Originally Posted by roothog66:
Originally Posted by younggun:
I do agree with PG in the idea that a pitching coach should use what the specific pitcher brings to the table. It is for this precise reason my son has never had a formal pitching lesson. I just never found anyone in our small area that I trusted. When he was younger, we had a couple different hitting instructors. The one I always seemed to feel comfortable with was the one that took his natural ability and tried to perfect it. Any instructor that says there is one, cookie-cutter way that everyone should do any particular movement makes me very nervous and uncomfortable. I know there are certain positions that all successful pitchers or hitters must get to, but how they get there should allow for individuality. Not everyone has the same body type, size, etc. We are fortunate that son is very athletic and most sports came to him very easily.
It's the difference between style and form. Same goes for hitting. there are a handful of things that you will find a large majority of successful (and I'll add healthy) pitchers do mechanically. How they do them may often look different. That's style. I'll give you an example. My son at one point had a problem getting sufficient hip/shoulder separation. i tried a lot of different hings that didn't work. What finally did work was to have him bring his arm behind his back. It's unusual, but it works for him. I've used it with a couple of other pitchers, but usually I have them change their hand break. No instructor should mess with a pitcher's style unless it absolutely hinders proper mechanics.
Root you are not alone. Hip shoulder separation is a very difficult thing to develop. I put my pitchers against the wall hands stretched out to the side palms to the wall. Ear to the wall then have them move their hips while hands and arms (therefore shoulders) stay stationary. But all this accomplishes is teaching them that it can be done and a little bit about how it feels. But to get that separation during the pitch... hard. Very hard. I would gladly take any input from others who have found ways to get their pitchers better separation.