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Comment on Pitching Velocity Conversation with Angels Scout by Hallan King

Hallan King — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:05:54 +0000

Its pathetic how early kids are put on radar guns. Who cares until they are matured. Some do this at 16 and some 22. Either way fastball speed is nothing in baseball, how many kids throw mid 90′s today? A TON, pitching is pitching, and dialing up a radar gun is just that. Pitch, because after all we arent at a carnival and results reign supreme, not a hopefull scout with a radar gun. Be a student of the game and that big league heater will develope, you will find ways.

Comment on A Drill To Help Young Pitcher’s Velocity and Accuracy by Robert Solow DDS

Robert Solow DDS — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 02:56:59 +0000

Thank you for the drill, the World Series has gotten my son very hyped on Baseball and we are going out this weekend to try to pitch the ball.

If he likes it, I will for sure pick up the Pitching Mechanics DVD.

Comment on Pitching Grips: How To Throw A Great Curveball! by Know thine enemy « CoachDeck

Know thine enemy « CoachDeck — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 20:40:37 +0000

[...] any type of consistency. Knowing this, I’d teach my athletes to simply avoid swinging at a curveball until there were two strikes. His chances of dropping a few curveballs in for strikes are minimal. [...]

Comment on Got No Power? Fix This Common Issue by John

John — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:34:08 +0000

I am all about creating energy from the lower half and teach my kids to “through” the back hip at the pitcher to create backside rotation. I only use the “squish the bug” term to get them to lift the heal off the ground in order to rotate the foot. But “squishing the bug” does help keep kids from lunging forward. How do I get them to rotate withoug lunging, especially if the back foot does not stay planted.

Comment on Teaching Youth Baseball Pitchers Mechanics by Craig Sigl

Craig Sigl — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:57:54 +0000

Great article! I might add that young athletes remember as much or more detail about their mistakes and chokes and how the coach reacted. That often sticks with a person longer than their successes. Coaches need to be aware of the impact they have on young athletes.
Keep up the great work!

Comment on Pitching: Pain in The Arm? by D. Jones

D. Jones — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:18:31 +0000

I have a question. My nine year old is pitching and even though seems confident playing ss, 1st, outfield, and even catcher this week , hes has recently been rattled when on the mound and all mechanics go right out of the window. How can I help him regain his composure after striking batters, throwing balls not strikes, etc.?

Comment on Pitch Count! What is Acceptable? by ron portaro

ron portaro — Mon, 09 May 2011 16:44:41 +0000

I have been coaching my 2 sons in LL, club ball, and now high school legion for 12 years. Both are pitchers. I agree totally with LL pitch counts.
If you have players who play in both LL and club ball, you must be very careful and ARM CARE is most important on several fronts as follows:
1. Overlapping seasons. Patents particularly need to make sure that they monitor pitch counts because the LL coach may not communicate with the club ball coach. Talk it over with both coaches and make sure they commit to the LL Pitch count or another acceptable pitch count. Be tough mom or dad because unfortunately many coaches are caught up in the ”winning” side of baseball and will overdo it with a good pitcher. If a coach doesn’t work with you, find another team!

2. Tournaments. Most club teams play in tournaments every month or 2. These are usually a minimum of 4 games and if you advance, as many as 6 games over 2 or 3 days. Coaches should have a ”tournament” pregame and between half innings during warm ups that is very different than for a single mid-week game. Do the math: if you add up the number of pregame warm up throws and warm up throws between innings, and multiply that by 4 or 6, you have kids throwing several hundred times in a couple days. And, if you plan on pitching them, be careful! A playerwho is pitching your 4th game will not be well prepared to exert that pitching stress on his arm. My tournament warm up regimes for pitchers are very different than non-pitchers.

3. Pitching readiness during games. Always have your next scheduled pitcher ready to go. If I know my player is only good for 60 pitches, my next pitcher, if a starter in another position, will not play in the field when the 1st pitcher’s count is projected to end that inning. 8 warm up pitches does NOT prepare an arm for the rigor of pitching, period. And, bringing a player in from a fielding position with no sideline or bullpen warms dies not get the pitcher ”dialed in”, thereby.decreasing his opportunity for a successful outing.

Just some thoughts from an older coach who emphasizes pitching and arm care.

Are all your pitchers doing regular band work? I hope so.

Coach Ron Portaro,
Las Vegas Bulldogs

Comment on Is A Curveball A Must? by Chris Shearer PT, ATC, CSCS

Chris Shearer PT, ATC, CSCS — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:54:37 +0000

Honestly I don’t think so. I think it stems from depths much deeper than that. The root of the problem has more to do with the structuring of our kids lives and their preparation than anything else. Athletes at the youth level, under 15, aren’t “foundationally strong” any longer. Their independent play has gone from 4 hrs a day to 30 minutes. This creates an athlete “softer” today than 10-20 years ago. On top of that fact today’s youth pitchers are whisked off to their one practice for the week, from their third pitching lesson, where they proceed to get out of the car and start throwing from a mound in a simulated game; in preparation for the showcase they have coming up this weekend. The lack of foundational strength in our youth athlete will transcend any mechanics lesson simply because they won’t be able to endure the rigors of throwing.
As far as most common injury, I think it could be split between shoulder and elbows lately. Rotator cuff tendinitis, UCL sprain, flexor/pronator strain, mostly related to repetitive stress. Thanks again for the opportunity to comment.

Comment on Is A Curveball A Must? by baseballfans

baseballfans — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:38:43 +0000

Thank you Chris. Could be more kids are experimenting with different grips but haven’t mastered the mechanics yet which causes undue stress on the elbow and front of the shoulder. What is the most common arm injury you treat?

Comment on Is A Curveball A Must? by Chris Shearer PT, ATC, CSCS

Chris Shearer PT, ATC, CSCS — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:32:00 +0000

More important than a curve-ball at any level is command. Especially for the 12 year old elbow/shoulder, whose injury rate is sky-rocketing! As physical therapist I am seeing an increase in elbow and shoulder pain in the 12 – 15year old age group, and certainly being asked this question. When should my son/daughter throw a curve-ball? It’s a hard answer. I don’t feel a blanket rule encompassing all can exist. Our young athletes have to rely on us as coaches to recognize skill and effort level when determining what 12 year old body type can safely throw a curve-ball.

Anyway, I went a little off topic, but thanks for the opportunity to comment. Keep up the good work!