Pitching Mechanics - Arm Action Faults Can Lead To Shoulder Surgery

by Dick Mills on April 13, 2010

A pitcher's arm action can actually lead to elbow and shoulder surgery.  In this video you will see a common pitching mechanic arm action fault where the elbow goes well above shoulder height.  This is commonly referred to as hyper-abduction and is a common problem you will see in pitchers at all levels of baseball including the big leagues.

The college pitcher in this video actually ended up with labrum shoulder surgery not long after this video was shot.  It started with a sore shoulder then inflammation and soon after that he required surgery. This could have been avoided if he had good instruction or had a video analysis of his mechanics early on in his career.

This high elbow problem is actually what caused Mark Prior to end his pitching career much too soon.

This arm action problem normally occurs because pitchers believe that the arm  produces velocity rather than the body.  Because of this misguided belief pitchers will get their arm involved too early in the delivery because they believe that getting to ball release quickly will help maximize their pitching velocity.  The exact opposite is actually the case.  This means that the longer the pitcher holds on to the ball the more energy his body will produce and thus more energy ends up on the ball for more velocity and less risk of injury.

These types of mechanical problems can be avoided by simply learning how to videotape a pitcher and recognize common mechanical faults that not only reduce velocity but can end up leading to sore arms and even arm surgery.

Today about 60% of high school and 50% of Little Leaugue pitchers will pitch with pain.  This should concern parents and why videotaping and pitching mechanics is so important to learn.

The key to reducing the risk of injury is to understand the timing of the pitching delivery so that the body produces the forces while the arm is along for the ride and can be used to control the ball.  The pitcher's arm is not the source of velocity despite what many coaches believe.  This is why trying to gain arm strength from long toss is a waste of time.

But remember this... there are no secrets to pitching improvement. Just sound sports science principles that we apply to pitching that just make common sense. No magic spoken here.

A video analysis is your best insurance policy against poor instruction, guaranteed improvement and added arm insurance against injury.  http://www.pitching.com/video_analysis/

Our Explosive Pitching DVD program teaches 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 also teach them proper conditioning.

One last thing about Momentum Pitching. It is simple to teach and will get most pitchers throwing harder within one session.

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