Tom House Pitching Approach

I've watched his dvd's... you might enjoy them. PM me and if you like I'll loan them to you.

I'm not sure what is meant by "testing" but I know House is big on conditioning. Last season at USC (where he is the pitching coach), his pitchers didn't touch a ball for the first 3 weeks of so of the season. Instead, they did conditioning. Maybe that is what this "testing" is?

If you have specific questions about House's teachings (e.g. his mechanics model), I should be able to help you out as I am NPA-certified.

Roger-

Their conditioning has been around various strength testing. So this sounds similar to what House is doing at USC. That makes sense.

My questions are really around the mechanics model as far as what is the basis, key things they are built around, etc.. Its really just a matter of my own education.

Thanks.

BigDawg -- My son started working with a Tom House influenced (National Pitching Association -- www.nationalpitching.net) pitching coach approx. 4 years ago, when he was 11. He is a soft-throwing lefty, consistently playing 2-3 levels above his age level, who is consistently a top performer in large part due to the repeatability of his mechanics, and his ability to change speeds and pitches with a very consistent delivery.

The NPA Pitching Biomechnics are rooted in a wealth of research, and the 4" scar on my left shoulder tells me they are spot on (only wish they were around 40 years ago). What Coach House, and many NPA influenced coaches are doing today in the way of strength testing and development is equally terrific. They are focusing on skeletal/structural strength and conditioning for joint stability, flexibility and mobility. Your will often hear it refered to as Functional Strength/Fitness. When you study the research, it all makes great sense. When you begin doing the training, you feel the results.

Most importantly, my aspiring Pitcher has enjoyed great success on the mound, and has not had a single arm problem since he started following NPA protocols.

If your son is serious about his pitching, I suggest you join the NPA and begin studying their research, books, videos, etc. In our opinion, the NPA (House) approach is the very best way for developing young pitchers -- both mechanics and training -- for game success, and long-term arm health.

Best of luck to your son. If he is with a coach who is 100% engaged in the NPA (House) methodologies, I would expect he is in a good place.

I would suggest you get copies of the pitchers edge series. I used his methods by borrowing the books from the local library.
My son is 22 and injury free. Recently at the end of his soph year he started to break down mechanically. His shoulder felt stiff and his stats went through the roof. I was in shock when I saw what he was doing. When he came home it took me 10 min. to straighten him out. Gone was the stiff shoulder and his control and velocity was back to normal. I just hope he stays on track. I have always followed Houses mechanics.

quote:

Originally posted by southpaw_dad:
In our opinion, the NPA (House) approach is the very best way for developing young pitchers -- both mechanics and training -- for game success, and long-term arm health.

I know I am in a bit over my head here, but the chatter is that House's teachings do not develop pitchers with skills to play professionally. I would be interested in hearing comments.

I'm not a House guy (Certified anyway), where is the "chatter" coming from?
It is very normal to hear Mills, "He Whose name is unmentionable...(N-Y-M-A-N)" on this site and a couple of others beat up on House instead of discussing what they bring (Which is not, by the way, insubstantial). As a method of marketing.
I'd be really interested in hearing anyone substantiate this comment; "House's teachings do not develop pitchers with skills to play professionally." I don't get it....

CPLZ -- I understand from speaking with coaches who have worked closely with Coach House that he has done a lot of work with professional pitchers in recent years. Remember, he was an MLB Pitching Coach for many years.

We have heard of some very big names who have quietly worked with Coach House and the NPA in recent years.

There was a column in the Washington Post recently about Randy Johnson "When It Clicked". You might enjoy this. Here is the audio from that interview:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/audio/2008...AU2008071100060.html

And the article itself:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...AR2008071201338.html

I understand there are many players at every level of pro ball who have either trained with House, or coaches who are in synch with the NPA pitching bio-mechanics.

The NPA bio-mechanics have been developed from studying some of the best who have ever played the game, and breaking the mechanics down to essential elements that can be applied by any pitcher, in tune with his unique genetic signature.

We have found that there is a lot of misinformation out there about what Coach House and the NPA are actually teaching these days. Being a cynic by nature, I dug into the research before letting my son get too committed to training the NPA way. Everything we have learned just makes too much sense; and jibes with what Doctors told me about my own arm problems, and the make-up of the human arm and shoulder.

I think you will find that a kid's chance of making it to the big leagues will be more impacted by his genetics, character and temperment ... but if he is anchored in the NPA mechanics, that will not be what stops him from making it.

For what it's worth ...

My son's doctor worked with House and Nolan Ryan. He met them when they were aqll with the Rangers. He colaborates with them on the Pitchers Edge series. I have seen some of the top MLB pitchers over the years come to see him for help and that includes Randy J.
I can't believe anyone making a statement as rediculous as that. My son at 16 was pitching against ex MiLB, ex MLB and D1 ball players. What House gave him was the fundamentals to stay healthy through proper mechanics. It would be a dream to be coached by him.

Without good Mechanics my son is just another BP pitcher as he found out last year.
I might add that many MLB pitching guys teach his mechanics including the former HP coach of the Jays now with the Twins.

South paw there is noone a bigger skepyinc than me. No one sells me anything .
I research and make my own decision and I liked what I read.

Southpaw -
We are from northern va as well - who does your son work with?

I met House a few years ago through a good friend who was certified by him and who runs a pitching academy in the Portland area called Bioforce.
I thought House's stuff made sense. His conditioning stuff seems pretty darn mainstream, and he was an intensely interesting guy.

I was always puzzled, though, that his protoge Mark Prior was always injured, while House's conditioning programs are aimed at keeping arms healthy.

BHD -- Sounds like your son has enjoyed a great deal of success. Best wishes to him for a terrific future.

Gamefan -- The Coach who first introduced us to the NPA, and has worked with my son the last 4 years is Bo Bundrick of the Shenandoah Valley Baseball Academy (Winchester, VA). Bo's terrific, and has done a great deal for my son. This summer, my son also worked with Steve Johnson (www.nhahits.com) in a Fastball Fitness program. Steve is in Fairfax station, and is also a wealth of knowledge, and a great Coach. My son has attended 2 camps led by Coach House, and has taken a great deal away from these as well. He is a terrific teacher.

RK -- I asked the same questions about Mark Prior. After speaking with some folks close to his situation, I came to understand that Mark Prior had a non-pitching related injury to his arm/shoulder, and was rushed back into service for a Cubs playoff run. Bottom line, he threw too much, too often, on an injured arm; leading to more damage. That was the genesis of his troubles. That's just what I'se come to understand. I'd prefer to let Mr. Prior speak for himself.

All great comments so far in this thread.

Regarding House pitchers making it to the bigs, I recently saw an interview on TV with Randy Johnson. The announcer asked what he did to pitch so well in July after pitching poorly in June. Johnson said he paid a visit to House over at USC. (Then he quickly said he came back and met with the D-backs pitching coach and that they looked at some video and saw the same things as House. I think he was trying to save face after effectively "dis'ing" the D-backs pitching coach.)

When I was at the NPA facility in San Diego getting re-certified back in November or December (was there twice and can't remember the exact occasion), Cole Hamels came in and we had the pleasure of watching House work with Hamels.

So there's a couple examples of fairly recent cases of top MLB pitchers coming to House for help. Hard to argue with that.

Regarding the House/NPA mechanics model, House and the NPA have come up with a new model based on the commonalities of the best pitchers in the game. This model is described in his book, The Art and Science of Pitching. I would recommend this book over his earlier book, The Pitching Edge. House has another recent book called Fastball Fitness that I would also recommend. The first part of the book talks about how various parts of the body (i.e. the kinetic chain) create/transfer energy to put into the ball. The rest of the book describes training protocols from the NPA as well as some other recognized academies/organizations.

One of the best things about House and the NPA is that they don't work in a vacuum. The collaborate with others including Dr. Glenn Fleisig of the ASMI, Dr. James Andrews, and other experts in other fields such as nutrition. They have working collaborations with other organizations like The Andrews Institute and The Titleist Performance Institute (the golf world is years ahead of the baseball world in using high speed video and 3D motion analysis). A specific example of some of the work coming out of the TPI collaboration is the stability/mobility model and proper training protocols specific to the purpose (stability or mobility) of each joint.

I think the Prior issue is the cannard that folks hang the House is "bad" pennant on.
On Lets Talk Pitching.com this has been gone over many times.
These two things are sure and witnessed by many, Prior injured his shoulder when he ran into Marcus Giles on the basepaths (He was never the same after this) and his elbow was injured by a liner that caused a compression fracture...both had nothing to do with mechanics or Tom House. House had commented that he had thought Priors mechanics were near perfect and his detractors said that this was an indication that he wasn't a good coach of pitchers. I think it's weak soup to try to draw a line and really serves no good purpose.
If one can say he's bad for that then he must also be "God-like" because Nolan Ryan also credits him much and so does Randy Johnson...My thoughts are this; He tries very hard to inform as many as he can about arm health and maintenance..which is a good thing, his group has enlisted some of the most noted physicians in the field to determine which are and aren't safe practices..another good thing, he makes himself available via clinics all over America..good...and he is very active in attempting to increase the expertise of as many coaches as he can get his hands on...not a bad thing either..He spends no time worrying about or responding to detractors and I've never heard of him bagging on the competition..to me that sounds like a guy I'll pay attention to with a track record of integrity.
FWIW

Does anyone know of any pitching coaches in the Philadelphia area that are Tom House trained?

I think Randy's comments tell you how important good mechanics are. Even MLB P coaches can let things get out of control. I think parents should learn the essentials of good mechanics and keep an eve on their sons. There are basic things that indicate problems like dropping the glove arm down. lowering elbows at load, falling off to the side and too much head movement. Also the alignment of the body.

Lots of great comments out here.

dad43 -- Check out the NPA site. they maintain a list of certified coaches. I cannot tell you whether it is current, but it is a place to start.

http://www.nationalpitching.net/certified.asp?xu=103114

In case I did not suggest it before, IMO the best, fastest, least expensive way to get introduced to the teaching of Coach House and the NPA today is to take the online course available on the NPA website. My son and I took it together, and we found it to be almost as good asbeing at a live camp session with Coach House.

If I sound like I'm a big fan, it's because we give Coaches House, Bundrick & Johnson, and the NPA a great deal of credit for helping an otherwise average young athlete (my son) enjoy suscess on the mound.

This year, I had the pleasure of watching him toe the rubber (at 14) against competition as much as 5 years his senior. The confidence he has gained from what he has learned from these coaches, and his subsequent success, allowed him to take the field with the expectation of success, even when he pitched against collegiate players.

That will serve him well in many aspects of life beyond baseball. Best of success to all of the young pitchers out there.

Has anyone compared the TUFF CUFF program with the NPA stuff? It seems that they would be very similar in many ways.

Southpawdad: Did you son transfer this year? I thought I recalled some posts about his moving to a different school this year. Are you happy with where he landed?

I'm not an expert on NPA, I am very familiar with Tuff Cuff, I've given away many copies of it. The similarities are that they are designed by professionals..Steven never played in the bigs (He made it to the Lug Nuts within the Cubs organization), but his work is based on proven systems within MLB organizations..so there are many similaities...I've not seen the NPA produce a comprehensive year long pitching oriented training regieme, which is what TC is..it isn't a mechanics book (Though it touches on them) but a conditioning guide and log which is not inconsistant with what I've heard and seen from House and the AMSI.

Hey guys, please don't forget Dan Giese (who got his first call-up with the SF Giants last year and has been doing a very creditable job for the Yankees this season).

Dan has worked with Tom House for many years, and he has also worked as one of the NPA's coaching staff. He comes back to NPA Coaches Certs whenever he can to demo various mechanical issues and whatnot.

The list of MLB pitchers who have benefitted from their work with Tom House is a very long one, for a lot of very good reasons.

quote:

Originally posted by laflippin:

The list of MLB pitchers who have benefitted from their work with Tom House is a very long one, for a lot of very good reasons.

I don't have a dog in this fight (it's not really a fight), so I have no bone to pick here other than the last statement.

I was led to believe that the list of MLB pitchers that House works with was not that extensive. If that is untrue, please correct my ignorance by listing them.

CPLZ--

First, let me ask who led you to believe that?

Second, what number do you consider "extensive"? 10? 20? 100?

Third, what good will it serve to drop another 5 or 10 names on you if the ones you've already heard don't do anything for you? Over the past 5 years of my son's training with House, I've personally seen ~10 different MLB guys who were also working with him on various issues. I just mentioned Dan Giese because we saw him so many times down there that we eventually became slightly acquainted--so I'm sort of a fan and booster of Danny's now.

Eh Tom House program does make some good points, but I don't like the stuffs like 'directing body to the straight line' (I see tons of hard throwers ending up in 1st base side) or over-emphasizing balance and not really promoting fast tempo.

Stonecutter---

On the 'direct your body on a straight line toward home plate' advice, you seem to be missing the main point. Within some practical limits it is basically unimportant what the pitcher does, or what side of the rubber he ends up on, after the ball is released.

However, what the pitcher does before ball release is very important. Directing the eyes, head, and body on a straight line to the target during launch and release of the ball is exactly what most elite pitchers do--that is one of the fundamental requirements for consistency and control.

Stonecutter I am a big fan on driving in a straight line to the plate. Pulling off to the side is a major flaw to me. A slight turn is not too bad but not the best.
It puts you in a bad position to field the ball to start with but it also separates your upper body from the arm and that is bad for control. There are lots of guys in MLB that do pull off and they are lucky to have a great arm but if you watch closely many of them struggle. The tendency is to throw high and wide depending on whether they release before pulling off.
I watched a guy at a college tryout the other day and he was the only pitcher pulling off. I talked to the P coach and he was going to work with him on that. The guy had a decent arm but was a disaster on the mound. It is usually the result of over throwing. There were still some cuts to be made and he was on the bubble.

laflippin,
The person was a former major league pitcher and now college pitching coach.

For the purpose of this conversation, my definition of extensive would mirror your defintion of very long list of MLB pitchers who have benefitted from their work with Tom House.

I've seen three names in this thread, I think. Is it 5, 25, 250? I'm just trying to grasp the ambigious term and get to some degree of accurate reporting.

I certainly don't know the precise number. But I have heard House refer to players whom he wouldn't explicitly disclose because they could get into trouble with their own teams for seeking instruction outside of their organizations if their organizations found out. So the real number is probably known only to House and some faculty of the NPA.

the house approach is awesome. Biomechanics proved by science you cant go wrong. people need to realize just cuz some guy played pro ball and was 6'4 and threw 95 by everyone doesn't mean he can teach a kid how to pitch correctly.

I think House has some good things. I like the idea of pitchers training hard (weights and conditioning) to become better athletes and to prevent injury. This has a carry over effect to throwing harder.

Some of the ideas (like "perceived velocity" and releasing closer to the plate) I don’t buy, and some of the towel drills I find have little use/carry over to games. I’m not 100% sure but he seems to advocate a more linear delivery/mechanics, whereas I prefer rotational throwing mechanics.

But I’m sure he helps lot’s of guys, so if he helps you great. It’s all about getting better and if his methods work for you then go for it.

Here is a discussion of pertainence I believe over on Lets Talk Pitching...
The last 2 posts I think are to the point, you may not agree or disagree but the point as Rob said is improvement of the pitcher;
http://letstalkpitching.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8002

My friend who trains with mY son in the winter until he went to college is in the MiLB and has appeared in a couple MLB games pulls out the towel every time he works out.
Yes he teaches linear movement which I believe is best for my son. Releasing out front helps get the ball to the plate quicked in terms of reaction time. A tall pitcher can knock a couple feet off the travel distance and the ball is at it highest velo out of the hand so 2 feet closer is quicker to the plate. Also it allows you to get on top of the ball better keeping it between the thighs and knees where a pitcher should live. You would be surprised at the difference it makes.
One problem young pitchers make is releasing the ball too soon and too high.

quote:

Yes he teaches linear movement

--That's kind of an over-simplification, BHD. House teaches that during a certain part of the launch (after the shoulders have opened and the torso is squared up to the plate) pitchers should track directly forward to the target with their eyes, head, and body.

However, to generate most of the power necessary for launch of the ball, House strongly emphasizes 40 - 60 degree hip/shoulder separation and delayed shoulder rotation. This is certainly "rotational mechanics" as I understand it.

In fact, all parts of a pitching delivery are important but they don't all fit into one neat overall box like "linear delivery" or "rotational delivery".

House has dissected and analyzed the motions of 500+ elite pitchers by high speed motion analysis and he seeks to identify the mechanical issues that all (or most) share in common. Another of his goals is to separate the highly conserved mechanical imperatives, which pitchers do need to train and condition for, from personal "signature" issues, which generally should not be "corrected" by coaches.

I have personally seen House's motion analysis database and my son has enjoyed 2 of his own motion analyses over the past 5 years--one at Children's Hospital Kinesiology Lab in San Diego, and the other at House's NPA facility in San Diego. Both of these labs used 8-camera 1000 fps Vicon systems w/ reflective markers. This is the same system that House used to compile his database of elite pitcher motions.

In answer to C's question--during the course of his ~30 year coaching and research career, commenced in 1979 after his MLB playing days were over, House has worked directly with many hundreds of MLB pitchers. He has also worked with many thousands of kids--a few of whom were dedicated, talented, and lucky enough to pitch professionally. More than a few of his 'kid clients' over the years were at least able to enjoy playing at the college level.

Anyone interested in finding a pro pitching coach should definitely develop their own set of litmus tests and a good b.s.-meter for making personal choices. Tom House is clearly not the answer for everyone--but, then, no single coach could ever possibly be 'the answer' for everyone.

Good explanation from laflippin. I'd add only two additional points:

(1) House claims that about 80% of velocity comes from hip and shoulder rotation. So it makes no sense that he would teach pitchers to not make good use of rotation.

(2) House does teach late shoulder rotation and I think that creates the linear appearance that people perceive. But it's just shoulders rotating after the hips while the body continues to track forward.

Good Sutff Guys.

RobV -- I urge you to take another look at "perceived velocity" and towel drills. An understanding and application of both have been critical in my son's success, and that of many young pitchers I have coached.

The real key is "effective velocity." Coach House was the first one to quantify for me something that I had always thought to be true. There are 3 types of velocity:

Real Velocity -- the actual speed recorded on the radar gun.

Perceived Velocity -- how fast the pitch appears to the batter. For every 1' closer to the plate a Pitcher releases the ball, add 3 mph to real velocity. Pitches up and in look faster than pitches low and away.

Effective Velocity -- the difference in the perceived velocity between one pitch and the next. When a pitcher can change speeds and locations in a mix that creates a 10+ mph difference in the effective velocity, it gets very hard for a batter to adjust and stay comfortable.

Think Glavine, Maddux, Moyer, and many others.

Towel drills let a pitcher get immediate feedback as to how well they are repeating and staying on line with their delivery. My son (and other I have coached) do towel drills in the bullpen as part of their warm-up. The routine we use (and learned from NPA coaches) produces great conistency.

The important thing is to understand what each drill is intended to achieve, and how to learn from each drill. My son first saw towel drills from a coach who could not explain their importance. They did not make much sense to me either. After Coach House & Coach Bundrick -- my son and I understood, and towles have played a big role in his mastering his mechanics and daily preparation.

To sound like a broken reocrd -- I'd send everyone out to view the Art & Science of Pitching DVD's; read the book; read the Fastball Fitness book; take the NPA Online Course. Make a modest investment of time and money to do one or more of these, and then make up your own mind. As for me and my son, we are huge fans of Coach House and the NPA.

I'm glad you have found something that get's yoou results.

Those calculations are based on ball reaction times (in reality 1' is more like 2mph in "reaction time").

What is the more "real" (I think) result of throwing a baseball is the actual closing rate.

A ball thrown 90mph=132'/sec.
A 93mph ball = 136.4'/sec.

That's 4.4'/sec difference in closing rate.

I think it would be much harder to hit a 93mph pitch because of this, rather than what it "looks like" in reaction time. Reaction time would be minimal as to essentially have little effect.

I also feel that changing someones mechanics so that they are "releasing" an entire foot closer to the plate (stride length staying the same) is asking for trouble (like "pushing" the ball and all sorts of other undesirable consequences).

I could be wrong, but I think that what you "think" is happening (releasing the ball closer to the plate), really may not.

For me I would strive to achieve ACTUAL velocity (what does the radar gun say?). Throw real baseballs (when doing drills try to find the best drills that carry over into real game situations). Use feedback (like a radar gun) to monitor results. Video your throws (more feedback). Make adjustments.

Rinse....repeat.

This is what I found works the best.

Yes linear is the line you take to the plate. It doesn't refer to upper body rotation. Take a line from instep of your plant foot towards the plate and you should stay close if not on the line with your stride foot. The body goes in that direction before and after realease. I often draw a line and the pitcher can see where his stride foot should be and if you must fall off I prefer falling towards the plate with the body momentum. This allows you to get everything behind the throw and to square up in a defensive position. .

....interesting read

quote:

Originally posted by RobV:
I also feel that changing someones mechanics so that they are "releasing" an entire foot closer to the plate (stride length staying the same) is asking for trouble (like "pushing" the ball and all sorts of other undesirable consequences).

A lot of "releasing" closer to the plate is good posture and balance, good front side management to avoid doing those things that destroy timing (e.g. flying open with the glove), and good momentum. So, while you might consider this changing someone's mechanics, would you really disagree with any of these things?

quote:

I could be wrong, but I think that what you "think" is happening (releasing the ball closer to the plate), really may not.

This is where the feedback from the towel drill comes in. You mark off the distance (stride plus 5 heel-to-toe steps) and have the pitcher go through the motion. Most times, pitchers start off not hitting the target. Then you start to make adjustments first correcting obvious flaws and then foptimizing inefficiencies. Eventually, they are hhitting the target. When a pitcher has a particularly tough time hitting the target, I will rresort to a reverse progression when I set him up in a post-stride position.

No, I will admit that with any drill the trick is taking from the drill into your live throwing. To address that, I intermix drill work and live throwing.

quote:

For me I would strive to achieve ACTUAL velocity (what does the radar gun say?). Throw real baseballs (when doing drills try to find the best drills that carry over into real game situations). Use feedback (like a radar gun) to monitor results. Video your throws (more feedback). Make adjustments.

No argument there. But doing what you said and using the towel drill are not mutually exclusive. Do both!