Pull-Downs

Here's another entry on long-toss. Trust me, it won't be the last either. Long-toss is the single most important activity a pitcher can do. I'm convinced. There are a number of questions raised when the topic of long toss is brought up. How far should you throw? For how long? Throw on a line or with an arc? Use a crow-hop or a windup? No one has all the answers for these questions but I do believe there are a few basics everyone should use when throwing long-toss.

Watch some of this video. It will really change your whole approach the next time you go out and throw.



What I really like about the way these guys throw is how effortless their motion is. They start off close, throwing nice and easy. Then they continue that effortless motion as they move back. You can really see how they stretch out the arm as they move further and further away from each other. The video is pretty amazing because if you have ever tried to throw 320+ feet, you know how hard it is.

Another thing I like about this program are how they use the "pull-downs" when they come back in. What they are trying to do is transform a throw from 360 feet into 60 feet. When you throw long-toss, you want to get to a distance where you cannot throw any further on an arc. Then, during the pull-down process, you want use that same throw, but throw it on a line. So basically, you are stretching the arm going out, and then unleashing it coming back in. In my opinion, this is the best way to throw long-toss. You feel so good about yourself when you are done.

Summer "Break"

The summer months are upon us, although you would never know by the weather we've been having. It seems like there is just one giant, lingering cloud hanging over New England this month allowing no one to enjoy the sun. Anyway, the summer is here regardless of the weather and it is a great time to work on things as a pitcher. Especially for a college pitcher, the summer is the time where you want to improve or try to fix the things you are doing wrong. The problem with the summer is that many pitchers see "summer break" as a true break from pitching. Summer games are less important, unless you play in a premier college league, and pitchers tend to slack off. A lot of times, players come back to school in the fall overweight, arms out of shape, and having to start from scratch. Then before they know it, it becomes too late to try and fix things before the season starts.

Now when I say "fix things," I'm talking about mechanical issues. Changing your body physically only takes a few weeks for the average athlete. But changing something mechanically takes hours and hours of drill work. A pitcher's body and muscles are used to doing things a certain way. When you go and attempt to change something, it is very difficult to make your body adjust to it. It's all about muscle memory. The more you do something physically, the easier it becomes to perform. I hate when coaches, pitching coaches in this case, tell their players that they're not going to try and change any mechanics. Well thats fine if every pitcher on the staff has professional pitching mechanics. If kids are doing something wrong, it should be fixed. When a coach says he is not changing anyones mechanics, it means only one thing: he simply doesn't know how.

I am at the point in my pitching career where little things are enormous things. This summer I decided to video tape myself pitching in my backyard. I had been watching some videos on YouTube of professional pitchers, pausing at certain times in their deliveries. Then I watched the video of myself and compared.

In the above picture, Andy Pettitte is just about to throw to home. When you look at this photo, focus on two key areas: his chest, and his back leg. As his arm starts moving towards home, his chest will be out in front over that front leg as far as he can get it. His back leg is fully extended which brings him closer to the plate and creates all the power for his pitch. Pitching velocity starts with a transfer of weight from the back leg, through your core, and onto the front leg. This allows the arm to work like a whip when throwing the ball.

In the video of myself, I noticed that I was not fully extending my back leg in my delivery. Also, my chest was not far enough over my front leg at release point. This means I am not generating the maximum amount of power from my lower body and I am not releasing the ball out in front like I should. These two mechanical issues are what I need to fix during my summer break. I will keep you posted on how it goes.