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Pitching
Conventional Wisdom and Myth #1.
After our coaches
clinic this past weekend, I has several requests to
send out the list of conventional wisdom and myths
for pitching. I'll include all the myths discussed
at the clinic plus s few more in a series of these
daily/weekly tips.
Thanks to Dave S's
email, here is the first myth and conventional
wisdom:
Stand tall to have a
downward projection plane on your ball.
Well, this one
baffles me. Some coaches see a tall pitcher and
expect them to throw the ball with such a downward
plane to make it really hard for the hitter to hit
the ball.
Try hitting a
baseball when you toss it straight up in the air and
hit grounders to a player. Your timing has to be
perfect to hit the ball. A tough plane of the ball
to hit indeed. I believe this is where that logic
comes from with some coaches.
The problem with that
theory for a pitcher to try and duplicate it in his
delivery is that it requires the pitcher to really
alter his delivery, not be in an athletic position
when he throws, which I have yet to see a pitcher
not get in that position even if it is only for a
short period of time through the delivery.
To maximize this
"plane", the pitcher must also "get on top of the
ball". This is another myth to be dispelled at
another time.
To get on "top" of
the ball, the pitcher has to change his posture to
create a different arm angle. Posture changes are
velocity killers, they are deception killers, and
they put more stress and strain on the shoulder and
elbow. Changing this arm angle and posture shows the
ball to the hitter earlier and the release point
will be further from the hitter. We want the release
point to be as close to the hitter as possible. We
call this perceived velocity.
We believe to let the
pitcher be in his natural athletic stance, his
natural arm slot and let late movement, velocity,
and deception (perceived velocity) be the primary
factor in his ability to get hitters out.
Jamie Moyer has great
movement and deception or perceived velocity.
Pitchers like Johnson, Prior, Clemens, Nolan Ryan,
have/had real velocity, perceived velocity and great
movement. Any time a pitcher basis his delivery on
only one of the factors that get hitters out, he
becomes a one-dimensional pitcher, literally.
If this "downward
plane" theory was true and accurate, I guess Randy
Johnson should change his arm angle, change his
posture and get on top to be more effective. As
should Prior, who is about 6'5".
I can tell you one
thing, it ain't gonna happen. It shouldn't happen.
Nolan Ryan didn't worry about plane of the fastball,
Maddux doesn't, Prior doesn't, Wood doesn't.
You shouldn't either.
Focus on late torque and rotation, later movement on
the ball, maintaining your posture throughout your
delivery, then you'll get hitters out.
Hope this helps.
Keep working hard!
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