bill thurston 10

SMART POWER
TRAINING FOR PITCHERS

Coach Bill Thurston is well known for his pitching mechanics expertise.This paper contains valuable and interesting information. The reader should note that in general we agree with many of the statements made in this paper. There are several areas where Coach Thurston draws conclusions based on his own personal observations and we have a difference of opinion. We base our differences on our understanding of how the neuro-muscular system functions and is supported by research and or observation of pitchers performing at the major league level. We will discuss this more in future postings. Paul Nyman/Max Ratofor

VIDEO ANALYSIS OF THE PITCHING MOTION - CHECK POINTS FOR COACHES

By Bill Thurston Head Baseball Coach, Amherst College Amherst, MA and Glenn Fleisig, Phd., Director of Research Biomechanical Engineer American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI), Birmingham, AL.

Mark Wohlers, the hard throwing relief pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, has been video analyzed at the ASMI lab at 500 frames a second. We will use Mark as a model to identify check points and techniques to focus on during the pitching sequence.

Throwing a ball is one of the fastest known human actions and is very difficult to study only using the naked eye. For a coach, the use of video analysis, even video taped with a regular camcorder and viewed via a 4 head VCR, is a very effective way to study the specific techniques of the pitching motion.

A coach should be able to:

Recognize proper techniques
Identify specific faults
Teach proper techniques and drills to overcome (correct) specific faults.

Usually a pitcher can not "feel" what he is doing wrong because it feels natural to him, but the use of video allows him to see and study his motion and compare his techniques to successful long term pitchers who are good mechanical models.

Not all pitchers will, nor should they, throw exactly the same way. Let the pitcher use his own style unless his techniques:

Limit his effectiveness; in velocity, control, movement and command of various pitches.
Limit his potential to progress to the next level
Cause unnecessary stress on the throwing mechanism.

Long term successful and injury free pitchers display many common traits within their own style and motion such as:

Good balance - from the preliminary stance through the release' phase
Proper weight transfer - from the rocker step through the release phase
A stable base in the cocking phase - from foot plant through the release phase
Proper alignment of the feet, hips, shoulders, lead arm and throwing arm
Proper sequence of the throwing mechanism - foot plant, trunk rotation, bracing of front side, and forward trunk flexion, arm acceleration release
A long smooth arc of deceleration of the arm and upper body.

When video taping the pitcher for motion analysis, we film from 3 different angles:

1. A 90 degree angle from the open side - 3rd base for RHP; 2. From the back - off-centered slightly looking down through the pitcher's release angle to the catcher. 3. From the front - behind the catcher or from the batters box - LHH for RHP.

The following chart identifies some of check points we recommend that coaches and pitchers focus upon when they analyze the motion via video tape.

CHECK POINTS DURING VIDEO ANALYSIS
SEGMENT OF MOTION	PROPER TECHNIQUES	COMMON FAULTS	FAULTS CAUSE
LEG LIFT	Lifts flexed knee; foot hangs downward; closes front hip; controlled body movements.	Swings lead leg up; swings foot wide; doesn't close front hip; or, over rotates hip.	Balance and control problems; rushing motions loss of velocity.
POSTING POSITION	Stands tall on a firm posting leg; head and trunk over pivot foot; good ball anced hips and shoulders level.	Body tilts back towards 1st base; collapses posting leg early; weight drifts forward too early.	Balance problems; loss of control and velocity; early fatigue of throwing arm.
WEIGHT TRANSFER	Maintains balance until lead leg starts to lower; leads the front hip; head and shoulders stay level.	Pushes forward as leg lifts; shoulders tilted upward; leads with front shoulder, flexes forward early.	Rushes motion; prevents good trunk rotation; early fatigue, body ahead of arm.
HAND BREAK	Above belt, mid-line of body; pitching hand moves downward, glove hand out towards plate; fingers stay on top of ball.	Late and low; behind hip or mid-line; glove goes too low; fingers under ball.	Throwing arm action problems; lead arm action problems; low in cocked pos position.
STRIDE	Nearly straight to plate; down and out lead leg action; stride length close to body height	Across mid-line by more than 2-3.inches; swings lead leg out into stride.	Balance problems; prevents good trunk rotation; loss of control and velocity
ARM PATH	Down, back and up; elbow flexes early on way up; Fingers stay on top of ball	Wrist or arm hooking; arm flails behind back; long stiff arm action	Low cocked position; con trol problems; added stress on shoulder
STRIDE FOOT PLANT	Lands flat footed, nearly straight to plate; toes point inward slightly; knee flexed approx. 45 degrees; foot and leg form a stable base	Lands on heel, foot flies open; unstable base; knee flexed too much, body sits too low	Out of balance; loss of control and velocity; front side opens early; anterior shoulder strain
COCKED POSITION	Head in the top center of the triangle; body aligned to the plate; chest thrust out; elbows shoulder height; front shoulder closed to plate; hips; shoulders and eyes level; hand high, fingers on top of the ball; wrist extended back; stride foot firmly planted	Head forward or back in triangle; lead elbow down or open; throwing elbow low, wrist flexed; shoulders tilted uphill; palm of hand faces forward; stride foot open or not stable	Loss of power and rotational forces; loss of control and movement; early fatigue of throwing arm and shoulder
UPPER TRUNK ROTATION	Front side braces up; trunk squares too plate, chest thrust out, spine arched; violent backside drive-pivot leg knee drives forward and inward	Shoulder opens with front hip; front knee does not brace up but drifts forward; poor back-side drive once the stride foot is stable	Loss of velocity; control problems; inconsistent mechanics; body ahead of the arm; early fatigue of arm
ARM SLOT	Nearly a straight line from lead shoulder to throwing shoulder to elbow - Zero to 45 degree angle; hand higher than the head, throw in a downward plane.	Hand and elbow too low, too wide; hand too close to head, leads too long with elbow	Loss of velocity and movement; impingement of shoulder joint; slows hand speed; elbow strain
UPPER BODY FLEXATION	Trunk goes from extension to flexion as arm nears release point; hips and shoulders square to plate before trunk flexes forward	Over striding, can't get head and shoulder over lead leg; transfer of weight too violent; flexes forward before squaring trunk to plate	Recoils with upper body; posterior rotator cuff strain; loss of power and velocity
RELEASE POSITION	Fingers behind ball on FB; wrist in proper position for various pitches; head and shoulders over lead leg; arm nears full extension	Hand too close to head; hand too low and wide; fingers on side of ball; attempt at early pronation of hand	Loss of velocity and command of pitches; elbow strain; wrist or forearm problems
ARM DECELERATION	Long smooth arc of deceler ation outside the lead leg; arm relaxed	Short arms, cuts across body; finishes down into bodyi arm muscles tense	Loss of velocity; early fatiguei posterior rotator cuff strain

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