Pitching mechanics and velocity

Your upper body may be trying to come forward before your front foot lands. Do you have any catcher-view footage?

at the the moment no i dont, but if im able to get another video i'll post it

Not a pitching coach, but I would seek an opinion of a professional pitching coach for evaluation.

I think that your mechanics look pretty good. What I see is a lack of arm speed and possibly arm strength. Not sure what kind of lifting, ab work and running you do but work at it. I see lots of thin, splindly guys like you bring it upper 80's. Arm strength and arm speed are two things I'd work on...jmho

okay thanks, throwing and strengthening my arm is something that i should be doing more often, living in canada its hard with all of the snow and how cold it gets in the winter, but thats definitly something that im going to try and do alot more of this year. I did lots of working out and running and i mean i had no problem pitching full games,its just the velocity thats concerning me.

I like a lot of what you do. The leg lift is behind the rubber, heal to catcher and high. Those are all power positions. Try not to let you shoulders go with your legs. You are counter-rotating. This will actually give you less body rotation.

Keep your shoulders square to your target area but do the same three elements of your lift. This will actually give you more torque. You stay closed for a long time in your delivery, that is good. Keep your tempo but speed it up at the end. If you get your shoulders right, you will feel as though a wave happens from the floor to the whip that will be created from your hand at delivery. You want the energy to transfer through your core and not around your core. You do that already.

I wouldn't change much, let you body work the way it is.

I agree with the posters who say work out. Getting athletic is a common theme with good pitchers. Best wishes on going forward.

Leeson,

The first thing I noticed when I watched your video last night was your lack of arm speed. Everybody agrees that working on your core and arm strength this off season is very important going into your senior year. IMO, your mechanics look pretty decent, but as Sultan suggested, a view from behind the plate would help. I'm with TPM, your best bet would be to seek out a local respected pitching coach to help guide you...rather than taking suggestions from us "Arm Chair" coaches.

Best of luck to you!

quote:

Originally posted by Leeson13:
okay thanks, throwing and strengthening my arm is something that i should be doing more often, living in canada its hard with all of the snow and how cold it gets in the winter, but thats definitly something that im going to try and do alot more of this year. I did lots of working out and running and i mean i had no problem pitching full games,its just the velocity thats concerning me.

Running doesn't strengthen your core. Try to find some pitcher specific workouts and weight gain, and I still would get an evaluation from a pitching instructor or seek out help from a scout.

Working out will help, but your immediate problem is technique. I agree with others, see a pitching coach to sort this out.

Baseball is almost non-existant where i live. I've been having to play for a team located 6 hours away from me, where i move with my grandparents each summer just to get exposure. A few years back i found a very good pitching instructor who i worked with and helped me improve significantly but things happened to him and he is no longer in this area. Money has also been an issue so im limited to the opportunites and help that i can get, but i mean now that i have some feedback i can work on some of the stuff mentioned.

I hate to do this but...

Here's a video of a pitcher that I know taken in 2007.

http://www.pitchingclips.com/players/david_kopp.htm

Not perfect but may give you an idea of where you should be at each stage in the delivery. Notice footwork, stride and where arm and torso are at foot plant.

Lot of pitchers there to look at as well.

Hope that this helps you out.

Leeson13,

Your Back Leg collapse causes your Front Leg to open like a gate and, at the same time, prematurely open your Hips. At Foot Plant, because you've already lost your Hips, you throw mostly Upper Body. Without your Lower Body connecting to your Upper Body, your velocity and command suffers.

To correct this, you must change your Front Leg position in your Starting Position so you begin your motion athletically stacked (with your weight centered within your Body).

A stacked Starting Position makes your entire motion more dynamic, will allow your Throwing Hand to become more of an extension of your Hips and allow you to realize better command/velocity.

L.A. "Skip" Fast
Pro Pitching Institute

In the video that TPM gave you, notice the front side glove on that player. You lose much when you drop the glove hand as you do, look into the concept of "equal and opposite. Also, skinny or not, your bottom half is passive (Along for the ride), power is derived from the ground up. It is very common at your age to be as fast as the arm can get you, without integrating in that lower half, you'll be trapped at max arm speed (Usually low 80's).
I think you are creating your own hurdles, Canadians have a solid spot in the majors, somehow all those other guys worked it out...I'm sure Fergie Jenkins didn't have even indoor facilities..maybe not even Ryan Dempster..so desire is the thing..if you want it bad enough, you'll find a place to work and maybe a protein shake or two to add a pound or two to your skinny self.

Thanks, thats what i was told even when i had my pitching instructor and even my dad, that it looked like i was never exploding my lower half and when he tryed getting me to do it, it just felt really weird for some reason but thats something im going to obviously have to work on doing if i want to gain more velocity. It would be great if i could get a 5-10 mph gain this year and then maybe hopefully play college ball.

Leeson13,

Exploding your Lower Half is not an action ...
Exploding your Lower Half is a reaction to your Body being athletically stacked just prior to your Foot Strike and your Glove Hand activity triggering your Lower Half explosion.

To move into your Foot Strike athletically stacked, your Coach needs to teach you how to synchronize your Arm/Leg actions while on one leg. To make maintaining a single leg athletic stack easier, you want to move into your single leg phase from an already athletically stacked Starting Position.

You use your Front Leg in your Starting Position to keep your Head vertically over your Bellybutton. You essentially use your Front Leg to keep yourself balanced much the same way a tight rope walker uses his pole to keep himself from falling off his wire.

Your motion is a kinetic chain of events. Your first plan of attack needs to be your Starting Position. Ignore this and you may find your extra 5-10 miles per hour, but you'll lack the command needed to attract lots of Baseball Scouts.

L.A. "Skip" Fast
Pro Pitching Institute

My command has never been a problem, thats one of the main reasons why im still able to pitch as effectively as i am without the overpowering velocity. I've been told by many people that i need to get my velocity up if i want to get scouted which is why im making it a higher priority at the moment. My strike outs per game have been cut in half from 10-11 to now 5-6 because of my minimal velocity gains over the past few years.

Leeson13,

I measure command by the Pitcher's ability to hit their spots, not by their results. I also measure my program's success by my ability to teach Pitchers how to stay athletically stacked through out their motion and, at Foot Strike, allow all their energy to instantly go up the Trunk and into their Throwing Hand. Their Throwing Hand moves through a consistently tiny release window with maximum Throwing Arm speed.

About you decline in strike outs ... Consider this, over the past few years, your opponents have becomes more patient and more knowledgeable about their pitch selection. From my experience, Pitchers who measure their performance in terms of their results typically put the ball over the plate more often than Pitchers whose laser-focus is motion execution.

Command and velocity go hand in hand. The more you hit your spots, the more all you energy moves through a small release window. The more energy that goes out your Throwing Hand, the greater your velocity.

To get scouted, you need both command within the strike zone (from your comment, I interpret you have command around the strike zone) and consistent Throwing Arm speed. Both are measured through your pitching chain (a one-page, spot-action pitching motion film strip) and your ability to hit your spots.

L.A. "Skip" Fast
Pro Pitching Institute

I understand what your saying, but i've had no problem hitting the catchers glove whether it be inside or outside even with my off speed pitches.

At the level im playing at if you miss your spots, or throw a ball right down the middle its getting hit hard unless your fastball is overpowering, which mine isn't, so command is something that i have to rely heavily on.

I made this thread because of my lack of velocity, not because i had a lack of command and wanted to see if there were things that i could do within my mechanics to help me improve it. Lack of arm speed and a passive lower half were things that were mentioned on here and were also mentioned to me in the past by coaches and my dad.

Leeson13,

Ask one of your Coaches to show you how to begin with an athletically stack starting position (I bet you begin your motion with all your weight over your Back Foot), synchronize your Arm/Leg movements to maintain your stack through your single leg phase and use your Glove Hand to trigger an ideal Foot Strike Sequence.

All these are extremely teachable skills. Master these and you'll immediately realize a more active lower half that produces exceptional arm speed.

L.A. "Skip" Fast
Pro Pitching Institute

Just my opinion but it appears from the video that you just need more strength (oomph) into and through release. It seems that you are perhaps so worried about how you finish (want to look good) that it may compromise any brute ability that you may have to put extra velocity on the ball. As a coach once told my son- "c'mon, throw the pi_ss out of it".

As for your mechanics- It all looks pretty good- good separation, good arm extension (straight, not bent at release), everything looks smooth and efficient, etc. You just need more "explosion" into and at release. Your follow through almost tells me that you are letting up trying to control how you look rather than just letting it all hang out. Just let er rip! You have good enough mechanics that you shouldn't mentally think about any of that- just throw the pi_ss out of it!

haha thats funny because i actually had friend on facebook comment on the video saying pretty much the same thing ! It's good to know that i'm getting alot of the same answers though in that i need to be more explosive and aggressive. Thats one thing that i am deffinitly going to work hard on this offseason.

quote:

Originally posted by Leeson13:
haha thats funny because i actually had friend on facebook comment on the video saying pretty much the same thing ! It's good to know that i'm getting alot of the same answers though in that i need to be more explosive and aggressive. Thats one thing that i am deffinitly going to work hard on this offseason.

The problem is that you are getting too many opinions.
Get on a good core, lower body workout, weight gain for the off season, then get some help with your mechanics, nothing is going to happen unless you incorporate the whole body. You keep throwing like that and you will eventually have an injury.
Explosive is just not throwing the **** out of the ball, you need specific training to achieve that goal.

Yes i have received alot of opinions, but haven't most been the same in that my mechanics look pretty good its just the lack of strength, arm speed, explosiveness etc that i'm lacking? Other people who have also watched the video have been telling me similar things, so is it not true?

quote:

Originally posted by Leeson13:
Yes i have received alot of opinions, but haven't most been the same in that my mechanics look pretty good its just the lack of strength, arm speed, explosiveness etc that i'm lacking? Other people who have also watched the video have been telling me similar things, so is it not true?

I'm saying the opposite of this. Your mechanics are not good. Otherwise, you would be throwing faster.

quote:

I'm saying the opposite of this. Your mechanics are not good. Otherwise, you would be throwing faster.

So in other words if you have good mechanics you can automatically throw hard? If that was the case nobody would play long toss and train to get stronger but i mean my mechanics cant be that bad, i spent a year working on them with a guy who could of played pro ball and i've always been complemented for my command. My mechanics are by no means perfect and yes there are some things i could probably do to make them better but i dont think there bad.

quote:

Originally posted by Leeson13:
I've been somewhat struggling this year and have been feeling like i've been getting into some bad habits like not staying tall and getting my arm up when im pitching causing me to lose some control and velocity.

Don't worry about staying tall. Your body will automatically adjust into a posture for which it has the strength to do what you're asking it to do. You wouldn't step up to the plate standing tall to swing a bat would you? Pitching is just as explosive a motion as is swinging a bat. Get into an athletic position. In fact, the closer your starting position is to the posture your body wants to adjust to, the less unnecessary movement you will have during your delivery.

quote:

I've been told that my velocity should be higher than what it is (79-81) going into my senior year, so i thought i'd get some help and feedback from here to see if it is my mechanics but would my size have anyhting to do with it? im 6'3 and only 160lbs so very skinny.

Anyway heres a video clip of me pitching..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...=channel_video_title

I agree with jdfromfla that you're not using your lower half as effectively as you could. Specifically, you don't get your center of gravity moving towards the plate until after the peak of knee lift. That's too late. Many (most?) of the top pitchers in the game start forward before peak of knee lift. I'd suggest getting your hips moving sooner. But make this adjustment in small incremental steps. Make sure you lead with the front hip - not the front shoulder.

Getting yourself moving forward sooner (and possibly faster) will require proper strength in the legs (front leg, specifically) and the low back. Strength conditioning as others have suggested would be a good thing.

quote:

Any feedbacks appreciated.

I'm surprised noone mentioned that you're looking off towards 3B at front foot plant. It's common for pitchers to look down as they place their pivot foot but that's well before foot plant. Your head movement isn't necessarily a problem but be aware that it could become one if turning the head back towards home plate causes early shoulder rotation.

quote:

Originally posted by Leeson13:
haha thats funny because i actually had friend on facebook comment on the video saying pretty much the same thing ! It's good to know that i'm getting alot of the same answers though in that i need to be more explosive and aggressive. Thats one thing that i am deffinitly going to work hard on this offseason.

If you want to throw hard, you have to practice throwing hard.

I agree with the SultanofSwat. Command and velocity go hand-in-hand. Your motion is ordinarily functional and far from exceptional.

In an exceptional motion, the Pitcher uses their Arm/Leg action to channel all their energy into their Throwing Hand. In your motion, your Arm/Leg actions create a barrier redirecting your energy away from your Throwing Hand.

In my opinion, too much of well-intentioned advice in this thread talks about what you need to do. To find out how to do what everyone is talking about doing, you need someone to break you motion into your kinetic pitching chain and then tell you your personal Arm/Leg adjustments that'll channel all your energy into your Throwing Hand.

Proper motion execution measured by your pitching chain will immediately improve your command and velocity.

L.A. "Skip" Fast
Pro Pitching Institute

I agree with the above, too much talk on what you need to do instead of how to do it, which is why you need to seek out someone to show you proper mechanics (agree with SultanofSwat, they are not good).

It's all about learning to use the entire body and the kinectic chain that begins in your feet and moves throw your arm, which is there for the ride,not to do all of the work.

Your velocity will not improve just by throwing hard at this point. And FWIW, when going through adjustments you are going to lose your command.

Perhaps that is why you didn't take the advice given by that pitching coach.

Again, you won't be able to throw hard unless you make major adjustments.

I hate to see young players get info from people who have no idea what they are talking about, be careful.

Best of luck.

Leeson, spending a year with a trainer means...you spent a year with a trainer. Your mechs could have stunk at any moment before and after...keep in mind that pro's have to re-adjust all of the time. So will you if you manage to hang in there and your desire overcomes your obsticles.
This is a very interesting thread, you've got several folks wanting to assist you with some pretty good advice (Plenty of it is more meaningful than simple mechanics advice), everyone wants to help, some have more experience or different experience. Lots of cautions and caveats...be careful in doing what this site was created for (Sharing thoughts and ideas..good bad..ridiculous...it all gets put forth). I like to point to the fact that there are several very successful "guru's" out there, they all have different ideas on how to train up a pitcher. I like to recommend, particularly if you are attempting to understand something, listen to as much as you can, from as many sources as possible and then, throw out what doesn't make sense for you and use what does.
Having another p coach, who is on the ground with you is terrific advice and it is good advice because only someone who is experiencing you in person can really determine the minor adjustments that need to be made as you correct your issues (Fixing one thing may and will cause other issues). We all understand that there are difficulties for you in doing that...the difference maker will be if you can overcome those difficulties to get where you need to be. You can certainly pitch in college in the low 80's, it just won't be for a major school or in a major division, as it gets closer, you'll realize that "any" place where you can continue the dream will be good.

Good Luck..stay focused, work hard

quote:

I agree with the above, too much talk on what you need to do instead of how to do it, which is why you need to seek out someone to show you proper mechanics (agree with SultanofSwat, they are not good).

It's all about learning to use the entire body and the kinectic chain that begins in your feet and moves throw your arm, which is there for the ride,not to do all of the work.

Your velocity will not improve just by throwing hard at this point. And FWIW, when going through adjustments you are going to lose your command.

Perhaps that is why you didn't take the advice given by that pitching coach.

Again, you won't be able to throw hard unless you make major adjustments.

I hate to see young players get info from people who have no idea what they are talking about, be careful.

Best of luck.

I just dont understand how my mechanics could be that bad. Yes i may have picked up some bad habits over the past couple of years but i mean i spent alot of money to work with my pitching instructor, in which i also had to give up hockey for. He was also a college recruiter and sent a few kids down south in texas to play college ball who threw low 90's. I had absolutly no mechanics before i worked with him and had constant arm pain. I did all of the drills and worked hard when i was with him and told me that i picked up everything taught to me quickly. I even gained a little bit of velocity when i was finished with him, but the one thing that he could never really get me to do was explode and get everything moving quicker. I just talked to a kid who worked with him and has similar mechanics to me and was clocked at 86 mph and hes only going into the 9th grade, but he looks ALOT more explosive then i am. The one thing that i have heard alot of and you may have noticed my coach saying in the video is staying on top, i've found that my arm might be dragging alot more than it used to. I even had a teamate tell me this when we were playing long toss.

Leeson, I agree with jdfromfla. You will get a lot of opinions from a lot of people on here. I am not a professional pitching coach, but I would say overall, you have a pretty decent foundation for your mechanics. They are not that bad. Are there things you need to work on and get polished? Certainly. No pitcher doesn't have things they need to work on from time to time.

I also see one of the biggest things you need to work on is your explosiveness. It looks to me like you are trying very hard to stay smooth throught your delivery in order to keep your mechanics consistent. That is good for practicing and trying to develop certain aspects of your delivery, but once you have that down, you need to actually try to throw hard. If you have engrained your mechanics into muscle memory, you should be able to try to really air it out and keep the mechanics you have been working on.

I would try to take what people are trying to tell you, apply what you think applies to you and disregard what you don't think applies to you. Also, if you try to change too many things at once, it will mess everything up, especially if you do it without the help of a pitching coach.

Find yourself a good coach (I know you said it is hard to do right now), get out there and work on trying to throw harder and keep your head up. I think that doing some long toss will help in that it will help train your body to explode in the attempt to throw as far as you can. Hang in there.

quote:

I agree with the SultanofSwat. Command and velocity go hand-in-hand. Your motion is ordinarily functional and far from exceptional.

In an exceptional motion, the Pitcher uses their Arm/Leg action to channel all their energy into their Throwing Hand. In your motion, your Arm/Leg actions create a barrier redirecting your energy away from your Throwing Hand.

In my opinion, too much of well-intentioned advice in this thread talks about what you need to do. To find out how to do what everyone is talking about doing, you need someone to break you motion into your kinetic pitching chain and then tell you your personal Arm/Leg adjustments that'll channel all your energy into your Throwing Hand.

Proper motion execution measured by your pitching chain will immediately improve your command and velocity.

If my mechanics are so bad then how am i still able to be somewhat successful playing agaisnt some of the best teams in this area? Are you also saying that my pitching instructor had no clue what he was doing or are you just trying to market and advertise your pitching program? because it sure does seem like you are and if you are don't bother posting on this thread. Yes i feel that my mechanics have gotten worse from not being able to work on them with him but by no means do i think that they are "far from exceptional"

I even had an ex-pro pitcher, john upham evaluate me probably around 7-8 months ago and there were only a few things that he was trying to correct, other than that he liked me as a pitcher.

quote:

If my mechanics are so bad then how am i still able to be somewhat successful playing agaisnt some of the best teams in this area?

This is what you said first

quote:

I've been somewhat struggling this year and have been feeling like i've been getting into some bad habits like not staying tall and getting my arm up when im pitching causing me to lose some control and velocity. I've been told that my velocity should be higher than what it is (79-81) going into my senior year, so i thought i'd get some help and feedback from here to see if it is my mechanics

At your age and size, you should be able to improve your technique to significantly improve your velocity. It's that simple.

quote:

At your age and size, you should be able to improve your technique to significantly improve your velocity. It's that simple.

Ya struggling as in not doing as good as i did last year and even previous years, i had a phenominal year last year,but what i meant by some what successful was that im still winning games just not as efficiently as i once was. I have no size, so how does size help me? I dont think i can get any skinnier than i am right now and you could have the best mechanics in the world but if you dont use those mechanics explosively you still wont throw hard, you'll just have really good command and maybe average velocity

quote:

Originally posted by Leeson13:

quote:

At your age and size, you should be able to improve your technique to significantly improve your velocity. It's that simple.

Ya struggling as in not doing as good as i did last year and even previous years, i had a phenominal year last year,but what i meant by some what successful was that im still winning games just not as efficiently as i once was. I have no size, so how does size help me? I dont think i can get any skinnier than i am right now and you could have the best mechanics in the world but if you dont use those mechanics explosively you still wont throw hard, you'll just have really good command and maybe average velocity

Read Dixon's The Exceptional Player. It isn't in print anymore, but I'll PM you a link where it can be found.

Okay now I am confused. You asked for help and now you want to argue every point that they give you for help. Maybe we are getting to the root of the problem, eh?

Leeson13,

You may get a 100 different opinions here. Even going to the professionals you still may get a hundered different opinions. Do those things you can positively control that we all know improves velocity- Work harder, train harder, practice throwing harder, build your core and stabalizing muscles up more. Your mechanics really look pretty decent. Often times, when you train harder and thus end up throwing harder, your mechanics slightly tweak on their own. Mostly it's minute timing adjustments that just come naturally whn you practice harder.

quote:

Okay now I am confused. You asked for help and now you want to argue every point that they give you for help. Maybe we are getting to the root of the problem, eh?

backstopdad, im willing to take criticism its just when somebody tells me i should throw out my mechanics and that they pretty much suck it frusterates me because i worked so hard on my mechanics with my instructor. I agree with most of the suggestions that aren't telling me i have garbage mechanics because they make more sense, i worked out and trained all year but i don't think i trained the way i should of as a pitcher. I didn't throw very much, i did more long distance running vs sprints and i could have done alot more explosive exercises in the weight room. My dad even mentioned this to me after learning how pitchers should be training. If i didn't work with anyone on my mechanics then yes i would take the suggestion of getting new mechanics into consideration, i just don't feel as though my mechanics are terrible but rather that there are little things that i need to correct within my mechanics.

Part of being a better player (pitcher in this case) is learning to take criticism, whether you agree or not. You also have to be coachable.
There are NO excuses in this game. Even when players are hurt they never use that as an excuse.

Ex pros do not always make good instructors and some intructors keep instructing because it is money in their pocket and feed their families.

The best pitchers never stop working on perfecting their craft, they don't go back and talk about what the did last year. Even in a win game situation they find fault in their performance. Again, there are never any excuses. It's constant adjusting.

There is plenty of stuff out there to help you, even a search on the internet can help, you are wasting time here defending your position.

Great post in the general thread, read it, entitled from 82 to 96mph in 3 years.

There is so much more to being a pitcher than just throwing the ball, even with good mechanics, so much goes into it, you need to stop depending on others (who have offered good advice) and take care of business yourself.

Why am I p*ssed at your responses, because I have a player who has had 3 surgeries and worked his butt off to find his way back. Last year an all star this year couldn't hit a bullseye on a barn, but never once, never did he have excuses. If he didn't like the advice given he sought out different ways to improve, that's what serious ballplayers (any level) do.

Go ahead get mad at what others say, do something about it.

quote:

Part of being a better player (pitcher in this case) is learning to take criticism, whether you agree or not. You also have to be coachable.
There are NO excuses in this game. Even when players are hurt they never use that as an excuse.

Ex pros do not always make good instructors and some intructors keep instructing because it is money in their pocket and feed their families.

The best pitchers never stop working on perfecting their craft, they don't go back and talk about what the did last year. Even in a win game situation they find fault in their performance. Again, there are never any excuses. It's constant adjusting.

There is plenty of stuff out there to help you, even a search on the internet can help, you are wasting time here defending your position.

Great post in the general thread, read it, entitled from 82 to 96mph in 3 years.

There is so much more to being a pitcher than just throwing the ball, even with good mechanics, so much goes into it, you need to stop depending on others (who have offered good advice) and take care of business yourself.

Why am I p*ssed at your responses, because I have a player who has had 3 surgeries and worked his butt off to find his way back. Last year an all star this year couldn't hit a bullseye on a barn, but never once, never did he have excuses. If he didn't like the advice given he sought out different ways to improve, that's what serious ballplayers (any level) do.

Go ahead get mad at what others say, do something about it

Is this some kind of joke? i work my *** off day in and day out, i come from a very poor family and realistically i shouldn't be playing baseball because i dont have the money for it.

Try going homeless for 3 months, or having to go to school hungry because theres no food in the house. even then i forced myself to go and train with little to no energy.

I have to work with what i have, sorry i cant go out and spend 500-1000 dollars on a pitching instructor, like i said i sacrificed hockey so that i could work with one a few years ago, who was very successful not only himself but also at developing other players.

Sorry that i care so much baseball and want to get better, but like i said im very limited to my resources which is why i came here.

You really don't know how frusterating it is when people have always told you have a potential keep working hard and you could really be something, but dont get the opportunities and chances because of where i live and also the lack of money

It must really be nice living down south, where its warm all year around and you have tons of resources because baseball actually matters there, and im also sure most of those kids haven't had to go through what i've had to go through in the past couple of years.

When somebody tells me my mechanics are garbage after i worked so hard on them just ****es me off. I've even had coaches from some of the best teams in ohio approach me and tell me to keep working hard and never quit baseball because i could have a future in it.

So to hear all of that BS without you even knowing who i am and what i've had to go through is just a complete joke.

I appreciate all of the people trying to help me with my velocity, rather then just cutting me up and simply saying your mechanics are terrible.

Kid, relax. First off, no one was calling you out on anything. Second off, you've gotten a lot of constructive advice here.

This is a PUBLIC forum. Anyone can join this site and post their opinions. So when you come onto a website and post asking for advice and help, what do you expect to hear? Many people are going to say many different things. You need to weed out the unimportant factors and focus on the things that are constructive.

It is unfortunate that you do not live in a baseball hotbed and that your family struggles financially. However, this has nothing to do with your mechanics. You came on here asking for help pertaining to pitching, not about how to work around your financial struggles to become successful. If you wanted to learn about that, then ask about that.

If you can't handle some people saying what you've worked hard on is not good, then I highly suggest that you stop playing this game. Baseball is a game of humility and failure. Just because a few people tell you that your mechanics aren't good doesn't mean that you need to lash out as if it is some personal attack.

quote:

Kid, relax. First off, no one was calling you out on anything. Second off, you've gotten a lot of constructive advice here.

This is a PUBLIC forum. Anyone can join this site and post their opinions. So when you come onto a website and post asking for advice and help, what do you expect to hear? Many people are going to say many different things. You need to weed out the unimportant factors and focus on the things that are constructive.

I just don't understand why when i say i don't think thats the problem and take other peoples advice people get mad.. am i not allowed to voice my opinion?

It is unfortunate that you do not live in a baseball hotbed and that your family struggles financially. However, this has nothing to do with your mechanics. You came on here asking for help pertaining to pitching, not about how to work around your financial struggles to become successful. If you wanted to learn about that, then ask about that.

If you can't handle some people saying what you've worked hard on is not good, then I highly suggest that you stop playing this game. Baseball is a game of humility and failure. Just because a few people tell you that your mechanics aren't good doesn't mean that you need to lash out as if it is some personal attack.

I had no problem with reply's about it being bad mechanics, at first i simply told them that i dont think thats the problem and so what did they do they kept posting the same thing over and over again.

That last post by TPM wasn't neccessary, he pretty much called me a stuck up cry baby and then rubbed it in my face by talking about some other kid and his problems.

Sorry i normally don't like talking about that kind of stuff but he made me feel like i had to. I've failed and been humiliated in baseball lots, it doesn't bother me. Trust me i have a dad who is always picking out the stuff that i'm doing wrong and is never happy with my performances, and then a grandfather who is the same way but worse. I deal with negativity almost everyday of my life, it doesnt bother me until somebody takes it to far.

I am just popping in here, taking my son to college and waiting for the washing machine to get done...

Get a good strength and conditioning program, legs, core, front squats, dead lifts, hang cleans, box jumps, and sprint 2x per week. This will get you started in the right direction.

Start long tossing every day if possible. This is going to teach you how to throw hard and at least measure your progress. Go to Jaegersports.com for some starter information.

There is a concept in "throwing hard" that you need to get in your head. It almost looks like you are decelerating, learn to "throw the cr a p out of the ball and the one way to judge this is by throwing every day and learn to throw longer distances each time you go out.

You are a slow twitch machine that needs to become fast twitch one. Get **** ed and throw the ball!!!

Good luck.

Thanks, i've heard that some olympic lifts such as clean pulls also help with explosiveness, but i'm not sure if there safe to do as a pitcher. If done correctly are they safe to do?

I didn't see anywhere that TPM called you a crybaby. In fact, I found her post to be attempting to help you get a better gauge on the information being given to you. And FYI, her son was a high round draft pick out of a big school. He's had 3 major shoulder surgeries and has toiled in the minor leagues because of it. He's also gone through some pretty major personal issues that I'm sure most don't know about, nor should they.

Again, I am sorry to hear about the misfortunes that you state have been affecting you. But in the end, the only thing that is important in this particular message board is getting answers to your original question.

quote:

Originally posted by J H:
I didn't see anywhere that TPM called you a crybaby. In fact, I found her post to be attempting to help you get a better gauge on the information being given to you. And FYI, her son was a high round draft pick out of a big school. He's had 3 major shoulder surgeries and has toiled in the minor leagues because of it. He's also gone through some pretty major personal issues that I'm sure most don't know about, nor should they.

Again, I am sorry to hear about the misfortunes that you state have been affecting you. But in the end, the only thing that is important in this particular message board is getting answers to your original question.

Well that was actually 2 minor shoulders surgeries and one moved ulnar nerve.

Maybe your dad and grandpop have reason to get on you.

Did you ever look at the video I posted or any of those big league guys, just to see where you might need improvement, I'll bet you didn't.

And yes I am a MOM, and FYI there is no CRYIN' in baseball!

Man up, you've been given suggestions now do some homework and get to work.

TPM- From my experience, the nerve move is pretty major. Its really scary to go from throwing a baseball hard to not being able to move your fingers at all.

quote:

Why am I p*ssed at your responses, because I have a player who has had 3 surgeries and worked his butt off to find his way back. Last year an all star this year couldn't hit a bullseye on a barn, but never once, never did he have excuses. If he didn't like the advice given he sought out different ways to improve, that's what serious ballplayers (any level) do.

Right here not word for word but still pretty much getting all ****ed off over MY OPINION and then making it sound like im one of those cry babies who only makes excuses.

Oh and to add on to that quote i also tore my ucl when i was 13 from being over used, missed a year of baseball and then im also extemely lucky because i continued to pitch and threw with the pain because i was told that it was just a bruise.

quote:

Originally posted by Leeson13:
Oh and to add on to that quote i also tore my ucl when i was 13 from being over used, missed a year of baseball and then im also extemely lucky because i continued to pitch and threw with the pain because i was told that it was just a bruise.

So what, JH just had TJS, is he crying over it, no way, you should take some time out to read his blog, might be an inspiration to get an attitude adjustment and get working.

BTW, what exactly do you do as far as working your butt off, seems to me today you spent the day on the HSBBW.

Get to work kid, be a winner not a whiner.

quote:

Well that was actually 2 minor shoulders surgeries and one moved ulnar nerve.

Maybe your dad and grandpop have reason to get on you.

Did you ever look at the video I posted or any of those big league guys, just to see where you might need improvement, I'll bet you didn't.

And yes I am a MOM, and FYI there is no CRYIN' in baseball!

Man up, you've been given suggestions now do some homework and get to work.

Your right, they do have a reason to because there not like most parents who kiss a s s and expect alot out of me. My dad also blew his chance at playing pro ball which is why he's hard on me but i like it, just makes me want to work harder and get better

ohh and FYI yes i did watch those video clips i spent a good 30-45 minutes going through them, Low Finish also sent me an awsome article which i've been reading for the past hour now. I'll do anything to get better wheather you believe it or not.

quote:

So what, JH just had TJS, is he crying over it, no way, you should take some time out to read his blog, might be an inspiration to get an attitude adjustment and get working.

BTW, what exactly do you do as far as working your butt off, seems to me today you spent the day on the HSBBW.

Get to work kid, be a winner not a whiner.

This is pretty sad and pathetic, this is how you treat kids looking to get help? and you call yourself an adult?

Your very wrong, i actually went and worked out at some old school with little to no equipment, i then played basketball all for around 3 hours or so, after that i went and played some long toss and went for a run. Ever since i've been reading, looking up stuff and trying to learn, so yes you are very very wrong but nice try.

never cryed about my injury either just thought i'd bring it up because you brought your sons up, is that okay?

quote:

Originally posted by J H:
TPM- From my experience, the nerve move is pretty major. Its really scary to go from throwing a baseball hard to not being able to move your fingers at all.

In 2 weeks DK was moving his hand ok, and off of that robot arm . What I think was major was being told that recovery was quick and that's not how it happened. Carpenter had a long talk with him about how he was ready for spring training, but he had it done earlier not late fall and Pujols isn't a pitcher so his command wasn't an issue. DK rushed it, resulting in trying to throw too hard too soon.

OOPS! That happens to pitchers!

quote:

Originally posted by Leeson13:
Your very wrong, i actually went and worked out at some old school with little to no equipment, i then played basketball all for around 3 hours or so, after that i went and played some long toss and went for a run.

Playing basketball and playing long toss is not working your butt off. Sorry you don't like me.

Hope that I do aggravate you enough that you will prove me wrong.

quote:

Playing basketball and playing long is not working your but off. Sorry you don't like me.

Hope that I do aggravate you enough that you will prove me wrong.

I'm just making a point that i wasn't on here all day, basketball can actually help with leg strength, so in a way yes its helping me. You should only need 1 to 1 and a half hours to work out anyways as long as your working hard..

I edited my post due to poor spelling, on my part.

Just to let you know, the best players are the ones that face adversity, don't use what you don't have as an excuse, use what you do have to get better.

Listen to those that have had meaningful experiences in the game at the level you are playing or the one you want to play at, even if it's something you don't like to hear. The best coaches (even non professionals) and managers my son has had are the ones he didn't want to hear it from, they were tough as nails on him you have no idea how tough they were, he didn't like what they had to say, but the tougher they were the better they were as well. You came for an opinion and you got it, though there were some you didn't car for, so what?

You have been given some good advice, make the most of it, best of luck.

I never wanted to use it as an excuse, its just at first i recieved many suggestions of getting a pitching coach to work with me and that it may not be best for me to seek advice on here. I was just trying to show what position i'm in. I also didn't mean to offend you in any way by saying that i don't think my mechanics as a whole are the problem. I'm limited to the help that i receieve so if it really is my mechanics as a whole i have no idea what to do, but if its what other people have suggested it being lack of strength, explosiveness etc i can work on that stuff because i know what to do to improve it. I understand everything that your saying and hope that you can understand where im coming from.

Don't get caught up with how much you weigh and pitching velocity. Just focus on your mechanics. Here you can find many videos on how to improve velocity with proper hip rotation, stride length and momentum. Good luck!

So it's been about a month and a half since i started this thread and in that time i've gained 2-3mph(81-84mph) playing longtoss almost everyday, doing band work, stretching and working out. I also put on 10 lbs so maybe it had something to do with me getting a little bit stronger.

Is it possible for me to be throwing high 80's by next summer?

quote:

Originally posted by Leeson13:
So it's been about a month and a half since i started this thread and in that time i've gained 2-3mph(81-84mph) playing longtoss almost everyday, doing band work, stretching and working out. I also put on 10 lbs so maybe it had something to do with me getting a little bit stronger.

Is it possible for me to be throwing high 80's by next summer?

Anything is possible if you work hard at it!