quote:Originally posted by TPM:
I am still confused as to what is meant by changing motion or style vs. slot. If you are talking about changing natural arm slot, I would agree it could happen. I am just not clear on what you mean, exactly.
quote:Originally posted by TPM:
Truman,
Can you explain style vs. mechanics at 13? Would the changes have involved changing arm slot?
I know that son had some sloppy mechanical issues when he was young, but everyone left him alone. It took his college pitching coach 3 years and the professional coaches more years of tweaking to refine, and it seems a constant thing that pitchers work on year in and year out. He would not have been able to pitch at the professional level without some of those fixes.
Yes, for what I'm referring to I equate "style" with slot mostly . . .but it's not just slot alone. It includes things like the position of the hand and arm relative to the torso just before forward motion is initiated; also leg lift, as in how much of a lift might be comfortable to obtain a desired stride. Mechanics on the other hand, I equate to relative positions between different parts of the body at different points in time during the throw. So one might make a mechanical change without changing the Biomechanical Signature or "style" (e.g. working on increasing separation to help increase velocity.)
When pitching, my son has always had a slot that would be considered a 3/4 slot. And as an example, when my son was young some of the pitching advise to him was to throw "over the top", which several other pitchers were also being advised to do and as they tried to do it as did my son will little success and it resulted in a very different "style" that was more than just a change in the arm slot. I remember the same instruction be given to older kids too. I felt, and still do, that it was poor instruction and I'm happy the my son happen to listen to old Dad on this one.
I hear you about the constant tweaking to refine one's skill. Whether it's pitching, hitting or fielding, it seems my son now is ALWAYS tweaking to refine the smallest details. And personally, I feel professionals and my son too, tweak more than they should as it seems they've got to tweak even when things are going well with their performances. And at that level, it seems to me to be more of a physiological thing than physical. After all, baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical. . . right?
quote:Originally posted by TPM:
A conversation lately with someone in the professional world who works with pitchers, often times injury is caused because a pitcher tries to do too many things when they are just learning. We were talking about the conversations where parents of 10-14 year olds say they throw 4-6 pitches for strikes. Say what?Can you throw all of those pitches for strikes and repeat the same good mechanics?
I feel that's a good point and I agree. And I would say that not only is injury caused by tring to do too many things at once, but many times too that when one thing is changed that change affects other mechanical things linked to that change and those linked things are not addressed for whatever reason. This is another reason I feel this age group is really too early to try and do a lot with their mechanics as they're body and mind need more maturing.
lol . . .parent of 10-14 year olds say some of the dandiest things. Funny, with all the pitcher's I've watched at that age level and at the higher level of play, I can't remember a pitcher with more than 3 pitches and hardly more than one with command (command relative to their age).