After 30+ years of coaching pitchers, I’ve realized…
WHAT YOU’RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS WRONG!
YOUR ARM ISN’T THE PROBLEM. YOUR SEQUENCE IS.
Front Foot Plants Before Effective Pelvic Rotation → Pelvis/Trunk Sequence Is Delayed or Disrupted → The Upper Body Produces More of the Throw → Back Side Rotates Around the Body.
WHAT HAPPENS IS …
Your Front Foot Plants Before Effective Pelvic Rotation.
The stride foot reaches the ground, but the pelvis has not developed the timing and rotational contribution you want before landing. The pitcher now has a planted lead leg without the desired lower-body sequence.
Your Pelvis/Trunk Sequence Is Disrupted.
Normally, pelvic rotation leads to trunk rotation, followed by the shoulder and arm. If pelvic rotation is late or poorly timed relative to foot contact, that proximal-to-distal sequence can become less efficient. The trunk and upper body may begin moving without receiving the same contribution from the lower body.
Your Upper Body Produces More of the Throw.
The throwing arm compensates. “Compensates” is useful coaching language, but biomechanically, “compensates” means the upper body may have to contribute proportionally more to producing ball speed and completing the throw. That doesn’t mean the lower body literally “does nothing”. “Compensation” means the throwing arm’s contribution and timing aren’t being used as effectively.
Your Back Leg Swings Around.
As the body continues rotating and moving forward after release, the trail leg must follow. A large sweeping trail-leg action reflects how you are managing the rotational and forward momentum remaining after release, but the back-leg swing by itself isn’t proof that the arm compensated or that the front foot caused the problem.
YOUR FRONT FOOT BEATS YOUR PELVIS!!!
Front Foot Plants Too Early → Pelvic Sequence Is Disrupted → Upper Body Takes On More of the Throw → Back Side Rotates Around
Compared to what you should be doing.
Glove Side Organizes → Pelvis Leads → Front Foot Establishes the Base → Pelvis Continues → Trunk Follows → Throwing Arm Accelerates → Ball Releases → Body Decelerates
Your Glove Arm Moves/Positions
During the stride, the glove arm moves toward the target while the throwing arm prepares behind the body. This helps organize the upper body and contributes to trunk orientation and balance as the pitcher moves forward.
Your Pelvis Begins Rotating
Before the front foot is fully planted, the pelvis begins opening toward the target. This is important: hip/pelvic rotation doesn’t wait for the front foot to land. The lower body is already transitioning from forward movement into rotation.
Your Front Foot Lands
The stride foot contacts the ground while the pelvis is already beginning to rotate. Front-foot contact creates an important transition point between the stride and the more rapid rotational/throwing phases of the delivery.
Your Front Leg Accepts Force
Once the foot contacts the ground, the lead leg accepts substantial ground-reaction forces and helps control forward momentum. As the lead leg firms, it provides a base from which the pelvis and trunk can continue moving and rotating.
Your Glove Side Stabilizes
Around this point, the glove arm transitions from reaching forward to a more controlled position. Rather than aggressively pulling the glove backward, the pitcher organizes the glove side while the chest rotates toward the glove side. This gives the rotating trunk a coordinated front side.
Your Pelvis Continues Rotating
The pelvis continues rotating toward the target after front-foot contact. Because pelvic rotation leads to peak upper-trunk rotation, this contributes to the PELVIS-TO-TRUNK SEQUENCING that helps transfer momentum up the kinetic chain.
Your Trunk Rotates
The trunk follows the pelvis and rapidly rotates toward the target. The chest and throwing shoulder now move forward as the energy and momentum generated earlier in the delivery continue toward the throwing arm.
Your Throwing Arm Accelerates
The throwing shoulder rapidly rotates while the elbow extends, and the hand accelerates toward the target. The arm isn’t literally passive. The arm produces substantial muscular force, but the arm’s action occurs as the FINAL HIGH-SPEED SEGMENT OF A WHOLE-BODY SEQUENCE rather than functioning independently.
Your Ball Is Released
The baseball leaves the hand after the combined actions of the legs, pelvis, trunk, shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand have produced the release conditions. Release location and ball direction depend on the coordination and timing of the entire delivery, not just the throwing hand.
Your Body Decelerates
After release, the body must safely manage the momentum it has generated. The throwing arm decelerates, the trunk continues forward, the lead leg supports the body, and the back side comes through as the pitcher completes the follow-through.
YOUR PITCHING MOTION ISN’T COMPLICATED.
In 5-simple steps or a half-hour pitching session, you learn how to put your motion in the right sequence, one movement at a time.
You don’t need more movements. You need your movements to begin from the right starting position and happen in the proper order.
