Fixing Pitchers

Preventing and Evaluating Baseball Pitching Injuries

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How Baseball Pitchers Produce Velocity

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So, you want to throw hard … but, how much do you really understand about the way you produce velocity?

The pitching motion is like any other sport skill in that there are specific physical skills within the skill that need to be developed and practiced. And when it comes to performing the skills that contribute in a large way to velocity, there are three skills that I immediately evaluate when a pitcher comes to me to troubleshoot his loss of, or inability to, produce the velocity he knows he has inside.

The skill of sequencing and separating the rotation between the hips, lower trunk, and upper trunk is necessary to accumulate the angular velocity derived from the rotation phase of the pitching motion. The stretch-factor derived from separating the levels of rotation is actually the pre-stretch that will convert to the contraction that produces the transfer of power to the ball. Troubleshoot your rotation to be sure that your hips and trunk are not moving in one piece and/or that your upper trunk is getting ahead of the lower trunk rotation.

The skill of trunk tilt (flexing at the level of the hip joint of the landing leg) toward the plate (not to be confused with lateral trunk tilt, which is a sideways tilt away from the pitching arm at ball release) is necessary to release the ball as close to the plate as possible. The more efficient the trunk tilt, the greater your ability to get over your front leg. Troubleshoot your trunk tilt by making sure that you are not “sitting back in a chair-like position” at ball release. Your shoulders should be moving ahead of your feet, not staying behind them as you tilt forward. A stable front leg (not sinking) and proper use of the rear leg for stability are two requirements for producing a great trunk tilt.

The skill of internally rotating the shoulder and simultaneously extending the elbow at acceleration is essential to maximizing the enormous power of shoulder rotation that is obtained through the pre-stretch of the shoulder accelerators. A delay or change in the position of the shoulder musculature due to faulty arm mechanics can rob you of your velocity. Remember, force production during contraction is based on how well you pre-stretch a muscle — and couple that pre-stretch with the contraction. Knowing how to do this requires understanding the skill and practicing it. Troubleshooting this skill can start with making sure that the stretch you begin to feel around the shoulder joint as you start to rotate your hips toward the plate is not lost during the following moments of rotating the trunk as you square your body prior to acceleration.

Three Pitching Flaws that Rob Velocity

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Man holding radar gun to track speed and velocity of a baseball pitcher

When pitchers tell me they can’t figure out why they are not throwing harder, the first thing I do is to look at their motion from a perspective of what they might be doing that is blocking or interfering with the velocity capability that already resides within them.

It is common these days to feel like you have to search for some new thing “to do” to throw harder. While there are always ways to improve on the specific skills required for your maximal velocity, looking first at eliminating interfering movements is critical. Without first eliminating possible culprits that may be getting in your way, you run the risk of “adding” something to a motion that may have some basic flaws, thus leading to more frustration and failure — not to mention injury.

These are the three most common motion flaws I see that can interfere with the pitcher’s capability of improving his velocity:

  1. Speeding down the hill
  2. Incomplete hip rotation
  3. Leading with the elbow

Pitching Mechanical Flaw #1: Speeding Down the Hill

Speeding down the hill creates a situation of so much power at the beginning of the motion that the body has to jar itself to stop once the front foot lands. This excessive deceleration can create problems for the rotational phase of the motion which is where the accumulation of rotational forces actually begins. The stride is a delicate balance of direction/control/and intensity.

Pitching Mechanical Flaw #2: Incomplete Hip Rotation

Incomplete hip rotation causes a problem for the sequencing and separation of the rotation that occurs through your hips, lower trunk, and upper trunk, essential characteristics of an efficient motion and top velocity production. This error is seen when the lower body is not square-to-the plate prior to accelerating the ball into ball release. Some common causes of this are improper use of the rear leg, pulling the rear foot off too soon, or landing in a location that prevents full hip rotation.

Pitching Mechanical Flaw #3: Leading with the Elbow

Proper acceleration of the ball requires using the shoulder correctly and its capacity for fast rotational forces. When the shoulder and elbow mechanics are off, the elbow will get in front of the shoulder before the shoulder internally rotates (leading with the elbow). This creates a different action at the shoulder and thereby diminishes its vast capacity for acceleration forces. Common causes of this are improper hip rotation (the upper trunk arrives before the hips), a lack of knowledge of proper arm mechanics, and an unstable base (faulty stride position) that disallows proper sequencing during the rotation phase.

It is so important to unleash the velocity potential that is already in you. The first step is to get out of your own way. The second step is to work on the skills required.