explosively toward the plate first.

This pitcher has another problem. Notice that he lands with his lead foot pointed too far away from the plate rather than at a slight angle. This actually reduces his ability to rotate his hips and trunk so he is facing home plate before he begins to accelerate his arm.

The solution for this boy’s problem is for his father to learn proper pitching mechanics since it is apparent that he is not getting any valuable instruction from his coach.

So the lesson is to make sure pitchers understand to get the arm involved in the pitch as late as possible by breaking the hands late since the arm is not used for velocity but for control.  The body is what produces velocity… and as Giants’ Tim Lincecum always says…”my arm is along for the ride.”

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. Not only does this improve velocity but reduces the risk of arm injuries. http://www.pitching.com/products/