Pitching arm angles: Finding your natural path
Here is a recent question from a fan: "Is Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays the best pitcher on the planet?" He is for my money!
For those of you that don't know the story, Roy was sent back to the Minor Leagues several years ago but with the help of Mel Queen, his pitching coach, he found his way back to the Majors. Halladay discovered that by changing his arm angle, he became more effective.
Use it but don't abuse it was my philosophy with throwing. I can say without hesitation that I probably threw more and with greater variety than any pitcher considering I pitched for the third-most seasons in the history of the game. Nolan Ryan went 27 seasons and didn't pitch in relief and Tommy John went 26 seasons as a starter his entire career. Bragging? No! Just pointing out that I had a good data base of throwing and how the pitching angles affected my arm. I learned over time what was beneficial and what wasn't.
I continue to impress upon pitchers that the way to find your natural way of pitching or proper arm angle with a consistent release is to 'play catch' or 'field a ground ball and throw to first base' as often as you can. This practice develops good foot work and helps the player find his personal arm angle and natural path.
Because I pitched some of each, here's the difference in training: Starters warm up slowly over a 15-20 minute period and relievers need to learn to warm up a little faster. The way to do that is to throw a little every day and then you'll be able to be 'game ready' in 10-15 pitches.
Trying to 'create' a perfect motion as opposed to allowing your arm to find it's natural path can cause injury and not allow you to throw as free and easy - and as a result, more accurately. Again, the route to a better pitching arm angle is relatively simple: field the ball, hop, step and throw!
For those of you that don't know the story, Roy was sent back to the Minor Leagues several years ago but with the help of Mel Queen, his pitching coach, he found his way back to the Majors. Halladay discovered that by changing his arm angle, he became more effective.
Use it but don't abuse it was my philosophy with throwing. I can say without hesitation that I probably threw more and with greater variety than any pitcher considering I pitched for the third-most seasons in the history of the game. Nolan Ryan went 27 seasons and didn't pitch in relief and Tommy John went 26 seasons as a starter his entire career. Bragging? No! Just pointing out that I had a good data base of throwing and how the pitching angles affected my arm. I learned over time what was beneficial and what wasn't.
I continue to impress upon pitchers that the way to find your natural way of pitching or proper arm angle with a consistent release is to 'play catch' or 'field a ground ball and throw to first base' as often as you can. This practice develops good foot work and helps the player find his personal arm angle and natural path.
Because I pitched some of each, here's the difference in training: Starters warm up slowly over a 15-20 minute period and relievers need to learn to warm up a little faster. The way to do that is to throw a little every day and then you'll be able to be 'game ready' in 10-15 pitches.
Trying to 'create' a perfect motion as opposed to allowing your arm to find it's natural path can cause injury and not allow you to throw as free and easy - and as a result, more accurately. Again, the route to a better pitching arm angle is relatively simple: field the ball, hop, step and throw!
Kitty, it's great to see you out here in the blogsphere. I really miss your work on YES, and look forward to reading your sure to be insightful posts.
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