The Pitching Mechanic
December 2007

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

The Pitching Mechanic - January 2008

12/18/2007

Updated Analysis: Justin Verlander

I just updated my slow motion analysis of the pitching mechanics of Justin Verlander. I just found a Center Field view of him pitching that shows that his ball has significant arm-side run or tail, which is good because it indicates that he is powerfully pronating the release of his pitches. This should help to protect his elbow.

Justin Verlander's Tailing Fastball

If you look at the clip above of Justin Verlander throwing a fastball, you can see that his ball has significant Pitching Arm Side run or tail. After he releases the ball in Frame 6, his ball starts out looking like it is going to be caught near the umpire's right shoulder (the yellow dot). However, starting at Frame 11 or Frame 12 the ball starts to move to the right. As a result, a ball that looks like it's going to come in up and in ends up high and outside. Given that the plate is 17 inches wide, I'd estimate that the pitch moved 15 inches to the right of its initial location.

12/17/2007

Slow Motion Pitcher Analysis: Nolan Ryan

I just completed a slow motion analysis of the pitching mechanics of Nolan Ryan. Among other things, this analysis demonstrates Nolan Ryan's large hip/shoulder separation and the significant tailing action of his fastball.

Nolan Ryan's Separation

12/12/2007

Slow Motion Pitcher Analysis: Tim Lincecum

I just completed a slow motion analysis of the pitching mechanics of Tim Lincecum. One thing this analysis does is point out a gigantic hole in Brent Rushall's theory that pitchers do not employ separation; that their hips do not rotate ahead of their shoulders.

Tim Lincecum's Separation

12/10/2007

Slow Motion Pitcher Analysis: Justin Verlander

I just completed a slow motion analysis of the pitching mechanics of Justin Verlander. In it I break down the -- mostly good -- things I see in a clip of Justin Verlander.

Justin Verlander

12/10/2007

Slight Site Redesign

I just wanted to let you know that I have made a few tweaks to the design of my web site, particularly in the area of pitcher analyses.
     I have moved my frame by frame analyses to a new Professional Pitcher Analyses page. I will occasionally add more frame by frame analyses to this page, since I know that some people find them to be valuable.
     However, the big news is that, because these frame by frame analyses take so much time and thanks to a new toy I just bought, I am going to start doing slow motion analyses of pitchers based on slowed-down clips of them pitching.

12/8/2007

How Justin Verlander (Actually) Throws The Ball

I just finished another one of my "How _____ (Actually) Throws The Ball" documents, which describes what pitchers' arms and bodies actually do as they throw the ball and attempts to dispel a number of myths about pitching. In this case, I describe How Justin Verlander (Actually) Throws The Ball.

12/6/2007

Momentum Pitching?

It was recently brought to my attention that Brent Rushall and Dick Mills have been criticizing me for my emphasis on hip/shoulder separation as the primary source of a pitcher's power. Instead, they appear to believe that the stride is the primary source of a pitcher's power and apparently call this approach Momentum Pitching.

It has long been assumed that force generation in throwing would follow the theoretical proximal to distal sequential muscle activity. With regard to the trunk, that would mean the hips rotate, then the torso, and then the shoulders would follow. Initiation of movements with the hips is practiced as a drill or warm up activity in both baseball and softball. However, that is not the sequence of large segment movement in throwing (Hirashima, Kadota, Sakurai, Kudo and Ohtsuki, 2002). To generate the greatest momentum the torso and hips should rotate together.

All of this this explains why Dick Mills tried to get Barry Zito to change his mechanics -- and in particular his stride length -- during Spring Training so as to try recapture some of Zito's lost velocity.
     It also explains why that effort failed.
     The problem is that Brent Rushall and Dick Mills appear to have come up with this notion as a result of drawing a parallel between baseball pitching on the one hand and cricket bowling and throwing the javelin on the other hand.

Cricket research has shown that it is important for the throwing shoulder and hip to be matched in movement extent and time to be most effective. Hip and shoulder separation is undesirable for cricket bowling and throwing. Since both body segments move only a short distance before momentum is transferred distally, it stands to reason that by moving both together, a greater mass is activated in shorter time over the same distance as world be possible my moving either separately. Thus, in throwing (cricket bowling and javelin throwing) the combined synchronized movement of the throwing hip and shoulder when generating momentum to be transferred to a projected object is critical. So should be a movement in baseball pitching.

While there are many interesting parallels that can be drawn between baseball pitching, cricket bowling, and throwing the javelin -- I know because I have studied them in depth -- the critical difference that Brent Rushall and Dick Mills seem to be overlooking is that both cricket bowling and throwing the javelin involve a running start. As a result, it could very well be the case that, due to the running start, all cricket bowlers and javelin throwers have to do is convert this significant linear momentum (due to running at 20+ MPH) into rotational momentum.
     However, baseball pitchers go from a standing start.
     As a result, baseball pitchers have to get the majority of their power from a different source, and that source is a combination of momentum (the stride) and separation (the rotation of the hips ahead of the shoulders). That is why in EVERY SINGLE major league pitcher you will see some significant amount of  hip/shoulder separation, and you will tend to see more when you look at pitchers who throw either harder or harder for their size.

Bartolo Colon's Separation

You can see separation in the clip above of Bartolo Colon. Notice how his hips open into foot plant and rotate ahead of his shoulders. By doing this, he stretches the muscles of his lower torso and hips (aka The Core), which will enable them to powerfully contract and pull his shoulders around.

Tim Lincecum

Casey Fossum

You can also see separation in photos of Tim Lincecum, Casey Fossum, and a whole host of other major league pitchers who exhibit great hip/shoulder separation. The only pitchers who don't rotate their hips ahead of their shoulders are younger pitchers, and this explains in part their lower velocities.
      Maybe all of this explains why Mills has said that a pitcher's hips don't start to open until AFTER the GS foot has planted. Some people have tried to explain this statement away as a cue, rather than a statement of fact, but I'm starting to wonder if Mills actually believes this.
      Now that I've blown a number of gaping holes in the core of Brent Rushall and Dick Mills' ideas about Momentum Pitching, let me address a few other things they say.

The yoked movement of the throwing hip and shoulder in baseball pitching, as opposed to the sequential order of the shoulders following the hips (a "twisted body" and popularly called "separation" body is in place when the lead leg makes contact with the ground, the spine will have to be twisted and hyper extended, a recipe for injury (Hurrion 1997).

As the experience of most major leaguers shows, hip/shoulder separation isn't a problem as long as the torso is relatively erect. The baseball pitchers who do tend to have back problems tend to be submariners like Chad Bradford. They experience lower back problems because they rapidly rotate the torso while bent over 30, 45, or even 90 degrees.

Chad Bradford

Cricket bowlers also experience increased rates of lower back problems for similar reasons (plus the hard landing). However, the vast majority of baseball pitchers do not experience excessive rates of lower back problems.

The human structure from the hips to the shoulders comprises three distinct regions: the hips, which can be moved independently of the other regions: the shoulders, which also can be moved independently; and the torso, which cannot be moved independently of the other two anatomical regions. When the three regions are moved as a unit, their masses are combined and moved in a short time. A very large amount of momentum is produced. However, in theoretical separation, when the hips are moved, the shoulders remain idle but the torso shape is altered to accommodate the changed relative positions (it is twisted). That twisting movement serves largely as an energy absorbing action and reduces the contribution of the hip mass to momentum. When the shoulders are moved, the torso continues its accommodating and connective functions, also reducing the transfer of momentum from the shoulders because of its movement. The total mass of the two separated regions in movement is markedly less than the combined mass of the three regions. Since the separated movement involves less mass being moved over a longer time but roughly through the same displacement when compared to the combined action, the separated action will produce a much "weaker" effect than the short duration combined action, which will be much more "powerful".

This statement may make sense from the standpoint of momentum, but it completely ignores the fact that some of the largest muscles in the body are contained in the core. It is these muscles that pull the shoulders around, and whose output is boosted by first being stretched by the opening of the hips before the shoulders.

"Science aside, separated movements of the hips and shoulders are unnatural while the combined movements are natural. A pitcher would do well to move in the manner in which nature intended, not in a manner that has been contrived independently of reason (facts)."

This statement is simply ignorant. The more sports you study (e.g. baseball hitting, water polo, tennis, the martial arts), the more separation you will see.

3. Myth: Hip and trunk rotation is the most important factor for producing velocity. Hip and trunk rotation is the result of how fast a pitcher moves his body from the back leg to the front leg. Once the lead foot lands, hip and trunk rotation simply helps convert energy from the lower body to the upper body and the arm. Hip and trunk rotation is an effect of velocity…not a cause. Hip and trunk rotation is like the transmission on a car. You do not gain more speed from your car by purchasing a better transmission. Speed comes from the size of the engine. The engine in a pitcher is how fast he moves his body and how long he strides. Few pitchers today or from the past even understand what hip and trunk rotation is. No pitcher really has to know about it to succeed or produce velocity. As a former professional pitcher for six years I never heard of hip and trunk rotation.

This quote is from an article entitled 6 Myths That Baseball Pitching Coaches Advocate and points to a root cause of the problem; an inappropriate metaphor.
     A pitcher's core is not merely a transmission. That role is played by the shoulders. Instead, a pitcher's core is like a second, and much more important, engine. Yes, the stride also plays the role of an engine, and contributes to a pitcher's velocity. However, the stride is less important than the active contraction of the muscles of the core, facilitated by a pre-stretch of those same muscles.
     Rather than a conventional car with its single engine, a better metaphor for a pitcher is a hybrid car with its multiple engines. A pitcher's core is like the gasoline engine of a hybrid car and the pitcher's stride is like the smaller, but still important, electric engine in a hybrid car.

12/5/2007

Adam Wainwright's Curveball or
Pity Poor Carlos Beltran

The clip below of Adam Wainwright actually makes multiple points. As I mention below, one is that it raises concerns about Adam Wainwright's pitching mechanics. The other is that it points out is why Wainer's curveball can be so hard to hit and why Carlos Beltran shouldn't feel so bad about just sitting there and taking it.

Adam Wainwright - 2006 NLCS Curveball

Let me explain exactly what I mean by picking up the clip of Adam Wainwright at Frame 30, which is the Release Point.

Adam Wainwright - Frame 30

You can see from the clip that the ball is released in Frame 30 and is caught by Yadi in Frame 93. In other words, it took the ball roughly 60 frames to cover roughly 50 feet. Knowing that each frame represents a little less than 1 foot of travel (.78125 feet/frame to be exact), let's then see when and where the ball broke.

Adam Wainwright - Frame 70

If you go through the clip frame by frame, you will notice that the downward deflection of the ball doesn't become obvious until Frame 70. Up until that point, it looks like the ball is going to be a ball high.
     Frame 70 is 40 frames or 31 feet after the release point and 19 feet from the target. That is also 62 percent (or roughly 2/3) of the way to the plate. Actually, it's probably more like 35 feet or 70 percent of the way to the plate since toward the end of its flight the ball has slowed down and is covering less distance than it was when it was first released.
     That 62 to 70 percent number is important because it is right at the limits of the human perceptual system. It's virtually impossible for a human being to react to movement that happens after the ball has covered 2/3 or 66 percent of the distance to the plate.
     Instead, the human perceptual system basically has to guess what the ball is going to do.
     What's interesting is to compare Frame 70 and Frame 93 and see how much of the break occurs after this 2/3 or 66 percent threshold. In the case of Adam Wainwright's pitch to Carlos Beltran, I'd estimate that something like 80 to 90 percent of the break occurs after this point.

Adam Wainwright - Frame 93

So what does all of this mean?
     It means that, to a large degree, the difference between a good curveball and a great curveball is a function of when and where the break of that curveball (or that fastball) occurs, not just how much it breaks. The later the break the better, because it is hard (and in some cases impossible) for the hitter to perceive how much the ball will break after that point.
     Instead, all they can do is guess.

12/4/2007

Why Adam Wainwright Makes Me Nervous

As I have said before, Adam Wainwright's make me nervous. I think I see both some Hyperabduction and Inverted W in his arm action. As a result, I don't think Adam Wainwright's arm will hold up if he is left a starter. Instead, I think his best chance is to pitch out of the bullpen, preferably in a closing role.

Adam Wainwright - 2006 NLCS Curveball

Let me explain exactly why I believe that, using a number of frames from the clip above, which is a slow motion view of Adam Wainwright throwing a curveball.

Adam Wainwright - Frame 10

In Frame 10, Adam Wainwright has just finished swinging his Pitching Arm Side (aka PAS) arm back toward Second Base and is just about to start bending his PAS elbow.

Adam Wainwright - Frame 11

In Frame 11, Adam Wainwright is just starting to bend and pick up his PAS elbow, which will cause him to reach the Inverted W position. 

Adam Wainwright - Frame 12

Adam Wainwright - Frame 13

Adam Wainwright - Frame 14

Adam Wainwright - Frame 15

Adam Wainwright - Frame 16

In Frame 16, Adam Wainwright's PAS elbow has reached its maximum height. This can be a little hard to see, so I have marked the tip of his elbow with a black cross. As a result, Adam Wainwright is in a moderate Inverted W position. You can see this more clearly in the photo below, which represents roughly the same moment in time as the frame above.

Adam Wainwright - Inverted W

The thing to notice is how Adam Wainwright's PAS elbow is both above and behind his shoulders. This isn't bad in and of itself. However, it can cause his arm to be late in coming through, which increases the load on both his elbow and his shoulder.

Adam Wainwright - Frame 17

Adam Wainwright - Frame 18

So that you have a point of reference, in Frame 18 Adam Wainwright's PAS forearm is just passing through the horizontal. It is important to note that, rather than dropping as happens with some pitchers (e.g. Johan Santana), Adam Wainwright's PAS elbow is still elevated. I think this increases his vulnerability to an impingement injury.

Adam Wainwright - Frame 19

You can clearly see that in Frame 19 Adam Wainwright's PAS forearm has just passed through the horizontal. Notice that his PAS elbow is still above the level of his shoulders.

Adam Wainwright - Frame 20

Adam Wainwright - Frame 21

Adam Wainwright - Frame 22

Adam Wainwright - Frame 23

In Frame 23, Adam Wainwright's PAS forearm is just passing through the vertical, high-cocked position. The thing to notice is that his PAS elbow is still above the level of his shoulders, in a position of Hyperabduction, in this frame. I know that can be a little hard to see, so below are two frames that show the same thing. 

Adam Wainwright - Hyperabduction

Adam Wainwright - Hyperabduction

The thing to notice is how Adam Wainwright's elbow is well above the level of his shoulders. This can lead to impingement problems in the shoulder.

Adam Wainwright - Frame 24

Adam Wainwright - Frame 25

Adam Wainwright - Frame 26

Adam Wainwright - Frame 27

In Frame 27, Adam Wainwright's shoulders have started to rapidly rotate, which has caused his PAS upper arm to rapidly externally rotate and his PAS forearm to lay back 90 degrees. 

Adam Wainwright - Frame 28

Adam Wainwright - Frame 29

Adam Wainwright - Frame 30

In Frame 30, Adam Wainwright has just released the ball. 

12/3/2007

2007 St. Louis Cardinals In Review

With the Winter Meetings getting started and the 2008 season starting to take shape, I thought I would review how the 2007 season went and how my predictions fared.

Chris Carpenter

I consider my predictions about Chris Carpenter to be my biggest success of the year.
     While his downfall was brought down by elbows problems rather than shoulder problems, my concerns about Chris Carpenter's mechanics (and Jeremy Bonderman's mechanics) turned out to be largely correct.
     Chris Carpenter has a very pronounced Inverted L in his arm action, which places tremendous strain on both his elbow and shoulder.

Chris Carpenter's Inverted L

As a result, I think the Cardinals will be lucky to get 2 years of value out of Chris Carpenter's 5-year deal. He will most likely come back from his Tommy John surgery, but I think his shoulder problems will crop up again before his contract has expired.

Anthony Reyes

While Anthony Reyes didn't experience a dramatic injury, he did experience shoulder problems at the end of the 2007 season. I also believe that Anthony Reyes' control problems, and poor record, last year weren't just due to a disagreement over his approach (e.g. the whole 2-seamer/sinker versus 4-seamer thing). Instead, I think they are a sign that Anthony Reyes' elbow, and in particular his UCL, is starting to loosen up and he is on his way to needing Tommy John surgery.

Anthony Reyes' Inverted W

Like Mark Prior, Anthony Reyes has a very large Inverted W in his arm action, which places tremendous strain on both his elbow and his shoulder. The Cardinals need to trade Anthony Reyes during the offseason while they can still blame his problems on philosophical differences and before his poor mechanics start to cause the inevitable rash of injury problems.

Kip Wells

Kip Wells' struggles make the case that you can't just look at a guy's mechanics when evaluating pitchers.
     As I said when he was first signed by the Cardinals, Kip Wells has solid mechanics and pretty good stuff. However, the thing that I missed is that he seems to have a terrible problem with the yips. The guy simply folds like a lawnchair under pressure. This explains his statistics, and in particular his situational stats.
     Lesson Learned.

Adam Wainwright

Adam Wainwright had a solid year. However, as I have pointed out before, Adam Wainwright also has a problem with Hyperabduction.

Adam Wainwright's Hyperabduction

As a result, I am concerned that he will experience serious shoulder problems in the next year or two.

Adam Wainwright's Inverted W

I have also seen some signs of Inverted W in Adam Wainwright's arm action, which will increase the strain on both his elbow and shoulder.
     I hope that I'm wrong about Adam Wainwright's fate, but I don't think I am.

Braden Looper

As I expected, Braden Looper had a decent year. While he had some shoulder problems mid-year, these were more likely due to a lack of conditioning and endurance than to problems with his mechanics. This isn't surprising that he hadn't started in a fairly long period of time. I expect the same thing basic thing from Looper next year. Nothing spectacular, but probably a solid, and fairly injury-free performance.
     My biggest concern with Braden Looper is his being hit by, or injured as a result of, a come-backer. This is because he finishes in a terrible fielding position.

The Pitching Mechanic - November 2007