Problem is...The best hitting coaches in the game today teach their hitters that if the ball "pops" or goes "up" out of the hand, it is a "hanger" or a "spinner" and will soon find a nice resting place over the outfield wall!!! (BTW, if you are teaching your own son hitting, that is the ONLY pitch that moves "up" out of the hand and is easily recognized, once you know what to look for. All other pitches have a "downward" or "straight out" action.)
In order to teach your son how to convert his "spinner" into a "hammer" (and have much more success with his breaking ball), show him this picture of John Smoltz at release.
John's chest is directly over his front knee at release. This is THE key. And the easiest way I have found to teach this is to have your young hurler mentally picture "pulling a string" attached to the middle of his chest at his release point.
This way, the chest almost always extends over the front knee once they "pull the string", and the breaking ball will break hard and down in a "straight out" of the hand manner!
And your son will now be known for having a "Hammer" for a breaking ball and can put the "Spinner" back where it belongs...(in the tackle box!)
What is the tendency of the pitcher throwing a breaking ball compared to a fast ball and the position of the chest?
ReplyDeleteI can't quite get the analogy of the pull string. Pulling the string with what?
Thanks for all the great tips.
Truthfully, the pitcher's chest should always be in this position at release. This is why you hear the "bend your back" instruction from Coaches (this is what they are trying to get across). Basically, by pitching with a "flat back" (the terminology some coaches use) you achieve this "front chest over the front knee" release point.
ReplyDeleteThe "string" is simply a visual, coaching aid where I show kids how to "pull" their chest forward and down with an imaginary string in teaching this position. Hope this helps.
Thank you for the kind words and the great comment!