Many do not really understand proper baseball pitching mechanics, and therefore their pitchers spend much of their efforts doing drills that just aren’t very effective for improving pitching speed and accuracy. They probably also have their players lifting weights with the goal of building up arm strength, which really isn’t necessary in order to throw at a higher velocity. The amount of time dedicated to baseball pitching workout programs would be much better spent if coaches would focus on the pitching mechanics and the way that the entire body can generate more power to increase a pitcher’s velocity.
A few common components of most baseball pitching workouts include pitching drills, lifting weights, flat ground pitching, and stretching have actually been shown to make it more likely for pitchers to become injured or actually end up slowing down the pitch. Why? – because many of these methods or drills don’t focus on the body as a whole. The best pitchers use use their whole body when they throw the pitch, and not just their arms. If you use your whole body to throw the pitch, and use it with maximum effectiveness, there are certain postures that your body should go through, and if a pitcher trains his body in how it feels to be in these positions, it becomes natural to use proper pitching mechanics.
Although this information has been proven in a number of studies, most coaches don’t realize it yet. Consequently, many baseball coaches continue to have their pitchers waste the time spent in pitching workouts with worthless methods of pitching. More and more parents are beginning to learn about the importance of using their whole body and the proper way to throw a pitch via the use of pitching videos and manuals that you can find online.
Hopefully, as more studies are done showing the typical training methods are not as effective as previously thought, there will be more coaches switching to more effective baseball pitching workouts methods. A more effective workout would focus on leading pitchers through proper pitching mechanics, starting from the end and moving backwards, and on te process of using their body to produce the explosive power that you can generate during the throwing of a pitch if everything is done just right.
Check out many more articles, research, and pitching DVDs on our website at Pitching.com. Baseball preseason is here – don’t wait until April to start working with your son and/or players on proper pitching mechanics. Good preparation now will lead to significantly better results in May and June!
