Analysis Help Please

[BrantleyF]

Hey here's some more video of me throwing...one major thing i notice is with my back arm and i think that it is because of when i bring the ball down out of my glove the top of my hand faces the camera (in the back view) instead of the side of my hand

this is how my hand should be

[BrantleyF]

hey anybody have any responses or criticism to my video?

[ltdan]

Well your mechanics look pretty good actually...the thing is, your hand doesn't have to be like josh beckett's. First of all, you're left handed, and most left handers throw different than righties. I don' t care if he's your favorite pitcher or what, but you're not him. Everyone has a different body, frame, etc obviously. Even so, what matters is not how the hand is facing in that picture of beckett, but where the hand is in the "power position" and where the ball is actually released. If anything, that is where you would want to be similar to a professional pitcher. I notice that your arm is pretty "elastic" in that your arm follows your shoulders and your wrist is pretty much back towards the forearm. Think about this: when you flex your biceps do you hold your hand back like that? No, of course not. The arm is much stronger with the wrist over the forearm. In the end, that is probably the best way to get some major power and it starts with the arm and shoulders going at the same time. This is the hard part, because I throw very similar to you. For me though, the best thing to do is a drill. Find some drills to go through your motions from point to point. THEY WILL BE SOO ANNOYING, but you'll really help your performance if you can translate your drills and practice into the game. It seems as if you've got a bullpen readily available so when you think you've got the drills down, film yourself again and go back to the drawing board to see what's up.

Hope this helps!

[dusty_delso]

how old are you and what is your average velocity and top out velocity. i think you do some things very well. your keep your head and shoulders behind your hips as you travel down the hill. you are athletic in your legs and hips. and it looks like you really accelerate the ball at the end, which is what you want to do. do you throw primarily a sinking fastball or 4 seam power fastball.

what is your off speed stuff and are you happy with it.

how many hitters do you typically strike out and walk in a game. how many homw runs did you give up last year.

let's start with this information and go from there.

[UndersizedRHP]

That looks as mechanically sound as a pitcher can be...especially if you don't feel the need to change anything.

dusty is right, hows your velocity and breaking stuff...change up

[BrantleyF]

i don't know my velocity...i have hit 87 but that was like 6 months to a year ago until i started doing some stupid stuff with my mechanics and opening up too soon and i've spent this time fixing that, but yeah my only problems that i think are i don't move fast enough, don't start my weights towards the plate early enough on lifting my leg, my arm action is a little weird but i think i've fixed that, and if you look from the front side i don't open my front side enough and step in a straight line with my front foot causing me to lean a little but other than those small things the only thing i think i really need to do is move faster.

to answer your questions i average between 1 and 2 strikeouts an inning and usually only throw a 2 seam...i probably should start establishing a four seam but movement has helped me so far...i also throw a slider and circle change, change being my best pitch and slider always a good third pitch to rely on with sharp break especially since i've been gaining velocity.

Does anybody else have any more comments or criticisms for me?

[BrantleyF]

oh and im 18 years old and a freshman in college

[dusty_delso]

if you top out at 87 (or did), you probably pitch at 83 to 84. that's enough to get people out.

if you monkeyed with your mechanics, and it slowed you down, throw it out and go back to your old self. if you can throw 7 innings pain free att mid 80's quit thinking and pitch.

where do you go to college. are you a freshman this year, if so how did fall workouts go. that is where you make the team. for those entering your first year of college, you need to plan your workouts where you peak in sept. fall workouts are sept/oct (in the south anyway).

if you strike out 2 per inning at 87 you must have good stuff.

how many do you walk per game, how many home runs did you give up last year. what part of the country are you from.

you need to work on strength and conditioning and stop fiddling with your mechanics. if you add strength and endurance, with the same mechanics you can go deeper into games with better stuff, and possibly find 2-3 mph which is all you need to go to the next level.

[BrantleyF]

well yeah im doing strength and conditioning and like i said i had a period of setbacks with my mechanics so i spent time fixing them and the only thing right now is the fact that i need to move faster...im 6'5'' and weigh 205 right now and have gained muscle since my senior year in high school when at around july before my senior year i weighed 175-180 so strength and conditioning are being taken care of but i have enough strength to throw 90 i just need to move faster and turn faster with my hips i think. and like i said i don't know how fast i throw now i'll know that in the spring when they radar gun me so it maybe 87 consistently now im not sure...cause i feel as though i throw harder than the time i hit 87 a while back

[BrantleyF]

dusty delso how old are you and do you play ball or are you a coach of some kind?

[dusty_delso]

46

played division 1 at oral robert university under former major leaguer jim brewer, the lefty reliever for the dodgers who was also the pitching coach for the montreal expos. we were ranked 2nd in the country in 1983 by collegiate baseball for a while but could not beat oklahoma state in the playoffs when it mattered.

pitched in high school (5 no hitters) but played the outfield in college. could not hit leftys well enough to make it and just flat wasn't good enough. should have remained a lefty pitcher but you can't tell a left hander anything.

spent 10 years as a business partner with vern ruhle, major leaguer on the staff with nolan ryan at houston and 6 year major league veteran pitching coach. we invented a pitching machine attachment. he showed me many things he did not share with everyone. he died last year.

been a youth league elite level coach for 6 years. average between 80 and 110 games per year for the last 5 years.

teams won 2 national superseries championships, 2nd in aabc world series in puerto rico, 5th at usssa elite 24, and dizzy dean world series champions last year at 14.

my son was the mvp at the dizzy dean tournament, 2 time superseries all-american, winning pitcher in the 2004 title game, and as a 15, threw a complete game 7 inning shutout against a 17u team at the woodbat underclassmen world series in ft. myers this fall. he currently pitches for the dallas yankees, an elite 15u team that won the triple crown world series this year and are rated 9th in the world by travelball select. he tops out at 85, pitches at 82, walks .5 per game, and averages 7 strikeouts per 7in. very good change and curveball he can throw when behind in the count. will throw at you if needed.

we use the throwing program developed for him by vern ruhle. has not had a sore are or missed a start in 5 years. had his first bout with tendonitis after throwing 21 innings in 10 days this fall (i know it's stupid but when you're trying to make the varsity high school rotation as a freshman and play for a team that spends $20k per player, per year in the summer, you do some crazy things). we learned our lesson and had to shut down for 6 weeks. want everyone else to take care of themselves. there are limits and if your pass those limits, you will pay.

do strength/conditioning/flexibility training with the personal trainer of matt holliday of the colorado rockies. the strength training is making a world of difference. you cannot believe what holliday had been doing since he was 15. it is a baseball specific workout and every person who has tried it has thrown up at one time or another.

i have a ph.d. in educational research and am a published author in effective teaching practice. undergraduate degree in physical education including kinesiology and exercise physiology. my passion is baseball and i read between 5000 and 10,000 pages per year on the game with am emphasis on arm strength training and pitching. can usually spot someone who does not know what they are talking about very quickly but will never embarrass anyone and i have been wrong. if you have a genuine question and are looking to get better i am more than happy to help you. i love baseball and like helping others who have a passion for the game unless they are rude or already know everything they need to know.

it is good that you ask. i don't post this unless asked because it makes me a little uncomfortable posting it. but you need to know who you are talking to and is giving you advice. most guys who made the pony league all-star rec league team will tell you how to pitch if you give them a crayon and hold their beer. be careful who you listen to.

pitch less, throw more, train even more. overprepare for battle without fatigue, there is a fine line.

i hope this didn't come off as bragging, i don't mean it to if it did. there are lots of folks who know more about this game than i do. i won't give advice unless i have checked it out. i wouldn't recommend anything to you that i wouldn't do with my son.

[BrantleyF]

that's a pretty healthy resume...yeah i trust your judgment and dont worry about coming off as bragging, if you've accomplished it then you can talk about it as far as im concerned. Thanks for your help though i've been trying to get people to answer this post for weeks and your pretty much the first one to give me valuable information. thanks

[laflippin]

"pitch less, throw more, train even more. overprepare for battle without fatigue, there is a fine line. "

--------Extremely sound advice, Dusty. Very well put.

What specific kinds of off-season conditioning routines do you use with your son at his age? And, about how much does he do, on average, per day in the OS?

If you'd be kind enough to elaborate on the following areas, I'd appreciate it a lot.

1) specific conditioning for the decelerator muscle groups?

2) balance between conditioning accelerator groups and decelerators?

3) flat-ground throwing only, or do you mix in some mound throwing in the off-season?

4) your specific routines for training/refining mechanics?

5) upper body strength/flexibility routines?

6) lower body strength/flexibility routines?

7) other, that you think is important but which I've neglected to ask?

I realize I'm asking a lot, Dusty. Each one of those questions could be a full chapter in a book, some of them might be an entire book by themselves. But, you've obviously got a lot of valuable stuff to share, if you're willing.

[dusty_delso]

get to it next week when i get home. at a pitching clinic with univ. of texas pitching coach. pretty good stuff

[BrantleyF]

hey that's a coincidence i meant to tell you that i'm from texas...and im going to college in georgetown which is like 30 minutes from austin so that's cool.

[dusty_delso]

well get after it man.

might do a name search on me, i posted the dumbell ab workout on here somewhere and ca't find it. try again tomorrow.

[BrantleyF]

hey that's cool let me know when you find it or what it's under

[dusty_delso]

found the ab dumbell workout. it is under general pitching advice-genetics-pg. 2 it is a bear.

then do the hips workout.

get 2 20lb adjustable ankle weights from academy $85 for the pair. expensive but you'll never have to buy them again. when you can do an entire hip series and ab series using 13-15 lb ankle weights and 6 lb dumbells, you should be throwing some gas. we've been on the program for 8 weeks now and just made these levels. we thought we were doing 20 lb ankle weights but the 2 smaller ones were not 10 lbs each. this is extremely tough.

lying on your back with one knee bent, sole of shoe on the ground. raise the other leg with straight knee up to just shy of 90' and take back to the floor. do this 10 times, then change legs. then rotate so the instep of the foot is skyward and repeat 10 reps each leg (changes muscle groups). do 3 sets of 10 reps for every position in the exercises. this is called a hip cycle.

then lying on your side with knees straight, raise the top leg up to 45' and then back down - 10 reps, then place the top leg foot sole flat on the ground and raise the BOTTOM foot up about a foot and back down 10 reps. 3 complete sets.

flip to other side and do the outside and inside of both legs. 3 complete sets.

now lying face down, keep one leg against the floor and raise one knee to a 90' angle. the sole of the foot is horizontal. the shin is verticle to floor at 90'. raise the knee off the floor about 6" to get the big part of the hip to fire (gluteus maximus). do 3 sets of 10, both legs. then 3 sets of 10 swimmers legs, raising with a straight knee about a foot off the floor and back down-one leg at a time. do both legs and you're done.

that is a hip cycle.

we then do 65cm fitness ball lifts focusing on the decellerators which are grossly overlooked in most lifting programs.

with your diaphram on the ball and holding your back straight (tough to do). do 10 reverse flys with 3 to 7 lb dumbells (whatever you can do with good form). keep the elbows bent and pinch the scapulars at the top.

rest about 10 seconds then get in the same position and do a running motion on the ball with the dumbells. make sure the head is down, and do 10 swings on each side.

then place the dumbells on the floor standing on the knobs, grasp the top knob, and lift above head with straight elbows and head own even with the spine (tough to do). ten reps of these.

this is one set.

do 3 sets and that is a decellerator/back of shoulder and spine workout.

extremely difficult. works all the small muscles and forces you to hold tension on the posture muscles.

do these 3 times per week. need the rest day between workouts.

do these on throwing days if you lift heavy legs and upper body 3 times per week.

[BrantleyF]

Hey thanks alot you seem pretty sure about this workout so i'll take ur word for it...is this what ur son uses?

[dusty_delso]

we do the stretching, abs/shoulder/hips/and 65cm ball work 3 days per week on the same days we do speed work and bullpens. the alternate 3 days we do a forearm and leg workout.

we've done other workouts using kettlebells and straight max effort powerlifting. i've never seen the gains we get from this thing.

it ain't easy when you load up with heavier dumbells and extremely heavy ankle weights. it is a version of the workout developed for seve carlton in the old days by marshal artist gus hoefling. carlton didn't do distance running and we don't either unless forced. it's hard on the lower back.