The Pitching Paradox

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THE PITCHING PARADOX
What if a pitcher is supposed to throw uphill?

Excuse Me?
Let's begin with two basic assumptions:
1. All pitchers want to improve ball velocity
2. In order for ball velocity to improve, arm velocity must improve.

So, the million dollar question is how do we improve a pitcher's arm velocity?
We believe the answer lies in the "pitching paradox."

Try sitting on a bar stool and throw a ball. Not exactly a fastball to write home about. Imagine going down the highway and slamming on the brakes to your car. What's happening to the people inside? You don't need much of an imagination to visualize that. Wouldn't it be great to hop off the bar stool forever? Wouldn't it be great to speed the car up and improve your brakes? Understanding the pitching paradox will do that for you.

The paradox is the idea that the lower half needs to work down the mound; creating forces and using momentum to transfer up the body to that precious arm. All the while, the upper body works under the ball (giving a visual of throwing uphill) to give the lower half and the core a chance to accelerate the arm.

Three Elements to every pitch:
1. Velocity
2. Location
3. Movement

Even pro scouts forget that pitching is about more than throwing hard. It's about making the ball move, about changing speeds, and about throwing strikes - "good" strikes. Not a hanging curve or a fat fastball in the middle of the zone. A complete pitcher does all 3 of these well.

How do you measure up?

ARM CARE: YOU'LL NEED THAT ARM SOMEDAY!
Pitchers injure their arm for three primary reasons:
1. A pitcher has poor "mechanics"
2. A pitcher is under trained.
3. A pitcher is over worked.

Maintaining the health of the arm is obviously critical for long-term success. While nobody has ever heard of a “swing count”, pitchers have been charting pitches for many years to ensure the care of their arm. But there’s certainly more to caring for an arm than tallying a pitch count.

A pitchers delivery can break down for a large number of reasons. Recognizing red flags of the windup and delivery is important. Finding the root problems versus something that’s merely a symptom is critical.

Finally, arm care is certainly also dependent upon the condition of the total athlete. A high-level pitcher can not expect to exert maximal effort delivering 100 pitches without being in excellent condition. When Game Day is the “easiest” day of the week (other than appropriate rest/recovery days), you know you didn’t neglect your physical training, and you’re one step closer to a healthy arm.