Stiff Back

Pitching Mechanics
#1

I probably could post this in the injuries section, but whatever, I’ll give it a shot. Naturally I have a very stiff lower back and this causes me to follow through very high when I pitch. I have to make a conscious effort to try to “bend over” and even this is very hard. It’s not that my back gets tight, it just naturally is stiff in the lower part. Sometimes, my lower back is sore in the middle of pitching and is usually a little sore after the game.

What can I do to fix this? Also, what does the back do in the kinetic chain of the pitching mechanics?

#2

Your back is used in your delivery to build separation in your shoulders and hips.

It also is a decelerator for your arm.

Pain in the lower back usually means you have tight hamstrings. You need to stretch them everyday.

#3

Two main reasons for lower back problems. One is tight hamstrings, like ■■■■■■■■■■■ said. Try being 35 and sitting at a desk most of the day, not good for the hammies and the back.

The second is in the kinetic chain, after hip rotation, after shoulder rotation, at ball launch, the back is arched and “unloads”. You can see in the two pics of Maddux, in the first his back is arched, in the second he has unloaded it. Proper warmup and strengthening is essential but the other factor is that sidearm or submarine style pitchers do not translate this unloading very well and many of them have back problems. (Randy Johnson, Chad Bradford, Dan Quisenberry, Kent Tekulve). Do you have a lower arm slot?

#4

No, I throw overhand/high 3/4.

And I don have tendonitis in my heel. Could that attribute to something?

Also, my dad tells me that when I walk I have a big habit of leaning forward and down. My posture naturally sort of tilts me forward.