Arm Strength

quote:

Originally posted by jwest:
Perfect mechanics and strengthen your legs. Power comes from the legs when mechanics are correct.

Actually, most of a pitcher's power comes from the core (which includes the hips but not the upper or lower legs).

quote:

Originally posted by hisbiggestfan:
He is not pointing his toe straight at the plate when he lands he is is pointing at say 1 oclock or so and then moving it to 12 oclocks as he comes foward his coach feels this is causing him not to open his hip and he is fighting himself to get over his hip does that make sense I dont know if I am explaining it correctly.

1 o'clock is not that big of a deal (2 o'clock is).

It is called alignment and you can draw a line from the post foot instep perpendicularly towards the plate. The landing foot should land on or near the line but not cross over. He can also practice pointing his toes towards the plate inline with that line drawn. Make sure he drives towards the plate and doesn't fall off to the side.

thanks for the advice BHD
falling off is not a problem for him but landing with his his toes pointed straight to the plate and landing on the line is where he needs the work. He had a few other mechanical issues that he seems to have corrected since the summer and he has improved his velocity from consistantly being in the low 80s to now the mid 80s (84-86)while also throwing some in the 87-89 range. So I think he has improved his mechanics somewhat but this landing issue has been harder to correct and sometimes causes him to throw across his body. If he can get himself landing the right way consistantly we think it will help his control and velocity and also help prevent any arm injury from throwing across his body. Any other suggestions??

The core cannot fully engage if the legs are wrong. Weak legs prevent the core from performing.

From when my son was young, he would do the same thing. What we did was go to play catch somewhere there was a line (baseball, s****r, football field). We would stand on the line and throw to each other. Every throw I would have him look down to see where he was stepping. Do enough of that and he should start to get a feel for stepping in the right direction. The other thing I would do is when doing bull pen work, I would draw a line in the dirt from his post foot to the plate. Every pitch, I would have him look down to see where he strode. Point is, some kind of visual should help. You have to do it enough where it becomes second nature for him and begins to feel natural. Good luck.