elbow dropping below shoulder

Naw, you're alright bro. Are those hurachies? I like those big league pants!

IMO your elbow location is fine, but your mechanics cause too much stress on your shoulder.

The ball should never be further behind your body than your shoulder...case in point:

Good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFCCuX56mVA

If you notice, Clemens's arm never reaches behind his back.

Bad: http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/48115/baileyarm.gif

If you notice, Bailey's arm is further behind his back. This will cause a lot of shoulder tension. The technical term is a forced scap load which would cause a slow arm drag and therefore tension in the shoulder.


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You could get a lot more from your hips. Pelvic load before maximum leg left and extend the stride leg. "Landing softly", explode forward at contact.

Kingjamesp,

quote:

“I've recently gotten into the habit of dropping my throwing elbow below my shoulder. Is this bad”

Yes!! If you are concerned about all the injuries that this form of mechanics produces.
Your start creates the gateway to these injuries, centrifuging your throw.
This is how most traditional pitchers perform still although getting more linear towards the bodies rotational axis throwing is being learned more and more every year.

What has happened with you is, you start your hand break with your glove and ball 18 inches away from the driveline (the imaginary line running between home and second through the center of the mound) causing your hand break and pendulum swing to start in a waveform towards your back around your hip. This initial rotation starts a rotational imperative that throws your ball arm towards first base where the ball ends up 36 inches off the driveline, now you must bring it back in the opposite rotation causing your upper arm and lower arm to flyout continuing the wave form where your ball fly’s out 36 inches in the other direction, this locks you into supinattion (Thumb up) with your drive and release.

.

quote:

“how do I fix it?”

By listening to J H about the start.

By actually making a mechanical change to better yourself.

Learn to take the ball back and glove forwards above the driveline or as close as you can get by turning your ball thumb up while lifting it straight back and your glove thumb down while lifting it up to straight forwards.
Learn to transition at the back above the driveline or as close as you can get by turning your elbow up at the back (external rotation of the humerus) to start initial forwards ball drive.
Learn to drive the ball towards home plate above the driveline or as close as you can get.
Learn to bring your hips and shoulders back to no further than parallel with the driveline !!

.”Any other advice is also appreciated”

Learn to pronate all your pitches at release and during the forwards drive phase!!
Learn 2 pitches that move to the right and 2 that move to the left.

Your elbow is fine. It feels low because your front side is dead. If you can lift your front elbow up and hold your glove out to block the hitters view better (as if catching the ball from the catcher) you will feel things start to fall in place. I would also encourage you to use the legs more. When your front leg starts down "GO, BABY, Go!" Get that body going to the plate. Good luck.

Your hand should be up, and your arm should be in a "L" position at foot plant. Your arm doesnt get in this position until much later. This is causing the other problems, and loss of power.

JH,

I wasn't able to watch the "good" pitching mechanics example, but was able to see the "bad". Could you retry, or explain how to watch this?

From what I can see your front shoulder is closed off aiming at the batter. Thus causing you to land to pre maturaly, with no power, or energy. To get rid of all of the techincal terminology, you should have equal and opposite elbow angles. Where one elbow is, the other should be. You have no front side at all. You need to bring your glove hand up in a strong power position. Pause the video at 4 seconds, and you will see what I am talking about. Your back elbow will drop causing the ball to come out of your hand flat.