Does anyone know of a sidearm instructor in the DFW area?
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Try Frozen Ropes in McKinney. http://www.FrozenRopestx.com
Why would you want a kid to throw side-arm? 
Why not?
Give jeff shelton a call works with alot of college players and is pitching coach at cedar valley 214-927-3193
He has all thrown 3/4 arm slot since he was 10 but now he's in college and they are changing him to sidearm. I'm just looking for someone to teach him the finer points of sidearm. It seems sidearm coaches are hard to come by.
Comment from Steve Ellis at
Steve Ellis
Quick, name as many sidearm pitchers in the big leagues as you can....
How many did you come up with?
Probably not more than a dozen. There's good reason for that: There aren't many sidearm pitchers in the big leagues.
Sidearm pitching places an incredible amount of strain on the throwing shoulder and elbow. And sidearmers tend to have flat and ineffective off-speed pitches.
Are there exceptions? You bet. But most of the sidearm pitchers you see in the big leagues today didn't start out throwing that way. In fact, most modern sidearm pitchers got to the big leagues throwing over the top.
That's because most professional scouts and college coaches usually pass on sidearm pitchers. The risk of injury is too great, and no scout or coach wants to select a pitcher who throws with a high risk of injury. It makes them look bad if their player recommendations wind up on the disabled list.
Instead, most pro scouts and college coaches look for pitchers who throw with quality overhand pitching mechanics -- mechanics that'll hold up throughout a long baseball season.
Using good overhand pitching mechanics will give you a better shot at making it to college and pro ball than throwing sidearm. I'd make the switch to overhand mechanics as soon as possible if it was my kid throwing sidearm.
Steve Ellis
Quick, name as many sidearm pitchers in the big leagues as you can....
How many did you come up with?
Probably not more than a dozen. There's good reason for that: There aren't many sidearm pitchers in the big leagues.
Sidearm pitching places an incredible amount of strain on the throwing shoulder and elbow. And sidearmers tend to have flat and ineffective off-speed pitches.
Are there exceptions? You bet. But most of the sidearm pitchers you see in the big leagues today didn't start out throwing that way. In fact, most modern sidearm pitchers got to the big leagues throwing over the top.
That's because most professional scouts and college coaches usually pass on sidearm pitchers. The risk of injury is too great, and no scout or coach wants to select a pitcher who throws with a high risk of injury. It makes them look bad if their player recommendations wind up on the disabled list.
Instead, most pro scouts and college coaches look for pitchers who throw with quality overhand pitching mechanics -- mechanics that'll hold up throughout a long baseball season.
Using good overhand pitching mechanics will give you a better shot at making it to college and pro ball than throwing sidearm. I'd make the switch to overhand mechanics as soon as possible if it was my kid throwing sidearm.
Partsman-
When pitchers throw sidearm, they tend to have less lateral trunk tilt (bad).
Less lateral trunk tilt increases shear force in the shoulder (bad).
If he learns to get the right amount of tilt there will be less shear force in his shoulder (good).
See Pedro Martinez.
(and don't drink the Kool-Aid)
When pitchers throw sidearm, they tend to have less lateral trunk tilt (bad).
Less lateral trunk tilt increases shear force in the shoulder (bad).
If he learns to get the right amount of tilt there will be less shear force in his shoulder (good).
See Pedro Martinez.
(and don't drink the Kool-Aid)
Maybe the kid throws sidearm because he doesnt have a "big league arm, or frame". Maybe he realized that throwing 70 poo over the top isnt going to cut it, and that he should try something else to atleast give him a shot. Just a thought.
partsmann66,
Why don't you get some real piching instruction from Mike Bascik? Mike will tell you about pitching, life, and anything else that is on his mind.
Why don't you get some real piching instruction from Mike Bascik? Mike will tell you about pitching, life, and anything else that is on his mind.
Mike has the best pitching mound in the metroplex, second only to the Ballpark in Arlington.
Mike is the best.
Mike is the best.