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"Don't get
on top of the ball!"
I had a great
question from one of the BioForce family from San
Diego.
Adam's son has had
some mid season/end of season problems with his
pitching.
Here's what Adam
wrote:
Bill, question, my
son's last 3 or 4 outings he has been struggling
with his fast ball being either high or low...I have
been told it's his glove side being to high. Also,
He throws over the top and he was advised at Tom
House camp to lower the arm angle to get better
movement on his FB....TKS Adam
Adam,
Typically, high and
low is a glove side issue. Not usually the glove
side being too high, but not being very active and
soft. Sometimes being too active and sweeping.
Throwing over the top
is not an arm slot issue, but a posture issue.
Someone along the way told him to get on top and the
way kids do that is not by changing their arm slot,
but by changing their posture to get their arm "on
top".
The advice you got
from the Tom House camp was correct. Let him throw
with his natural arm angle, just incorporate more
posture stability.
Another thing about
too high and too low could be a stacking issue.
Without getting too complicated, the eyes and chest
need to track to the target for as long as possible,
even after release point...for a short period of
time.
Sometimes pitchers
are in such a hurry to get their flat back finish,
their chest and head go to the ground very quickly.
Have him look for
dollars (the catcher's glove) not daisies on the
ground.
Well, the next day,
Adam came back from the camp and wrote this:
Bill, thanks so much
for the quick response... a major help!!! Also he
worked out with Tom house this A.M. and Tom was
quick to point out the front side and that seemed to
put everything back in alignment.
Great minds think
alike!!!! :-)
One of my missions in
life is to change the mindset of pitcher's and
instructors.
Just about everything
we do in life is an equal and opposite manner. Look
at how folks walk, their arms are swinging equal and
opposite of each other.
We need to focus on
the front side. The front (glove) side should be
more active. It sends the message to the throwing
side what we're going to do today. The more active
and aggressive the front side, the more active and
aggressive the throwing side.
If we are slow and
sloppy with the front side, guess what you can
expect with the throwing arm?
Adam, thanks for
sharing your story with the other readers! Stay out
of the sun in San Diego!
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