Why Most Pitching Instructors Should Be Fired Immediately

by Dick Mills on November 10, 2009

Most pitching instructors are doing a below average job of helping pitchers improve.  If they are not videotaping and explaining problems and why these problems need fixing without using pitching drills then these instructors are guessing and wasting your money.

This pitcher was taught by a former pro to stagger his feet so that he starts with his lead foot closer to third base rather than having both feet parallel.  His reasoning was that it was how he was taught.  However, this is causing this pitcher to land 8-10" across the midline...which is the yellow line I have drawn.  This creates lots of problems.

We had this pitcher and his family here in Scottsdale, AZ this past weekend from New Jersey. The boy is a 6'4" 193 RH high school junior who has hit 86 mph. But most of that is all arm.

He has had a former pro pitcher as an instructor for the past two years I believe. No videotaping.

How were his mechanics? Very, very poor. Control. Very poor. And an accident waiting to happen.

As I have shown he was landing 8-10" to the third base side of the line. No concept of weight shift or how to use his back leg and back hip to drive toward the plate. He broke his hands when his head was still over the rubber and before his lead foot was 6" away from the rubber. Stride 68". No bracing action. He braced up his landing hip, leg and knee after his hips and trunk were fully square or facing the target. What does that mean? It means that his arm is doing most of the work.

If pitchers are not bracing-up upon landing it's like pitching on the beach in sand. Imagine trying to create velocity by pitching in sand. Take any major league pitcher and have him pitch on the beach and he will lose 10 mph on his fastball instantly and he might hurt his arm.

The instructor has him start with his feet staggered so that his lead foot was about 6" toward third base from his support foot toe. Kind of like George Sherrill of the Dodgers. We see this a lot. I correct that first. That creates the landing problem and slows forward momentum which of course reduces velocity and control as well.  

The instructor teaches staggering the feet because he said that was what he was taught. Is that a good reason? Many instructors teach this because they believe it helps the pitcher stay closed-off upon landing. But does it? Of course not. First of all the pitcher must make a big compensation and has to swing his lead leg out and around. In most cases this will cause him to land across the line and throw across his body...reducing velocity and adding stress to his arm. It will also slow down forward momentum which reduces velocity even more.

Remember this. If the instructor cannot explain how an action will improve velocity or control or reduce stress to the arm then do not make the change. Immediately find a different instructor. If the instructor does not videotape...you need to fire him immediately. Not next week. But today. He is guessing and killing your son's potential.

WARNING: If that instructor cannot do a side-by-side comparison of your son compared to a top major league pitcher with good mechanics and explain why your son is losing velocity or adding stress to his arm then your instructor is not fully qualified to teach. Isn't it mechanics that he is teaching?

However, the boy and the family do like the instructor. But would you pay the family doctor who was creating a bigger and bigger disease every time you made an appoitment...even though he was the nicest guy in the world?

The instructor was also his conditioning coach. Was the boy at least functionally strong? No weak as a church mouse. He could not perform one of the 7 exercises that Ryan demonstrated with any stability and balance.

We had a lot of work to do in five hours time. But mission accomplished. Without being self serving I will tell you that he and his father left with a smile. We got him out to 78". He was bracing up. He got it and made the changes within 1 hour of the second day.

One of his big concerns during our intial discussion on Saturday morning before we got started was his poor control. Well his poor control was related to landing 8-10" across the midline while swinging his leg out and around and landing with poor stability. If the foundation is weak upon landing, then rotating into ball release is not going to be consistent.

So always fix mechanics first...then work on control. 

The father right now knows more about pitching mechanics and how to make corrections than the pitching instructor.

This boy now has a good chance to pitch in college if he continues with our recommendations...and does the exercises Ryan showed him.

We watched a good bit of video so they could see how this boy compared to not only Bard and Greinke and Lincecum but some other of our students who were also his age who made similar changes.

I will tell you categorically, that if this boy did not come to see us he was doomed and eventually would have been injured.

IMPORTANT: So once again. If you are sending your son to an to an instructor, whether he is a former pro or not, who does not videotape then you are throwing money down the drain. Why not just give it to charity so it does some good. You are more than likely paying to have your son keep getting worse and worse.

Why don't instructors videotape? Because they have no idea what to look for or how to correct problems because they do not understand cause and effect. If they do use videotape sparingly they may know just enough to be dangerous. Most simply do not know how to teach.

Always ask them to show you how velocity can be improved and have them point out exactly what your son is not doing that is killing his velocity. 98% of them cannot do it.

Or if your son's conditioning coach has him on weight training or on machines you too will be very disspointed eventually.

Don't waste the off-season working on activities that do not improve pitching performance.

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/

 "I had spent several hundred dollars on a pitching coach who was leading my son down a path of ruin. He embraced and taught 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 sensed intuitively your words had merit and deserved further study.  Mark Smith, Downers Grove, IL