Clever Fixes aren’t

When evaluating a pitcher’s form, remember this.  If you look for what’s wrong, you will probably miss what’s actually going on.

Students come to me saying that they are “bending over”, turning their foot before takeoff, or they need to use their legs better.  Understand this:  These are symptoms.  You need to identify, then deal with the real issue. 

Watching the internet, you will find 10,000 solutions to problems that do not exist. Foot turn is a good example. The kid is stuck in some tool or drill that supposedly keeps the foot from turning.  That is only a symptom.  Dig deeper.  Dealing with the cause does more than fix the foot.  It would allow her to reach entirely new heights. 

You will find kids sitting on buckets, trying to jump up and use their legs better.  Jumping up is an entirely different muscle group than we want to use in flying off the mound. 

When you tell a kid to use her legs better, that can cause confusion.  Every major sport in the world works on footwork, not legwork.  (Boxing, basketball, infielders, tennis players, football players and the list goes on).  Know what you want from the footwork, and the legs are more likely to go along… but only if you know how to properly train it.

If she is bruising her forearm on her hip due to heavy contact, that is a symptom.  You will not fix the arm path until you know the three potential underlying causes.  If I hear one more person say it is because she is closing the hips too early, I will lose patience.  Dig deeper, know the functions of the body.

Stop looking for what is wrong.  That emphasis will only confuse your pitcher and make her timid.  It can do irreparable harm.  Take the time to learn what is really happening.  The fix is simpler, permanent, more productive, and far more healthy.

If you teach pitching and you would like to raise your game, if you have great experience, talk to us.  See the “About” page on our website for how you get past symptoms and start doing real work.