Posts Tagged pitching
Video: Should Pitchers Overhead Press?
Another great video by Eric Cressey about pressing for overhead throwing athletes – this time, he focuses on overhead pressing. Short and to the point – definitely check it out.
Our Influences – Pitching
Lots of people email me and ask me what “camp” I belong to for pitching or hitting or strength and conditioning. I respond that I don’t belong to any “camp” as that would imply that I subscribe to 100% of the views of those “camps.” However, I love to do research and learn from people who have done their own research and experimentation, and so I’ve absolutely been influenced by the work of others. I’ll list a few instructors, coaches, and organizations that I think are credible whose material has made its way into my pitching-specific programming and recommendations in many ways:
Pitching
The National Pitching Association
National Pitching Association
The National Pitching Association (NPA) is a group dedicated to the education of baseball pitchers, their parents, and their coaches, so that they can pitch more effectively, stay healthier, develop a positive mental attitude, and a greater love of the game. The NPA was formed by leading coaches, athletes, and management teams to help pitchers of all ages safely develop to their fullest potential.
I have taken and passed the online pitching mechanics course offered by the NPA, and I own many of their books, including The Art and Science of Pitching.
The Art and Science of Pitching
The NPA is a great place to start your pitching-specific education and includes highly-regarded instructors like Tom House.
Dr. Mike Marshall
Mike Marshall with the Dodgers
Controversial? You bet. Dr. Marshall has reinvented the pitching motion and has been teaching it for years in his Zephyrhills, Florida complex (recently closed). Their pitchers stand facing the batter, step directly straight forward, and utilize a unique arm action that focuses on getting the arm up early and forcefully pronating through release. His training methods include heavy wrist weights, lead balls, and plastic javelins to train his concept of a straight driveline towards the target.
While many will disagree with his methods and his dogmatic ways (and I count myself in this group), to reject all of his ideas because of his personality is a big mistake. Driveline Baseball uses many of the conditioning implements that Dr. Marshall advocates, such as wrist weights, and we believe that some of his theories on pitching mechanics have solid merit.
Eric Cressey
Eric Cressey
Eric Cressey – owner of Cressey Performance – runs an excellent blog available at EricCressey.com that all pitchers and parents of pitchers should follow. He is a former powerlifter, holds an MS in Exercise Science, and wrote the excellent book titled Maximum Strength.
Maximum Strength
Eric’s work in the exercise science field is unparalleled. He has written on topics ranging from Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) to deadlifting to band work for pitchers. His pitchers consistently see major strength and velocity gains, and Eric’s reputation for his tireless work and research is well-deserved.
Those are our “influences” when it comes to pitching-related philosophies and work. We don’t take an equal amount from each, and we certainly read and consider more sources (ASMI is a big one, but we felt it wasn’t applicable as an “influence”) when we develop our programming and concepts for our pitchers.
Thomas Test – Applications in Baseball
This video is an excellent explanation of the Thomas Test as used by physical therapists around the world:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PLXyShrNDc
We will often perform this test on clients over the age of 16. While it is traditionally used to test for a fixed flexion deformity of the hip (and we do check for this), we use it with baseball players to test for a tight rectus femoris because of the single-leg dominance that occurs on the pitcher’s stride leg. (For an RHP, this is their left leg.)
During the lead leg block phase of pitching, the stride leg straightens very quickly and bears all the weight of the pitcher’s body. To get to that point, the pitcher will have used his posting leg hip adductors to stride sideways and closed to the target. If this sounds like a muscle imbalance and problems waiting to happen, you’re right!
Tim Lincecum at Lead Leg Block
The pitching motion typically causes tight hip flexors (moreso in the posting leg) and a tight rectus femoris in the stride leg. As a general rule, tight hip flexors mean weak glutes, which can cause postural problems and lowered power output in exercises like the squat. It can also cause diminished velocity, susceptibility to injury, and general discomfort. These problems are often exacerbated by the fact that many kids and adults spend most of their day sitting down – either at a desk in class or in a chair in front of a keyboard at work!
The Thomas Test helps identify which leg has deficiencies and to what degree they exist. We teach Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) at Driveline Baseball to help people loosen their hip flexors, regain strength in their glutes, and relax the fascia in various places in the body (a lengthier post on this subject is coming later).
Does your baseball coach understand the usefulness of foam rolling? Does he understand the differences between the stride and posting leg actions causing muscle imbalances? Does he know how to correct for it and also integrate SMR work in a good training program? If not, check us out for a cheap initial screening and analysis at our Training page. $25 gets you a session to check for muscle imbalances and postural problems as well as a personalized workout plan and how you can add some serious velocity to your fastball and stay healthy while doing so!
Training Schedule
Widgets
