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Drop and
Drive - Pitching Myth #5
I used to do it. My
high school coach taught me to drop and drive. I
used to get my knee dirty pitching I dropped that
much. It's an old-school teach. Modern technology
has helped us understand it better now.
Tom Seaver was famous
for dropping and driving, but one pitcher does not
make sound delivery.
I've mentioned it
before, there are many ways to pitch and be
successful.
Our pitching
principles are based on the pitchers that have been
successful for many years, relatively injury free.
Maddux, Johnson, Ryan etc.
We know that the
least amount of posture change make for a more
efficient delivery. The more efficient the delivery,
the less stress and strain put on the joints. The
less stress and strain, the less chance of injury
(there are other factors on injury prevention
too....more on that later.)
Think of the Olympic
sprinter. When they are 25 yards into a 100 yard
sprint, how much posture change do they have?
Minimal. They want as much energy being transferred
into the ground as possible. Posture changes are
energy leaks....energy killers.
The more posture
change and energy going into the ground, the less
going forward towards the hitter.
Let gravity and the
mound get you going towards the plate. Your leg kick
helps gather your energy around your center of
gravity and increase your momentum. More momentum,
more opportunity for velocity.
I had the pleasure of
meeting Nolan Ryan a couple of years ago. One thing
he told me about his delivery was that he wanted to
do as much work out front as possible. That means he
never wanted to pause...get a balance point and go.
Find some footage of his delivery. He stepped into
his windup and gathered his leg kick as he was
falling towards the target. Never pausing.
Pitchers who pause,
need to alter their posture to get that momentum
going again.
Keep all the energy
you've worked hard to recruit and keep it going to
the intended target.
Until next
time....keep working hard!
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