The Pitching
Mechanic
July 2007
Real-Time Illustrations and Analyses of
Proper and
Improper Pitching Mechanics
The Pitching Mechanic -
August 2007
7/27/2007
Another Greg Maddux
Image Sequence
I have extracted
another image
sequence of Greg Maddux. Like the other one, this one is a CF
view of Greg Maddux throwing an 88 MPH sinking fastball for a
ball (low). One difference between this clip and the other
one is that I have highlighted the path of the ball.
7/26/2007
New Greg Maddux
Image Sequence
I recently found a
clip of Greg Maddux pitching in the 1997 NLCS and have extracted
a new image
sequence from it. This particular image sequence is a CF
view of Greg Maddux throwing an 88 MPH sinking fastball for a
ball (low). Notice the "W" in the frames below and
in the entire clip.
7/25/2007
Greg Maddux And
The "W"
As you know, Greg
Maddux is one of my favorite pitchers. This is due in part to
his arm action. In order to make it clear what I am talking
about when I talk about how he makes the "W", rather
than the "M" or the Inverted
W, below are a number of frames from a video clip that
clearly shows Greg Maddux making the "W".
Frame 97
Frame 98
Frame 99
Frame 100
Frame 101
Frame 102
Frame 103
I hope this puts
to rest the myth that dropping the elbow below the level of the
shoulders is always bad.
7/25/2007
Chris
Carpenter vs. Greg Maddux
In an effort to
make clearer the difference between Chris Carpenter and Greg
Maddux, I have just put together a page that compares Chris
Carpenter vs. Greg Maddux.
7/24/2007
How Chris
Carpenter (Actually) Throws The Ball
In an effort to
explain the root cause of his elbow and shoulder problems, I
just completed an analysis that explains how
Chris Carpenter actually throws the ball.
It's very
interesting and informative to compare what you see in the above
image sequence
of Chris Carpenter with what you see in this Greg
Maddux image sequence. In particular, notice how Greg Maddux
gets to the high cocked position by leading with his Pitching
Arm Side (aka PAS) hand whereas Chris Carpenter gets to the high
cocked position by leading with his PAS elbow. This is a small
and subtle, but very important, difference.
As
I said back in December of 2006, I think the long-term deal
the Cardinals gave Chris Carpenter may turn out to be a
disaster. So far, the first two years of that five-year deal
have been.
This whole Chris Carpenter experience
makes the case that no amount of conditioning can overcome
terrible mechanics.
Instead, all conditioning can do is
delay the inevitable.
7/17/2007
Chris
Carpenter's Mechanics
It looks like
Chris Carpenter may be experiencing continuing problems with his
elbow. As a result, I wanted to remind you of what I have said
in the past about Chris
Carpenter's mechanics, which includes a frame by frame
analysis of his mechanics.
7/17/2007
A New Favorite
Photo
I've found a new
favorite photo for illustrating the concept of hip/shoulder
separation.
Tim Lincecum
The photo above of
Tim Lincecum shows his hips open with his belt buckle pointing
at home plate but his shoulders closed and facing 3B. This
stretches the muscles of his core and will allow them to
powerfully pull his shoulders around.
This explains why such a relatively
small guy is still able to throw so hard.
7/17/2007
Mark Buehrle:
A Quick Look
Given that Mark
Buehrle's name has been in the news lately, and that a number of
people have asked me what I think of him, I thought I should
take a quick look at his mechanics, and in particular at his arm
action.
In
general, I like what I see. That is in part because I see a
"W" rather than an "M" or Inverted W in his arm
action, which should help to protect his shoulder.
Mark Buehrle
The photo above of
Mark Buehrle shows that he breaks his hands with his hands
rather than with his elbows, which I think is good. This is
about as high as his PAS elbow gets, which compares favorably
with Greg Maddux.
Mark Buehrle
The photo above of
Mark Buehrle is a reverse angle of the photo above. Again,
notice how (relatively) low his PAS elbow is compared to the
level of his shoulders.
Mark Buehrle
The photo above of
Mark Buehrle shows him as his PAS elbow is just passing through
the horizontal position.
Mark Buehrle
Mark Buehrle
Mark Buehrle
Mark Buehrle
In the three
photos above of Mark Buehrle, his PAS forearm is now 45 degrees
off the the horizontal and his GS heel has just made contact
with the ground. His hips are also opening up into foot plant
while his shoulders are staying closed. I like the consistency
between these four photos above because that means he does a
good job of repeating his motion.
Mark Buehrle
Mark Buehrle
Mark Buehrle
Mark Buehrle
In the four photos
above of Mark Buehrle, his PAS forearm is vertical and passing
through the vertical high-cocked position. He is also showing
the ball to 1B (since he's a lefty) rather than to 2B/CF.
In the photo above, notice that Mark
Buehrle's hips have continued to open while his
shoulders have stayed closed. This will help him to throw with
his entire body (e.g. his torso or core) rather than just his
arm. The photo above also shows that Mark Buehrle has good
timing; his shoulders don't start to rotate until after his GS
foot plants.
Finally,
in this and the other photos above, notice how Mark Buehrle's
arms make a "W" shape rather than an "M" or Inverted
W shape.
7/15/2007
Thinking About Andrew
Miller's Shoulder
I recently came
across a photo of Andrew Miller, which I like, and it led me to
take a more in-depth look at his arm action.
Andrew Miller
The thing I like
about the photo above of Andrew Miller is that you can see a
pretty good "W" in his arm action. Notice how, as his
Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) forearm passes through the vertical
high-cocked position, his PAS elbow is below the level of his
shoulders. I believe that this will help to protect his shoulder.
You can see the same things in the
sequence of photos below of Andrew Miller.
Andrew Miller
In the photo above of Andrew
Miller, his PAS forearm is horizontal and his PAS elbow is below the level
of his shoulders.
Andrew Miller
In the next photo, Andrew
Miller's PAS forearm has rotated 45 degrees but his PAS elbow is still below
the level of his shoulders.
Andrew Miller
In the photo above of Andrew
Miller, his PAS forearm is nearly vertical, but his PAS elbow is no higher
than the level of his shoulders.
Andrew Miller
In the photo above of Andrew
Miller, his PAS forearm is passing through vertical as his shoulders are starting to
turn. As this happens, his PAS elbow is still below the level of his
shoulders.
Also, with respect to the "Power
Position" that I discuss below, notice that Andrew Miller
doesn't do what many coaches advocate. His PAS elbow is below
the level of his shoulders, rather than above it. He is also
showing the ball to 1B (since he is a lefty) rather than to
2B/CF.
7/14/2007
Thinking About The
"Power Position"
Recently I have
had a number of discussions with people where the topic of the
Power Position (or "T Power Position" or "Cobra
Position") has come up.
T Power
Position
The "Power
Position" is as pretty much as pictured above. At the moment
the PAS forearm is vertical, the Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) elbow
is above the level of the shoulders and the PAS hand is
showing the ball to 2B/CF.
Cobra Position
You can see the same basic
thing in the photo above. Again, at the moment the PAS forearm is vertical,
the PAS elbow is above the level of the shoulders and the player is showing
the ball to 2B/CF.
Most web sites unanimously advocate this position
for both position players and pitchers.
The problem is that, if you look at great players
like Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson, you will see that this is not
what they do.
Randy Johnson
If you look at the photo above
of Randy Johnson, you will notice that, at the moment his PAS forearm is
vertical, Randy Johnson's PAS elbow is well below the level of his
shoulders and he is showing the ball to 1B (since he's a lefty), not to
2B/CF.
Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux
You can see the same thing in
the two photos above of Greg Maddux. First, notice that, at the moment his
PAS forearm is vertical, Greg Maddux's PAS elbow is well below the
level of his shoulders and he is showing the ball to 3B.
All of this means is that when you hear people talk
about concepts like the "Power Position", you need to be skeptical
and compare what is being taught to what successful professional pitchers
do. In many cases, what people are teaching isn't what great pitchers like
Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux actually do.
7/4/2007
Questions About Johan Santana's
Shoulder
I really like Johan
Santana's mechanics, but in studying his mechanics recently, I
have noticed something that makes me nervous.
Johan Santana
Notice how high
Johan Santana's PAS elbow is in the photo above. It's just above
the level of his shoulders.
Johan Santana
You can see the same
thing in the photo above of Johan Santana. His PAS elbow is quite
high.
I'm not absolutely convinced that this means that Johan
Santana is in imminent risk of shoulder problems. Instead, he
seems to be on the borderline.
 Tom Glavine
I say this because, as you can see
in the photo above, Tom Glavine's PAS elbow gets relatively high,
but he has been largely free of shoulder problems.
However, I am going to keep my eye on Johan Santana and
see how his shoulder fares.
7/2/2007
More Examples Of The "W"
As you know, I am
not a big fan of the "M" or
Inverted W. I don't think it's necessary to throwing either
well or hard. I also think it increases the risk a pitcher will
experience shoulder problems.
Tim Lincecum
I am a fan of Tim
Lincecum, and think he has a chance of being a 20-year guy, and
the photo above is one reason why. Notice how, as he is
Scapular Loading, rather than making
the M or Inverted W, Tim Lincecum instead keeps his elbows below
the level of his shoulders to form more of a "W". I think this
should help to protect his shoulder.
Mike Mussina
Mike Mussina is
another guy of whom I am a fan. As you can see in the photo above,
Mike Mussina is another pitcher who makes the "W" rather than the
"M" or Inverted W. I think this helps to explain Mike Mussina's
longevity.
The Pitching Mechanic -
June 2007
|