Pitching Mechanics 101

I have been getting a large number of visitors on my web site who are interested in pitching mechanics. Because this is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, I have put together this primer on pitching mechanics. My hope is that by reading this piece you will better understand pitching mechanics and will become a better pitcher, or teacher, as a result.

Myths and Misconceptions
About Pitching Mechanics

There are a tremendous number of myths and misconceptions out there about pitching mechanics that get in the way of people's understanding and that can cause problems. As a result, before I get into explaining how I shape the pitching mechanics of my pitchers, let me first deal with some of these myths and misconceptions.

A Pitcher's Primary Source of Power

Probably the biggest misconception when it comes to pitching mechanics has to do with a pitcher's primary source of power.
     Spend any amount of time listening to people talking pitching mechanics, and they will spend a significant amount of time talking about arm strength. This is perfectly logical, given that a pitcher's arm is the thing that delivers the ball. However, the truth is that this is the equivalent of attributing a car's power to its tires and ignoring that thing under the hood.
     The engine.
     The truth is that the primary source of a pitcher's power is the muscles of their lower torso and upper legs (e.g. the "core"). These very large muscles are brought into the equation as a result of two things. The first is the pitcher starting out sideways to the target with a line drawn through their hips and shoulders pointing at the target. The second is the rotation of hips ahead of the shoulders, which stretches the muscles of the core and enables them to powerfully pull the shoulders around.

Tim Lincecum

Tim Lincecum

You can see large amounts of hip/shoulder separation in the mechanics of Tim Lincecum. That is one reason why such a relatively small guy is able to throw as hard as he does.

Arm Slot

The second most important myth about pitching mechanics has to do with what drives a pitcher's arm slot. Many, and perhaps even most, people believe that a pitcher's arm slot is determined by the angle of their elbow at the release point. They also believe that a pitcher's shoulders should stay level during the throw and that the thing that should vary is the bend of the elbow.

Arm Slot - Perception

They believe that if a pitcher wants to throw sidearm, they fully extend their elbow. They believe that if a pitcher wants to throw from a 3/4 arm slot, they bent their elbow 45 degrees. They believe that if a pitchers wants to throw from an overhand arm slow, they bend their elbow 90 degrees.

Jeff Suppan's Arm Slot

If you spend any amount of time studying photos of pitchers at the release point, you will find that their elbows are always fully extended -- and their elbows are just below the level of their shoulders -- regardless of the arm slot that they throw from.

Arm Slot - Reality

That is because the truth is that, as the diagram above shows, the primary driver of a pitcher's arm slot is the tilt of their shoulders at the release point, not the angle of their elbow. The photos below demonstrate that this is the case.

Pedro Martinez's Sidearm Arm Slot

Pedro Martinez throws from a sidearm arm slot. As a result, at the release point his shoulders are pretty much level and his Pitching Arm Side (PAS) forearm is extended out to the side.

Greg Maddux's 3/4 Arm Slot

Greg Maddux throws from a 3/4 arm slot. As a result, at the release point his shoulders are much more tilted than are the shoulders of Pedro Martinez. However, here too his PAS elbow is fully extended and is just below the level of his shoulders.

Hideki Okajima's Overhand Arm Slot

Hideki Okajima throws from an overhand arm slot. As a result, at the release point his shoulders are extremely tilted. However, here too his PAS elbow is fully extended and is just below the level of his shoulders.

Leading With The Elbow

A third common myth about pitching mechanics is that it is bad for a pitcher to lead with the elbow.

Greg Maddux Leading With His Elbow

However, if you look at video clips of every single major league pitcher -- such as the photo above of Greg Maddux -- you will see that at some point in their motion they come to this position. That is because leading with the elbow is simply a by-product of the process of throwing a ball hard.

How Jeff Suppan (Actually) Throws The ball

If you want a more detailed explanation of what actually happens when a high-level baseball pitcher throws a ball, see my essay How Jeff Suppan (Actually) Throws The Ball. It goes frame by frame through a clip of Jeff Suppan throwing a fastball and explains what is happening, and why, at each of the critical moments in time.

Dangerous Advice About
Pitching Mechanics

Just as there are some things a pitcher should do, because they will improve your ability to throw hard and well, there are some things a pitcher should not do because they increase the risk a pitcher will injure himself. Unfortunately, many of these things are taught by many well-meaning, but ill-informed, pitching coaches.

Show The Ball To Center Field (Or Second Base)

Many, and maybe most, pitching coaches teach their students to show the ball to Center Field (or Second Base) at the high-cocked position. The problem with this advice -- which grows out of a lack of understanding of what a pitcher's arm actually does as they throw a ball -- is that it isn't what most major league pitchers do and, more importantly, can lead to elbow problems. For reasons related to pronation that are too complicated to get into here, most major league pitchers show the ball to Third Base at the high-cocked position because this reduces the strain on the elbow.

Break Your Hands With Your Elbows

Many pitching coaches have been told that they need to worry about their pitchers' arm action and that one way to "fix" a pitcher's arm action is to teach them to break their hands with their elbows. The problem with this advice is that it can contribute to elbow and shoulder problems by causing a pitcher to come to the Inverted W or Inverted L positions.

Anthony Reyes' Inverted W

Keep Your Fingers on Top of the Ball

I'm not sure why, but many pitching coaches teach their students that they should keep their fingers on the top of the ball through their arm swing. Regardless of the reason why this is taught, the truth is that it can lead to elbow and shoulder problems by increasing the force with which the PAS upper arm externally rotates. As a result, I think pitchers should have their fingers on the side of the ball (showing the ball to Third Base) or even under the ball during their arm swing.

Get Your Back Elbow Up

Many people believe that pitchers should get their PAS elbows above the level of their shoulders at the high-cocked position because this will help them throw the ball on a downward plane. The problem is that people who say this do not understand where a pitcher's arm slot comes from. The truth is that, when it comes to a pitcher's arm slot, it does not matter how high their PAS elbow is at the high-cocked position. The only thing that matters is how much their shoulders are tilted at the release point.

Adam Wainwright's Hyperabduction

What's more, getting the PAS elbow too high at the high-cocked position, as Adam Wainwright is doing in the photo above, can lead to a condition called Hyperabduction and shoulder problems as a result. Consequently, at the high-cocked position I want the PAS elbows of my pitchers to be just below the level of their shoulders.

Studying Pitching Mechanics

One way to learn about pitching mechanics is to study major league pitchers and see how they throw the ball.

Pitchers To Study

There are a large number of active pitchers who have good pitching mechanics and who new pitchers should study and learn from. This includes...

   - Greg Maddux
   - Roger Clemens
   - Nolan Ryan
   - Jeff Suppan
   - Justin Verlander

Pitchers To Stay Away From

There are also a number of active pitchers who have poor pitching mechanics and who have had injury problems as a result of their poor pitching mechanics. This includes...

   - Chris Carpenter
   - Mark Prior
   - BJ Ryan
   - Kerry Wood

Needless to say, new pitchers should NOT study the mechanics of these pitchers.

Where To Go From Here

If you are interested in learning more about pitching mechanics, you have a number of options. First, every week or so I update my pitching mechanics blog. Second, every month or so I complete a new analysis of the pitching mechanics of a major league pitcher. Third, I have collected a number of photos of examples of topics related to pitching mechanics. Finally, if you are interested in what I think of a certain pitcher's mechanics, you should see my Pitcher Picks And Pans page.