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.