A little advise please

Pitching Mechanics
#1

Final got around to taping myself. Ideally I would like some advice on what I can do to increase my velocity a little and if anything I am doing could be hazardous to my arm (as of now, nothing really hurts when I throw).

I’m practicing on flat land because there’s about a foot of snow on the ground and my usual practice area has been taken apart. So, right now I’m just stuck with throwing a rubber ball against a wall.

The first video is a bit sloppy. I wasn’t quite warmed up to my liking.

The second video is a little better. I felt a little more comfortable. Last pitch is side arm.

Last video is of a different angle.

I think my main issue is that I’m too stiff. I’ve only had a couple lessons and the coach I’ve seen said that I’m too stiff when I pitch and that I should just relax and be loose. If I could stay loose and relaxed I feel that I could definitely throw harder. Also, I think I need to be a bit more explosive and really whip my arm around as I plant, turn, finish my motions, etc.

Following through used to be a big issue for me. You can’t really tell from these videos though, but when I am pitching on a mound my motions are smoother and i follow through better.

Thanks.

#2

first of all, I think your tempo is too slow and your stride is too short. Also I noticed your throwing elbow gets too high, it should stay at or below the level of your shoulders. Next another big thing is you seem to short arm the ball. You should have a full, comfortable,fluid arm swing before you get to the launch position. Out of all these problems you should probably first fix the elbow part. This is actually quite dangerous and can lead to serious arm problems.

#3

Feet too close together at set position.
Stand tall on the mound.
When you stride you dont drive straight at the mound, you make a slightly curved drive towards the plate (kinda hard to explain).
Id like to see you drive with your legs more.
Your arm motion seems a little foreign, but I cant figure out what Im thinking of.

Also, why is having the elbow up above the shoulder bad? Having the elbow below the shoulder is bad.

#4

Thank you for the advice. I’ll try to post a few more videos in a couple months of me actually on a mound. Working on flat ground felt a little awkward but I feel that if I were on a mound I could lengthen my stride.

#5

The elbow should be at the level of or below the shoulder. Look at pictures of Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Nolan Ryan or any good long lasting pitcher. Then look at Mark Prior and any other injured pitcher and you will see that some point in the delivery the elbow is above the shoulder.

#6

If you still dont believe me then go to google and type in greg maddux. Look at the first picture in the third row down. Now compare it to the position he is in. See any differences?

#7

What about this image then?

#8

This is at release point, which his arm techically is below his shoulders. He is just tilting his shoulders. Look at his arm in launch position.[/code]

#9