Hi my name is colin smith. Im turning 15 years old soon. Here is 3 clips of my mechanics. Any suggestions would be great, thanks in advance.
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Colin, can you try to add the clips again? Thanks.
Sorry about that. il just send the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRSzalXAJXk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH9MXutPG2s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umY05EBYNzM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRSzalXAJXk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH9MXutPG2s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umY05EBYNzM
Can you post another video of you actually throwing the ball, and can you do it from the other (third base side). Mechanics are a little different with and without the ball.
-Thanks.
-Thanks.
I am throwing the ball in all three of those. But ill try to get one from the third base side.
Colin
Too me it looks like you are a bit pieced together with a hitch at your hand break. You roll through your hip load and down the mound instead of gathering over your right foot and getting leverage against the rubber. Also, your lift leg should be relaxed from the knee down instead of being stiff and toe pointed in the air. If landing leg is stiff then your arm will bar out or slow down upon release. Try letting your foot dangle with toe hangin down.
Overall not too bad at all. A lot of your problems could be cleared up with some leg strengthening. I couldnt see your arm work because of the video but it looked ok. Remember that pitching is an athletic movement so try and be comfortable in every part of them. Dont worry about "mechanics". It an art not a science. There is no finished product and it is always changing day to day. You must learn how to adapt to pitching as it changes.
Too me it looks like you are a bit pieced together with a hitch at your hand break. You roll through your hip load and down the mound instead of gathering over your right foot and getting leverage against the rubber. Also, your lift leg should be relaxed from the knee down instead of being stiff and toe pointed in the air. If landing leg is stiff then your arm will bar out or slow down upon release. Try letting your foot dangle with toe hangin down.
Overall not too bad at all. A lot of your problems could be cleared up with some leg strengthening. I couldnt see your arm work because of the video but it looked ok. Remember that pitching is an athletic movement so try and be comfortable in every part of them. Dont worry about "mechanics". It an art not a science. There is no finished product and it is always changing day to day. You must learn how to adapt to pitching as it changes.
Colin,
I noticed a few things:
(1) You stride to the throwing arm side and then, in an attempt to get your upper body back inline with the target, you bend to the glove side at the waist. This creates an inappropriate late posture change that pulls the release point back and raises it up and generally makes it inconsistent.
(2) Your stride leg takes more of an "out and down" path instead of a "down and out" path. This leads to a rather harsh landing of the stride foot.
(3) You appear to lack momentum. In the third video, you are fairly upright when your front foot plants. Furthermore, your weight is a bit back of the front foot at release and your release point isn't out front as much as it could/should.
All IMHO.
I noticed a few things:
(1) You stride to the throwing arm side and then, in an attempt to get your upper body back inline with the target, you bend to the glove side at the waist. This creates an inappropriate late posture change that pulls the release point back and raises it up and generally makes it inconsistent.
(2) Your stride leg takes more of an "out and down" path instead of a "down and out" path. This leads to a rather harsh landing of the stride foot.
(3) You appear to lack momentum. In the third video, you are fairly upright when your front foot plants. Furthermore, your weight is a bit back of the front foot at release and your release point isn't out front as much as it could/should.
All IMHO.
quote:Originally posted by Coach Steeley:
Also, your lift leg should be relaxed from the knee down instead of being stiff and toe pointed in the air. ... Try letting your foot dangle with toe hangin down.
Agree. It will also make remaining balanced easier, which will improve consistency.
Also concur with RT's good observations.
It seems that the hand/ball is pulling sideways out of the glove. I would recommend that the hand drop down when leaving the glove, allowing the hand to circle up to the high L position.
Trying getting more of the body into the throw.
quote:Originally posted by Roger Tomas:
Colin,
(2) Your stride leg takes more of an "out and down" path instead of a "down and out" path. This leads to a rather harsh landing of the stride foot.
.
It appears this "out and down" action is keeping your hips from working for you. As RT said, should be a "down and out" action. Think of leading the stride with your heel, rather than your knee / toe, as in your current delivery.
Colin you should find a professional P coach.
You need to have your motion broken down and corrected.
There are several issues. Your stride is way too short, your upper body comes forward too soon and not staying back to load up. This takes away your upper body rotation.
There are several issues that should be addressed by someone who knows what they are doing. Do you play for a travel team?
You need to have your motion broken down and corrected.
There are several issues. Your stride is way too short, your upper body comes forward too soon and not staying back to load up. This takes away your upper body rotation.
There are several issues that should be addressed by someone who knows what they are doing. Do you play for a travel team?
Thanks for the info everyone. Ill get working right away. Ya this past year i played for my rec team, middle school, and jr. american legion
I dont throw very fast for my age and height.
im turning 15 at 5'10 and i only throw 60-65
Do you think if i corrected some of these things i would throw faster????
And i would find a Pro Pitching coach, but my family doesnt have the money. So i guess ill just fix the problems you guys said.
Thanks again.
I dont throw very fast for my age and height.
im turning 15 at 5'10 and i only throw 60-65
Do you think if i corrected some of these things i would throw faster????
And i would find a Pro Pitching coach, but my family doesnt have the money. So i guess ill just fix the problems you guys said.
Thanks again.
Improving your mechanics (and timing thereof) and improving your functional strength and flexibility to support those mechanics will certainly help you achieve your maximum genetic velocity. I would expect at least a small improvement in velocity.
Learn to lead with your front hip longer into your stride before your foot gets out front and you will better use your lower half. This requires changing your front leg motion as myself and others have described so that you don't open up the front foot/leg so early as that opens up the hips early and wastes energy.
Learn to lead with your front hip longer into your stride before your foot gets out front and you will better use your lower half. This requires changing your front leg motion as myself and others have described so that you don't open up the front foot/leg so early as that opens up the hips early and wastes energy.
Colin
What you should do is try to find a guy who will give group lessons. My son's 1st pro coach was in a group format. 4 lessons at $25 each.
The good news is that velocity can ce taught contrary to common belief. Some of it is genetic and mostly body type.
It is very difficult to teach yourself unless you understand what you are doing. Can you get a copy of Louisville Sluggers book on pitching. Library or Chapters. You have to see step by step how to throw the ball. You have to keep your upper body back. Increase your stride, stay tall and let the plant foot almost land before rotating you arm and upper body forward. When you finish bend at the waist while driving your arm and shoulder to the plate.
Do you motion in slow motion until you feel the fluid motion. Not everyone 's motion is quite the same but you have to get the basics down.
What you should do is try to find a guy who will give group lessons. My son's 1st pro coach was in a group format. 4 lessons at $25 each.
The good news is that velocity can ce taught contrary to common belief. Some of it is genetic and mostly body type.
It is very difficult to teach yourself unless you understand what you are doing. Can you get a copy of Louisville Sluggers book on pitching. Library or Chapters. You have to see step by step how to throw the ball. You have to keep your upper body back. Increase your stride, stay tall and let the plant foot almost land before rotating you arm and upper body forward. When you finish bend at the waist while driving your arm and shoulder to the plate.
Do you motion in slow motion until you feel the fluid motion. Not everyone 's motion is quite the same but you have to get the basics down.
Colin,if you are unable to find someone knowledgable to work with you continue to use video. By gaining understanding of the pitching motion thru reading up on it like Bobble suggested you can certainly improve your mechanics. You can use the video to reinforce the changes you are trying to implement. Best of luck, keep us posted on your progress. You have the most important ingredient, a desire to improve.
quote:Originally posted by Colin Smith:
I dont throw very fast for my age and height.
im turning 15 at 5'10 and i only throw 60-65
Do you think if i corrected some of these things i would throw faster????
Given your age and size, improving your mechanics could add quite a bit of velocity.
I agree with all of the other assessments. Get a good book on pitching and read it. Also pitching lessons are very good recommendation. If your parents are on the fence about paying money for pitching lessons just help them understand that it would be something like piano or guitar lessons. Would they pay for that? Tell them you just want to become as good a pitcher as you can be.
With dedication and I mean you must FOCUS and dedicate yourself to improvement. You could easily top 70-75mph.
You have to understand that balance is critical in pitching. You look completely out of balance through out your throw. Your stepping out towards the plate.
Stand on the mound with your post foot (right) planted. Raise your left leg(glide leg) at 45 angle. Thigh should be parallel to the ground. Shin is perpendicular. Right leg should be straight up and down. Now hold that position. You should be able to hold that for at least 30 seconds. Some call this the flamingo. THIS IS YOUR PRIMARY or INITIAL BALANCE POINT. It all starts there.
Next motion: From the primary balance point your glide leg goes down. Not out. It then begins a glide towards the plate. Once the (left)glide leg foot reaches the ground you begin your secondary balance point. As your right (post) foot begins to come of the mound your back (actually your whole upper body) begins to follow. This is at the point where lots of people say "bend your back."
So:
Bend your back and follow through. That is bend your back and follow through to the plate. When your have reached the point where you are going to release the ball ie glove hand is tucked, post leg is up and following, throwing arm is at full extension, you should be able to hold this position also for 20-30 seconds. (Get a 2-3 pound weight or more and put it in your glove hand and hold this position.) Again this is your secondary balance point.
There are some other things in your motion but for now work on balance.
With dedication and I mean you must FOCUS and dedicate yourself to improvement. You could easily top 70-75mph.
You have to understand that balance is critical in pitching. You look completely out of balance through out your throw. Your stepping out towards the plate.
Stand on the mound with your post foot (right) planted. Raise your left leg(glide leg) at 45 angle. Thigh should be parallel to the ground. Shin is perpendicular. Right leg should be straight up and down. Now hold that position. You should be able to hold that for at least 30 seconds. Some call this the flamingo. THIS IS YOUR PRIMARY or INITIAL BALANCE POINT. It all starts there.
Next motion: From the primary balance point your glide leg goes down. Not out. It then begins a glide towards the plate. Once the (left)glide leg foot reaches the ground you begin your secondary balance point. As your right (post) foot begins to come of the mound your back (actually your whole upper body) begins to follow. This is at the point where lots of people say "bend your back."
So:
Bend your back and follow through. That is bend your back and follow through to the plate. When your have reached the point where you are going to release the ball ie glove hand is tucked, post leg is up and following, throwing arm is at full extension, you should be able to hold this position also for 20-30 seconds. (Get a 2-3 pound weight or more and put it in your glove hand and hold this position.) Again this is your secondary balance point.
There are some other things in your motion but for now work on balance.
Colin Smith-
This is THE WORST pitching instruction I have read recently. It dates back 10 years or more, and all of the “notable” gurus that espoused it have changed their tune. Simply watch ANY MLB game to determine for yourself if any MLP performs this way. The problem with teaching pitching mechanics in this manner is, they are guaranteed to send the student in a direction of postural positions that will eventually lead to, and terminate at, an 85-86 mph brick wall.
quote:Stand on the mound with your post foot (right) planted. Raise your left leg(glide leg) at 45 angle. Thigh should be parallel to the ground. Shin is perpendicular. Right leg should be straight up and down. Now hold that position. You should be able to hold that for at least 30 seconds. Some call this the flamingo. THIS IS YOUR PRIMARY or INITIAL BALANCE POINT. It all starts there.
Next motion: From the primary balance point your glide leg goes down. Not out. It then begins a glide towards the plate. Once the (left)glide leg foot reaches the ground you begin your secondary balance point. As your right (post) foot begins to come of the mound your back (actually your whole upper body) begins to follow. This is at the point where lots of people say "bend your back."
So:
Bend your back and follow through. That is bend your back and follow through to the plate. When your have reached the point where you are going to release the ball ie glove hand is tucked, post leg is up and following, throwing arm is at full extension, you should be able to hold this position also for 20-30 seconds. (Get a 2-3 pound weight or more and put it in your glove hand and hold this position.) Again this is your secondary balance point.
This is THE WORST pitching instruction I have read recently. It dates back 10 years or more, and all of the “notable” gurus that espoused it have changed their tune. Simply watch ANY MLB game to determine for yourself if any MLP performs this way. The problem with teaching pitching mechanics in this manner is, they are guaranteed to send the student in a direction of postural positions that will eventually lead to, and terminate at, an 85-86 mph brick wall.
I'll be the first to say I have a lot to learn. Apparently I do. I didn't know I was that out of date. Well I am getting old.
Cap_n could you please direct me to a source or some sources with a better grasp at pitching mechanics than what I unfortunately presented in this thread and others.
I get on these boards to learn and want to learn the right way. I want to be able to teach this better if there are more improved ways to pitching.
Again I would really appreciate any advice you could give. (I know. One might be to not post anything on pitching anymore. That won't happen again.)
Cap_n could you please direct me to a source or some sources with a better grasp at pitching mechanics than what I unfortunately presented in this thread and others.
I get on these boards to learn and want to learn the right way. I want to be able to teach this better if there are more improved ways to pitching.
Again I would really appreciate any advice you could give. (I know. One might be to not post anything on pitching anymore. That won't happen again.)
A few of the posters here (like Texan,) have in my opinion, a good grasp on the subject. What most high profile instructors haven't demonstrated is their awareness that the human body loads muscle groups in order to unload those same muscle groups at a high rate of velocity.....the emphasis being on loading to instantly unload. The advice you gave may be innocent enough, and just a rehash of the same old teachings, but those teachings have undeniably lead the way to less significant explosive moves due to their inherent nature to disconnect the upper and lower body, and, to automatically dissipate those loads before their intended/needed time of use.quote:Cap_n could you please direct me to a source or some sources with a better grasp at pitching mechanics than what I unfortunately presented in this thread and others.
So my only advice is to make a new goal for your self. Watch as much pro pitching as you can and concentrate on what zones of the body they load, when they load them, how they load them, and just how fast they unload. There’s different ways the pros load different parts of the body, so you have to be careful not to mix and match styles. This was the preferred method that pitching instruction turned about 10-15 years ago to come up with a cookie cutter style of throwing mechanics that could be sold to the public as “secrets of power pitching.” Unfortunately, this turned out to be the formula for guaranteed velocity limitation …..~86mph.
One thing I don’t understand is the use of youtube for pitching mechanics analysis…..on flat ground to boot. 30f/s is a minimum, and over the past few years, I’ve learned the value of 60f/s analysis. What may be taken as an error in posturing at 30f/s, normally turns out as a desired posture given the higher rate of explosiveness of the muscle groups that can only be captured (or seen) at the de-interlaced higher rate of 60f/s.
I also equate giving advice from a Youtube clip, the same as advising someone sitting in a go-kart that wants to drive a formula one car.
quote:Originally posted by Colin Smith:
And i would find a Pro Pitching coach, but my family doesnt have the money. So i guess ill just fix the problems you guys said.
the best thing i can recommend is for u is to find a good pitcher that is an upperclassmen in high school (age sounds like ur in high school) and have him take a look at your delivery because it is very difficult to get a good read on your pitching mechanics without seeing everything - where the ball tends to be thrown, bad habits, small details, etc.
bring your right foot down before you stride down the mound. this will help your timing with your arm and stride, and it will keep your weight going straight to the catcher.
