Top 6 High Velocity Pitching Mechanics

1) Back Leg Load

Rearview of a good back leg load. Back leg is holding torsion as the hips are riding down the mound.

The back leg load is positioning your drive leg to push force into the ground and power hip rotation. It requires a high degree of hip mobility, strength and motor control. The hip needs to have full range of motion through external rotation, hip abduction hip flexion and even internal rotation. Ankle dorsiflexion is also necessary. The athlete also needs a high degree of posterior chain strength to stay loaded in his back leg. Core strength and stability is also vital to maintain good trunk positioning. The motor control can be a difficult aspect for some athletes to get used to. Essentially, the athlete is falling down the mound by using momentum while simultaneously loading the back leg. Through Repetition, each athlete will find a “sweet spot” of momentum and eccentrically loading the back leg to utilize the stretch shortening cycle.

You can see here how the athletes back leg is in good hip flexion as he sits into his posterior chain and loads his back leg.

2) Back Leg Drive

Good back leg drive here. Pelvis is open at front foot strike and shoulders are closed. This athlete also tested with some of the highest angular and linear velocities of the pelvis in our database. This shows how much energy he is powering through his kinematic sequence as well as how he is sequencing it.

The back leg drive is the gas pedal of the pitching delivery. Being the only leg attached to the ground after initial leg lift, its job is to accelerate the athlete down the mound and power hip rotation. It is a blend of linear and rotational power to transfer energy from the legs, to the hips and further up the kinetic chain. It requires a high degree of hip mobility through hip internal rotation, hip extension and hip abduction. It also requires a high degree of leg power and timing. High velocity pitchers tend to peak leg drive right into front foot strike. Ground Reaction Forces have been measured as high as 1.0 X bodyweight.

3) Trunk Rotation/Shoulder Horizontal Abduction

Here is an overhead image of good horizontal abduction and elbow flexion of the throwing arm. The arm is pulling back and the trunk counter rotates as the hips power forward. This helps to maximize hip to shoulder separation and the stretch shortening cycle.

As the back leg drives and peaks linear energy towards the plate, the trunk, shoulder and core simultaneously resist the forward motion to separate the hips from shoulders. The shoulder horizontally abducts and elbow flexes to create leverage between the hips and shoulders. Some coaches call this “scap loading”, whatever your terminology, it is an important component of the pitching delivery. With the hips powering forward and the shoulder, trunk, core and arm pulling against that energy it creates a stretch much like pulling back a rubber band or bow and arrow. It requires a high degree of core strength and mobility in the shoulder/thoracic spine.

4) Hip To Shoulder Separation

Hip to shoulder separation is ultimately the most important biomechanics component in a high velocity delivery. It is the transmission between the lower half and upper half. With the pelvis fully opened and the shoulders in a closed position, the athlete utilizes the stretch shortening cycle through the trunk and core. As discussed before, think of this as stretching a rubber band or pulling back a bow and arrow. The muscles are storing elastic energy and preparing to unload like a spring. It is a very difficult component because it requires a high degree of power, mobility and motor control.

5) Front Leg Stabilization/Extension

Front leg landing in flexion and stabilizing to stop forward acceleration of linear stride. It is eccentrically absorbing the force at landing and preparing to extend to redirect energy back into the trunk.

The front legs role is to brake the linear momentum and redirect the energy back into the trunk. This requires a high degree of power as the front leg is absorbing a large amount of force. Also, a lot of posterior chain strength/mobility. Studies have shown that high velocity pitchers land with up to 2.5x their bodyweight hitting the front leg. That requires a lot of power to quickly stabilize and then drive back through the ground to extend the front leg. The energy then travels back through the trunk and into the ball. Studies have shown the front leg to have one of the highest correlation to throwing velocity.

Front leg fully extended and launching the trunk into forward trunk tilt as the throwing shoulder internally rotates before pitch release. This redirects all of that energy from foot strike back up the chain, through the trunk and into the ball.

6) Forward Trunk Tilt

Trunk is launching over the front leg, transferring energy into the arm which is the final link in the kinetic chain to maximize the energy created from the whole body to the ball.

Forward trunk tilt is a byproduct of how well you drove your back leg and stabilized the front leg. It also requires good thoracic extension and shoulder mobility to allow the chest to expand/open as it travels forward. The back leg and front leg work like a piston to drive energy through the trunk. When done correctly the trunk launches forward over the front leg as the throwing arm lays back into external rotation. The harder you can get the trunk to catapult forward, the more energy travels up the chain to the arm and finally the ball at release.

High Velocity Pitching Mechanics

Those are the top 6 pitching mechanics components in the high velocity pitching delivery. If you want to learn more please follow us on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube) @stevenguadagni and feel free to send in video of your pitching or hitting mechanics for a free analysis. If you want to train with us we have several options. Come down for long term training at our facility or remote 1 on 1 online training from home. Learn how to optimize your mechanics and perform at the highest level possible! Hope you guys enjoyed the article. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.