The Pitching Mechanic
November 2007

Real-Time Illustrations and Analyses of
Proper and Improper Pitching Mechanics

The Pitching Mechanic - December 2007

11/27/2007

Frame By Frame Analysis: Dan Haren

I just completed a frame by frame analysis of the pitching mechanics of Dan Haren, who is one of my favorite young pitchers. I like him because he shares a lot of similarities with Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens. That includes his superior arm action and the amount that his ball tails. Let me explain what I mean.

Dan Haren - Frame 393

After breaking his hands, Dan Haren drops his hand to behind his Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) butt cheek.

Dan Haren - Frame 403

Instead of reverse-rotating his shoulders, Dan Haren then breaks his hands pretty much directly in line with Home Plate and Second Base.

Dan Haren - Frame 406

One thing I like about Dan Haren's arm action is how his PAS elbow always stays below the level of his shoulders. This is about as high as his PAS elbow gets. From this point on, his PAS elbow stays level and then drops as his PAS upper arm externally rotates.

Dan Haren - Frame 407

Dan Haren - Frame 408

Dan Haren - Frame 409

The thing to notice in this frame is Dan Haren's tremendous hip/shoulder separation. It's got to be close to 90 degrees, which means that he throws the ball with his entire body and not just his arm. Also notice that at this moment his PAS elbow is well below the level of his shoulders.

Dan Haren - Frame 410

This frame also suggests that Dan Haren's timing is good; that his shoulders don't start rotating until his PAS forearm is vertical. Notice how his PAS forearm doesn't start to lay back until the next frame.

Dan Haren - Frame 411

Dan Haren - Frame 412

Dan Haren - Frame 413

Another thing I like about Dan Haren is that -- like Greg Maddux -- rather than leaving his PAS foot behind on the rubber, Dan Haren brings his PAS foot and knee forward. This increases the distance over which his hips rotate.

Greg Maddux - Release Point

You can see the same thing in the photo above of Greg Maddux. At the release point, his PAS foot is 3 feet or so off of the rubber.

Dan Haren - Frame 430

About the only thing that Dan Haren does that I'm not a fan of is that he doesn't finish in a great fielding position. Notice how his glove is behind his body in this frame. At least he finishes sideways to Home Plate, which will make him a smaller target.

11/19/2007

Frame By Frame Analysis: Nolan Ryan

I find the clip below of Nolan Ryan so interesting, and so instructive, that I just used it to create a frame by frame analysis of Nolan Ryan's pitching mechanics.

Nolan Ryan

11/8/2007

Pitching Myth Busters: The Balance Point

One of the most prevalent pitching myths out there is that pitchers must come to, and pause at, the balance point during their leg lift.
     While this may be what some young pitchers do, it's not what major league pitchers do.
     Instead, what major league pitchers do is start their hips moving sideways toward the target before or at the top of their leg lift. This helps to increase their linear momentum which then gets converted into rotational momentum in the form of the rapid rotation of their hips (which powerfully pulls their shoulders around).

Nolan Ryan

Perhaps the best example of this that I have found is the clip above of Nolan Ryan. The thing to notice is how his hips start moving sideways toward the target before he reaches the top of his leg lift.

Mariano Rivera

While it's less dramatic, you can see the same thing in the clip above of Mariano Rivera. Notice how his hips start to move sideways toward the target at the top of his leg lift.
     Now, let's look at this in greater detail using a number of still frames of Curt Schilling.

Curt Schilling

As the photo above shows, as Curt Schilling nears the top of his leg lift, he pushes sideways off of the rubber (back toward 2B) with his Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) foot. This gets his hips moving sideways toward the target.

Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling continues to push sideways off of the rubber as his torso starts to drop and he breaks his hands. During this time, Curt Schilling basically leads with his Glove Side (aka GS) butt cheek.
     As I have said elsewhere, this motion is better described as "Drive and Drop" than the more popular "Drop and Drive". In the case of Curt Schilling, Nolan Ryan, Mariano Rivera and others, they start driving their hips toward the plate before their torsos start to drop significantly.

Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling

As the two photos above show, as Curt Schilling's GS foot moves down hill, he leads his stride with the side of his foot. He only points his GS toe at the target just before his GS foot lands. This helps to keep his hips closed as long as possible and maximizes the force with which his hips pull his shoulders around.

The Pitching Mechanic - October 2007