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6/22/2007 The topic of Scapular Loading (aka, Scapula Loading, Inverted W, or "M") has come up in a number of discussions on the message boards that I frequent, and I thought I ought to discuss my view of Scapular Loading.
Scapular LoadingThe term Scapular Loading (which in days gone by was described by the term "Proud Chest") was coined by Paul Nyman to describe something that high level pitchers often do and that may be related to throwing at a high velocity.
Nolan Ryan
If you look at photos of most major
league pitchers, like Nolan Ryan, you will see that at some point
in their motion, usually just before their Pitching Arm Side (aka
PAS) forearm is about to pass through the vertical, high-cocked
position and their shoulders start to rotate, they take their
elbows behind their back and pinch their shoulder blades (or
Scapulae) together. Paul Nyman's theory is that this action
helps to load the muscles on both sides of the shoulder and enables a pitcher to
throw harder.
THE SAFE WAY TO LOAD ONE'S SCAPS
Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson The two photos above of Randy Johnson show exactly what I mean. Notice that while his elbows are behind his back, they are also well below the level of his shoulders.
Randy Johnson You can see the same thing in the the photo above of Randy Johnson, which is from the same moment but from a different angle. Again, notice that his elbows are behind his back but well below the level of his shoulders during the process of Scapular Loading.
Randy Johnson Above is a third view of Randy Johnson from the same moment in time that shows the exact same thing. Randy Johnson's elbows are behind his back but below the level of his shoulders.
Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson To prove that this is something that Randy Johnson still does, above are four photos of him from early on in the 2007 season. Notice how his PAS elbow always stays below the level of his shoulders.
Randy Johnson You can see the same thing in the above video clip of Randy Johnson. Notice how his PAS elbow always stays below the level of his shoulders until after his PAS forearm has passed through the vertical high-cocked position. His PAS elbow is at the level of his shoulders at the Release Point, but that is normal.
Randy Johnson
For those of you who are not clear
what I am talking about, here is a frame from the clip above.
Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux In the photo above of Greg Maddux, notice the same pattern as in the arm action of Randy Johnson. While his elbows are indeed behind his back, they are also well below the level of his shoulders.
Greg Maddux Above is another photo of Greg Maddux taken at almost exactly the same moment. Again, notice that while his elbows are indeed behind his back, they are also well below the level of his shoulders during the process of Scapular Loading.
Greg Maddux Above is another photo of Greg Maddux taken from a slightly different angle that shows the same thing. Notice that his elbows are behind his back, but well below the level of his shoulders.
Greg Maddux Above is a third view of Greg Maddux, this time taken from the side. Again, notice how low Greg Maddux's PAS elbow is relative to the level of his shoulders.
Greg Maddux Above is a recent view of Greg Maddux taken from early May 2007. You can see that he does today what he did back in his days in Atlanta; he keeps his PAS elbow below the level of his shoulders after breaking his hands.
Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux Finally, above are two views of Greg Maddux from June 2007 showing how he keeps his elbows below the level of his shoulders during the act of Scapula Loading.
Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens Notice in the photo above, that while Roger Clemens' elbows are behind his back, they are also below the level of his shoulders during the process of Scapular Loading.
Roger Clemens You can see the same thing in this more recent photo of Roger Clemens. His elbows are just behind his back but also just below the level of his shoulders.
Roger Clemens In this side view of Roger Clemens you can also see that while he is loading his scaps, his elbow never gets above the level of his shoulders.
Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver Notice in the photo above of Tom Seaver that his PAS forearm is vertical but his PAS elbow is below the level of his shoulders during the process of Scapular Loading.
Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax Notice in the photo above of Sandy Koufax that his PAS forearm is vertical and his PAS elbow, which is barely visible behind his back, is below the level of his shoulders during the process of Scapular Loading.
THE DANGEROUS WAY TO LOAD ONE'S SCAPS
Mark Prior
Mark Prior The thing to notice in the photo above is how high Mark Prior's PAS elbow is as he starts the process of Scapular Loading. His PAS elbow is several inches above the level of his shoulders and his arms make a clear "M". This stands in sharp contrast to the height of the PAS elbows of Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, and Roger Clemens.
Mark Prior
The photo above of Mark Prior shows
the same thing. Notice that he is starting to load his scaps, but
with his PAS elbow well above, rather than below,
the level of his shoulders.
Billy Wagner
Billy Wagner In the photo above, you can see Billy Wagner just starting to load his scaps. You can also see that his PAS elbow is well above the level of his shoulders.
Billy Wagner You can see the same thing in the photo above of Billy Wagner. Notice how he is starting to load his scaps while his PAS elbow is still quite high relative to the level of his shoulders.
PREDICTIONS
PITCHERS WHOSE ARM ACTION I LIKE Dan Haren
Dan Haren As you can see in the photo above, as he loads his scaps, Dan Haren keeps his PAS elbow below the level of his shoulders, which is good. The more I see of Dan Haren, the more I rue the day the Cardinals traded him and wish they had traded Anthony Reyes instead. However, I have to hand it to the A's for recognizing his talent.
Roy Oswalt
Roy Oswalt As the photo above of Roy Oswalt shows, as he loads his scaps he keeps his elbows below the level of his shoulders.
Roy Oswalt You can see the same thing in the photo above of Roy Oswalt. As he loads his scaps, his elbows are below the level of his shoulders. Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Willis However, as the photo above shows, as his PAS forearm passes through the vertical high-cocked position and he loads his scaps, his elbows are below the level of his shoulders and his arms form more of "W" shape than an "M".
PITCHERS I AM WORRIED ABOUT
Aaron Heilman
Aaron Heilman As you can see in the photo above, Aaron Heilman's arm action is very similar to Billy Wagner's. Notice how high his PAS elbow gets relative to the level of his shoulders.
Anthony Reyes
Anthony Reyes The photo above shows that Anthony Reyes comes to the same "M" or Inverted W position as Mark Prior, with his PAS elbows both above and behind the level of his shoulders.
Anthony Reyes You can see the same thing going on in the photo above of Anthony Reyes. Notice how high his PAS elbow is relative to the level of his shoulders.
Anthony Reyes You can see the same thing in the photo above of Anthony Reyes. Again, notice the height of his PAS elbow (and his PAS forearm hanging down vertically beneath it). |
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