I’m having trouble following through with my pitches… I tend to just stand up and fall off the mound afterwards. Any drills to help me with this?
I’m also landing on a bent leg at ab out 90 degrees which I want to change because I feel I’m losing velo by not changing it. Drills?
Tough to say without seeing this but finishing upright sounds like a lack os momentum. If you had enough momentum, you couldn’t help but to to finish bent forward.
Nothing wrong with planting on a bent knee. In fact, you should be doing that. But if you had more momentum, the forward flex of the trunk would also straighten out the front leg at or right after ball release.
I’m just taking a guess here but I’d suggest focusing on increasing your momentum.
sometimes you can’t help not following through though. I throw from a low three quarters delivery and don’t really finish my pitch because I just follow my arm path. If you throw from a high slot you will tend to finish your pitch more. Watch Randy Johnson he doesn’t really finish his pitch
heres a video from Johnson who throws almost sidearm:
http://www.letstalkpitching.com/images/randy_johnson_side.gif
While Lincecum who throws over the top does:
http://www.letstalkpitching.com/images/tim_lincecum.mpeg
Just let it come naturally, don’t force it:
Verlander over the top, barely follows through:
http://www.letstalkpitching.com/images/justin_verlander_closed_side.gif
Also, I might add, since you seem to have a longer stride since you land at about 90 degrees knee bent it could be lack of momentum since guys who have longer strides tend to have more of a follow through:
Yeah I have a long stride. But this also happens when I take a running start and then throw.
If your really serious about it, do the Lincecum Drill: mark your stride, and out a dollar bill on the floor where you hand should coem to make you finish the pitch.
In my mind, do whats comfortable, I don’t especially worry about my follow through I just let it happen.
I agree that your arm slot affects how you finish. But I wouldn’t say that the low arm slot guys don’t finish their pitches. Rather, they finish differently. High arm slot guys might finish with more trunk flexion while low arm slot guys might finish rotated away from the target.
I agree that your arm slot affects how you finish. But I wouldn’t say that the low arm slot guys don’t finish their pitches. Rather, they finish differently. High arm slot guys might finish with more trunk flexion while low arm slot guys might finish rotated away from the target.[/quote]
Thats kind of what I meant, thanks for clarifying Roger. I meant follow through as in your hand comes down to between your ankle and knee, mine is more between hip and knee, I do however tend to fall off more, when I am throwing full speed
My hand finishes at my knee or a little above it and I fall off quite hard when I throw full speed.
IMO, follow through is a non-teach. Do everything right beforehand and the follow through will happen correctly, out in front.
The difference in those videos of Lincecum, Johnson (who DOES finish out in front) and Verlander is how their glove acts in front. If that glove stays out in front (check out Johnson’s glove position, awesome), keeping the front shoulder from rotating past the target, the follow through will happen out in front. If the glove pulls down or back (Verlander) the front shoulder pulls off the target and the follow through happens back in the stride.
Follow through drills (pick up the dollar) are pointless. If you do everything wrong and open too soon or pull your front shoulder back, you can’t alter your arm path after release to get it out in front, its not possible.
Agreed. The horse is out of the barn. Let the follow-through happen, but if your release point is poor, it might lead to an ugly follow-through.
Be sure a strange follow through is tied to arm slot and not to some other mechanical flaw earlier on that results in a poor follow-through position.