- Ruben Corral

Sir Issac Newton's Law of Inertia states "All objects tend to travel in straight lines, unless acted upon by an unbalanced outside force." This law states that we must learn to drive our bodies and the baseball in as straight a line as possible towards are target in order to deliver the ball with the most power behind it. Although rotation is needed to delivery the baseball, excessive rotation can waste force, rather than gain force. Pitching is a linear based ballistic movement, with rotational qualities. If we were to draw ourselves as stick figures, we would draw ourselves as straight lines. Two lines horizontally across for the hips and shoulders, one long torso, and four smaller for arms and legs. It is with these I teach pitchers how to set their bodies up in line with their targets.

As I have coached and taught all ages of baseball, I find that all pitchers can follow and be taught using the same segments of motion, which I call...

All of my students are taught steps 1-5. Steps 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, are taught to my more advanced students.

1 Step Back  - The pitcher steps behind the mound at a slight angle about 6"-8". The small step ensures the pitcher's balance remains over the rear leg and allows for a more controlled transfer of weight.

2 Plant Foot - I find it easier to teach younger pitchers to plant their foot parallel with the rubber as it becomes easier to: a) line their bodies up with their target, and b) balance on their posting leg. With older pitchers, I teach them to plant their foot at a 45 degree angle on the rubber. This facilitates a stronger push off the rubber using the ball of their feet, and the pitchers are strong and able to keep their bodies on target through step 3.

2 (a) At a 45-degree footplant, the pitchers hip rotation and leg lift do not cause him to counter rotate in front of his rear leg. In my opinion and research, counter rotation, in reality creates more torque (the force created by spin), but also forces the pitcher to rotate in an arc. As the body rotates through this arc, the body will want to fly in a straight line to every moment of the arc. This negates the torque produced by counter-rotating in that extra force must be applied to keep the body in a straight line towards the target. This wastes force. In trying to develop straight line force in some of my older students, we try to remove all the arcing in their motions. Keeping the plant foot at this angle limits, or prevents, counter rotation, and allows more straight line force.

3 Balance Point -  Although I tout this step as the most important in a pitcher's motion, it is still at the mercy of the pitcher getting steps 1 and 2 right. One of the first drills I give pitchers is to lift and hold their legs to find their balance point. They learn pretty quickly that if they keep their heads over their rear leg, they maintain balance easier. They also learn that they will not be able to maintain an extremely high leg kick.

3 (a) In Nolan Ryan's research, he found that more torque could be produced the higher he lifts his leg. Although this is true, more force must be wasted in order to keep the body centered on its target. Also, a pitcher's center of gravity becomes higher, causing balance problems. I believe the same amount of straight line force can be generated by lifting the leg to parallel or slightly above parallel, so I recommend bringing the knee no higher than this

4 Power Position -  As the pitcher's leg reaches his apex, forward motion starts with the front hip and heel leading the way. The head remains behind to allow the weight to stay back. Good point of reference, our body's center line is the crotch. If the head stays behind this center line, the weight (potential power) remains back until time to unleash. The throwing arm rotates down and around until the shoulder and elbow line up with each other, and the baseball faces second base. The lead shoulder (and, preferably, elbow) lines up with the intended target, much like the barrel of a gun. At the moment the front foot lands, the pitcher should be in the correct throwing position with the weight back, arms raised, and eyes focused on the target

4 (a) Pushing off the rubber is a highly debated topic between pitchers. Some say 'pull off rubber', others say 'push'. In my opinion, pitchers should use their rear foot to vigorously push themselves and their bodies off the rubber towards their target. In their landing, some say 'toe landing' others say 'heel to toe'. In order to absorb the heavy shock the body places on itself upon landing, the pitcher should try to use the entire surface of the foot, landing heel to toe. Landing toe first usually places the body out of control, with the momentum still flying forward instead of catapulting the upper body over itself. Imagine a track sprinter pushing off hard and abruptly coming to a halt. He would use his heels to absorb the violent jolt, rather than coasting out on his toes.

5 Release and Follow Through -  Immediately after touchdown, the hips and shoulders violently rotate 180-degress, the lead arm tucks and pulls towards the chest, while the throwing arm rotates with the shoulders and extends out in front of the eyes, releasing the baseball. The lead leg stays firm throughout this delivery, allowing the upper body to catapult itself over the top, throwing the power up from the lower body into the upper body. Shoulders remain as level as possible while they rotate around the head. Although the shoulders end up making the complete 180 degree turn, the hips will come close, but (in a perfect, strong delivery) do not finish at 180.

5 (a) As the throwing arm raises into position, great care should be taken to keep the forearm at least vertical, instead of towards the ear (like a quarterback). Forearms that point forward as the upper arm begins forward motion suffers from 'reverse forearm layback'. This happens as the upper arm rotates forward, the forearms externally rotates backwards, then violently rotates forward again causing a 'snap' that stresses the shoulder and elbow joints unnecessarily. In order to prevent this, I teach my pitchers to try to lay the forearm backwards beyond vertical before the upper arm begins its motion forward. Forearm layback also increases a pitcher's driveline. The driveline starts when the baseball begins its forward motion towards the plate and ends when the ball leaves the furthermost point of the last digit of the hand. The longer a pitcher's driveline, the more force can be applied to the baseball. The more force, the more velocity. Reverse forearm snaps shortens a pitcher's driveline severely, cutting down the time the ball actually moves forward before release.

Throughout the release, Sir Issac Newton's Law of Reaction comes into play. The Law states that "For every positive reaction, there is an equal and opposite negative reaction." This law dictates that every negative reaction be done with the same amount of intensity as its positive counterpart. Example: The lead arm and shoulder (negative reaction), reaches and pulls tight towards the body as the throwing arm and shoulder (positive reaction) rotates and delivers the baseball. If the lead arm and shoulder do not rotate with this same intensity, it will not allow the throwing arm and shoulder to release with its intended intensity. Other examples of this are: lead hip/rear hip, and push leg/landing leg.

Steps 1-5 are easily taught to all ages between 5-50. Keep in mind that what we are trying to create is straight line power using the 'marriage' between linear force application and rotational qualities that drive the body through delivery without wasting force.  Also, we can learn how to direct our pitches simply by shifting our 'target points' (front shoulder and hip), much like an archer aims a bow and arrow.  A pitcher can't hit what he isn't aiming at.  Last but not least, the longer we apply force over a period of time, the more power and velocity follows.  When we learn how the body works, with each step setting up the next, pitching becomes easier for everybody.