The game of baseball has been immensely popular in the Americas for many years. As any fan can tell you, quality pitching is a major key to fielding a successful team. While some of this is dependent upon pure natural ability, pitching mechanics play a major role as well. Improving the technique of throwing the ball can enhance one's natural abilities while poor mechanics can limit the upside of even the most talented pitchers.
There are two primary reasons why pitching mechanics are important. The first is related to performance in that an efficient, solid delivery is likely to result in better command of one's pitches and can also help to generate more velocity. The second reason is related to injuries. Poor mechanics can increase the amount of stress on the body, particularly on the shoulder and elbow of the throwing arm, resulting in a higher chance of suffering an injury.
The movements associated with throwing a baseball from the mound are extremely complex and include innumerable details. Because of this, it could take years to learn to properly evaluate a pitcher's mechanics. However, it doesn't take a professional pitching coach to learn to recognize a few key components to a good delivery.
Many people will automatically think first about the position of the arm. This is obviously of paramount importance but there is no clear agreement amongst experts on what exactly constitutes perfection in this aspect. There is more agreement, however, on a few fundamental points that are a good place to begin the process of evaluation.
While throwing a ball is generally thought of to be performed with the arm, to be done well it must begin with the legs and trunk. Throwing mostly with the effort of the arm results in decreased effectiveness and a much higher risk of suffering an arm injury. On the other hand, good use of the legs and trunk to generate force that is transferred to the arm is a key in both throwing with more velocity and with less risk of arm injuries.
Maintaining good balance throughout the act of throwing is a key consideration as well. A delivery that has the body moving completely toward the target is more likely to result in good pitch location than one that has the pitcher falling off to one side. Remaining balanced also allows ones to use the legs and trunk effectively as discussed previously.
The ability to repeat one's delivery time after time is essential as well. A pitcher whose delivery is consistent with every pitch is much more likely to have good control than one whose motion varies considerably. Of course, it's important that the motion that is consistently repeated consists of proper mechanics as repetition of poor technique is asking for arm problems.
As one can see from watching successful pitchers, there is no magic formula for a perfect pitching mechanics. Variations in body types mean that each player's style will be somewhat different but the fundamentals remain the same for all.
There are two primary reasons why pitching mechanics are important. The first is related to performance in that an efficient, solid delivery is likely to result in better command of one's pitches and can also help to generate more velocity. The second reason is related to injuries. Poor mechanics can increase the amount of stress on the body, particularly on the shoulder and elbow of the throwing arm, resulting in a higher chance of suffering an injury.
The movements associated with throwing a baseball from the mound are extremely complex and include innumerable details. Because of this, it could take years to learn to properly evaluate a pitcher's mechanics. However, it doesn't take a professional pitching coach to learn to recognize a few key components to a good delivery.
Many people will automatically think first about the position of the arm. This is obviously of paramount importance but there is no clear agreement amongst experts on what exactly constitutes perfection in this aspect. There is more agreement, however, on a few fundamental points that are a good place to begin the process of evaluation.
While throwing a ball is generally thought of to be performed with the arm, to be done well it must begin with the legs and trunk. Throwing mostly with the effort of the arm results in decreased effectiveness and a much higher risk of suffering an arm injury. On the other hand, good use of the legs and trunk to generate force that is transferred to the arm is a key in both throwing with more velocity and with less risk of arm injuries.
Maintaining good balance throughout the act of throwing is a key consideration as well. A delivery that has the body moving completely toward the target is more likely to result in good pitch location than one that has the pitcher falling off to one side. Remaining balanced also allows ones to use the legs and trunk effectively as discussed previously.
The ability to repeat one's delivery time after time is essential as well. A pitcher whose delivery is consistent with every pitch is much more likely to have good control than one whose motion varies considerably. Of course, it's important that the motion that is consistently repeated consists of proper mechanics as repetition of poor technique is asking for arm problems.
As one can see from watching successful pitchers, there is no magic formula for a perfect pitching mechanics. Variations in body types mean that each player's style will be somewhat different but the fundamentals remain the same for all.
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