Pitching
Exemplar Pitching Mechanics
These are the rules:
STRIDE FAR
GO FAST
THROW GAS
These guys in the following exemplar clips will show you what that looks like. We will cover more of the intricacies as we develop, but these three rules are the standard. Watching what guys are doing at the highest level and mimicking some of those common traits is a great way to fast-track success for yourself.
Jack Leiter had some of the most polished and explosive mechanics I've ever seen in a college pitcher. He is a small-to-medium frame stature guy that uses his delivery to match the momentum and long levers of the bigger pitchers. Click on the video link above to see how fast he moves once the leg lift begins. Use the carousel of pictures to the right to see the different parts of the delivery. I have captioned them with some key points to notice.
Tyler Glasnow has all the tools. The front view of the best pitchers always reveals how their shoulders turn away from the plate on leg lift and hand break (you can see the ball behind their back), how fast they actually move toward the plate after leg lift, and that their eyes remain on the target throughout the entire delivery.
Tyler also has a very interesting perspective on pitch grips and pitch creation/development. He talks about it with Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) on his YouTube Channel. You'll be mesmerized by their conversation. He also talks about his experiences as a youth player and athlete. Here's the link: https://youtu.be/ueM9-8UwDOU
When it comes to velocity, there are two major indicators (mechanically speaking), and we can see them at full separation just before the arm comes forward:
Shoulder / Hip Separation
You can see Glasnow's belt buckle is coming toward the plate indicating the hips are opening, but his chest is back indicating that his shoulders are resisting the turn. Notice the back shoulder and arm position related to the front hip. They are almost in opposite directions.
Shoulder / Shoulder Separation
The stretch across the chest is also a major storage space of the potential energy that turns kinetic through the turn and release. Essentially the back shoulder is resisting the turn as long as possible.
Concept and Drills Instruction
A1 Concept: S/H Separation
It's funny how our hitting and pitching approach involve some of the same key checkpoints and terminology. That's because they are both about launching objects. Coach Blewett does an excellent job here of explaining its relevance in high-level throwers, and he provides a great way of understanding how to facilitate this action by focusing on the arm.
S/H Separation Rear-View Example
Our first intrasquad pitching footage comes from a rear-view, so I want to give you a comparison. I love this footage of Luke Little that went viral last year. He throws gas. He's obviously huge and athletic, but there's something to the mechanics that helps him produce this velocity. Look at how long you can still see his chest from this view through his stride to front foot-strike. Amongst other key components to his success, his shoulders stay closed to the plate for a very long period of time, stretching against the opening hip. He also has a great arm path out of the glove that induces rear scap load as mentioned in Coach Blewett's video.
One of the best "bang for your buck" drills to do at home without a ball is Tom House's version of the towel drill. Use the website window above, utilizing the scroll-down bar to get to "Towel Drill." He and his associates go over the drill in detail. There are a couple of other videos on there that discuss crucial components of the delivery and training the delivery. I think the "Dragline" video is another.