RAC Performance

Monday Mechanics Minute: Leg Lift Pt.2 - An additional way use your leg lift effectively is to take the knee back towards shortstop (for RHP) which will stretch the oblique muscles to help generate more torque. But remember to keep your shoulders still - ie. don’t rotate your shoulder/torso together with your knee. Maintain closed shoulders as your knee then rotates back into your stride. Once footstrike happens, your torso will then rotate much faster taking your arm with it for easy velo. 

Monday Mechanics Minute: Drag Line - This is the line in the dirt your back foot makes as it slides down the mound from the rubber. Two important reasons why you need it:
1) It helps you utilize your lower half and body, getting energy behind the ball so you can “throw hard easy”,
2) It stabilizes the head so you will have better command… Ideally your drag line should be up to 2 feet in length. If you have no drag line, it means you are putting more stress on your arm and will be less consistent with your command
National Pitching

Monday Mechanics Minute: Stride Length - How far should your stride be? Ideally, about equal to your height (from front edge of rubber to the tip of your landing foot toe). If you can stride out to your height, it means you are creating good forward momentum… Without a tape measure, a simple rule of thumb to check your ideal stride length is to measure out 6 of your own feet (heel-toe) from the front edge of the rubber. Try it yourself and see how far your stride measures. If you are short-striding you are leaving some velocity behind and giving hitters a longer look at the ball.
 

Monday Mechanics Minute: Front Shoulder Closed - One of the common traits of long-term successful throwers is they keep their front shoulder closed until footstrike…and you should do the same! If you want to “throw hard easy,” work on keeping that front shoulder closed as long as possible. It allows Ground Reaction Forces to flow up the “energy chain”, combining with rotational torque to propel the ball faster and more efficiently. 

Monday Mechanics Minute: Hip Rotation - If you want to throw hard efficiently (and more easily), then your hips need to rotate fully and quickly right at/after footstrike. One way to help accomplish this is to kick the back ankle/heel out. This forces the hips to continue rotating without prematurely stopping. It also will create more hip/shoulder separation allowing for more torque. All of this equates to more energy being sent up the chain to the arm and ball… Without this extra hip rotation, you rely more on your arm adding unnecessary stress and limiting your velocity potential.

Monday Mechanics Minute: Leg Lift - One of the easiest ways to add velocity and make it easier on the arm is to have a high leg lift, especially from the stretch. It engages the hip, developing better hip & shoulder separation, and creates faster hip torque. It also helps generate more momentum down the mound… NO SLIDE STEP! The slide step puts more stress on the arm, your ball doesn’t move as well, you won’t throw as hard, and it shortens the stride giving the hitter a longer look at the ball. So get that knee up!

Monday Mechanics Minute: Glove Position Pt.2 -�Here we delve into more detail on how having the glove positioned in front of the torso helps with command issues.

Monday Mechanics Minute: Glove Position - If you want to �A) Have better pitch command, �B) Release the ball further out front, ie. higher perceived velocity,
D) Prevent flying open too early, ie. “a late throwing arm”, and�C) Keep your energy going towards the target (throw harder easier),
then have your glove out in front of your chest at ball release. If not, you will struggle with falling off, be inconsistent, give the hitter a longer look at the ball, and more likely to develop elbow pain... Don’t let that happen. Work on keeping your glove in front at ball release. A strong glove-side fixes a lot of problems!

Monday Mechanics Minute: Balance Pt.2 - To stay in balance, start by coming set with your weight equally balanced on both feet. Don’t let your feet get too wide, and a slightly closed stance is usually best. Bend both knees slightly so you can feel that athletic, balanced posture. (Most pitchers have too much weight on their back side.) You can now move that energy laterally toward the target much more easily and with less effort. And if you always set your feet the same with balanced weight, you will throw more strikes, it will be easier on the arm, and you will have better command.

Monday Mechanics Minute: Balance - One of the most overlooked aspects of the pitching delivery is balance and its importance for a consistent delivery and command. To stay in balance, start by coming set with your weight equally balanced on both feet. (Most pitchers have too much weight on their back side.) After you release the ball, if you are falling off to the side, then you are not maintaining balance and some energy is being sent in the wrong direction. This results in inconsistent command of the strike zone. If you can maintain your balance pitch after pitch, you will throw more strikes, it will be easier on the arm, and you will have better command.