Why Grandma's Advice May Be The Key To Unlocking Proper Baseball Pitching Mechanics

If your family is anything like mine, then I'm sure growing up, a mom, dad or grandparent has told you to "Stand tall" or "Chin up" or "Don't slouch."

Well, it looks as though grandma was right all along!

You see, proper posture is a key element in having good baseball pitching mechanics, which are, in turn, a key to pitching success on the pitcher's mound.

The better mechanics you have, the better your ability to throw strikes, utilize your body for velocity and have better accuracy on your pitches.

Think of the rotator cuff (the four tiny muscles that comprise the shoulder used in throwing a baseball) as a wheel hub on a bike.

The wheel only spins correctly if the wheel hub is properly aligned.

Now, take the baseball pitcher with poor posture, shoulders rounded forward from slouching. Because the hub, in this case, is rounded forward as well, the alignment of the arm path of a pitched baseball is now altered resulting in poor pitching mechanics and an increased risk of shoulder injury.

For a baseball pitcher to properly execute a pitch, the shoulder alignment MUST be aligned properly.

A good check-point for proper shoulder alignment is to take a baseball bat or a broom stick and rest it along the top of your back with each arm on either side wrapped over the top of the bat a la Bo Jackson's 1987 Topps baseball card for which he is famously wearing football gear in the picture, too.

In this check-point, a pitcher should be able to draw an imaginary line directly through both shoulders. (From one shoulder, through the pitcher's chest and through the other shoulder.)

However, if a baseball pitcher has poor body posture and his shoulders are rounded forward, then that straight line from shoulder to shoulder looks something more like a half crescent, not a straight line.

The bottom line is this: in order to achieve an optimal pitching delivery, proper posture is required...

So pitchers, next time grandma says, "Don't slouch," take her advice. It'll help you out on the pitcher's mound, too.

Yours in baseball,

Steven Ellis
The Complete Pitcher™
www.thecompletepitcher.com
www.thecompletepitcher.blogs.com