Lead arm action for pitchers

I hope all your July 4th plans went well!  Glad to be back!

Today’s tip is for pitchers who are looking to get a little more power on their pitches.  Look at all of these three photos and you’ll see some things they have in common …

First, the pitchers’ lead arms are about parallel to the ground.  Young pitchers often leave their lead arm too low and therefore do not use the front half of their bodies as well as they could.  Some bring the arm higher than parallel.  This is ok as long as lifting the lead arm doesn’t cause the head/eyes to tilt back. Notice that all the pitchers in the photos eyes are level.

Second, each pitcher has their entire tricep muscle facing the batter.  Young kids are often taught to point their elbow or even their gloves at the target before throwing.  That’s ok for beginners but when more power is needed for bigger fields, turning the front side closed a little more so the back of the lead arm faces the batter is what is needed.

Tomorrow’s post: Cliff Notes and watching baseball