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Questions/Answers 2006 |
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001. You mentioned that you need all the help you can get for your upcoming DVD. I know you had issues with the compatibility with all players with your last DVD offering. I was talking to my brother about this and he said you must make sure you "finalize" the DVD. I gather this to mean something like closing the DVD after you complete putting the clips on it. He thinks you did not do this. I would suggest you ask your video guy about this and maybe your readers can chime in. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are correct, Sir. I need all the help that I can get with just about everything, but, certainly with regards to how to make the best DVD copy of my video that is universally compatible. The last time, my video guy made them the same way that he makes them to recitals and so on that he videotapes for his clients. When I near completion, I planned on calling Tampa area people who make DVD copies. I want professionals with the best equipment to make the copies. I am open to all recommendations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 002. I really enjoyed having my son home for a week. I had the opportunity to catch him 4-5 times, when we were not on the road. Rolling back that lead ball 96 times is tough. I also got to see my older son throw for the first time in a while. My son looked good. He was throwing about as hard as when he left here in the fall, but now, he is in regression. The thing that was amazing is, he looked as if he was putting in no effort at all. No quick shoulder. Mainly pronation snap. I was not too afraid while catching him, until I got him to speed up his shoulder some, just to see what would happen. Just a bit of shoulder speed really speeded up his arm. His Maxline Fastball was hard with good movement. His Torque Fastball was also hard with good movement. For awhile, he was getting under the Torque Fastball, the spin axis tilted back too far. But, I told him when he pronated the Torque, to try and get his elbow above his fingers before release. That gave the correct spin axis, and great movement on the Torque Fastball. The difference in the last 10-20 feet, between the Maxline and Torque Fastballs was about 18 inches on the plate. No way can a batter adjust between the two in that distance, and at that speed. A batter would just have to guess. Not quite as much movement on the screwballs as I have seen from him. He did not throw too many curves, I believe because he did not want to hurt me. But the ones he did throw were absolutely nasty. He did throw some sliders, which he has not worked on in a while, that were great. He did throw some sinkers, which he has not worked on in a while. They were very good. His control was much better. The first day, it was not too good, mainly because of wearing spikes on a dirt mound. He admitted he has not worked on dirt at all, and usually uses the same turf mound to work on. I told him he needs to work using many different conditions, different turf mounds, different dirt mounds, slopes, and learn to be able to adapt within a workout and/or a game quickly. The rest of his workouts showed much more control. Still not dead on, but better. He will need more control to improve his game confidence. All in all, very impressive for a kid deep in regression. His arm strength is incredible. He needs more leg and core strength to develop a faster shoulder. My older son still reports some weird things in his elbow. No pain, but it does not feel normal to him. For the first time since getting cleaned out, I saw some pop on the ball throwing about 100 feet. I have not had the opportunity to see him work very much. It has been four months, I it is obvious he has been working hard to get back to where he was last spring. His conditioning and therefore strength is much better. He plans to be ready for the opening of DABA, and also wants to pitch in Men's Senior League starting in March. I believe he will be ready, not at the top of his game, but quite well enough to get those guys out. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are correct. Your son is less than thirty days into his sixty day ninety-six ten pound iron ball repetitions per day schedule. The muscles that he uses are still mobilizing their resources to meet his training overload. I do not expect him to be fully out of this training regression until three weeks after he stops doing ninety-six repetitions per day, or in about two months. If you think that he 'pronation snapped' when you saw him, wait until you see what he does then. Your analysis is right on the money. He has improved his Maxline Fastball spin axis, but, because he sometimes slips into a weak wrist action, he remains inconsistent. That is what you saw with his Torque Fastball. He is working hard on improving his Maxline True Screwball spin axis. He is starting to get it with his football throws. I think that improving his pitching hip flip will fix it. He just does not yet get his hips forwardly rotated far enough. I have a new glove foot hop drill that I hope will do the trick. He is working hard on getting the 'loop' out of his Maxline Pronation Curve. Until he does, while he will get great spin velocity, he will sometimes let his pitching forearm go outside of vertical, which causes him to lose the proper spin axis. Again, if he flips his pitching hip better, then he will correct this problem. I won't introduce my Maxline Fastball Sinker or Torque Fastball Slider until after he completes his sixty day twenty pound wrist weight Recoil interval-training cycle, which he won't start until eighteen days after he completes his current ten pound iron ball Recoil interval-training cycle. I wish that every young man I have the privilege of training worked as hard and intelligently as your son. Please give your older son my best. Your younger son told me that he caught him up on the latest drills and instructions that we have. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 003. I just watched a special on Roberto Clemente. Did you ever get to pitch against him? Do you have any thoughts of him as a hitter? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In my ten at bats against Mr. Clemente, he had one double (on his first at bat), one single (on his fourth at bat) and one intentional walk (on his ninth at bat). I struck him out once (on his third at bat), he flied out four times (three times to left field, once to right field) and grounded out to second base twice. He had an unusual hitting style. As a right-handed hitter, he stepped dramatically to his left, but then, he drove his body hard back to his right. As a result, he could hit the baseball very hard to the opposite field. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 004. Just caught up on your emails from 1057 to the end. Great to hear your getting the exposure needed to get your message out. on one of the emails, someone ask about Tom House having a PhD. He does, but it's not in body mechanics, it's in philosophy. He has his credits in one of his books. So, Mr. House should be giving advice on the philosophy of pitching mentally not physically, he should leave the mechanics to the experts which is you. If Mr. House wants to tell me how to pitch to Barry bonds and get him out I might listen, but for him to tell the WORLD how to actually pitch a baseball is like getting his degree over the internet. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before we accept someone's advice on anything, we need to fully understand his academic and professional credentials. That is why I fully disclose everything in my Academic Credentials and Professional Baseball Credentials files. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 005. I stand self-corrected. In my previous email, I said that Tom House has a PhD in philosophy and I was bothered that I didn't check his book after I wrote the email. I now have his book in front of me and it is his 8th book on pitching that he wrote, and he finally decided to publish his education background, so I quote: "Mr. House holds a PhD in psychology and has been a sports psychologist for many pro and amateur players." It does not give the name of the University that he holds the degree, so maybe he did get it over the INTERNET. Sorry for acting like a jock and giving the wrong info, but u know how us jocks are, potato-tomato, philosophy-psychology, what's the difference? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Without the proper academic credentials, why would anybody take the advice of anybody? As I always say, promise me that if you ever have unexplained pain in your left arm, that you will go send someone with a degree in medicine, not some guy who plays doctor on the internet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 006. I am a radiologist who does both neuro and musculoskeletal radiology. I am also a firm believer in many of Dr. Andrews's beliefs. My son is 12 years old. Approximately 2 years ago, I went with him to Scottsdale for a week to have him work with Dick Mills. He has a very strong arm and I wanted him to learn proper mechanics. For the last two years we have been following what Dick taught him. A year ago last August we were in Alabama on vacation. On a whim, I had my son evaluated at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham. They videotaped him and found two flaws. We did many drills last winter to correct the flaws. However, I still would like to have him work with someone who knows what they are doing. He will be 13 on June 30, 2006. He throws about 66-68mph. Do you ever work with anyone as young as my son? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have the highest respect for Dr. Andrews. However, I do not know what you mean when you say that you are a firm believer in my of Dr. Andrews' beliefs. Does he have a specific pitching motion that he recommends? Does he have youth baseball pitcher limitations? Let me share mine. 01. Until youth baseball pitchers are biologically thirteen years old, I recommend that they do not pitch competitively. That is when the growth plates at the distal end of the Humerus bone mature. 02. That biological thirteen year old baseball pitchers pitch no more than one inning per game twice a week. 03. Until youth baseball pitchers are biologically sixteen years old, I recommend that they do not pitch for more than two consecutive months per year. That is when all elbow growth plates mature. 04. At biological ten years old, I recommend that youth baseball pitchers start my first of four 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Programs, in which they will learn an injury-free way of applying force to their pitches that will eventually enable them to achieve their genetic maximum release velocity and master the variety of types of pitches that they will need to become the best pitcher that they can be. 05 . At biological sixteen years old, I recommend that youth baseball pitchers do my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. 06. At biological nineteen years old, I recommend that young adult baseball pitchers do my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. That is when the shoulder and wrist growth plates mature. 07. Thereafter, I recommend that, during their off-seasons, adult baseball pitchers complete my six wrist weight and iron ball Recoil Interval-Training Programs. If your son follows these recommendations, he will never suffer a pitching injury and he will become the best adult baseball pitcher that he can be. I have no idea what Dr. Andrews or Dr. Fleisig consider flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, but, in my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I explain the numerous injurious and biomechanical flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. With this video, you will become the best pitching coach that your son can have. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 007. I like it when my son's pitches scare me. I would dearly love to get a speed reading on him, just to see what I am catching. It always seemed like his Maxline Fastball had great movement. Not so great movement with the Torque. But, if you meant concerning control, I agree. The Maxline Fastball was inconsistent, but much better while he was here. The entire time he was here, I believe he had only one Maxline Fastball where he dropped his wrist. When I told him to try and get his elbow above his fingers at release, the Torque Fastball had 6, 8, up to 12 inches of break. For me, I actually like the screwball spin axis. I like the 12-6 axis of the curve, and would rather see a more horizontal break with the screwball. Something that really bends away from a left-handed batter. From what I saw, his spin velocity was not there, or rather, not what it should be. The break was not very sharp. I think he simply is not "letting it go," not putting in as much physical effort into the screwball with his arm. Just tell him to "bring it by his ear," works very well. I think he just wanted to see if he could still throw his sinker and slider. They both looked very good. I believe the sinker will be his best pitch overall. Good consistency concerning location and movement. I have never seen him quit. He will stick with it until he has figured it out. I just hope he develops some of my older son's toughness on the mound. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The four-seam Maxline True Screwball has a horizontal spin axis that causes it to move vertically downward. We need two downwardly moving pitches. We need both my Maxline Pronation Curve and my Maxline True Screwball. I want all four-seam pitches to have vertical movement. That is, I want my four-seam Maxline and Torque Fastballs to not move downward as much as gravity dictates. For horizontal movement, I designed my two-seam pitches. That includes my Maxline Fastball Sinker (that really bends away from the glove side batters), Torque Fastball Slider and my Maxline and Torque Fastballs. In today's vertical strike zone, we must stay within the seventeen inches. When he can throw high-quality pitches in the strike zone that hitters cannot hit, your son will become very tough on the mound. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 008. The X-rays are on their way. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As soon as I receive them, I will email my findings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 009. My 16 year old son has recently had some discomfort in his left throwing elbow (inside) he has never hurt before so we stopped and went to his doctor who said it was a strain and just give it time. I tried to get a referral to a sports med doctor but couldn’t at the time. We have now changed doctors. This discomfort comes after the release and does not appear on every throw. He is a QB in football and has thrown all fall with no problems. We threw a couple of times after football season with no problems, then after a weight lifting session (heavy curls to failure, why I don’t know) his problem started, he has no problem in his acceleration phase but just after the release. We didn’t throw for 5 weeks and the first day back he felt it again and we stopped and changed doctors. Any clue as to what the problem may stem from? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discomfort on the inside of the pitching elbow indicates the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. At chronological sixteen years old, all growth plates in his pitching elbow should have matured. Therefore, I do not believe that he has strained the growth plate for his medial epicondyle. Injury to the Ulnar Collateral Ligament occur during the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion as a result of 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' and 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce.' Rest is not the answer. He needs to learn how to apply force to his pitches in a way that eliminates these injurious flaws. And, he needs to stop all weight training to failure. At present, I am working on my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. In it, I explain the injurious and biomechanical flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and the injury-free pitching motion and training programs that I recommend. I recommend that your son wait until I finish my video, then, instead of pitching this spring, he can do my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 010. In an effort to explain your ideas to a variety of people, I have put together a quick clip (1 MB .MOV) of me trying to perform your motion from the Wind-Up Set position. http://www.chrisoleary.com/videos/MarshallPitchingMotion_WindUpSet_12312005.mov I know, and others have told me, that it's a far from perfect interpretation. 1. I would be interested in your opinion of what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong. 2. I would be interested in knowing the top 3 (or so) things that I should work on to better bring what I am doing in line with your ideal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You have eliminated 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover.' This means that you have also eliminated 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce.' Congratulations, you will not rupture your Ulnar Collateral Ligament or fracture your Humerus bone. However, to name a few biomechanical flaws, you do not use the crow-hop rhythm, you turn your pitching foot, you do not have the palm of your pitching hand facing outward when your pitching hand starts forward, you do not stand tall and rotate, you bend forward at your waist, you do not move your pitching leg in front of your glove foot, you do not 'lock' your pitching upper arm with your body, you use your pitching upper arm to pull your pitching forearm forward, you do not separately use your pitching elbow and forearm to 'pronation snap' through release, you pull your pitching arm downward and across the front of your body and you do not lean back through release. Perhaps, it is better if we wait until I finish my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. I will have many examples of baseball pitchers with much better attempts at perfection that I will happily put on my website as soon as you or someone shows me how to put video on my website. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 011. In my attempt to contact Michael Lewis to write about you, I posted at the Oakland A's blog called Athletics Nation. (Mr. Lewis, as you know, wrote a book about the A's and has occasionally posted there.) One of the posters referred me to a Baseball Prospectus article by Will Carroll entitled, "What's eating Mike Marshall?" I hate to bother you with this kind of nonsense, but I'm wondering if anyone sent it to you? You see, only the teaser is available to non-subscribers. Here is the part that is available to the public: ------------------------------------------------- Will Carroll: I seldom address personal issues in this space. Today, I'm breaking that rule because I've finally reached the point where I simply have to address something, hopefully ending this stage of the debate. Dr. Mike Marshall is once again attacking Mark Prior, Tom House, Larry Rothschild and anyone who doesn't do things Mike Marshall's way. I've been in those crosshairs before--he went so far as to accuse me of plagiarizing his work on two occasions--so I'm going to address this as dispassionately as I can, but you deserve to know the back story. What set me off this time? This article is just the latest attack. So let's break this down and then take a look at the work Marshall has done. "Prior has what I call a 'loop' in his motion," said Marshall, who had a career 3.14 earned-run average even though he rarely reached 90 mph on the speed gun." "He brings his right hand up close to his ear. When his elbow starts forward, his hand goes back and flies laterally away from his body. That's an incredible amount of stress on the front of his shoulder." Oddly, Prior has never had a shoulder problem. Achilles? Elbow on two occasions? Sure, but never shoulder. In fact, only the tendonitis in his elbow after adjusting his so-called flawed motion to compensate for the Achilles injury could be called a pitching injury. What Marshall is describing is what a biomechanist would call external rotation. Most elite pitchers gain flexibility in that plane, giving many the look that their arm "lays back." There are debates as to why this occurs, but even in an ideal motion, no one disagrees that it does occur. Whether or not it is cause or effect, the action is standard. The work of both American and Japanese biomechanists, using both standard and double-spin mechanics, show that this motion does not create undue force. As far as I know, we have neither kinetic or kinematic information on the Marshall motion. ------------------------------------------------- So, have you seen the whole article? Is what makes the matter personal in his eyes the fact that you point out that the folks he defends lack professional credentials or is there something more? Do you know if Mr. Carroll has any professional credentials? And while we're at is, any idea who these Japanese and American biomechanists are who've okayed the place of centripetal force in baseball pitching? I don't know what double-spin mechanics are, but they sure sound cool. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No, I have not seen any or all of Mr. Carroll's comments. Thank you for sending these to me. I have no idea what academic or professional baseball pitching instruction or performance credentials Mr. Carroll has. To my knowledge, he started writing about baseball pitching on his own website. I know this because he called me for an interview about baseball pitching. Then, he got a job with Baseball Perspectus. And then, he wrote, Saving Pitchers, a book that included ideas from wannabee pitching coaches, including my ideas. I know that he reads and reports on the research at the American Sports Medicine Institute and whatever Tom House says. But, that is all. I don't think that he understands Biomechanics, Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, Gross Biomedical Anatomy, Motor Skill Acquisition and so on. To me, he is just a writer trying to make a living off of something about which he knows nothing. Not that it would make him an expert on baseball pitching, but I know that he never dampened a jock in a major league baseball game. On December 25, 2005, Paul Ladewski of the Chicago Daily Southtown newspaper telephoned me about my thoughts about the Cubs trading Mr. Prior to Baltimore for their shortstop. In short, I told him that they should never trade a talent as great as Mr. Prior. You can read the entire article in my 2005 Question/Answer file. I also said that Mr. Prior has an injurious flaw in his pitching motion. I call that flaw, 'Looping.' 'Looping' occurs when, during their 'Late Pitching Forearm Flyout,' baseball pitchers bring their pitching hand close to their head, such that when they use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward, the centripetal force that the sideways movement of their pitching elbow generates slings their pitching forearm even more powerfully to the pitching arm side of their body. I explained that 'Looping' stresses the front of the shoulder, but, because it exacerbates the 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' it seriously stresses the inside of the elbow as well as slams the olecranon process into its fossa and enlarges the coronoid process of the Ulna bone. For not having much scientific background, though not perfect, I thought that Mr. Ladewski did a pretty good job of interpreting what I said. If I had written the article, I would have written it as above, but then, Mr. Carroll would have complained about my writing being too technical. I do not consider writing something that I have written to be plagiarism unless writers claim my ideas as theirs. To my knowledge, Mr. Carroll has not done that. Therefore, I do not believe that I have ever said that Mr. Carroll plagiarized my materials. Besides, I don't care if he does. What he advocates destroys pitching arms. I assume that, when he mentions American biomechanists, Mr. Carroll is referring to Dr. Glenn Fleisig of the American Sports Medicine Institute. I had read many of Dr. Fleisig's research papers. I believe that he is doing the best research that he knows how. However, in the mistaken belief that what successful major league baseball pitchers do will explain what all pitchers should do, he is only reporting what 'traditional' baseball pitchers do. As a result, he will never find out how to eliminate pitching injuries. I have printed and discussed the Japanese research article somewhere in last year's Question/Answer file. The double-spin mechanics they describe is my 'Looping.' One spinning motion is the forward rotation of the hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm. The second and oppositely-directed spinning motion is the backward and outward pathway of the pitching hand and baseball. Somehow, they mistakenly believe that 'Looping' is a good thing. I understand that Mr. House is now teaching pitchers to do this. He calls it, 'Fast Arm.' I first heard of Mr. House's 'Fast Arm' idea in the spring of 2005 from Brent Strom during a tryout that the general manager of the Washington Nationals, Jim Bowdon, and I set up. As I told Mr. Strom then, 'Fast Arm' or 'Looping' as I have always called it, shortens the driveline and is injurious to the pitching arm. I expect like what happened when I explained how Mr. House's double-T glove and pitching arm positions, where he taught baseball pitchers to have their glove and pitching arms in a football goal post position with the palms of both hands turned outward, destroyed pitching arms, Mr. House will end up with another apology for destroying pitching arms. Maybe this time, he will accept my offer that he put his name on my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book and stop hurting baseball pitchers of all ages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 012. Thank you for your quick reply. I will take your advice seriously. How do we obtain the material for your 60 day youth baseball pitchers motor skill acquisition program? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can find all my training programs in the Training Programs file on the home page of my website. You can download them for free. However, please wait until I finish my 2006 video. I need to make some adjustments to those programs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 013. After my son came home for the holidays we worked out together at a local indoor facility. Twelve inches of snow on the ground did not deter him from continuing his wrist weights and football/baseball throws. However, we did not have the proper facility to do his 96 iron balls daily. After watching him perform his 20lb wrist weights with relative ease, we were ready for some baseball throws. I was ready to be the 56 year old catcher, a noble gesture, but after a few throws, I opted to stand behind a net and watch for my own safety. No way could I catch his pitches, especially his maxline curve and nasty moving maxline and torque fastballs. His progress continues to amaze me, his arm strength is incredible, velocity much improved, and he just throws as long as he wants with maximum intensity. A few other ball players were at the facility and were intrigued by the velocity and movement and throwing intensity. He's still working on the reverse breaking balls, and sinkers, but Jeff has been a big help to him since his sinkers and screwballs are just plain nasty. Considering my son started in August 2004, throwing in pain, shoulder killing him and lacking self-confidence, he has not only made giant strides as a pitcher but also as a young man. I can't thank you enough. It's a quantum leap I never thought possible, and he still has 5 months to complete his recoil cycles. I'm hoping he gets a chance to pitch in college. Although the barriers are walls of ignorance, but we will continue the search. The parents of all the returning players should make themselves available and provide testimonials to the many readers on your website who may have some doubts. If there are any pitchers or parents from the Northeast, or anywhere else for that matter, who have any doubts about their sons attending your camp, and would like to contact me about our experiences, please do not hesitate to provide them with my name and email. I have no problem with you providing that information. I will give them firsthand experiences from a very satisfied dad. I look forward to seeing you and the returning pitchers later this month. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you know, I do not believe in self-serving testimonials. So you really think that Fred McGriff knows anything about how to teach baseball skills to youngsters? Nevertheless, although what your son has accomplished is his accomplishment, not mine, I will include your comments in my Question/Answer file. As always, I look forward to your visit. Travel safe. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 014. One of the objections I get when talking about your motion is that it isn't the motion that you used while pitching in the pros. While that is generally true, I was wondering if there were any things that you were doing back then that are consistent with what you are currently teaching. I have found some pictures of you pitching back in 1974 and have sequenced them. http://www.chrisoleary.com/documents/PitcherAnalysis_MikeMarshall.pdf A few frames strike me as interesting. 1. Frame 2.1: Not at traditional high-cocked position. 2. Frames 4.1 and 5.1: Extremely pronated very early. I was wondering if you would comment on what you are doing in these (and other pictures). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And, at least for a few years yet, I stopped pooping in my pants. Amazing, it is possible to learn a better way to do something. I did not watch your clip of me. I cannot stand to watch. If, back then, I had known of my present pitching motion, I would have been twice the pitcher I was. However, as I will document in my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, in 1967, I learned that I needed to powerfully pronate my pitching forearm before and during my releases. This protected my pitching elbow. I also learned that, even though I used a version of the 'traditional' pitching motion, if I waited until my pitching arm was on the toward-home-plate driveline to apply force, then I would have better command and I would not have discomfort in the front of my pitching shoulder. The saddest words, 'What might have been.' If I had only had this motion and my Maxline Pronation Curve and Torque Fastball. An, oh yeah, in 1975, I would not have fractured a rib trying to throw the 'traditional' curve. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 015. I was looking for purchase the wrist weights so I could start your program. When I called the number from your website, they gave me a number of the distributor in my area and the company told me that they don't sell to individuals, only hospitals and doctors offices. So I am kind of at a loss. Is there somewhere that you get your weights from that I could also? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I order my wrist weights through a local Sporting Goods store. I recommend that you call the distributor again and ask for the closest Sporting Goods store or tell them your problem and ask if they can send you the wrist weights directly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 016. For what it's worth (probably not much), here is the gist of Mr. Carroll's article, as conveyed to me by someone on the Athletics Nation weblog: ------------------------------------------------- So there's Marshall's challenge to the mainstream. I have a challenge for him, the same one he's continually refused to address. Put aside his conspiracy theories of why he's on the outside looking in, Tom House is looked at as the same type of convention, challenging outsider by front offices and his excuse that he's not allowed to work with the top talent. I have looked and never found any pitcher who has had significant success on any level using Marshall's techniques. All the other top pitching theorists, House, Paul Nyman, Ron Wolforth, Brent Strom, Danny Orr, Rick Peterson, Leo Mazzone, John Bagonzi, or even Dick Mills can point to "their pitchers." They can show their work. As a performance analyst, I want to see performance, not theory. Marshall has a standing invitation to come on Baseball Prospectus Radio and prove to me that one of his pitchers can succeed at a high level. Marshall's work has its strong points. As he says, "you can't argue with Newton's laws." His work with physical age is among the best I've seen, taking the focus away from chronological age, which as we all know can be extremely variable for adolescents. I'd invite everyone interested in pitching to read Marshall's free work on his Web site. Of course, you may need an advanced degree to understand it all. Then again, you'll also understand why Marshall's had such a hard time "selling" his work to teams. Simply put, Mike Marshall knows what he's talking about, yet is the wrong messenger for getting that message out. I'm not sure why Marshall became a black sheep in baseball, "the Unacoacher," but given his background and demeanor, I'm not sure he ever had a chance to fit in. His continual attacks and refusal to be measured by any reasonable standard undermine any good that he could have had. In another generation, some enterprising young pitching coach will read Marshall's work and perhaps there will be some gain. For now, Marshall is doomed to be the Jeremiah of pitching, assuming he's right. His refusal to adjust, integrate, simplify and modify likely leaves the good parts of his work on the shelf, like far too many pitchers. ------------------------------------------------- I can't imagine what successful pitcher Dick Mills can claim as his own, certainly not his poor son. Keep up the good work, Jeremiah. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks again for keeping me updated. If Mr. Carroll wants to see performance, then I suggest that he visit my Pitching Research/Training Center in beautiful Zephyrhills, FL. By the way, what qualifications make him a performance analyst? Because he has absolutely no idea how baseball pitchers apply force to the baseball, he must analyze the results. That makes him a statistician. Mr. House had his chance at coaching major league pitchers. He ended up destroying Nolan Ryan's pitching arm. Mr. Nyman admits that he has never coached baseball pitching. I have no idea who Ron Wolforth is, unless he is the guy from Texas who my former assistant coach says that he plagiarizes my materials. But, that does not make him a bad guy, if he gets it right. Mr. Strom has destroyed hundreds of pitching arms across many professional team and elsewhere. I cannot give him credit for any pitcher who managed to do well despite what he teaches. I have no idea who Danny Orr is, let alone what he teaches. I believe that Rick Peterson has a degree in or, at least, deals with the psychology of baseball pitching. Again, I cannot give him credit for how his baseball pitchers apply force to his pitches. I do know that he mistakenly believes that to correct for horizontal release inconsistencies, baseball pitchers should change the direction of their stride. I do not believe that moving the center of mass of the body sideways, thereby adding more unnecessary stress to the pitching arm is the answer. I have no idea what Mr. Mazzone teaches, except that pitchers should throw at eighty percent between starts. I don't see how that helped his pitchers avoid Ulnar Collateral Ligament replacement surgeries. I have heard of Mr. Bagonzi, but I don't know what he teaches or if he coaches baseball pitchers. You got it right with Mr. Mills. He destroyed his son and still teaches the same pitching motion. What academic credentials does he have? One of my pitchers has succeeded at the highest level and he did not know how to throw my Maxline Pronation Curve and Torque Fastball pitches after his fourteen year major league career ended in 1981. While questioning why I have not produced another Cy Young Award winner appeals to the scientifically uninformed, it does not properly evaluate my pitching motion or training programs. That no pitchers I trained have ever injured themselves, that every pitcher I have trained has increased their release velocity and that every pitcher I have trained has expanded their repertoire of high-quality pitches is the proper way to evaluate. When the gentlemen that Mr. Carroll mentions stop destroying pitchers, then he can challenge what I teach. At the rate that they are incorporating my principles, that may be soon. And then, I will celebrate their work. Until then, I will continue to challenge what they teach. Note that I said challenge, not attack. To those of us schooled in scientific discussion, we welcome challenges to what we recommend. I ask Mr. Carroll to challenge what I recommend and stop his childish non-productive, irrelevant asides. When it comes to the safety of the pitching arms of youth baseball pitchers, I will never adjust, integrate or modify what I know is right. To include 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' to be one on the guys is unacceptable. To include 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' to be one of the guys is unacceptable. To include 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' to be one of the guys is unacceptable. To include 'Looping' to be one on the guys is unacceptable. And so on, and so on and so on. The baseball pitchers that I train are able to throw my high-quality pitches as hard as they can every day without any stiffness or soreness. That is the best evidence that what I teach works. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 017. I have been thinking about something for quite a while, and thought I might engage you to try and get my thoughts in order. It concerns leg drive off of the mound. When a traditional pitcher drives off with his pitching leg, he is using the rubber, at least to begin. The rubber is a large piece of hard rubber, sunk well into the ground. It is very stable, static. This affords great opportunity to use force toward 2nd base, and make Sir Isaac happy. When the traditional pitcher begins his core rotation, there is a solid foundation with which to do so, although the number of degrees of rotation is limited. With your mechanics, the rubber may be utilized in much the same manner as a traditional pitcher, affording great opportunity for pitching arm side leg drive. However, when body mass is shifted over the glove leg, I do not believe the same stable static conditions apply upon the mound dirt, to give the same solid foundation for core rotation. If body mass is not sufficiently forward of the glove leg, so that the glove leg is at least 45 degrees from horizontal, and if the cleats of the glove foot are not properly dug into the mound, providing a stable foundation; some of the core rotation directional force is lost back through the glove leg. Sir Isaac is not happy. I am sure you have seen the holes dug by the glove side cleats of your pitchers. I have seen my older son almost fall down when throwing off of a hard bullpen mound, and his glove side spikes slip. He has even talked of getting some really long ones put on. Then, there is the question of the slowly changing mound, as the number of pitches grows. Each time, dirt is dug out, and tossed to the pitching arm side. The landing spot keeps changing, and the pitcher must adjust, however slightly. Dirt is usually dug out from in front of the rubber, but the rubber itself remains static and stable. Now, the advantages of glove leg drive are too great for the above to limit or reverse its use. It seems to me the muscles used to drive off of the glove leg, can be made as strong as or stronger than the pitching arm side leg. Then, you have the advantage of many more degrees of core rotation with glove leg drive. A much longer distance to apply force. More muscle groups to apply force. Plus, you still have the opportunity of pitching leg drive to apply force toward second base. So, since the concept of the rubber is very normal to pitchers, I was thinking they need to form their own "rubber" for their glove foot, at the appropriate distance in front of the actual rubber. Take one or two practice throws to help determine their correct stride length, then dig a small depression which mentally, and physically becomes their "glove foot rubber". Weird term, I know. They should be able to mentally recognize that rubber as their foundation from which to apply glove leg force toward second base, and giving them a solid foundation from which to rotate their core. They should always be aware during the course of a game of the condition of their "glove foot rubber", making sure they always have a stable foundation there. As they learned with traditional mechanics, they never rotate their core until they have pushed off of the rubber. Only now, with the glove side leg. They once used their pitching foot in this manner, applying great force off of the rubber. If they have another "rubber" for their glove foot, they should be able to use that "rubber" to apply greater force toward home plate. I do not know how it would work on your turf workout mounds. Perhaps another board with short nails in it, which could be moved for each pitcher. Of course, someone would eventually step on a nail. If they can mentally get the idea of the glove foot rubber, and physically use it to push toward second, you should never have a problem with guys getting their hips through again. Your thoughts? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When the glove foot of 'traditional' baseball pitchers lands, because they stride forward seventy to ninety percent of their standing height, they apply their full body weight toward home plate. As a result, their glove foot digs up the mound and Sir Isaac is angry. When the glove foot of my baseball pitchers lands, because we only step forward, such that we can easily continue to forwardly move the center of mass of our body straight toward home plate, we do not apply our full body weight toward home plate. As a result, our glove foot does not dig up the mound. If my pitchers slip on the pitching mound, then they are stepping forward too far. They should focus on driving their pitching hip forward off the pitching rubber. To facilitate my pitchers learning how to drive their pitching hip forward and rotating their hips to their glove side, I recently started to tell my pitchers that I want them to hop forward on their glove foot. I also tell them that, to have a stable body position from which to drive their pitching arm consistently horizontally forward, they need to lean back through release. With these instructions, we are eliminating vertical release inconsistency. You will notice that I am no longer telling pitchers to push back with their glove foot. Before release, that is impossible to do, but I was trying to get them to forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders farther, such that they would drive their pitches to the pitching arm side of their body, rather than forward of their acromial line. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 018. My middle son, age 13, will be moving up to the 90' diamond this coming season. He's always been a good contact hitter in the past, but unlike his bigger brother, he's never shown a lot of power. He's pretty quick with his swing, but doesn't ever seem to generate much power with it. I'm looking for some suggestions on how he can increase his power without sacrificing his ability to consistently make contact. We live in a cold weather climate and it's difficult to get outside this time of year to work on his swing. He just got a new drill and he's dying to try it out. We do have a large basement where we can set up an area for him to work on his swing. I'm wondering what type of indoor training aids there are, for lets say, a 20'x 25' indoor area, that some of you would recommend. I'd also like some thoughts on whether it's best to continue to work on bat speed or work on increasing just his strength for now until we can get outside again. I would also like to invite you to take a look at a new web-site we are in the process of building. We would be willing at some point to pay someone of your credentials to help out with the questions presented to the web site. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere in my 2005 Question/Answer file, I discussed the front and rear arm drills with broom handles and whiffle balls and shovel handles and tennis balls that I used to teach hitters how to use my force-coupling batting force application techniques. That is what I recommend. I welcome any opportunity to explain what baseball pitchers have to do to stop injuring themselves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 019. In a previous e-mail, you wrote: "In preparation for the powerful forward rotation of their hips and shoulders, I teach my baseball batters to keep their head absolutely still and relative to their body, keep their front and read arms absolutely still and smoothly maximally reverse rotate their hips and shoulders." I am having trouble picturing in my mind what this reverse rotation looks like. It seems that even a small degree of reverse rotation as you describe it would cause the head to move and thus disrupt a hitters vision of the incoming pitched baseball. Would you clarify this for me? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was describing what baseball batters should do in preparation for the powerful forward rotation of their hips and shoulders. This means after they have reverse rotated. However, even when they reverse rotate in preparation for their forward rotation, they should be able to keep their head still. The problem with keeping their head still comes during their forward step with their front foot. Therefore, I recommend that baseball batters learn how to step forward with as little forward movement of their heads as possible. To do this, I teach baseball batters to comfortably lower the center of mass of their body with their torso and head erect and their feet comfortably spread. Then, without changing the height of the center of mass of their body, move their front foot back about one-quarter of the distance between their feet. In this way, when they step with their glove foot, they will put their foot back to where they felt comfortably spread and they will not move their head forward. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 020. I am a 6' 5", 234 lbs pitcher. I am a 25 year old pitcher wanting to build up arm strength. I just started pitching again last summer in an independent league after not throwing since I was about fourteen and had a lot of success. I have never had any arm problems. I use to pitch when I was younger and be extremely dominate. I use to throw very hard when I was younger and I want to throw that way again, not that I'm not throwing hard now but I think that with the proper coaching I could reach the mid nineties. I received pitching lessons when I was younger from a former major league pitcher. I am wanting to try out for the Frontier League this year. I was wondering if you could help me build arm strength or anything else for that matter. I read your exercise routine on your website but I don't understand it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am working on my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. When I finish it, I am sure that it will help you understand the hard work that I believe baseball pitchers have to do to become the best pitchers they can be. If you are ever near Tampa, FL, then stop by and watch my pitchers work. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 021. If you get the chance (I know you're busy working on the 2006 video), I would appreciate it if you would give me your opinion of my analysis of submariner Chad Bradford's motion and mechanics. http://www.chrisoleary.com/documents/PitcherAnalysis_ChadBradford.pdf I am particularly interested in whether you agree with my assessment of why he: 1. Hasn't yet had an elbow injury (signs of early pronation)? 2. Hasn't yet has a shoulder injury (good timing)? 3. Has had problems with his back? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you were to take his upper body and make it vertical, you would see the classic 'traditional' pitching motion. He has 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' and 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' He also does not pronate his releases. He has all these flaws and still cannot throw a breaking ball that moves downward. If opposing managers sent left-handed spray hitters to bat against him, then he would have a very short career. Because he is slamming his olecranon process against its fossa, he will lose extension and flexion ranges of motion. However, because he does not throw the 'traditional' curve, he lessens the stress. Also, because his centripetal force is vertical, not horizontal, he lessens the stress. Because he has 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce,' he is unnecessarily stressing his Ulnar Collateral Ligament. I don't understand what you mean when you say that signs of early pronation relate to elbow injury. Pitching forearm supination causes the olecranon process to slam into its fossa. Pitching forearm pronation is good, very, very good. Injury to the attachment of the Subscapularis muscle on the front of the shoulder occurs when baseball pitchers take their pitching upper arm behind their acromial line. He does that. But again, the fact that his forces are vertical, instead of horizontal, lessens the stress. He does not have back problems because he is young. He will, if not during his short pitching career, left-handed spray hitters will shorten it, then when he is forty years old. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 022. I would appreciate it if you would answer a few follow-up questions. They will really help with my understanding of what you are talking about with respect to my attempts to throw using your motion. http://www.chrisoleary.com/videos/MarshallPitchingMotion_WindUpSet_12312005.mov 1. You said "You have eliminated 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover.' This means that you have also eliminated 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce.' Congratulations, you will not rupture your Ulnar Collateral Ligament or fracture your Humerus bone." One thing that I noticed when reviewing the tape is that it looks like I kind of slip out of the loaded slingshot position as I start to rotate my shoulders. My elbow starts to bend to 90 degrees. Is this common? Is there anything I can do to stop it? 2. You said, "However, you do not use the crow-hop rhythm..." By this, do you mean that I do not first cross my arms before pendulum swinging them? 3. You said, "...you do not have the palm of your pitching hand facing outward when your pitching hand starts forward..." By this do you mean that my palm should be facing 3B? 4. You said, "...you use your pitching upper arm to pull your pitching forearm forward..." This is something that I have now yet developed an eye for. What exactly do you look for? What is the telltale? What is the alternative? Is it having the shoulder and upper arm locked? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. You are cursed with the flaws of the 'traditional' pitching motion. That is, you only feel strong when you have some version of 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' and 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' You have to learn how to use your glove and pitching arms differently. Remember, if it feels strong, then it is probably wrong. To get the proper muscles strong, Yyu have to do my wrist wight and iron ball drills. To do that, I designed my Pickoff with Step body action; Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill and my Wrong Foot body action; Loaded Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drills. If I were coaching you, until you mastered these drills, I would not permit you to even attempt a wind-up throw. What you can do to stop it is to follow my training program and master each skill. When I finish my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, if you follow the drills that I recommend and master the skills, then you will properly use your glove and pitching arms. 02. The crow-hop rhythm has three requirements. One, until their pitching arm has pendulum swung to forty-five degrees behind their body, baseball pitchers do not lift their glove foot off the ground. Two, after they lift their glove foot off the ground and start to step forward, baseball pitchers continually move the center of mass of their body straight forward until their pitching foot lands in line with their glove foot straight forward. Three, baseball pitchers continue to smoothly move the baseball throughout the transition phase into the acceleration phase when they powerfully forwardly rotate their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm. You did not satisfy any of these three requirements. However, if you master my Pickoff with Step Slingshots, Wrong Foot Loaded Slingshots and Wrong Foot Pendulum Swing drills, then you will be ready to learn my One Step Crow-Hop Pendulum Swing throws. 03. Because you are right-handed, the answer is yes. 04. To recognize when pitchers use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward rather than 'lock' their pitching upper arm with their body and wait until they forwardly rotate their body, such that they point their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm at home plate before they powerfully accelerate their pitching forearm, wrist, hand, fingers and baseball through release, you watch the path of their pitching hand. If they move their pitching hand closer than the full length of their forearm to their head, such that when they start forwardly rotating their body, their pitching hand moves downward and laterally away from their body, then, the dreaded 'traditional' pitching motion has reared its ugly head again and they are using their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward. You also did not powerfully pronate your pitching forearm from first forward movement through release. If you had, then, at the end of your deceleration phase, you would have pointed your pitching arm into the strike zone instead of pulling your pitching arm across the front of your body. I recommend that, before you try wind-up pitching, you follow my drills and master my skills one by one. Thankfully, because the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion is not as deeply ingrained, ten year olds will not be as strongly imprinted with the flaws of the 'traditional' pitching motion, such that they will learn these drills and skills much faster. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 023. I shared Mr. Carroll's article and your response to it with my 17 year old this morning. He used a word (in reaction to Carroll's remarks) I've almost never heard him use: "immature." He said something like this: "That's really immature. It's like AIDS, injuries are like AIDS for pitchers and the guy says Marshall hasn't trained a star, so ignore him? That's ridiculous." My son is entering his senior year. He has high hopes regarding the approaching baseball season. He is feeling comfortable with the torque fastball and the screwball, particularly. From my standpoint, if nothing greater than the response I quoted above comes out of him, I will remain a very proud father. Thank you for helping me to raise my son. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Without thoughtful, respectful debate, we learn nothing. Sounds as though some thoughtful parenting taught your son that what he thinks and feels counts. I congratulate the community of relatives, friends, teachers and others who taught him fair-minded independent thinking. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 024. I am interested in purchasing your pitching instruction videotape. Just want to make sure that the "2004 Pitching Instruction Videotape" is the most updated and complete one that you offer and the one I should purchase. I coach a select 14U baseball team. I just recently attended a coaching clinic put on by Ron Wolforth and Brent Strom. I was not at all comfortable with some of the weighted balls drills and exercises he was promulgating (at least not for my age players). You seem to take a great deal of concern with protecting the health of player's arm, which is most important to me. Unfortunately, it's awfully tough to follow the q&a in your site because of all the technical language (or perhaps I'm just ignorant!), so I want to make sure that this 2004 tape helps clearly explain some of this information so that the comments in this section can mean more to me. I eagerly await your response as I'm anxious to get whatever tape you recommend. We begin indoor practice in mid-February and want to have plenty of time to digest your material. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the past six months, I have been working hard on my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. It will be far better than my 2004 video. However, I may not have my 2006 video ready before the middle of February. Therefore, I recommend that you order my 2004 video. Although I have modified my training programs and drills, it will show you the basics of what we do. Then, when I finish my 2006 video, I will send you a copy without charge. At biologically fourteen years old, the only growth plates in the pitching arm of youth baseball pitchers are for their olecranon process (tip of the elbow, the head of the Radius bone (bone on the thumb side of the forearm) and the medial epicondlye (the bony knob on the inside of the elbow). Therefore, you are responsible for the future growth and development of these growth plates. It is a shame that, to make easy money, so many hold clinics on baseball pitching knowing that what they teach destroys pitching arms. I am especially appalled that these guys receive hundreds of dollars from good parents who are trying to protect their youth baseball pitchers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 025. You wrote, "When the glove foot of my baseball pitchers lands, because we only step forward, such that we can easily continue to forwardly move the center of mass of our body straight toward home plate, we do not apply our full body weight toward home plate. As a result, our glove foot does not dig up the mound." That is not correct. Every single workout, or game, in which my sons pitch, they dig up the mound. But it is because of force projected toward second base, not home. The glove leg push digs into the mound, and the hip rotation turns the glove foot out, which kicks the dirt toward the pitching arm side. The result is a dug out hole, which resembles the Nike swoosh. You wrote, "If my pitchers slip on the pitching mound, then they are stepping forward too far. They should focus on driving their pitching hip forward off the pitching rubber." No. This is not what I mean. They are not stepping too far. They are applying force toward second, as per Newton. This force digs into the mound, and some of the force tends to dig out the dirt consistently. You wrote, "To facilitate my pitchers learning how to drive their pitching hip forward and rotating their hips to their glove side, I recently started to tell my pitchers that I want them to hop forward on their glove foot." How would that help? You wrote, "I also tell them that, to have a stable body position from which to drive their pitching arm consistently horizontally forward, they need to lean back through release." How would that help? You wrote, "You will notice that I am no longer telling pitchers to push back with their glove foot. Before release, that is impossible to do, but I was trying to get them to forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders farther, such that they would drive their pitches to the pitching arm side of their body, rather than forward of their acromial line." No, I did not notice that. It would seem to me the only way for them to rotate hips and shoulders further would be to get their body mass further in front of their glove leg. This would require a significant push by their glove leg, not just the push from their pitching leg. I do not know who you are, but what have you done with Dr. Marshall? What happened to driving off the mound with the pitching foot, and then the glove foot, applying greater force toward second base, increasing drive line length, and increasing baseball velocity? Without stable legs, a stable foundation to drive pitches toward home, and without force directed toward second, it would seem that core rotation would simply be spinning in air, so to speak. The only value would be centrifugal force, not forward directional force. Perhaps I simply do not understand. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The baseball is long gone before they can push back toward second base with the glove foot. Therefore, the only force that increases release velocity is the forward rotation of their pitching hip. To forwardly rotate their pitching hip, baseball pitchers have to pivot on their glove foot. To pivot on their glove foot, baseball pitchers have to rotate their pitching foot. Therefore, when I tell them to hop on their glove foot, in preparation for their hop, they rotate their glove foot outward. If they leave their glove foot pointed toward home plate, then they lock their glove hip and, as a result, they cannot forwardly rotate their pitching hip. This means that the backward force that the glove foot applies toward second base occurs when baseball pitchers pull with their glove foot as a part of when they outwardly rotate their glove foot. This does not mean that I want them to stop pushing back with their glove foot, it simply means that we do not have to worry about the ground breaking up or putting a board in their practice mound. With regard to the mound breaking up, it sounds as though it needs more clay in the mixture. But, the force that breaks the dirt up, does not increase release velocity. When I pitched on mounds that did this, after every pitch, I refilled the hole. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 026. This is a follow up to my question on my son having pain around the knee cap. The doctor said he had Patellofemoral Syndrome (chondromalacia). He told him basically what I would expect from you. He told him go easy on it for awhile. He also gave me a pamplet about the Syndrome and said that I might want to have my son go to a physical therapist. The pamphlet had lots of "stretching" exercises in it it. I asked him if the physical therapy would involve "stretching". He said yes. Therefore, physical therapy is out. I suspect you would say to go easy on it until it heals, but I thought I'd ask. Also, do you think heat therapy would be good for this type of injury? What about taking something like advil? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With doctors, everything is a syndrome. Your son placed more stress on his knee cap (Patella) and the weight-bearing bone of his lower leg (Tibia) than they could withstand. His still has open growth plates in that area. If, to let these growth plates mature normally, he takes it easy for awhile and only continues to work on mastering skills, then, when his growth plates mature, he can train like a madman without further concern for injuring his growth plates. Doctors love physical therapy. Basically, unless people do absolutely nothing, Physical Therapists make easy money for doing nothing that people cannot do as well or better themselves. Yeah, you can put heat on it, you can put ice on it, you can rub it, you can do anything that you want to it, but if he simply continues to do what he did before at reduced intensities, then the irritated tissue will heal better and faster. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 027. I was offered the baseball program at the local HS (such as it is—which is zero) and this resulted in a conversation about modified with the former AD and a current coach (who I played with 2000 years ago). Below is an email in which I described some of my thoughts, which is really just a rehash of the summer pick up program I described to you in an earlier email. Your initial reactions would be highly appreciated. If the powers that be buy into this, which I doubt, I would look forward to coming down to visit and paying you for counsel on arm & conditioning practices. But for right now confirmation that I am nuts would help. ------------------------------------------------- I believe the worst thing we could do is to continue a certified/official SCCS modified baseball team. It is bad for kids, for the school and deletes any hope of ever having a varsity program. This is based upon the skill sets I see coming out of LL, the participation levels in summer baseball programs ( LL-Babe Ruth etc) and the general attitude of parents and kids re baseball overall. Besides—who wants to freeze to death only to be defeated 20-1? Not me—and I doubt—one single player or parent---so why do it? In other words---it is a start from scratch situation—and therefore requires an easy fun and rewarding program for kids and parents. I am a sucker for baseball and teaching and would be interested in under the following conditions: 1. Boys in 7-9 enlist in a school sponsored intramural type program. They get official credit for this—and bus access, uniforms etc. 2. To play intrasquad games, unofficial interschool scrimmages etc. We build a Pony field ( I’ll pay-be responsible for that ) on school property. It can be very rudimentary this year—but the goal will be a good Pony field for next year. 3. Acquire equipment that fits kids this age group ( same funding agreement). I want my own Jugs gun and an enclosed hitting cage ( same funding agreement). In return I will bring on 3-4 adults to coach, plan the program, assist in coaching and bring in some clinic folks and schedule a few trips for the kids---including – if possible this late in the year—a couple of trips south in March & April. My whole thinking is predicated on both our experience and belief that baseball is best played during the summer. My strategy is to make this program a springboard ( sorry for the pun ) for a summer program (Babe Ruth or other program). A spring training model if you will. Besides the regulars, I would envision kids who want run track, play golf, or are currently sitting out, to be able to stop by and play ball and participate. Kids who showed a daily interest to play intrasquad against Varsity or other schools and participate go on road trips or excursions. The whole thing based upon getting more with sugar than with structure to start. All you need is a physical & you can swing a bat. After that the rules are pretty loose. My bet is we make attractive enough that we get some interest and develop some skills—enough so that JV baseball becomes competitive down the road ( 3-5 years ) and Varsity maybe in 6-7 years. Finally, the whole thing starts in LL and with the new President of the League a new level of organization and skills will be coming forward. And this fits right into what we started last summer. It was fun, fruitful and gained attendance wk by wk. By August we had 30 kids running around. Lets talk about it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I understand your email, what you are proposing is that, as a preparatory program for the summer youth baseball leagues, the school system sponsors an intramural baseball program for the chronological twelve through fourteen year old boys in the seventh through ninth grades that teaches baseball skills for which the students receive academic credit. Because the school system would sponsor this program, the young men should learn the science involved, not just play games. That is, they should learn about biological age, the laws of Physics that apply to baseball pitching, batting, fielding and so on, the names and functions of the muscles involved in these skill, the proper skill learning and training methods to enhance their performances of these skills and so on. You should always be careful about asking an academic doctoral degree holder what youngster should learn in school. Typically, we do not like the just-throw-out-the-ball Physical Educators, or, as I call the, Gymnasium baby sitters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 028. Should the reverse rotation occur as the front foot moves back, or should the reverse rotation have already occured as the front foot moves back? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't recall saying that the front foot ever moves back. During the preparatory phase of baseball batting, when batters reverse rotate their hips and shoulders to parallel with the line from the pitching rubber to home plate, both feet stay firmly planted on the ground. In anticipation of the pitched baseballs arrival in the hitting zone, baseball batters step forward with their front foot, such that it lands in time for them to appropriately forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders to a line that is perpendicular to the driveline for their rear arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 029. When you took overhead video of baseball batter's swings, how did you mount the video camera directly above the batter's head? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I took overhead high-speed film of baseball batters, I used a moveable band leader platform from which I suspended a two by ten board ten feet above their heads with a cutout that secured my high-speed camera directly over them. If I had a permanent research facility, on a baseball practice field, I would build a platform sixteen by sixteen by sixteen foot structure on which my staff could safely traverse that would permit them to place my high-speed camera directly over both right and left-handed batters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 030. Please clarify the timing of when you are supposed to have your hand in the position to throw the appropriate pitch. In Chapter 36 of your book you talk about getting the hand to specific locations for the appropriate pitches prior to "loading the slingshot". Do I remember correctly from your previous question and answers that you in fact just always have your pitching hand facing outward (like your screwball position) when you are back in the "loaded slingshot" stage and then rotate your hand into the appropriate position based on the pitch you are throwing as you are going from the "loaded slingshot" position to the "ready" position? Do I also understand the motion correctly that the glove arm does the straight backward motion AFTER your throwing arm gets to the "ready" position? "Ready" position is where the throwing are is perpendicular to your driveline (where the traditional pitchers actually end up releasing their pitches) if I understand correctly. Please let me know if I have it right or steer me in the right direction on area(s) I am not fully grasping yet. By the way, I am on day 10 of your 315 day workout and enjoying it so far! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- During the downward and backward portions of my pitching arm pendulum swing, I want baseball pitchers to have the palm of their pitching hand facing upward and then forward. At about forty-five degrees behind the body, I want baseball pitchers to turn the thumb of their pitching hand to point upward (forearm supination), such that when baseball pitchers start moving their pitching hand forward, they have the palm of their pitching hand facing outward to their pitching arm side. Remember, I also want baseball pitchers to lift their glove foot off the ground and start its straight forward step when their pitching arm is forty-five degrees behind their body during its pendulum swing. Therefore, before the pitching arm reaches driveline height, because pitchers start stepping forward with their glove foot, their pitching hand also passively starts moving forward. That is, it moves forward only as a result of the body moving forward, not from any independent forward movement of its own. Because I define my 'Ready' position as the moment that the baseball first starts moving forward, baseball pitchers arrive at their 'Ready' position at the same time that they step forward with their glove foot. Between my 'Ready' position and when the glove foot lands, without any lateral or independent forward movement of their pitching hand, I want baseball pitchers to reposition their pitching forearm to throw whatever pitch that they wish to throw. When their pitching arm reaches driveline height, it is critical that baseball pitchers immediately 'lock' their pitching upper arm with their shoulders. Therefore, while they are repositioning their pitching forearm, they have to also outwardly rotate their pitching upper arm, such that their pitching elbow moves from pointing downward to pointing upward. At no time during my baseball pitching motion should baseball pitchers raise their pitching hand above the horizontal height of their pitching elbow or permit their pitching hand actively move forward until their pitching elbow reaches as far toward home plate as the forward rotation of their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm permits. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 031. Of course now I see another correction to my first email of today. The "loaded slingshot" stage is best stated as the acromial line being perpendicular to the driveline. I'm getting there, slowly but surely! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With my Pickoff with Step body action, I want baseball pitchers to have their acromial line perpendicular to the driveline to home plate. With my Wrong Foot body action, I want baseball pitchers to have their arms and acromial line parallel with the driveline to home plate. I promise you that my 2006 video will very clearly explain all my drills. I apologize for not explaining and demonstrating my drills more clearly. Please be patient with me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 032. Is this the reference to the Japanese researcher's "double spin" mechanics that you said you dealt with earlier in the year? I still haven't been able to find it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Question #736 of my 2005 Question/Answer file, I provide this article and my discussion. Like I said, this is 'looping' and it will destroy the pitching arm. They call it 'double spin' because while baseball pitchers forwardly rotate their body, their pitching arm first moves close to their head and then, when they start to use their pitching arm to pull their pitching forearm forward, their pitching hand and baseball moves backward and outward away from their body. As a result, in addition to increasing the horizontal centripetal force of their 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' they decrease the length of their driveline. Let me quote from their article. "Before his injury woes began, Matsuzaka used his two-pitch repertoire to bring the Lions to the Japan Series. He was honored as the Game 1 starter. When both pitches are working, the combination of mid-90s heat and gyroball is all but unhittable. He's struggled some with control, but generally has had little problem dominating the hitters (there are very few pitchers in Japan who throw as hard as Matsuzaka)." The critical words are; "Before his injury woes began," "when both pitches are working" and "there are very few pitchers in Japan who throw as hard as Matsuzaka." Until his pitching motion destroys his pitching arm, like the 'Bird,' his star burned momentarily brightly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 033. That's why I contacted you - because I knew I would get a good angle. I am a bond trader by profession and I don't like people asking me advice when they don't really want to know the answer either. The issue here is we have a school that is out in the middle of nowhere. The kids are not poor enough to be hungry nor rich enough to have a model for growth. The result is the majority fall through the cracks academically and physically. I refer to the maliase as mildew. Viewed another way--they attend a terrific HS that offers each individual a 20-1 teacher ratio, has good overall academic stats and any peron who desires has the opportunity to participate. It could be viewed as a high dollar prep school that ( if private ) could easily charge $30,000 per year. Sports could be the key to waking up parents to this different view. I say parents because these kids in elementary school have the look, the ability and the hunger for learning, for play, for success. But by the time they reach 8th grade, their parents, TV etc results in the sophisticated-life sucks attitude too common in our society. My goal would be to get the little critters off their arse while they still have a glimmer of hope and show them the joy of sport--and your take that science could & should be a part of that is ( I think ) valid, unique and likely sticky--meaning that it will help them stick to it and grow academically and physically---for the long term. Hmmm--a science based baseball program. Let me think about this--see if I can understand your book a little better. I would like to come back to you on this and see if something could not be put together. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I appreciate your efforts. My 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video will help. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 034. You wrote, "The baseball is long gone before they can push back toward second base with the glove foot." Surely you do not mean all of them? I know my younger son is always early, but I believed it would be something that was worked on over time. But my older son was having great success pushing with both legs, sprinters start, Doc walking, etc. It was simply a matter of getting the correct rhythm. A pitcher will use the rhythm, throw off of the foot, for which he has been trained to throw off of. The rhythm they have been trained to use. A centerfielder throwing home on a do-or-die play throws off of his glove foot, well in front of his glove leg, because he can apply more force to the baseball, get it home quicker. But, most if not all had to be trained to do so. From the time they started baseball, Dad's taught them to throw off of their pitching foot. It is hard to break this rhythm, but not impossible if enough different training techniques are used. Once again, without a solid foundation established before core rotation, either with the glove foot, or the pitching foot, some of the force of core rotation will be lost back toward second base, and therefore velocity lost. It is the difference between spinning in air, and a door slamming; a revolving door, vs a door hinged on the side. In order to have this solid foundation, one of the legs, either of the legs, must be at about a 45 degree angle, or less, from horizontal. All of the advantages of using the glove leg as this solid foundation still stand. More degrees of core rotation available, more muscle groups to apply force, release closer to the plate, etc. You wrote, "Therefore, the only force that increases release velocity is the forward rotation of their pitching hip." That is only if that is the way they are trained. Without the solid foundation of their glove leg, body mass well in front of their glove leg, some of the force of hip rotation will be lost. The glove leg must be solid. It is simple physics. You wrote, "If they leave their glove foot pointed toward home plate, then they lock their glove hip and, as a result, they cannot forwardly rotate their pitching hip." I thought they were supposed to have their glove foot turned outward, at about 45 degrees, so that they were pushing with the ball of their glove foot, and were easily able to get their pitching hip though? You wrote, "With regard to the mound breaking up, it sounds as though it needs more clay in the mixture." No, that is not it. Other than almost solid rock, any mixture would be dug out from the force of the glove foot. You wrote, "But, the force that breaks the dirt up, does not increase release velocity." Of course not. That is lost force as the foot is pushed back, and the spikes dig out the dirt. However, there will be additional force, not lost, expended on pushing the body forward, in preparation for core rotation. Dirt being dug out is a byproduct of the action. To say the least, I am totally lost now. I spent a lot of time working on how to get my sons further in front of their glove foot, a more solid foundation, before core rotation. I do not understand how your mechanics can be at all powerful without this leg foundation. Pitching does not occur in a vacuum. Gravity anchors the pitcher to the mound by way of the legs and feet. One of the legs, either of the legs, off of which core rotation occurs, must be anchored well, and at such an angle as to provide the opportunity for maximum forward explosion. If not, some of the energy, the force, will be lost. Concerning this, and your training methods and mechanics: I can see how getting guys started with their arms is absolutely essential. Without your proper arm mechanics, guys with traditional mechanics would rip off their arms doing the strength work, wrist weights and iron balls. However, I believe that work with the legs, and work with the proper glove foot rhythm needs to be started much sooner in the program, and not just with wrong foot throws. I believe that if guys had to do a mile of Doc walking a day, they would soon be able to feel the correct rhythm. They do not need to have a baseball, or iron ball, in their hands to get the correct rhythm. Then, they could also do rhythm work off of the mounds without a ball, simply concentrating on getting body mass well in front of their glove leg. Also, if you go back to glove foot drive, you might need to explain to the guys where the pitching knee should be during core rotation to release. It seems to me the knee of the pitching leg should be pulling forward, and slightly up, helping to get the pitching hip around. I could be wrong. I still think of the leg action like a sprinters start: The pitching leg gives the first great push, the glove leg lands, the momentum from the pitching leg drive pushes body mass over the glove leg, then as the glove leg begins its drive, the pitching knee comes up. Just before the pitching lower leg extends forward, the hip is pulled powerfully around, quickly followed by the shoulders. Something I always wanted to see, was a 2x4 laid out to the side of the driveline, painted white, with painted black marks measured in feet on it. During side view high speed film, one could see stride distance, the exact drive line length, how far in front of the glove leg he was at release, etc. It would give a gauge of progress. I really would like more information on what you are teaching now, and the benefits. I need help. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am high-speed filming the guys from the front and side views next week. I will put it on your younger son's video. I already high-speed filmed Aubrey from the front and side views. The side view shows exactly when and where baseball pitchers release their pitches. You are absolutely correct that, if 'traditional' baseball pitchers strapped on our wrist weights and tried to throw, their 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' and 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce,' then they would rip their pitching shoulder and elbow apart. I believe that is further evidence against the 'traditional' pitching motion and for my pitching motion. With my One Step Crow-Hop with Shakedowns wrist weight warm-up drill, my pitchers practice the proper body rhythm every day. However, even though I do not want them to accelerate their pitching forearm through release with that drill, they can practice their glove foot hop. You are again absolutely correct that I want my pitchers to sprint off the pitching rubber with their pitching leg and, to facilitate forward hip, shoulder and pitching upper arm rotation, I want my pitchers to drive their pitching knee forward and inward. The glove leg plays a big role in facilitating the forward hip, shoulder and pitching upper arm rotation. When the glove foot lands, I want my pitchers to first use it to pull their body forward and then, as the center of mass of their body approaches their glove foot, I want them to pivot on the ball of their glove foot, such that they point their glove foot outward. To insure that they pivot on the ball of their glove foot, I am telling them that I want them to hop with their body sideways forward off their glove foot. To stabilize their shoulders and, thereby, stabilize their pitching arm driveline, I also tell them to lean back during the pitching forearm acceleration through release. On my high-speed film, to provide my displacement calibration, I have six inch boards on the fence behind them. It may not be precise to the inch, but, without digitizing and a lot more cost and work, I am close enough to make my point that, with my pitching motion, pitchers apply force over about twice the distance that 'traditional' baseball pitchers do. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 035. Thank you for your web site and the free book. I'm a baseball coach and have seen many injuries to young players due to neglect and overuse. I agree with what you are saying. How can I become more educated in learning more about the human anatomy? Can you recommend materials to learn from? Sometimes I feel we are doing it correct and at times it feels like we are miles off target. How can we improve what we teach? Do you believe in core strength and conditioning? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many of my pitchers go to our nearby college and buy the required text for their Anatomy course. I have several. They all have their good points, but, for a starter Anatomy text, I recommend Grant's Atlas of Anatomy. My 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video will teach parents, coaches and pitchers how to throw my six basic pitches and how to train to become the strongest, injury-free pitcher that they can be. I believe that all baseball pitchers need to complete the training programs that I have designed that are appropriate for their biological ages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 036. Thank you so much for reading my son's X-rays. I guess your conclusion is not surprising. What are the ramifications for the future? No more pitching? Or, if he follows your program, then is pitching still an option several years down the road? Thank you again for your expertise and your willingness to share it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While your son will never have the skeletal structure that he would have had without too much youth baseball pitching, if he follows my guidelines, masters my pitching motion and completes my training drills, then, with those skeletal limitations, he can still become the best pitcher that he can be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 037. How can we purchase your video? Checking your web site, it shows only the 2004 tapes, and what is the cost? and can you accept credit cards? Is there a contact number or address? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the home page of my website, I have a 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video icon. If you click on it, then you will go to a file that fully explains how to request my video. At present, I only have my 2004 video. If you get it, then when I have my 2006 video ready, I will send one to you without further charge. Or, you can wait the month or so until I have my 2006 video ready. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 038. I had several questions about teaching and training younger players. 1. I am teaching my 6 year-old how to throw and am trying to teach him to throw (regardless of pitching) in a way that is consistent with your ideas. I can pretty easily tell whether he is getting the arm swing right, whether he is turning his forearm over early, and whether he is pronating. However, it's harder for me to tell whether his in-between arm action is correct (and to get him to do it right if it's not). Do you have any suggestions for things that I can do with him that will encourage him to throw your way rather than with the traditional pitching motion and the bounce/flyout pattern? Maybe the drill that looks like you are drawing back the string of a bow and arrow (or drawing back the rubber band of a slingshot)? Maybe your football spinning drills? 2. I find that at times my guys (10 and 11 year-olds) get tired of drilling and practicing baseball. It gets boring for them. I am interested in your opinion of the wisdom of using other sports to help them develop muscles and skills while at the same time relieving some of the monotony. Let me say that I know that everything they do won't transfer to pitching, but I am wondering if some of it might help (or at least help with conditioning). For example, I am thinking about teaching them some Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and boxing moves to teach them how to use their hips to drive the rotation of the shoulders (golf and hitting a baseball might also do the same thing). Punching in karate also incorporates the idea of force coupling where your punching hand and other-side hand are moving in opposite directions. In terms of teaching some overhand motions, I was wondering whether you thought that working with fly fishing or bullwhip motions might help. I have also seen some toy javelins at Wal-Mart and was wondering what you thought about using them for at least training and possibly conditioning purposes. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. I recommend that baseball pitchers master my Pickoff with Step Slingshot drill first. For all pitches, he should use an appropriately-sized foot. For my Maxline Pronation Curve, he should use the lid off a four gallon square bucket. Until they master their glove and pitching arm actions with their football and lid throws, they should not touch baseballs. 02. I always recommend that youngster learn a wide variety of recreational and sport activities. However, all movement is highly specific. Contrary to popular belief, mastering one skill does not transfer to other skills. In fact, when youngsters practice similar skills, they likely will not master either skill. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 039. Since my sont was home for Christmas I have been puzzling over film clips I have. As I watch what he is able to do with his hips, and watch what his feet actually do, I realize that we've been making a mistake. My son is very close to doing all of this right. But, he is doing one thing wrong. The thing he lacks is the ability to 'stand tall,' as you put it. I now know how to teach this. I have come to the conclusion that we cannot take full advantage of the velocity of the arm because shoulder and torso rotational velocity are actually inhibiting it. Fundamentally, if we attempt to rotate or spin, pivoting using the glove side foot and leg as the spin axis, we alter how we can use the body's center of mass and consequently loose rotational velocity of the hips and torso. Therefore, we need to rotate around the central axis of the body instead of the glove-side leg and foot. This means we need to focus on firing the shoulders as fast as possible, but what makes it possible to do so is using the hips differently. Last night I figured out a way to alter how we're currently doing this. Today, in two minutes, I taught my lefty to stand tall and rotate. With today as the first day, he got it right more than 50% of the time. The times he executes correctly his velocities go through the roof and he's nowhere near perfect in doing it. He tells me it feels completely natural. Because of how this alters the timing, the major glove-side issues go away, because the glove arm doesn't have time to do anything but move rearward. The time to the plate is absolutely phenomenal. This is also going to solve a lot of control problems. I suspect that it will also help intrinsically straighten the driveline, just like I see in my son's wrist-weight throws. This technique even simplifies the teaching process, in part because nothing, athletically, resembles how we have used the legs. I even figured out a way to use a different set position to our advantage, but I don't think the guys will ever need it. I figured this out because you have taught me to think differently and have encouraged me to learn. The credit is yours. While I am certain that there will be alterations to what I found that will enhance the technique, I am quite positive that I'm right. Like all of these concepts they are extremely difficult to explain with words. What I found was that we need to step lightly on the glove foot, fire the arms, and allow the body to spin around a central vertical axis, the spine, and not the glove leg. The glove foot ends up slightly closer to the pitching rubber than where it started. It's just a guess, but I think we will still release the ball substantially closer to home plate. It's amazing. When I do this I can actually feel my body lift straight up in the air. The shock in my throwing arm is almost indescribable. I think I threw almost as hard this morning as I did in college. And I am not training, I should not throw more until I do so; I will hurt myself. You will likely understand this intrinsically when you read my words. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are correct. Baseball pitchers must stand tall and rotate about a vertical axis. They must also continually move the center of mass of their body straight forward. They must also 'lock' their pitching upper arm with their shoulders. They must also 'lean' back through release. To continue to move the center of mass of their body straight forward, baseball pitchers must powerfully push off the pitching rubber with their pitching foot and, when their glove foot lands, they must permit the center of mass to continue to move straight forward. Until their glove foot lands, baseball pitchers cannot start to forwardly rotate their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm. Therefore, the glove foot is critical to their explosively forwardly rotating their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm. Nevertheless, I agree that torso rotation occurs about a vertical spinal column. But, it also occurs while the center of mass of their body continually moves forward. The glove foot permits the center of mass of the body to move forward. It seems to me that, while the torso rotates about the spinal column, the glove foot is the center of the longer entire body rotation. The next question is what muscles forwardly rotate the hips and what muscles forwardly rotate the shoulder. To forwardly rotate the hips and shoulders at their maximum velocity, we must make sure to maximally lengthen these muscles just prior to forward rotation. We must also make sure to not violate my first law of force application for baseball pitchers; from first movement through release, baseball pitchers should apply force straight toward home plate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 040. I'm clear on the fact that late forearm turnover and reverse forearm bounce can lead to UCL tears. My question is, do the other various flaws lead to UCL problems or do those flaws lead to other elbow and shoulder problems? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' and 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' cause Ulnar Collateral Ligament ruptures, Humerus bone fractures and muscle tears. Taking the pitching arm behind the acromial line and 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' and 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' cause the detachment of the attachment of the Subscapularis muscle from the lesser tuberosity of the head of the Humerus bone. 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' causes the lost of pitching elbow extension and flexion ranges of motion and irritates the Ulnar Nerve. Maximally reverse rotating the hips exacerbates 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' and damages the pitching hip joint, which leads to early hip replacement surgery. 'Striding Too Far' injures the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, the pitching Adductor Brevis (groin) and the muscles of the lower back. 'Striding Closed' injures the ligaments and muscles on the front of his pitching shoulder. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 041. I imagine you'll get other mail on this, but I can't resist sending you this article on Bruce Sutter's recent induction into the Hall of Fame. I've edited down to the portions I find of most interest: ------------------------------------------------- Bruce Sutter: 'I would do it all over again' By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Writer January 10, 2006 ATLANTA (AP) Bruce Sutter is reminded every day of his former job. The sore shoulder. The tender elbow. The creaky knees. The ailing back. "I can't even change a light bulb," Sutter said. And he wouldn't change a thing... The strain of throwing all those splitters may have cut short his career. Sutter signed a six-year contract with the Atlanta Braves before the 1985 season, a deal worth about $10 million, but his shoulder began hurting just six weeks into the season. He pitched through the pain and saved 23 games, but he wasn't nearly as dominating. Sutter missed much of 1986 and all of the following season because of shoulder problems. Then, after one more season with the Braves, he was done. "My only regret is coming to Atlanta and hurting my shoulder," Sutter said. "I was never the same again. They cut on me and cut on me, but there was nothing they could do. I feel bad about that." Sutter remained in the Atlanta area with his wife and three sons, learning to live with the inevitable fallout from nine trips to the operating room. He had three shoulder surgeries, three more on his knees, another on his elbow. Since retiring, he's had two back operations, the latest just six months ago. "It's not good," he said when asked how he felt physically. "But I would do it all over again.". ------------------------------------------------- Someone needs to do a definitive study of the lingering disabilities inflicted on even the most successful of "traditional" pitchers. I'm reminded, for example, of reading that Sandy Koufax has to have his coats specially tailored because his left arm is now functionally three inches or so shorter than his right arm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If Bruce had called me, then we could have shared that ten million. I have high-speed file of him. He had terrible 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' and 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' With the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, all former major league pitchers suffer rest-of-their-life consequence of pitching. I lost twenty-four degrees of my flexion and extension range of motion in my pitching arm. Fortunately, in 1967, I learned how to prevent that problem and I have since learned how to prevent all pitching injuries. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 042. my name is john im 17 and I live in new York yes im a yanks fan I no you played for Detroit and I think you were a great pitcher I heard your interview on the cubs cast. I just wanna ask you a question; I throw really hard but I just have a problem I cant throw hard and aim properly do you have any tips for me? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My tips come in the form of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book that you can read and copy for free on my website and my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video that you can get if you follow the instructions that I will provide in my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video file when I have it ready. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 043. Do you want or need any assistance at your facility? I would love to spend some time learning from you and helping you manage workout sessions, conduct research, work on your video, and anything else with which you might need assistance. I would certainly be willing to visit your facility and talk to you personally about this possibility if you are interested. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I appreciate your interest and kind offer of help. I welcome everybody to come to my Pitching Research/Training Center and stay as long as they like. However, because I charge my pitchers only what I need to break even, I cannot pay anybody. With only twelve pitchers, I do not need help managing our workout sessions. I am about done with my 2006 video. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 044. Learning from you would be payment enough. I would only need to find another job to help support my family. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are now training from 9:00 to 10:30AM seven day a week. I will be off from the fourth Saturday in May until the third Saturday in August. We can accommodate about ten visitors. If more want to visit, then I will build a larger seating area. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 045. Do traditional curveballs and sliders injure the UCL or just increase the chances of bone chips and diminished elbow extention? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because 'traditional' baseball pitchers supinate the release of their curves, sliders and cutters, they increase the likelihood that they will slam their olecranon process into its fossa. This causes bone chips and loss of flexion and extension range of motion. Because 'traditional' baseball pitchers have 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' and 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce,' they always unnecessarily stress their Ulnar Collateral Ligament. When the angle of their pitching arm during their 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' approaches ninety degrees, they increase the amount of unnecessary stress. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 046. How do you feel about weight training for a 12 year old pitcher? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At twelve biological years old, the six growth plates in their elbow are all open. The Triceps Brachii muscle attaches to the ossification center of the olecranon process. Therefore, bench presses and similar activities stress that growth plate and too much can prematurely close it. The Pronator Teres, Flexor Carpi Radialis, Palmaris Longus, Flexor Carpi Ulnaris and part of the Flexor Digitorum Superficialis muscles attach to the ossification center of the Medial Epicondyle. Therefore, too much baseball pitching for too long and too hard can completely pull the Medial Epicondyle away from the shaft of the Humerus bone and permanently destroy his pitching arm. The rebound of the head of the Radius bone into the Capitular end of the Humerus bone can grossly enlarge the head of the Radius bone and prematurely close the growth plate of the Capitulum and permanently destroy his pitching arm. In my 60-Day First, Second, Third and Fourth Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Programs, I recommend that biological ten year olds use two and one-half pound wrist weights and a two pound iron ball to complete my drills and skills and biological thirteen year olds use five pound wrist weights and a four pound iron ball. At sixteen biological years old, when all growth plates in their elbow have matured, I recommend that they use ten pound wrist weights and a six pound iron ball to complete my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 047. Will performing situps make your waist thicker? I know that you can't spot reduce, but I was hoping that situps would tighten up my stomach. Someone told me that all they will do is make my waist thicker.< ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eating animal fat will thicken your waist much more and far faster than doing sit-ups. However, in the same way that curls will enlarge the muscles that flex your elbow, doing sit-ups will enlarge the muscles that flex your hip joint. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 048. It's been a while since I communicated with you. I trust all is well with your health and your fine program. Please consider it a feather in your cap that one of your 'throwing' earned some prestigious honors last spring. My son, whom you met and worked with at your facility a couple years ago, earned Freshman All-American honors playing at second and third bases. The throwing ability (strength, accuracy, quick release) that you and your program helped nurture enabled him establish himself as one of the top defensive players. He was the league Rookie of the Year and was the only position player on his team to earn all-regional tournament honors. My question at this point in time: I have a 12-under GIRLS softball team. We work very hard for 9- (my daughter), 10-, 11- and 12-year-old girls and try to maintain a fun attitude as well. The girls came across a tire-hitting contraption. The drill helps create perfect contact point as the feedback is swift and strong AND it helps build strength in hitting through the ball. However, I have not allowed the girls to follow up with this exercise as I am concerned about the immature joints. Most of the girls are just reaching puberty, some are not there yet. Here's my concept for a compromise: My 15-year-old daughter takes swings against a hard rubber mat that is suspended behind home plate at a batting cage we work out at. The hard rubber mat forces her to work extremely hard and it gives her immediate feedback on the efficiency of her swing. But it also gives, it doesn't knock the bat back and send trauma through the body as the tire drill does. Do you think this is a safe exercise for the 12U team? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When athletes drive baseball bats into tires, they drive the Radius and Ulna bones of their rear forearm back into the distal end of their Humerus bone of their rear upper arm. Because adolescent females biologically mature slightly earlier than adolescent males, such that the growth plates at the distal end of their Humerus bone, the Capitulum and Trochlear may mature a year earlier. I don't know by how much. I recommend that they wait until all growth plate in their elbows completely mature. In adolescent males, this occurs at biological sixteen years old. Additionally, at this age, I would be more concerned with skill than strength. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 049. To my chagrin, this became a long diatribe. I know you are very busy. So please do not feel you need to address this email whatsoever. They are just thoughts, and may be right or wrong. But I do not want you to waste any of your valuable time in replying to them. I am better served if you spend your time in other pursuits. The functions of the legs and body core in pitching seem to be a relatively simple Newtonian model. To my knowledge, there are only five major systems for creating horizontal velocity toward home plate from the Wind-up Set position. The glove leg behind the rubber, the pitching leg, the glove leg again, rotational centripetal force resulting in straight line centrifugal force from core rotation (Hips, shoulders, upper arm), and finally the arm action (to include forearm, wrist, hand, fingers). In order for a pitcher to be the best he can be, and assuming maximizing forward velocity is a part of being the best he can be, each of those five major systems should be maximized in efficiency and effectiveness. In order to enrich whatever meager knowledge of sprinting biomechanics I have, I researched it on the net, and found some interesting things. I was surprised to find a huge amount of clinical research on the sprinters start. Surely much more than baseball pitching, since your information is about the only high quality information on the net concerning pitching. I do not expect you would wish to look at all of the research, but here are a couple of interesting presentations: http://www.intl.elsevierhealth.com/e-books/pdf/1008.pdf http://www.coachesinfo.com/category/athletics/219/ A few things I found in my reading: Foot is turned out laterally, everted, at the beginning of all of the acceleration steps. In order to get the greatest range of leg motion to provide forward horizontal velocity, the hips should be tilted forward. A pelvis tilted forward provides much more range of motion for the legs. Center of gravity must be well forward of the legs in order to get the most forward velocity. Body lean should be approximately 45 degrees, as I surmised, in order to maximize acceleration. Center of gravity must be in front of the next foot strike. If CG is behind the next foot strike, forward momentum will be lost. Starting foot spacing makes a big difference in acceleration speed. The best start spacing found through research is about 16 inches, give or take. Must have the optimum knee joint angles, before leg extension, in both the front and rear leg, in order to maximize forward acceleration. If the knees are not bent properly, forward acceleration is limited. Now, attempting to place this research into the pitching motion: The only way force directed toward second base can be efficient and effective, is if the force is effectively blocked, in order to be directed toward home plate. Unless there is a solid framework between the mound, feet, and legs, the force generated by core rotation is not effective. The pitching foot has the rubber to use as a block, the glove foot has the mound dirt. Further, ANY force generated toward second base, unless effectively blocked, does not result in a positive force toward home plate. This means a rod through the head and body is not the correct pivot point for core rotation. The only totally effective pivot point for core rotation is through the glove shoulder and glove leg and foot. That is because the glove foot is the only stable structure blocking the force toward second, to oppositely and equally direct the force toward home. Therefore, the glove foot, lower leg, and upper leg, must all be solid, pushing forward at about a 45 degree angle, in order for core rotation to be maximally physically effective, and prevent loss of forward momentum from core rotation. This should work well with the sprinters start, getting the center of gravity ahead of the glove leg, body lean at 45 degrees, providing the maximum forward velocity of the glove leg, and the maximum production of forward velocity of the arm from core rotation. By the same token, the glove side upper arm, lower arm, hand, and glove itself, should all be pulled straight back, with the glove coming to an abrupt stop at the shoulder, during core rotation, in order to be most effective and efficient according to Newtonian physics. Any part of the arm that goes behind the shoulder simply lends to a loss in forward momentum. If the pivot point is an imaginary rod through the head and body, much of the rotational force is lost as a decrease in forward momentum. If the framework (glove leg) for core rotation is not solid, much of the rotational force is lost as a decrease in forward momentum. Thinking out loud; it seems the best methods of attaining maximum forward velocity from the five major systems are: Dig a good block for the glove foot in the dirt behind the mound, about 16 inches behind the front of the rubber, to facilitate first glove foot push. This may not be correct since the pitcher is not down in a sprint start position. It may need to be further back. Dig a good block for the glove foot in front of the mound, at the correct position for the second glove foot push. At initiation of the pitch, the pitcher should tilt his pelvis forward to transfer his CG forward, which should produce a forward lean. Then bend or load both of his knees, in preparation for forward acceleration. It seems to me both legs, at pitch initiation, could fire at about the same time, if the foot spacing is correct, the goal being to transfer CG quickly and maximally in front of the pitching foot. Final push of the pitching leg and foot should occur when the forward body lean is about 45 degrees. This means CG must be well in front of the pitching rubber when the pitching leg begins it's final push. Glove leg stride, and the block in front of the mound, should be at the point where the forward momentum created from the pitching leg push, will allow the CG to be well ahead of the glove foot at foot strike. To begin, it seems perhaps both the glove foot, and pitching foot should be everted. The second glove foot strike should be everted, which will maximize second glove leg drive, and help get the pitching hip through. Finding the forward position of the glove leg at foot strike would seem to be a trial and error proposition. It depends on the efficiency of the pitcher to generate forward acceleration by the primary glove leg push, and the pitching leg push. He would need to find the optimal pelvic tilt, knee angles, foot spacing, and CG position, to generate momentum, and then the strength to maximally perform the actions. The greater the forward velocity, then the longer the glove leg stride can be, while still having the CG ahead of the glove leg at glove leg foot strike. Core rotation should not begin until the second glove leg push toward home plate has occurred, the glove leg is maximally extended and at a 45 degree angle toward home plate. At that point, the pelvis can be tilted back, allowing the body to be vertical, or almost vertical during core rotation. Just some thoughts of a limited brain. I know you are very busy, so please do not spend much of your valuable time on this drivel. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The track start is an uniformly acceleration activity where athletes maximally acceleratee the center of mass of their body straight forward without any hip or shoulder forward rotation. With regard to the center of mass of my baseball pitchers, baseball pitching is an uniform velocity activity where athletes need accelerate only to about a ten mile per hour velocity. However, with regard to the forward rotation of their hips, shoulders and 'locked' pitching upper arm, baseball pitching is an uniform acceleration activity. In my Wind-up position, we use our glove foot to move our body weight from a foot or more behind the pitching rubber forward. This is the start of our oppositely-directed force that enables baseball pitchers to achieve the uniform velocity of their center of mass. Then, until our glove foot lands, we use our pitching foot to continue the forward movement of the center of mass of our body forward. Then, to start the forward rotation of our hips, shoulders and 'locked' pitching upper arm, we pull straight back with our glove hand. This is the start of the uniform acceleration phase of my baseball pitching motion. Then, to continue the uniform velocity forward movement of the center of mass of our body, we pull back with our glove foot. In addition, the contact of the glove foot with the ground also provides the foundation for the continuing uniform acceleration of our hips, shoulders and 'locked' pitching upper arm. Then, this glove foot pull-back also enables the pitching knee to drive forward, which adds force to the uniform acceleration of our hips, shoulders and 'locked' pitching upper arm. Unfortunately, even though pitchers are able to move their pitching knee ahead of their glove foot before they release their pitches, they have not moved the center of mass of their body ahead of their glove foot. This means that, before they release their pitches, with the center of mass of their body at most beside their glove foot, pitchers cannot apply oppositely-directed force. However, if at the same time that pitchers 'pronation snap' their pitching forearm forward, they pull continue to pull-back with their glove hand, then they can lean back with their torso. This provides another oppositely-directed force that can accelerate the baseball through release. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 050. Thank your for the reply concerning young athletes striking a tire with a baseball bat. It is appreciated. Do you think it is safe for 10- 11-year-olds to strike a flexible rubber mat? It creates a workload, but readily gives. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. They should learn how to properly apply force to their bat. When they strike pitched softballs, the impact growth plates in their rear elbow receive more than enough stress. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 051. I am an 18 year old left-handed pitcher. I have a question. What would be the best thing for a pitcher to do in the off season and how would I gain more velocity on my fastball. Also, are lifting weights with your upper body a bad thing to do for pitchers? If there's anything I should be doing, please let me know. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I recommend that eighteen year old baseball pitchers complete my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. Then, each successive off-season thereafter, I recommend that they complete my three sets of iron ball and wrist weight recoil training cycles. With these programs, they will become the most powerful baseball pitchers that they can be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 052. A couple of weeks ago, I asked if you can lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. I believe that you stated that as long as half of your calories were coming from protein, you could gain muscle while losing weight. I read last night that 1 gram of protein equals 4 calories. If I were to consume 2000 calories per day, I would have to consume 250 grams of protein each day to have half of my calories coming from protein. This doesn't seem possible. Did I misunderstand what you were telling me or are my numbers incorrect? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adults need on gram of protein for every kilogram of body weight. A kilogram is 2.2 pounds. Therefore, if you weigh two hundred and twenty pounds, then you need one hundred grams of protein per day. In the adult diet, fifteen percent should be protein, twenty-five percent should be fat and sixty percent should be glucose. If I said that one-half of your caloric intake should be protein, then I must have been on the Atkins diet, such that my brain did not get sufficient glucose. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 053. In your Question #30 last week I'd like to ask a couple of clarifying questions: You wrote, "During the downward and backward portions of my pitching arm pendulum swing, I want baseball pitchers to have the palm of their pitching hand facing upward and then forward." In the anatomical position, I consider the palm facing forward to mean toward home plate. I was under the impression that as you pendulum swing the arm backward you want the ball facing toward the body. In other words the palm would be facing inward, not toward home plate. Has this changed? You later write, "At no time during my baseball pitching motion should baseball pitchers raise their pitching hand above the horizontal height of their pitching elbow." This is also a surprise. I was under the impression that as you brought the ball up to driveline height the forearm was 45 degrees above horizontal. This would put the hand above the elbow. Has your teaching changed? Further, I have a video clip of one of your star pupils throwing his wrist weights. I am told that he is demonstrating your pitching motion perfectly. (The young man's father is there or just left.) At several points in the clip the youmg man's hand is above his elbow. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I want baseball pitchers to pendulum swing their pitching hand and baseball vertically straight back along the line between home plate and second base. When baseball pitchers correctly pendulum swing their pitching arm and baseball, they will not only eliminate 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' which will also eliminate 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce,' they will also perfectly position their pitching hand and baseball for their straight line drive toward home plate. At forty-five degrees behind their body, because of the configuration of the head of the Humerus bone and the Glenoid Fossa of the Scapula bone, if baseball pitchers do not turn the palm of their pitching hand to face away from their body, then they will not be able to smoothly swing their pitching upper arm upward to shoulder height. To help prevent baseball pitchers from taking their pitching hand and baseball laterally behind their body, at the end of the pendulum swing, I want the palm of the pitching hand facing away from their body. Now, what should baseball pitchers do with the palm of their pitching hand between when they take their pitching hand and baseball out of their glove and pendulum swing to forty-five degrees behind their body? When they take their pitching hand and baseball out of their glove, should they have the palm of their pitching hand facing inward or upward? If, when they take their pitching hand and baseball out of their glove, they have the palm of their pitching hand face inward, then they will have to outwardly rotate the palm of their pitching hand from facing inward to facing outward at forty-five degrees behind their body. They should be able to do that. If, when they take their pitching hand and baseball out of their glove, they have the palm of their pitching hand face upward, then they will have to outwardly rotate the palm of the pitching hand from facing upward to facing outward at forty-five degrees behind their body. This eliminates ninety degrees of pitching palm outward rotations. Maybe, they should do this. Therefore, I choose the palm of the pitching hand facing upward. As I carefully analyze the wrist weight, iron ball, football and baseball drills for my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I am seeing that if I tell baseball pitchers to have their pitching hand at ear height and their pitching upper arm at shoulder height, then, when they are supposed to raise their pitching elbow to the same height as their pitching hand, instead they raise their pitching hand even higher. As a result, when they do finally raise their pitching elbow to driveline height, which 'locks' the pitching upper arm with their body, their pitching hand and baseball moves downward to driveline height. While, because they are already inwardly rotating their pitching upper arm, this downward move is not the same as the 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' of the 'traditional' pitching motion, it does introduce forces that can decrease vertical release consistency. Therefore, when baseball pitchers step forward, I want them to 'lock' their pitching upper arm with their body. But, in my Wind-Up Position, I want my pitchers to step forward when their pitching arm is forty-five degrees behind their body. This means that their pitching hand starts moving forward before their pitching hand reaches driveline height. If their pitching hand is below driveline height, then their pitching elbow is above their pitching hand. Therefore, if, to 'lock' their pitching upper arm with their body, baseball pitchers raise their pitching elbow when their pitching hand is at or below it, then when their pitching hand reaches driveline height, it will be at the same height as their pitching elbow. That explains why I wrote, "At no time during my baseball pitching motion should baseball pitchers raise their pitching hand above the horizontal height of their pitching elbow." Sorry for the confusion that I caused you. I should have waited for after I released my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video to say this. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 054. I think you will get a kick out of this. http://www.braingym.com/html/what_is_it_.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About fifty years ago, in France, in an elementary school, teachers spent one-half of their time teaching students motor skills. When these students took their national academic exams, they always scored the highest. We Motor Skill Acquisitionist have known of this link between motor skill performance and academic performance for many years. Yet, the administrators keep eliminating Physical Education classes at all levels. What bothers me about this website, is that a Ph.D. supposedly dedicated to the youth of America is selling his information. He should be fighting to get it into every elementary school. When, for almost ten years, I volunteered to work in Dr. Vern Seefeldt's Motor Performance Study at Michigan State University, I developed a Motor Skill Acquisition program for elementary school students that I called, Individual-Oriented Group Instruction, where we taught the basic motor skills of running, jumping, throwing, catching, kicking and striking to every student at their individual performance levels. In the mid-1970s, without ever mentioning my name, Phil Donahue even had Dr. Seefeldt, the chair of my doctoral committee, on his show explaining how my program worked. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 055. I was searching for information about our son's injury and ran across your Q & A's, very interesting. I only wish I had heard about you 8 years ago. Anyhow, I would like to run a question by you, hoping for an answer that will guide me in the right direction. A short history of our son, he started pitching at age 8, he had several lessons at an early start. We were always told that he threw everything the "right" way. Yes, he did throw a "curve" ball, but again, he supposedly threw it the correct way. Anyway, a few years ago, he would have been 12, he had some soreness in the right elbow area. Doctors told him to rest, no pitching and we did just that. When he started pitching again, he was fine up til this past November. He actually had been off since August of 2005, with a Left Hook of Hammate Bone issue. We finally took care of all that, but, he really didn't throw much during August to November. He pitched one inning, he told coach that his elbow hurt, we saw an orthopedic PA, he treated him for tendonitis. He did not do any baseball til this past Sunday, Jan 8, 2006. He warmed up as he normally does, said his arm felt great! He went on mound and on his 4th pitch, he said his elbow never hurt like this before. That's the history. He will 16 in Jan! We went for x-rays and MRI this past week. The doctors said he has pulled the UCL away from his bone, total separation. He put him in a supporting brace, and will start him on PT in a couple of weeks, after some of the swelling goes down, and when he feels it is safe to start. We were told NO baseball, not even swinging at this point. Luckily, the Varsity coach, wants him to be a coach/player this season. He is a sophomore, so coach wants him healthy for jr and sr years. Anyway, one of the pitching coaches at school asked me about surgically attaching the UCL back to the bone. His concern, as mine, now, if, in 6 months nature has not taken its course, then we are back to where we are now? What are your feelings on this? Also, when he gets healthy, what are the chances of this reoccurring? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The doctor should have said Medial Epicondyle, not UCL. UCL stands for Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Pitchers rupture their Ulnar Collateral Ligaments, they do not pull them loose from the bone. If he ruptured his Ulnar Collateral Ligament, he needs immediate surgery. If he pulled the ossification center for his Medial Epicondyle loose from the bone, then he needs to wait until its growth plate completely matures. He will be sixteen this month? At sixteen biological years old, the growth plate for the medial epicondyle matures. For your son to pull the ossification center of his medial epicondyle off the bone, he cannot be biologically sixteen years old. In any case, like when youngsters get Osgood Schlatter's disease that affects the Tibial tuberosity of the lower leg, he has to wait for nature to take its course and completely close the growth plate for his medial epicondyle. That he pulled it loose is not a good thing. However, with luck that this injury does not negatively affect the groove for the Ulnar Nerve behind the medial epicondyle, this injury should not significant impact his future ability to pitch. However, if he continues to use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion that caused this injury, then he will continue to suffer injuries, with the real prospect of rupturing his Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Therefore, after X-rays prove that the growth plates for his medial epicondyle and head of his Radius bone have completely closed, I recommend that he does my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 056. Your web site is very interesting. I've got some questions regarding my 15- year-old son and dealing with his injuries over the last year. First, if I may, I'd like to provide some background before I actually ask my questions. In the middle of last summer, my son experienced some shoulder pain that turned out to be a rotator cuff strain where it was determined that his rear rotator cuff was the one injured. After some physical therapy for a few weeks and rest away from throwing, he started pitching again. After a few games, his elbow started giving him difficulty. We essentially shut him down for the season after that, where we did not play any fall ball. Our season ended around the beginning of August. Since October, he's been taking lessons from a former pitching instructor. I asked him to help us, because he wanted to assist my son in working to make his motion to have as less an impact on the arm as possible and yet get the most velocity. Work on mechanics, basically. Just before the end of 2005, my son started complaining of elbow pain again. This coincided with the start of his school workouts for prospective baseball players. His pain could only be felt when he actually threw. We then took my son to a doctor. Initial X-rays showed that the elbow seemed to be constructively sound (my terminology) with no bone chips and interior tears that at least were noticeable from the X-Ray. An MRI showed slight 'leakage' (his term) indicating a very small tear on the OUTSIDE of the elbow. The doctor says 3 to 4 weeks of non-throwing should heal the tear on its own. He has indicated that my sons' growth plates are closed. We think the injury was caused by doing "power cleans" in the workout room. Competitively, my son has been pitching travel team level 15 year old competition. When he was healthy, he was the ace of our team, but I never felt like he was over used. We've been coached by a former professional utility infielder who had a pretty good pro career but only a "cup of coffee" in the majors. My son has not used breaking stuff up to this point, so that hasn't been a factor in his injury history. When healthy, he was throwing velocity was in the 80's. Now for my questions. 1) Can you discuss the process of rehabilitating a hurt shoulder, the need (or maybe no need) to also rehabilitate his elbow, and other pitching muscles (ham-strings come to mind). We've been told that my son probably altered his pitching motion to compensate for his shoulder, which in turn led to his elbow injury, which was a "tennis elbow" injury. 2) Do you have any comment on workouts for pitchers and if they are unique from other baseball position players in team workout sessions. 3) My son is really down because he seems to be not getting anywhere with his arm being healthy. We have not had any problems injury wise before this season. What can he do the keep himself healthy for high school? By the way, I'm impressed with your academic credentials and your initial ideas I've read seem to make sense. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All the problems that your son is experiencing come from how this pitching coach is teaching him to apply force to his pitches. The 'traditional' baseball pitching motion destroys pitchers. 01. To rehabilitate your son's pitching arm, if all elbow growth plates have closed, which means that he is biologically sixteen years old, he should do my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. 02. If your son completes this training program and masters my pitching motion and releases, then he will never injure himself again. If he continues with my adult programs, then he will become the best pitcher that he can be. 03. Do my program. Does this mean that, rather than seek advice from someone who plays a doctor on the internet, you like to see his degrees? Interesting concept. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 057. I read that you can determine how many calories you need to maintain your weight by multiplying your weight by 12. I know it would depend on your level of activity, but is this fairly accurate? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That seems a bit simplified. I prefer the scale. If you eat the diet that I recommend and you gain weight, then you are eating more than your specific metabolism requires. Remember, if you want to lose a pound of body fat, then, for seven days, your have to consume five hundred calories fewer per day than you expend. Do this for fifty weeks and you will lose fifty pounds. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 058. Yup, I thought he was kind of greasy too and most of the stuff is not his. I found it interesting because the little rural school I went to had 2 teachers and taught 1-8, 1-4 & 5-8 respectively. 1-4 had a total of 30 kids taught in the same room & about the same in the higher grades. All I remember was the piano & kickball. I literally don't recall learning anything or struggling nor do I remember 'bad' students either academically or discipline wise. Anyway, something like 98% of their students went on to 4 yr colleges and they taught for 30+ years. Of course, then there was a big push for education and the school was consolidated and they were pushed aside. I still remember them crying on that last day. Anyway. I found this of interest because the way they taught reading writing and arithmetic was often via the piano and ballfield. We would sing the alphabet and did some sort of weird YMCA things, counting songs--acting out legends in plays and skits for history. Later on batting averages from the field linked to lineups and fish estimating (a longer story) were part of field trips to the lake or ball field. Also of note was our schedule, 9-2 with an hour for lunch & a 20 minute recess in AM & PM. My kids get on the bus at 7 & return at 4, with homework. I don't remember ever having homework till high school. No wonder they burn out. My wife thinks I am nuts when I work with my kids. My daughter was having a hard time telling time. I had her stand on the kitchen table and had her hands be the clock and she had to respond to my call with her arms to tell me the time. 20 minutes later and she was done. I do this with sports too. Explaining why a basketball pass with topspin can make a more effective bounce pass is sure a lot easier than what I see in $70.00 text books. How far is your location from Jacksonville? I have to be there for a rodeo in February. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To get to Zephyrhills from Jacksonville, you drive South on I95, West on I4 and North on Hwy 39. I cannot give you an accurate time or distance, but map quest probably can. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 059. I'm confused by your last statement. I think you were curious why I would trust a doctor on the internet. It probably was the wording on my statement. My apologies if you took offense. I never played the game at a high level, but I am a fan and remember watching you pitch for the Dodgers, paticularly when you won your Cy Young. During a game radio broadcast, I remember hearing that you were doing graduate work at Michigan State in Kineisiology, so that's why I was interested in seeing your degrees. So no, I know that you are a lot more than merely a doctor on the internet. My impression about you is that you bring actual academic credentials as well as competitive baseball knowledge. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am the one who needs to apologize. I recently debated with an internet baseball pitching coach wannabe about why anybody should pay any attention to what he has to say. He had absolutely no credentials. He somehow argued that that was a good thing. I was being sarcastic. My apologies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 060. I found all the info about your 120 day training, I marked it for future use. I' sorry to keep bugging you, but I am consumed in finding out exactly wha is wrong with son' elbow. I picked up the MRI dictation. I'd like to send a copy of it to you, as an attachment. Being a doctor, you will understand it better than me. I've dissected it by medical terms, but if you could lay it out in non-medical "mother" language. I'd greatly appreciate your opinion. ------------------------------------------------- 1. The findings as described are consistent with a severe strain of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament with prominent ligamentous thickening and an area of likely prominent calcification. The ligament appears thinner at its distal portion adjacent to the Ulna. A partial rupture of the distal portion of the tendon cannot be completely excluded. 2. A joint effusion is seen with fluid posterior to the medial aspect of the distal Humerus. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This explains that your son did not pull anything completely away from the bone. Instead, your son injured his Ulnar Collateral Ligament. However, they do not know to what extent. Three things concern me: 01. The area of likely prominent calcification at the medial epicondyle end of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. 02. The thinner Ulnar Collateral Ligament at the coronoid process end of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. 03. The possibility of a partial rupture at the coronoid process end of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Calcification can indicate that your son has already suffered a partial tear of his Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Thinning at the coronoid process end of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament indicates that he has already lengthened the ligament. This means that the ligament cannot provide the stabilization that the elbow joint requires for high-intensity pitching. The possibility of a partial tear, if true, means that, in an attempt to strengthen the weakened ligament, the body will generate another calcification. As I recall, you said that your son is almost sixteen years old. If he is also biologically sixteen years old, then all elbow growth plates have matured. If this is the case, I recommend that he has Ulnar Collateral Ligament replacement surgery. Then, I recommend that, to rehabilitate, he completes my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 061. I was practicing your full pitching motion in front of a mirror to try to see the path of straight drive line for the pitching hand and wanted to see your thoughts about actively directing the pitching hand backwards and towards your head while you are rotating the shoulders through from the "ready" to "loaded slingshot" position. This seems like the best way to get the straight drive line since the pitching hand wants to naturally rotate to the pitching arm side. I am then thinking that from the "loaded slingshot" position to release as you are still rotating your shoulders to get your release point as close to home plate as possible is when you start the active movement of the pitching hand forward toward home plate. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I want baseball pitchers to pendulum swing their pitching hand from shoulder height in front of the middle of their body straight back along the line from home plate to second base. There is nothing like ten pound wrist weights to make this pendulum swing simple and smooth. Don't fight the inertial mass of the wrist weight. Then, when the wrist weight is forty-five degrees behind the body, to permit the continued smooth pendulum swing, baseball pitchers must outwardly rotate their pitching shoulder, such that the palm of their pitching hand faces away from their body. In my Wind-Up body action, because when their pitching hand is forty-five degrees behind their body, I want baseball pitchers to step forward with their glove foot, the pitching hand starts to move forward. Therefore, between this forty-five degrees and driveline height, I want baseball pitchers to raise their pitching elbow to ear height, which 'locks' it with their shoulders, and keep their pitching hand at elbow height. When their glove foot lands, I want baseball pitchers to push off the pitching rubber with their pitching foot and pull back with their glove foot. In conjunction with their glove hand straight pullback, these actions will enable baseball pitchers to drive their pitching knee forward and inward, which starts the powerful forward rotation of their hips and shoulders. To this point, the pitching forearm and hand just go along for the ride. The forward rotation of their hips permits the forward rotation of their shoulders, which because they have 'locked' their pitching upper arm with their shoulders, also permits the forward rotation of the pitching upper arm. The centripetal force of the forwardly rotating pitching upper arm will cause the pitching hand to move laterally to their pitching side. This is good. Because my pitchers have already contracted the inward rotators of their shoulder joint, this action maximally lengthens these muscles. Lastly, when my pitchers have forwardly rotated their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm, then I want my pitchers to horizontally drive their pitching hand straight toward home plate. I call this, 'Pronation Snap.' Therefore, I do not actually want a pure straight line. I want the pitching hand on the driveline in back, but then, I want the pitching hand to move laterally to the pitching arm side off the driveline and lastly, to move laterally to the glove side off the driveline through release. However, after the pitching hand reaches driveline height, I do not want the pitching hand to move vertically at all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 062. As usual, it was a pleasure chatting with you Sunday (on your birthday nonetheless!!). One of the things we talked about was the safety factor and younger, physically overmatched kids dying from getting hit in the chest with a pitched ball. One suggestion I have for coaches concerned about this (and I wholeheartedly agree with you that one death is WAY too many) potentially unfortunate situation is to do a drill we came up to help teach the kids how to react to ball that is coming at them. We take a machine and the softer foam baseballs that it fires and instruct the kids on how to react to a potentially injurous pitch. I have found that most 9-10-11 year olds simply freeze or WORSE YET open up their front side in a futile attempt to run out of the way. We teach the kids some of the lessons I and my kids learned from a professional baseball player on how to get hit by a pitch. We show them film of my son, he was hit 32 times last spring and is still alive! Then, we take the machine and TRAIN them to react and be a position that is least harmful. The machine throws balls about 60 mph and yes, they do sting. (Wear a heavy winter coat if need be to take away the sting -- or just tough it out!!!) But the kids MUST be trained to react in the proper way, turning in to absorb the hit on the arm or shoulder or back, NOT turning out and opening the front side to a potentially fatal striking by the ball. Talking to them about it doesn't work, developing the muscle memory to react properly in the situation is crucial. The best way to achieve that I've discovered is the above. We do the drill about once a month. What do you think? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Every year, several biologically delayed youth baseball players who their organizers force to compete against youth baseball pitchers who are several years more biologically mature die from biological fifteen year old fastballs striking their ten biological year old very immature Sternum bone that protects their heart and head. While I agree and did, when I coached college baseball, that coaches must teach baseball batters how to correctly and safely protect themselves from being hit in the heart or head, I believe that it is more important that we stop grouping youth baseball pitchers by chronological age. I believe that the parents of these dead children have legal recourse against the organizers of these competitions putting their children in known unsafe circumstances, especially since that the information is generally known. In my doctoral dissertation, I showed that 8.3% of chronological twelve year old males are biologically fourteen and fifteen years old. For these young men to compete against chronological eleven years old who are biologically nine and ten years old is dangerous for and unfair to the delayed maturers and gives the accelerated maturers a false image of their athletic abilities that will be psychologically damaging to them as they stop growing years before the delayed maturers stop growing. The answer is not padding and instructions of how to get hit with baseballs, it is grouping by biological age. My elbow X-rays easily differentiate biological ages for adolescent males between ten and sixteen years old. The organizers of every youth competition should require them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 063. Thanks again for your input, of course that was the last thing I wanted to hear, but what I fear, is that we rest for 3-6 months and we are pretty much back where we are today, so thank you. One last question, Do you recommend an orthopedic that does that type of surgery in Florida? I intend to speak to our doctor, we have a followup in 2 weeks, but in the mean time, I'd like to ask around, and try to see if insurance might take care of it. Any suggestions? I realize it needs to be medically necessary for the insurance, but have you any ideas? If I'm crossing that line, please tell me so, If this was your son, what would be your next steps? Again, I value your opinion, and truly appreciate your input, Thank you for everything!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remember, the doctor said that it is possible that your son has a partial tear of his Ulnar Collateral Ligament and that it appears to be thinner at the distal end. He might not believe that he requires surgery. In which case, your son should do my program and wait to see whether his UCL holds up. If not, then he can get the surgery. I believe that most orthopedic doctors can perform this surgery. Just make sure that your son is not the first person for your surgeon. The surgery is quite simple. However, whether your son has a Palmaris Longus muscle is a question. If not, they can use a portion of a three muscle tendon in the knee. If so, make sure that they use the tendon of the Palmaris Longus muscle from his glove arm, not his pitching arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 064. Do you believe the "dip and drive" movement is physiologically OK? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The drop and drive pitching leg action lowers the center of mass of the pitchers' body. That is a biomechanical flaw. Baseball pitchers should move the center of mass of their body straight forward throughout the pitching motion. I do not believe that this leg action will destroy the pitching knee. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 065. I was going to order your video, but I had 1 question. my son has been going to the same pitching coach for a couple years his mechanics are sound, but I would like to have input from another coach, such as yourself. what do you think? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If the pitching coach teaches the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, then it is not sound and your son is silently destroying his pitching arm. He is prematurely closing growth plates, losing elbow flexion and extension ranges of motion and lengthening elbow and shoulder ligaments. All this happens without meaningful discomfort. With my pitching motion, training programs and recommendations about how much your son should pitch competitively and when, your son will master the skills he will need to compete at his highest level with a sound maximally developed pitching arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 066. Philosophically, I'm with you 100 percent!!! However, in the practical world, your wonderful plan isn't going to be implemented because: 1. Change is HARD. 2. The assignment of age grouping would be costly (X-rays, etc.) and time-consuming. Youth baseball leagues don't want to spend more money or time on something they don't believe they need to fix. It comes under the 'this system has worked well enough for seven decades, why expend time and money to change it.' 3. Those with the sexually-mature STUDS will resist this change for the better (even though to maintain status quo is only hurting their kid in the long run). Of course, both of those groups are severely short-sighted. I'll bet any parent who has lost a child due to being hit in the sternum would gladly spend a LOT of extra money and time to change the system. While I most certainly admire your efforts and totally respect your data and analysis, I implemented my plan of attack to deal with what is going on in the real world of youth sports. My 10-year-olds last summer faced girls who were 5-foot-9, 180 pounds at the ASA 10U National Championships in Tenn. I came up with the plan to most effectively in terms of safety compete against the sexually-mature Southern California kids and, if need be, absorb a nasty bruise in the arm or back on an extremely inside pitch instead of a potentially life-threatening situation. We were 60-9 going into the game and naturally came out 60-10, absorbing one of our most lopsided losses (8-0) of the season!! But nobody got hurt and I truly believe our kids came out of that game having learned more than the bigger opponent, whose skills were inferior in a top-to-bottom assessment but was SOO damn strong it could overcome at age 10 the skill differential. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To paraphrase, all that is necessary for the lack of positive change is that good people do nothing. Like all positive social change in our society, it will start in some small town. I trust informed parents, especially Moms. I understand that the parents of accelerated maturers mistakenly believe that adolescent competitions are good for their children. However, when they understand that the temporary unfair advantage that their children have, in the long run, damages their children, they will make the change. Further, I trust the, heretofore silent parents of the delayed maturers to fight for their children's rights for safe and equated competitions. True Americans like a fight, but we do not respect unfair advantages. There are better ways to express dissatisfaction with the system than to potentially injure innocent biologically accelerated participants. Children have no control over their rate of biological maturation. We must not reward or punish any for something over which they have no control. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 067. Thank you SO SO much for help. We have alot of decisions to make and a long road ahead of us. But, in talking to our son, he still very much wants to pitch. His one dream is to pitch in college. So, I will leave you alone for a while, but I will be in touch. I really feel that you truly care about your boys. You really have no idea how much you have done for me. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I said, I trust Moms. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 068. Our trainer has diagnosed a pitcher with tendonitis of the tendon at which the flexor carpi ulnaris, flexor carpi radialis and palmaris longis originate on the medial epicondyle. My question is what flaw is creating this problem and how do you determine that it's tendonitis and not a UCL problem? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Pronator Teres and a portion of the Flexor Digitorum Superficialis also arise from the Medial Epicondyle. 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' ruptures the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. To determine whether the discomfort emanates from the Ulnar Collateral Ligament, you place your thumb on the medial side of the elbow joint where the distal end of the Humerus bone articulates with the proximal end of the Ulna bone and press. If he hollers, then he has strained his Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Then, go to precisely where he says it hurts. If it is the Pronator Teres muscle, it will be in the middle of the anterior surface of the forearm near the bicipital indentation. If it is the Flexor Carpi Ulnaris muscle, it will be on the medial surface of the forearm and inch or so below the articulations of the two bones. You need to get a good anatomy book and learn where these muscles lie under the skin. They are really easy to differentiate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 069. I am having problems with the bottom joint on my throwing index finger. It has become swollen and hurts when I throw. The trainer here thinks it is tendonitis. I was wondering if you had any suggestions as to why my finger is doing this and what to change to make it stop. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You said, 'The bottom joint of your throwing index finger.' Do you mean the articulation between the distal end of the second metacarpal and the proximal end of it proximal phalange of the second digit. Two tendons do pass by that way, but they do not insert. Therefore, I suspect that you have irritated the hyaline cartilage of at least one of two articulating surfaces. I would ice it and throw the iron balls, footballs and baseballs really hard for a few days. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 070. I see you are now using lower weight wrist weights for the younger kids. I just got a great catalogue from your vendor at (800)521-2832. I see you now want 2.5 and 5lb wrist weights. This company has 3lb WW (#BE197M-4) 4lb (#BE030m-4) and 6lb (#BE0314-4). They also have an adjustable 6lb ankle weight (#BE034M-4). This has individual 1 lb bars you can remove. I guess you could take 1 bar out and have a 5 lb WW. My questions: 1. You have often stated that weighted baseballs do not create a physiological adjustment. You are advising a 1 lb iron ball for the younger kids. Does this iron ball create a physiological adjustment? 2. How do you arrive at a recommended wrist weight at 2.5lbs as opposed to say a 3lb wrist weight? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At sixteen biological years old, I recommend that my baseball pitchers use six pound iron balls. At thirteen biological years old, I recommend that my baseball pitchers use four pound iron balls. At ten biological years old, I recommend that my baseball pitchers use two pound iron balls. 01. The problem with the weighted baseballs is twofold. One, the differential between the weighted baseball and the actual baseball is too small. As a result, the increase in weight does not stimulate the bones, ligaments and tendons in the pitching arm to make a meaningful physiological adjustment. Two, the differential between the weighted baseball and the actual baseball is too small to teach baseball pitchers whether their force application technique accounts for conservation of momentum. This means that adult baseball pitchers can probably use the 'traditional' baseball pitchers to throw the weighted baseballs, but they cannot use the 'traditional' pitching motion to throw my six, eight, ten, twelve and fifteen pound iron balls. My pitchers can and do. 02. At sixteen biological years old, I recommend that my baseball pitchers use ten pound wrist weights. At thirteen biological years old, I recommend that my baseball pitchers use five pound wrist weights. At ten biological years old, I recommend that my baseball pitchers use two and one-half pound wrist weights. I like symmetry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 071. In your 2006 Q/A file, number 13, if your correspondent is close enough to me in the Northeast I would like to contact him, and possibly take my 14 year old to see his son pitch. We are starting on the first 60 day program (4 days so far), and I'd like him to know what could happen with hard work. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I will send him a copy of your email. His son is training with me in beautiful Zephyrhills, FL. He will leave here on the fourth Saturday in May. He would be an excellent teacher for your son. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 072. An advocate of your pitching motion that posts many pictorials of MLB pitchers had the following to say on another web site about the relative velocity of the 4 seam vs 2 seam fastball. Do you agree? "Actually, and paradoxically, a 2-seamer does go slower than a 4-seamer. The difference is due to something called the boundary layer. It turns out that the 4 seams rotating energizes the air in the boundary layer. This, paradoxically, REDUCES the drag on the ball. As result, a 4-seamer slows down less quickly than does a 2-seamer. That is why a 4-seamer appears to rise. The truth is that what actually happens is that a 4-seamer falls less than you would expect (and than does a 2-seamer)." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would love to see the research that proves that more seams contacting air molecules causes less drag than fewer seams contacting air molecules. Does that also mean that when my Maxline Pronation Curve spins twice as fast as the 'traditional' curve, we can expect is to slow down less, therefore, move less than the 'traditional' curve. I understand how wind tunnel tests show how the air molecules move around spinning baseballs, I did not know that they also measured the resistance that these baseball encounter. I agree that the four-seam fastball does not move downward as fast as gravity would have it. However, I attribute that to the seams on the bottom of the baseball moving colliding the air molecules, which creates a greater force on the bottom of the baseball, and the seams on the top of the baseball moving with the air molecules, which creates a lesser force on the top of the baseball, such that the baseball tries to move away from the greater force and toward the lesser force. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 073. I am now on day 5 of your adult 315 day program. I only have one question. Do the people doing this program play catch or throw a baseball before they finish the program, or does the program need to be finished before throwing occurs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you do my One Step Crow-Hop body action; Pendulum Swing glove and pitching arm actions drill, if you want, you can pretend that you are throwing to another person. However, it is a good idea for baseball pitchers to throw their pitches in the strike zone. Nevertheless, I understand your concern. Yes, we do practice throwing pickoffs to the bases, throwing bunted baseballs to bases and throwing batted baseballs that we catch to bases. I don't even mind if my pitchers practice throwing from the outfield to bases. But, do not believe that throwing anywhere other than off the pitching mound to the strike zone in any way helps baseball pitchers to throw strikes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 074. If pitchers can gain enough strength in their added Humeral outward rotation range of motion, how close do you think they can come to driving the ball horizontally forward? At full speed do you think it will be possible to throw the ball with the same driveline as the wristweights and iron ball? Do you have any idea how much added strength this will take, beyond what the boys already possess? I understand intrinsically what you wrote about the ball/throwing hand never going above the horizontal level of the elbow at the back of the driveline. Does this also mean that the elbow needs to start higher, at the back of the driveline? It would seem so. Again, Humeral outward rotation range of motion is critical. How is my son coming along on standing taller? After chewing on this issue some more it seems problematic to 'sprint off the pitching rubber.' When sprinters initially drive out of the blocks they lean dramatically forward, in the first two steps, prior to straightening their spine vertically. This induces a forward lean that would seem to inhibit faster body rotation. Am I thinking correctly? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, I believe that baseball pitchers can drive the baseball horizontally forward through release. As you say, they already do it with my wrist weights and iron ball. Because baseballs weigh much less, unlike with my wrist weights and iron balls, they should not have any need to apply any upward force. I believe that they apply upward force as a remnant of the 'traditional' pitching motion, where 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' taught them that they could only apply force with their arm straightened from centripetal force. It is a powerful habit for them to overcome. To increase their ability to outwardly rotate their pitching shoulder, which means the Humerus bone in their pitching upper arm, baseball pitchers must strengthen their inward rotation muscles in their maximum outward rotation position. In baseball pitching, in descending order of contribution, the Subscapularis, Teres Major, Latissimus Dorsi, Coracobrachialis, Anterior Deltoid, Supraspinatus and Middle Deltoid muscles inwardly rotate the shoulder joint. With my interval-training program, my pitchers will teach these muscles to contract lower percentages of their contractile units, such that these muscles can withstand the stress of greater outward rotation. However, it not only requires understanding that it is important to increase their shoulder joint outward rotation range of motion, but it also takes gently minusculely increasing the outward rotation stress on a daily basis for several months and, possibly, years. With only eighteen months of training, most of which we did not focus on the outward rotation range of motion of the pitching shoulder, your son remains in the beginning stages of this effort. As the high-speed film shows, your son has to raise his pitching upper arm to 'lock' earlier and stay there. Unfortunately, somewhere in his 'traditional' pitching motion past, he developed the habit of dropping out of 'lock' just before he started his rapid forward shoulder rotation. I pointed this out to him in the high-speed film that I took of him in May 2005. You are correct, the more vertical the body during the rapid forward shoulder rotation of my pitching motion, the faster the pitchers can rotate. While driving off the pitching rubber requires that he lower his center of mass and lean forward, it does not requires him to hunch his shoulders or bend forward at his waist at the end of his rapid shoulder forward rotation. Therefore, his propensity to hunch his shoulders and bend forward at his waist at the end of his rapid forward shoulder rotation relates to the 'traditional' pitching motion he used for over a decade, not driving off the pitching rubber with his pitching foot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 075. Am I thinking correctly that when this happens, my son's elbow drops, or bounces? I suspect this is the single largest inefficiency in his motion, causing substantial velocity loss. Is this correct? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Without a doubt, this movement decreases his release velocity, but, more, it makes release consistency almost impossible, especially with curves and screwballs. It is not a bounce; he simply drops out of 'lock'. It is an old habit that he has had for many years. I think now that he has seen it from the side view; he recognizes what he is doing and is working to correct it. It told him to not think about the baseball, but, instead, think about his elbow. I told him that he has to make an elliptical, continuously moving pathway with his elbow during which he 'locks' his upper arm and repositions his forearm for whatever pitch he wants to throw. I thought he did well today. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 076. At the end of your answer to Question #17, you wrote the following: "You will notice that I am no longer telling pitchers to push back with their glove foot." As I understand what you teach, this is huge news. I was under the impression that pushing back toward second through release was critical in applying Newton's Third Law, the Law of Reaction. Plus, it made a lot of sense. What made you change? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you know, in an effort to do something that they need to do, I frequently ask my pitchers to do things that they cannot do. When I asked them to push back toward second base with their glove foot at the same time that they used their pitching forearm to drive through release, I wanted them to move the center of mass of their body in front of their glove foot. However, with my high-speed film, I learned that they waited until well after they released the baseball and their body was well ahead of their glove foot to push back. As a result, they did not generate any oppositely-directed force with their glove foot before release. Now, I ask them to pull back with their glove foot. As a result, when they step forward, they are using their glove foot to pull their body forward. Fortunately, my high-speed film showed me that that instruction did not work. Now, the pull-back of the glove foot provides the oppositely-directed force we need. My bad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 077. I would like to obtain pitching training videos that may be available by your company. I have a twelve year old boy who loves to pitch and I need to make sure he understands the subject from all aspects. Kindly advise me how to obtain this information. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am in the final stages of completing my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. When I finish it, I am at the mercy of those who make the DVD and VHS copies. I will do everything that I can to speed up the process. Watch the home page of my website. When I am ready to ship my video, I will change the icon to 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. When you see that change, click on it and the file will tell you what you need to do to get a copy. I appreciate your interest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 078. I was looking at some old how-to hitting files I have and came across the following: "Bat Angle: Any bat held vertically in the stance (straight up and down) will initiate a long loop in its path to the ball, using valuable time. Worse, gravity acts to pull the head of the vertical bat down below the hands during the swing, which nullifies top hand action and hinders hip rotation. The swing becomes warped into an undercut. A bat which is held more horizontally in the stance, at a forty-five degree angle or flatter, will have greater efficiency to the strike zone. Less time will be required getting it to the point of contact. More, the effect of gravity is minimized so top hand action and hip rotation are complete. Also, the path of the bat is straight and level. A few great hitters started with a vertical (straight up) bat angle, and if it feels right for you, try it. Just remember that a level swing cannot come out of a vertical bat angle. The flatter the bat angle, the shorter and quicker the stroke. Level Swing Production: The best hitter, from a personal and team standpoint, is the one who consistently swings at the ball on a level plane in the effort to produce line drives. It’s not just the line drive that makes the hitter productive, but when he “mis-hits” the ball, which will happen over 50% of his at-bats, he hits hard ground balls rather than fly balls. Balls hit in the air are a waste. Ninety-five percent of fly balls are certain outs. Ground balls get through the infield for hits, move the runners up, and put pressure on the infielders. They are always potentially productive. More runs are knocked in with ground balls than fly balls. This may come as a surprise from a home run hitter, but that is how strongly I believe in the level stroke. Many, many of my home runs were hit with a level cut, which produced backspin on the ball for distance. My best years at the plate, those combining my top average with home run production, came after I discovered my true level cut. My true level cut felt like I was swing down, but films showed it to be level, on a direct collision course with the pitch." I thought this sounded very much like you. It was written by Mike Schmitt. Would you say he basically captures your hitting philosophy? Did you ever pitch against him? Did you like his swing? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Schmidt wrote a book on baseball batting with Ron Pruitt. In 1971, I took high-speed film of Ron Pruitt. I have it on my work table for future work on baseball batting. He played college baseball at Michigan State University, where I was working on my doctoral degree. I taught Ron Pruitt my force-coupling baseball batting technique. I agree with everything that Mr. Schmidt wrote, except I want batters to keep their torso vertical and hold the bat horizontal. Vertical torsos rotate faster and horizontal baseball bats have the minimum amount of looping. I had sixteen at bats against Mike Schmidt. I walked him four times. I struck him out four times. He grounded out five times. He flied out three times. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 079. Since I have been working on the rythym and not actively reverse rotating, I have gained more accuracy and my slider is starting to work again (somewhat). But, I cannot seem to get the curveball down. Ever since I left the camp, I progressively lost the snap on the release. But not only that, I can't even put it near the plate. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not actively reverse rotating your hips and shoulders should keep the baseball from moving laterally behind your body. This should make your driveline straighter. When you lose the proper arm action for my Maxline Pronation Curve, you need to practice bringing your pitching hand forward with the back of your hand in front and throwing cross-panel Wrong Foot Pendulum Swing throws. That you cannot drive the baseball straight at home plate means that you are not forwardly rotating your hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm to point at home plate. You need to stand tall and rotate. Drive your pitching knee inside toward your glove knee and turn your pitching hip forward. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 080. I'm not suggesting this, and I'm sure you wouldn't support it but what if high school, college and professional pitchers followed your workout program (wrist weights, iron ball exercises, football throws, etc.) and did your throwing program but used a modification of the 'traditional' motion. By modified I mean they don't bring the baseball behind their acromial line, shortened their stride to the length of their walking stride and finished with their throwing arm leg ahead of their center of mass. In other words, would your training and throwing program injury-roof pitchers despite the pitcher's application of force? After all, it worked for you - you were able to avoid major arm injury while pitching with a 'traditional' motion - why wouldn't it work for others? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unless they also eliminated their 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' and 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' they would rip their pitching shoulder and elbow apart. When I watch my 1974 pitching mechanics, I cringe. But, when I did my wrist weight and iron ball exercises, I did not have these injurious flaws. I wish that I knew then.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 081. This morning I had my lefty try an experiment. I have previously noted that the glove hand always stops, pointing toward home plate, then has to resume its motion. Because we want the pitching hand to have continuous motion, never coming to a complete stop, I wondered what would happen if we tried the same thing with the glove hand and arm. By delaying and slowing the pendulum swing of the glove hand a little bit, he was able to accomplish this quite easily. After a bit of experimenting we found that he could time the glove hand such that it would arrive at the top of the stroke at the same time as he needed to drive it rearward, eliminating any pause. It seemed to work quite well. Your thoughts? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Those are the precise glove pendulum swing instructions that I give. The variations that my pitchers invent amaze me. My congratulations to your lefty for learning how to do this. I hope he keeps it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 082. A mother posted the following on a web site I frequent. I told her I would ask you the questions rather than presume to speak for you. After I post your response to the eteamz site I will also encourage her to contact you. Seems a good way to continue to put your message in front of increasing numbers of people. If you'd prefer that I attempt to answer questions like this and preserve your time I'm happy to do that also. If I were writing the answer it might sound like this: There is a dramatic difference in HOW Dr. Marshall advocates youngsters learn to throw. Specifically, you cannot equate the stresses of the two different pitching motions. Because his throwing motion uses the muscles and bones of the body differently than what you typically see, throwing-arm injuries are eliminated, if kids learn and use his throwing mechanic. If they continue to throw and pitch in the way you are accustomed to seeing it takes time for damaged tissues to heal. With Dr. Marshall's mechanic instead of damaging muscles, connective tissues and bones, these tissues are strengthened a day at a time. This is why they can pitch every single day and guys with conventional mechanics cannot. No one, including Dr. Marshall, knows exactly how much stress the immature growth plates of the elbow and shoulder can withstand before they are irreversibly damaged. If you and your son participate in his research study on this subject you can help provide the answers for everyone. My son was drafted by a professional team after high school graduation. He pitched a year of college ball for a top-10 nationally ranked college program. After looking at the injury scenario we decided that it would be best for him to change how he throws. Why in the world would I do this with a prospective pro ballplayer if I did not believe that Dr. Marshall is correct? I suggest that you contact him through his website at www.drmikemarshall.com Does this answer your questions? What more help can I provide? ----------------------------------------------- Question about Dr Marshall: I know I am going to regret asking this question, but I am really curious. Dr Mike Marshall believes that it is okay for a 10, 11, & 12 year olds to pitch 48 pitches a day for 60 days straight and insists that the boys get no more than 2 months per year of pitching max. Question: If this is okay, why not allow a boy to pitch 2 days a week for 30 weeks -( equivalent to spring & fall ball)? It seems to me that this would allow the muscles and body to recover in between practices. Especially if the boy is not even pitching 48 pitches in a single practice. What seems excessive is to allow a young body to repeat the same specialized motions 60 days straight. (Only curious, my son is not pitching, yet so don't attack my motives or intentions.) ----------------------------------------------- As always I look forward to hearing from you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As we teachers love to say, there is no such thing as a bad question. And, this question is a fabulous question. Over the last century, our society has made some great adjustments. The forty hour work week proved to be good for business and good for workers and families. Child labor laws removed our children from the work place and industrial injuries and death. In the twenties and thirties, child growth and development researchers used children as research subjects. For example, before we understood the danger in exposing everybody, but especially children to X-rays, researchers conducted large studies of bone growth and development in growing children from birth to adulthood. While these studies produced most of our knowledge of bone growth and development, in the 1950s, National Institute of Health funding requirements severely limited all research that could potentially cause long term health problems on children and adolescents. Therefore, researchers have had to turn to lab animals. Again, NIH restricts research on lab animals. Nevertheless, such research goes on and much of it advances our knowledge of how physiological systems respond to stress. To provide one simple example: In one study of the effects of pre-pubescent stress, researchers took two groups of prepubescent lab animals, in this case, rats and exposed one group to mildly cold water every day for a few weeks. Then, they waited until after both groups matured and exposed both groups to severely cold water. Every subject in the experimental group that they exposed to mildly stressful conditions as prepubescent animals survived the extreme stress. None of the control group survived. This research and similar studies indicate that, when youngsters experience mild stress, their physiological systems make adaptations that enable them to successfully handle that stress as adults. Therefore, as a Physical Educator, I believe that our children should experience wide varieties of mild physical stress for short durations. To the contrary, child growth and development research shows that even mild physical stress over extended time periods caused the involved physiological systems to break down. As a Physical Educator, I also believe that we have an obligation to our children to provide opportunities for them to learn wide varieties of athletic and recreations skills, such that, when they become adults, to remain active and physically fit, they can choose those skills they particularly enjoy. I love baseball. I love baseball pitching. However, with our year-around competitive baseball programs, we are destroying the best pitching arms of each generation. Until our children become physiological adults, they need short periods of skill development and strategy learning. Research into the physiology of exercise, that is how the human body responds to types and intensity of exercise, which is a physiological stress shows that daily physical stress is better than intermittent physical stress. This means that, in general, our physiological systems tolerate throwing baseballs every day at below competitive intensities better than throwing baseballs twice a week. But specifically, practicing the skills of baseball pitching with drills every day for two months is physiologically beneficial and youth baseball pitchers master the skills that they will use as adults. The present youth baseball program system provides too much stress over too long a time period. The proof is in the number of growth plate and ligament injuries. And, as Dr. Joel Adams showed in his definitive research into the effects of baseball pitching in youth baseball, ninety-five percent of the pitchers suffered permanent growth and develop damage to the bones in their pitching arms. Unfortunately, most youngsters are unaware that their growth plates have prematurely closed and the critical ligaments have lengthened, leaving them with insecure joints, such that they do not complain of anything more than what my mother called, 'growing pains.' Lastly, the bones of different children mature at different rates. Their developmental rates follow the normal bell-shaped curve where most children develop within one standard deviation of the mean. However, there are many children that develop at rates that are two or more standard deviations from the mean to both sides. For example, in my doctoral dissertation, I researched using biological age and chronological age when classifying adolescent males for motor performance norms. I found that 8.3% of chronological twelve year olds are biologically fourteen and older. This means that, with their accelerated growth rate, within the next couple of years, these youngsters will be biologically fully grown young men. This gives them a tremendous physiological advantage over chronological twelve year olds who are biological twelve year olds. To confirm this, just watch the Little League World Series. In fact, as a research professor at Springfield College Creighton Hale determined the biological ages of the participants in the 1955 Little League World Series and found that most of them were biologically fourteen years old. Professor Hale later became President of Little League Baseball, Inc. But, what about the 8.3% of the chronological twelve year olds who are biologically ten years old and younger who love baseball and want to pitch? Who cares about them? Me. Thanks for the opportunity to answer your question. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 083. My youngest son dislocated his shoulder twice. He is an avid sportsman, he plays rugby and cricket. He ended up with a Lateche operation. Both the shoulders have shallow glenoid joints. Can you give me statistics on the incidents of this problem in families? My other son also has the problem of recurrent dislocation of his shoulders and shallow glenoid joints. I tried to search the web to see if there were any studies done on families, but to no avail. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Typically, it takes a lot of force to dislocate the head of the Humerus bone from the Glenoid Fossa. In addition to many powerful muscles, we have powerful ligaments that hold the head of the Humerus bone into the Glenoid Fossa. However, researchers have found that too much stress, especially throwing, during the adolescent years, lengthen these ligaments and leave the shoulder joint less stable. I have no access to any research in developmental anomalies in the development of the Glenoid Fossa. However, interestingly, as a youngster, I could voluntarily dislocate and relocate the head of my Humerus bone from its Glenoid Fossa with my left shoulder. Though my father and one brother are left-handed and I appeared to have tendencies to use my left hand, because my left shoulder felt, to use the technical term, felt 'sloppy,' I used my right arm. If the former explanation is your son's situation, then baseball pitchers frequently have surgery to tighten the Gleno-Humeral Ligaments. Jim Morris of 'The Rookie' fame had that surgery done during his twenties and made a comeback in his thirties. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 084. Can I send you money for the 2004 video and get a 2006 video when it is finished? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In anticipation of my 2006 video, I stopped ordering copies of my 2004 video. Therefore, I have run out of copies of my 2004 video. However, I expect to finish my 2006 video shortly. I have hopes that my video guy can provide me with high-quality, fully-compatible DVD copies as soon as possible. I hope to also have VHS copies soon. Please watch the home page of my website for my announcement of their availability. I will change the icon from 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video to 2006. I appreciate your interest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 085. Do you recommend any Kinesiology textbooks? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other than a teach-out class a couple of years ago, I have not taught Kinesiology since the mid-1990s. Therefore, I am not up to date with the latest in Kinesiology textbooks. But then, I really did not use a textbook. For the biomechanical aspect of my Kinesiology course, I have my own materials. However, while I do not agree with much of what the author writes, for the applied anatomy aspect of my Kinesiology course, I like the Manual of Structural Kinesiology by Thompson and Floyd. When I last taught Kinesiology, the department chair required that students purchase Kinesiology: Scientific Basis of Human Movement by Luttgens, Deutsch and Hamilton. But, I never used it in any of my lectures. Well, I did have my student read the section with Sir Isaac Newton's three laws of motion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 086. I mailed you a tape that you should receive soon. It is a program I recorded from Fit TV (one of the Discovery Channel stations). The hour long tape shows the training program of Barry Zito. It is an interesting program. It makes me wonder what someone who is so dedicated to training could do with your program instead of his current program. I find it interesting that among all the sports showcased in this series (Insider Training), that baseball is the sport that involves the least sport specific training. Trainers seem afraid to let the baseball pitcher actually use the pitching motion to improve their performance. The show featuring a tri-athlete featured little but swimming, cycling, and running for hours a day. But let a pitcher actually throw - heaven forbid! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I receive the tape, I will review it for you. If my baseball pitchers used the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, I would not let them throw either. Athletic trainers are not Exercise Physiologists, they do not have the training with which to design training programs. They tape ankles, put ice on body parts and wear white shirts. Nice guys, but they do not have doctoral degrees in Exercise Physiology. Nevertheless, you are correct about professional baseball people, whether General Managers, Farm Directors, Directors of Player Development, Major League Pitching Coaches, Minor League Pitching Coordinators and Minor Leaue Pitching Coaches, they are all afraid to train baseball pitchers and for good reason. They know that they have no idea why baseball pitchers become injured. They know that if they train baseball pitchers and those pitchers become injured, then they lose their jobs. But, don't blame them, blame the guys who hire inadequately trained personnel or the guys that hire the guys who hire inadequately trained personnel. Oh yeah, that's the owners and nobody dare tell owners that they don't know what they are doing. Because they have no idea why baseball pitchers become injured, they use pitch counts and stop pitchers from throwing. They want to appear concerned. They want to appear as though they are doing something to keep baseball pitchers from becoming injured. But, all they are doing is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The cause has been there for one hundred and thirty years. The 'traditional' baseball pitching motion injures baseball pitchers. After you watch my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, you will understand why baseball pitchers become injured and you will understand the pitching motion and training programs that they should use to not only never become injured, but to also achieve their genetic maximum release velocity and master the wide variety of baseball pitches that they will need to succeed at their highest levels. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 087. My friend and I are baseball nuts. We love the game, not just the stats, but art and science of it. You were an amazing pitcher back then, and I am intrigued by your intellectual approach towards pitching. I know that you make a living off of pitching advice, but I don't know how to "buy" an answer, so hopefully you'll just answer my "pitching physics question" or give me a reference to go to. (I did read a great deal of your stuff on in the Baseball Almanac, including the stuff about gravity's effect, but it didn't answer my question.) So here it is: I understand that when a baseball is released from a pitcher's hand that it has movement, but how can a ball, once it has established a path, rise up and down or from one side to another and then back again. I can understand how it travels down from the pitchers delivery and/or from gravity, or how it can rise continually upwards from the delivery (understanding that gravity will eventually drop it down) but how can it be going in a downward path and then rise up again. I was wondering this after Sutter got his nod to the Hall because he had such a wicked knuckle ball for several years (we are from Chicago.) What pushes a ball back upward? I hope this isn't too stupid of a question. Thanks, and hope all is going well with you, keep up the great work. Nobody ever handled the Big Red Machine like the good doctor! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First, I do not make a living off of pitching advice. I give my Coaching Baseball Pitcher book, it is on my website for all to read and copy for free and I have updated it from whatever Baseball Almanac has posted for free, at least, I never got any money, on his website. At this point, I have not even recouped my costs of making my Baseball Pitching Instructional Videos. I train baseball pitchers for a minimum of forty weeks. I don't pretend that I can meaningfully influence their pitching with a week or month of training. That's two hundred and eighty consecutive days. I charge ten dollars per day. Do you have any idea what the know-nothing pitching coaches charge parents for an hour of coaching that will only destroy their son's pitching arms? I'm sorry Sir, but I am only interested in eliminating all pitching injuries, not stealing money under false pretenses. That's fraud and parents and injured pitchers should take them to court. Now, to your question. It sounds as though you tried to read Chapter Nineteen of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book; Daniel Bernoulli, but without success. You need to try again, but this time, read it on my website. Don's worry, on my website, I don't charge anybody for anything. After baseball pitchers release their pitches, baseballs are ballistic missiles and subject only to the forces of collisions with air molecules and gravity. Gravity drives baseballs to the ground. Therefore, unless baseball pitchers release their pitches at upward angles, baseballs never move upward. Collisions of air molecules with rough surfaces of baseballs, notably the seams, generate forces the cause baseballs to change directions from greater pressure to lesser pressure. Mr. Sutter threw a true sinker. True sinkers have circles of friction on the top, front part of the baseball, which, when they collide with air molecules, cause them to move downward. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 088. Just wanted to thank you for the opportunity to absorb your pitching knowledge. The kids we are coaching will be excited to learn from someone with your experience. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am about finished with my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. When I received the finished product, I will get one to you. At this time, I have no idea how long that will be. Watch the home page of my website for the change from 2004 to 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 089. Thank you so much for your recent hospitality this week. I very much enjoyed it and learned much. Thank you also for letting me view some of your upcoming video. People are going to love it. I really like how you have the little dots showing the path of the ball from the ready position to release. That will be eye opening. Everyone that has the ability to visit your Training Center should do so. My question concerns how far your guys step out with their glove foot. In the video clips I saw, they seemed to be stepping out further than I envision you liking. Have you made any adjustments to that aspect of your pitching motion? Thanks again and I look forward to the video. Should we start sending our checks to you so you can get them cleared through your bank, etc.? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We always enjoy your visits. The boys know you as a regular. The measure of whether my baseball pitchers step forward too far is whether they get their pitching knee ahead of their glove foot at release. While other causes can prevent them from accomplishing this goal, such as striding closed and not driving the lateral side of their pitching foot straight forward, if I see on the videotapes that I take at the end of each forty-eight day training cycle, then I will adjust the length of their step. I am about a week away from completing my video. I still have no idea how long it will be before I have the finished product ready to ship. Let's wait until then. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 090. I am 50 and enjoyed watching you pitch in the Majors on TV when I was younger. I also enjoyed your mention in "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton. I have a 14 year old son who pitches and have come through the Tom House - John Bagonzi - Dick Mills methodologies. Based on your online book, I think I've managed to teach him some things correctly - but now is the time to get his mechanics really right. I just today (01/28/2006) came across your website and spent the last several hours going through parts of your online book. I have a few questions about things I didn't understand: 1. Is there anything inherently wrong with an 80%-90% stride? 2. When bringing the pitching arm forward is there an optimal height of the elbow in relationship to the pitching shoulder and is there an optimal height of the pitching hand? I was very confused about your remark that "At no time during my baseball pitching motion should baseball pitchers raise their pitching hand above the horizontal height of their pitching elbow." I have no idea what this means. What I'm trying to find out is what the optimal position/height of the pitching arm's upper arm, elbow and forearm should be when bring the pitching arm forward to deliver the pitch. 3. I always point out as an example how well (vigorously) Jason Schmidt of the San Francisco Giants rotates his hips after his glove foot lands. Do you think that Jason Schmidt is a good example of how to rotate the hips? 4. Can you explain why the glove site foot, when it lands, needs to land heel first? I see very few major leaguers doing this and all other information I've read says the landing foot should land either ball-of-the-foot or flat-footed. 5. Do you know of any pitching coaches in New Jersey who are adherents of and well versed in, your pitching methodology? I ask because going to Florida is not something I can do - although I will buy your 2006 instructional video as soon as it is available. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. When baseball pitchers stride eighty to ninety percent of their standing height, they stop the forward movement of the center of mass of their body. This shortens the length of their driveline and prevents them from fully forwardly rotating their hips and shoulders. It also causes them to have to bend forward at their waist. In addition to forcing them to apply force along a curved downward pathway, bending forward at their waist lowers the release height of their pitches, unnecessarily stresses the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in the glove knee, unnecessarily stresses the trunk extensor muscles of the lower back, increases the probability that they will injure the Adductor Brevis muscle of their pitching leg, leaves the pitching foot within inches of the pitching rubber at release and gives them acne. 02. Baseball pitchers should drive their pitches along a line between home plate and second base at the height of their pitching ear. This means that whether we view the driveline from the side view, the rear view or the overhead view, we should see straight lines from the first movement the baseball starts forward on the driveline through release. After they pendulum swing their pitching arm down, back and up to driveline height, baseball pitchers should 'lock' their pitching upper arm with their shoulders, which requires that they raise their pitching elbow to driveline height. At no time during my pitching motion should baseball pitchers raise their pitching hand above their pitching elbow. If they do, then they will shorten the length of their driveline, unnecessarily stress the inside of their pitching elbow, generate horizontal centripetal force to their pitching arm side, which will cause 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' which will enlarge the Coronoid Process of the Ulna bone in their pitching forearm and decrease the depth of their Olecranon Fossa of the Humerus bone in their pitching upper arm, which decreases the flexion and extension ranges of motion of their pitching elbow. 03. Jason Schmidt uses the 'traditional' pitching motion. Therefore, nothing that he does is a good example of the proper way for baseball pitchers to apply force to their pitches. All baseball pitchers forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders after their glove foot lands, even mine. It is impossible for baseball pitchers to forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders until their glove foot lands. 04. I teach my baseball pitchers to step forward with their glove leg in the same manner as they do when they walk. When their glove foot lands, I want them to pull back toward second base with their glove leg in the same manner as they do when they walk. I want them to stand tall and forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders around their glove foot. To do these actions, they need to land with the heel of their glove foot, move forward onto the toes of their glove foot and pirouette to their glove side. 05. I do not yet have a network of pitching coaches stationed around the nations. Until then, when I finish my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, parents will become the second best baseball pitching coach that their sons could ever have. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 091. I've been playing/coaching baseball for more than 50 years. My specific area of interest/expertise is pitching and have always believed that the screwball was one of the most harmful pitches that could be thrown. Recently, I have come across info that states otherwise (with your name being mentioned as the source to go to for valid, "believable" information since that pitch was part of your arsenal.) Over the years, I have read/watched (via video) the work of a number of different people (i.e. - Tom House, Spanky McFarland, Bill Thurston, John Bagonzi, Bob Shaw, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Dick Mills and more) with most speaking minimally referent to throwing the screwball or not mentioning it at all. However, the more I've read, the more your name has been mentioned as one who "knows from whence he speaks". Putting it bluntly, I have "done my homework on you" and like what I've found. As a result, I have visited your web site and will soon be purchasing your instructional video/book. In the meantime, since I don't take my "teaching" lightly and want to be sure I provide accurate and complete information to those that I am responsible for educating, I'd appreciate any thoughts about throwing the screwball that you'd be willing to share when you get an opportunity. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I teach all baseball pitchers how to throw my Maxline True Screwball. In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, as well as my Maxline Fastball, Maxline Pronation Curve, Torque Fastball, Maxline Fastball Sinker and Torque Fastball Slider, I give precise, detailed information about how to throw my screwball. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 092. I have one other question at this point regarding the stride length of the glove foot. Is there any rule of thumb for the length of the stride of the glove foot? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I teach my pitchers to 'step' forward with their glove foot only as far as they can easily move the center of mass of their body straight forward, such that, at release, they can move their pitching knee in front of their glove foot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 093. I just read this week's letters. I have often thought about this, especially at Christmas and Thanksgiving, and thought you might be interested. Except for the fact that the holiday bird is dead tissue, the traditional pitching motion, concerning the shoulder and elbow is much like wrenching the legs or wings out of their sockets. Next holiday, just look at how well all of the connective tissue tears and separates. Always the happy thoughts. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great analogy. Grab the end of the drum stick, pendulum swing it down and laterally back as far as you can go, then, raise it straight upward, such that, while you move the upper arm forward, pull the elbow end back and I'll bet that bird's shoulder joint comes off for some good eating. Another successful surgery. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 094. I am wondering if you have ever heard of prolotherapy and if you have what are your thoughts on it. If you haven't heard of it you can go to chicagosportsmedicine.com or caringmedical.com and it explains it in detail. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My goal is to put all orthopedic surgeons who operate on the pitching arms of baseball pitchers out of business and, with them, all their physical therapists. The best therapy for the pitching arm is to never use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. Instead, use my pitching motion and complete my training programs. If you do, you will never have any pitching injuries. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 095. I'm a Dad trying to help his 15 year old son. 1) Is your "Baseball Pitching Instructional Videotape" still available and for $100.00? 2) Is your address still Dr. Mike Marshall, 38313 Vinson Avenue, Zephyrhills, FL 33542? 3) Do we still send our return address and e-mail address? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The last of my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Videos are gone. I do not plan to order another batch. Therefore, we will have to wait until I get copies of my 2006 video. I am almost finished with making it. Next, I need someone to produce copies. When I have them, I will change the icon on the home page of my website to 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. You have the correct address and I cannot send one to you without your address. I like to have your email address so that I can notify you that I have sent it and you can notify me that you have received it. To make it the best video that I can, I also need to hear your comments. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 096. First of all let me say that it is great to read your Q&A section of your website. It brings back a lot of memories of the days of being one of the first to go through your program. Although my career never happened the way that I had hoped, I still remain a firm believer in what you do. I live in the midwest and I am constantly recommending players and parents of future players to seek out your advice. The advice that I can give is limited and a bit outdated. Secondly, I have read a lot about these other "pitching" instructors and how they tend to belittle and tear down your pitching method. My question is; have any of these guys bothered to educate themselves and actually go to Florida and try to see what you are all about? It is very easy to talk about someone or someone's idea behind their back. Speaking first hand, a person can not learn your program fully by just reading about it. It needs to be seen first hand and studied. I know that it takes time and a tremendous amount of effort to internalize the program. People never believe me when I tell them stories of my old workouts i.e., 14 lb iron ball, 35 lb wrist weights (the first I might add), and still throwing over 100 pitches, full speed EVERY SINGLE DAY. I never had any sort of arm injury the whole time. As far as none of your pitchers succeeding in the major leagues, how many teams out there will FULLY allow someone to give your method a chance to succeed? I remember the flack that I got at just the tryouts. If someone is not willing to educate themselves on something new, then the mistakes of the past will continue. In conclusion, I just want to tell you to keep up the good work. Every time I visit your website, that fire inside starts blazing again. I guess it has never gone out. I still have that dream of some day making it (even at my age). Maybe, if I win the lottery and do not have to work to support my family, I might give it one more shot. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for your email. It's great to hear from you. Please send me your mailing address so that when I get copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I can send you a copy. In the years since we last worked together, with the help of the students teaching me how to teach them better, we have greatly improved the program. As irritating as some of the pitching coach wannabes can be, they are only letting their mouth overload their ass. When people see my 2006 video, they will know that what I say about the dangers in the 'traditional' pitching motion is true. These gentlemen who continue to proclaim their individual versions of the 'traditional' pitching motion will get trampled in the stampede away from them. But, when confronted with a noisy detractor who asked him, "What do you think of me?," Frank Lloyd Wright simply said, "I don't." I am way too busy working to eliminate pitching injuries and helping my young men to waste my time with their nonsensical rantings and lies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 097. I was recently speaking with a high school A&P teacher who is also a basketball coach. His class is currently finishing up an overview of human musculature and will be starting a short course on kinesiology. When I mentioned high speed film of two different pitching motions he lit up and was very enthusiastic. He knows my son. He asked if I would come in and do a short presentation for his class, presenting the rationale for the differences, helping provide a practical bridge between the muscle system and kinetics. To do so, I would need copies of your traditional high speed film. Would it be possible for you to send me copies of those files on CD? One way or the other I would like to give this gentleman an answer quickly, and I would need to prepare for the class within the next week. I realize fully that I am not an expert in these subjects; these seem like great opportunities to help peak the interest of students. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The problem is that I have no idea how to put anything on CD or even have a CD on which to put something. Maybe he can wait until you receive your copy of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. Then, you would not have to worry about whether you are an expert in these subjects. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 098. It's been a while since I've written, and I wanted to update you on a couple of things. 1. First, a guy who is a pitching guru with a websie who is receptive to your ideas has asked me to moderate the Pitching Mechanics section of his discussion board. I'm going to use this as an opportunity to get the word out about you and your ideas. In fact, I just convinced a guy (HS coach) to buy your video. 2. I have gotten dragged into the business of both evaluating pitchers and instructing them. As a result, I would appreciate it if you would consider sending me one of the first copies of your 2006 video. The sooner I get the video, the sooner I can update what I'm teaching. 3. Related to number 2 above, I'm not sure what your thoughts are with respect to the equivalent of "Marshall Certified" pitching coaches, but I would be glad to talk to and work with anyone who is in or around here, but who can't make it all the way down to FL. I'm not sure if you have thought about what someone would have to do to become Marshall Certified, but I'd be glad to talk about what you think I need to know for you to feel comfortable recommending me to people. I have talked with other about this some. I do charge people for my time (my wife is making me), but I try to charge reasonable rates. This is more about saving kids arms than making tons of money. If you feel comfortable referring people to me, then feel free to post the below contact information in the Q&A portion of your web site. If not, then just delete it. 4. The question about the limits of conditioning for young pitchers (e.g. <16) has come up in forums and I wanted your opinion of a canned response/explanation of the risks of youth pitching that I am putting together. First, you have to think about this like a mechanical or structural engineer. Now, here's the logic of the statement. Any chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If you try to lift a 2,000 pound rock, and the S-hook that you use to connect the chain to the sling is only rated to 1,000 pounds, it doesn't matter that the crane that you use is rated at 20,000 pounds, the chain that you use is rated at 10,000 pounds, and the sling is rated at 5,000 pounds. You won't be able to lift the rock (for long) because the S-hook will fail. The same thing holds for the Medial Epicondyle of the elbow (the bony bump on the inside of the elbow to which the UCL and many of the muscles of the forearm attach). The problem is that, while the UCL and the muscles of the forearm may be rated at 300 pounds, the growth cartilage that holds the Medial Epicondyle to the Humerus bone is only rated at something like 200 pounds. If you apply too much force to the Medial Epicondyle, then one of two things will happen. Either the Medial Epicondyle will pull off of the Humerus or the growth plate that attaches the Medial Epicondyle to the Humerus will close prematurely. In either case, the result is a permanent and irreparable injury. Bulking up the muscles of the forearm will not do any good because at the end of the day they attach to the (fundamentally weak until the player is biologically 16) Medial Epicondyle. The only thing you can do is limit the amount of stress that is applied to the Medial Epicondyle. That means never throwing so hard as to pull the Medial Epicondyle off of the Humerus and not throwing so much as to cause the growth plate to close prematurely. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I prefer to let my 2006 video speak for me. With regard to certifying persons to teach my pitching motion: I believe that, with my 2006 video, parents will become the best pitching coaches that they youth baseball pitchers can have. However, if there were sufficient interest, I could put together a weekend seminar during which I would teach those interested in me certifying them as competent to teach my pitching motion. Basically, I would follow the six drills in my 2006 video. Recently, a professional baseball team asked me if I would evaluate videos of amateur baseball pitchers and tell them whether they are likely to become injured. They said that they would pay me a handsome amount per video. I asked how many videos they planned to send me. They said at least two hundred. I told them that if they would just give me their names, then, I could make copies of my report right now and save us all a lot of time. Because they all use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, they all have 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' which leads to 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Turnover,' which can rupture their Ulnar Collateral Ligament and/or fracture their Humerus bone and they all have 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' which leads to the lose the flexion and extension ranges of motion in their pitching elbow. Some will have 'Loops,' which intensifies their 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' All stride closed, which injures the front of their shoulders. All stride too far, which injures their glove knee, their lower back and their groin. Obviously, I could not take any money for something that I did not have to do anything to earn. Tell those who are sending you money that they can use the same form that I offered this professional baseball organization and save their money. Shame on you. I think that the X-rays of injured youth baseball pitchers in my videos clearly show the dangers of too much youth baseball pitching when too young for too long. Of more value are my elbow X-rays in my videos that determine the biological ages of youth baseball pitchers. We have to start classifying youngsters for athletic competitions based on their biological ages, not chronological. By taking away their opportunities and forcing them to unfairly compete against youngsters two to four biological years older, chronological age grouping discriminates against delayed matures. And, the accelerated matures succeed without effort, which will vanish within two years when they face their self-image crisis. In addition, parents will learn that they reason their son is the star twelve year old pitcher is because he is actually fourteen years old. As soon as I get my copies, I will mail them as fast as I can to all who kindly purchased them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 099. Just wanted to let you know that today I completed day 15 of the 315 day program, so I am on my way. Everything feels great and I look foward everyday to doing the next day's work for the program. Some questions that I have though. First, can you give me some advice as to what I can tell my coaches and trainers when I get to spring training as to why I am doing what I am doing. I feel like if I answer them with your statements from your book either they won't understand, won't care and will not want to understand, or just tell me that I am plain wrong and crazy. Also, in preparing to get ready for spring training, I need to throw and throw off a mound. would throwing using your mechanics and throwing off a mound using your mechanics while still duing the 315-day program hinder me or not really matter? I am curious to know since i need to have my arm in shape when i show up for spring training. Also, the reason I asked you about prolotherapy is after this past season, I found out that I had a SLAP tear in my labrum of my left shoulder. The MRI also revealed some fraying of the rotator cuff tendons. The team doctors, or should I say surgeons, said I needed surgery to repair the damaged. I had known about prolotherapy because of a previous back injury in which I used prolotherapy to heal this injury. The team doctors told me that there was nothing I could do to get rid of my back pain, but they were wrong. After having prolotherapy on my shoulder, it feels better than ever. Before my injury I topped out at 91 mph and consistantly threw 88 using the traditional pitching motion, also my walks were a little higher than i would have liked, about 3 per 9 innings. So i was wondering if you could tell me that by completing your program and using the correct pitching mechanics, my velocity would increase and also my walks would go down due to better quality pitches thrown. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Until your pitching coaches watch my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, they do not have any idea what goes on in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. As a result, they have no basis on which to evaluate what you are doing. Therefore, the choice is yours. You can either commit to making a complete break from the 'traditional' pitching motion to my pitching motion and make your coaches angry, such that they release you or you can continue to use the 'traditional' pitching motion, which will keep them happy and you leave baseball after a couple of surgeries. It is not possible to master my pitching motion and complete my training programs in less than two years. To try to do my program and pitch competitively at the same time will not work. Therefore, you can either quit baseball and spend two years working your ass off or you can flounder until they release you with a destroyed pitching arm. Physical therapy is a waste of your time. You need to do the hard work of my specifically designed baseball pitching training programs. Whether you can master my pitching motion depends on your willingness to work hard both physically and intellectually every day for two years and your motor learning ability. If you master it and complete my training programs, you will achieve your genetic release velocity and master a wide variety of high-quality pitches. While, with my straight line force application technique, it is easier to throw strikes than with the five to eight feet of side-to-side movement in the 'traditional' pitching motion, whether you can throw strikes depends on your ability to precisely replicate the proper pitching motion with each pitch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 100. I was wondering when you will be finished with your 2006 video and when completed, could you send it to me? I love the 2004 video and I think I read that you said you were going to include why the traditional pitching motion is bad in your new video, is that correct? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I will finish my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video this week. That includes any final edits after extensively reviewing each section. In do thoroughly discuss the injurious and biomechanical flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. With any luck, I should have the video in my hands ready to ship by the first of March. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 101. When someone injures a muscle do they experience pain where the muscle originates or where it attaches to the bone. For example, the Teres Minor muscle arises along the side of the scapula and goes all the way to the humerus. Could a pitcher receive pain signals all along the muscle? Only where it attaches? Only where it originates? Would this be the case for every muscle? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When athletes apply more force than bone, ligament, tendon, muscle and so on can withstand, they break down. The location of these injuries depends on the weak link. Baseball pitchers fracture the Humerus bone of the pitching upper arm. Baseball pitchers rupture their Ulnar Collateral Ligament in the pitching elbow. Baseball pitchers pull the attachment of the tendon of the Subscapularis muscle off the Lesser Tuberosity of the head of the Humerus bone in their pitching shoulder. And, too much stress injures muscle tissue. The Teres Minor muscle arises from the axillary border of the Scapula bone and attaches to the lowest of three facets from the top downward on the posterior surface of the head of the Humerus bone. In the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, where 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' centripetally slings the pitching forearm, wrist, hand, fingers and baseball laterally away from the body to the pitching arm side, then this runaway mass centripetally continues it's circular pathway across the front of the body and around the glove side of the body until the pitching hand actually slaps their glove side back. That is too much stress for the Teres Minor muscle to repeatedly safely decelerate. Nobody can predict where in the Teres Minor muscle the weak link lies. If the injury is at the Humeral attachment, then baseball pitchers will complain of pain high on the posterior surface of the head of the Humerus bone. If the injury is in the muscle mass portion of the Teres Minor muscle, then baseball pitchers will complain of pain in the back of the axillary area. If the injury is at the Scapular attachment, then baseball pitchers will complain of pain along the axillary border of the Scapula. The cure is simple. Stop using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. With my pitching motion, we use the Teres Major and Latissimus Dorsi muscle to safely decelerate the pitching upper arm. In fact, these muscles not only act as horizontal extensors of the shoulder joint, they also act as inward rotators of the shoulder joint. This means that they powerfully inwardly rotate the Humerus bone to accelerate the baseball and they powerfully horizontally extend the Humerus bone to safely decelerate the pitching upper arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 102. My son has told me about the progress of the '06 video. It sounds very exciting, and I cannot wait to see it. If I may be so bold, could I make a couple of suggestions? I would recommend that you put in about a ten second pan of the inside of the complex during workouts. Preferably with guys working at each station. It will help give an overview of the way the workouts go, and the energy expended. Then, there will surely be no single pitch or drill which is 100% perfect. It is great to point out any minor flaws, but the vast majority of comment should be about what is right concerning a pitch or drill. Emphasis the positive. I believe in the past, people have wished to see the absolute perfect Marshall mechanics. Well, until Jesus Christ signs up, that will never happen. There will always be something that can be better. But the minor flaws should never be the focus. Only the good stuff. You surely do not have to apologize for minor flaws. My son also told me a bit about the interest from a couple of major league organizations. I am not sure I got all of the stories straight. But it sounds very exciting. Hopefully, some eyes and windows will be opened. Fresh air and light always make things smell better. My son also assures me that, as spring draws closer, the guys are going to put more and more focus on getting game ready. It seems they are planning on working out in the mornings as per normal, then pitching batting practice, or having infield practice, in the afternoons. He also said he is working out on different mounds, including the dirt mounds. He said you all are going to rework the dirt mounds, and do much more work off of them as the season draws near. That all is great news. I can't wait to see the '06 video. It should be wonderful. Keep up the great work. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For years I have known that, after only forty weeks of training, my baseball pitchers had not perfected my pitching motion. I accepted their imperfections because, when compared to the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, they were fair superior. They would never injure themselves. They could throw pitches that the 'traditional' pitching motion does not allow. And, with continued work, I hoped that they would proprioceptively straighten their drivelines more and more. However, this year, I have dedicated, hard-working young men who returned, not only to get stronger with my advanced 'Recoil' training cycles, but to perfect how they apply force. Now, I get to get into great detail with each of them about their individual biomechanical flaws. Every time I take videotape or high-speed film and use the freeze frame capability of my video studio to show them their flaws, the next time we look at them, they have improved their technique. There is not doubt that thoroughly analyzing their pitching motion at regular intervals enables them to make appropriate adjustments. Unfortunately, when one guy is doing everything, it is time consuming and exhausting. With regard to my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I do provide very detailed video and film evidence of precisely how baseball pitchers should apply force. Some of my demonstrators do some of the things well and other things not so well. But, thankfully, somebody does everything well, just not always the same person. Perfection is the goal we seek, but I doubt anybody will ever achieve. Nevertheless, when compared with the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, I think that reducing the side-to-side movement from five or more feet to less than two feet is progress and lengthening the driveline from about five feet maximum to eight or more feet is also progress. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 103. In your answer to question #90 of the year 2006 you stated; "At no time during my pitching motion should baseball pitchers raise their pitching hand above their pitching elbow." I must be missing something here,could you please explain? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am talking about my baseball pitching motion. In the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, this is not possible. I teach my pitchers to step forward with their glove foot when, during the pendulum swing, their pitching arm is forty-five degrees behind their body. This means that the baseball starts moving toward home plate well before it reaches driveline height. This means that my 'Ready' position occurs when my pitchers step forward. At this point, as they pendulum swing their extended pitching arm upward toward driveline height, my pitchers are turning the palm of their pitching hand from facing forward to facing outward. When they have their pitching arm at shoulder height, I tell them to raise their pitching elbow to driveline height. This action 'locks' the pitching upper arm with the shoulders. If my trained pitchers perform this skill correctly, they will raise their pitching elbow to driveline height at the same time that they raise their pitching hand to driveline height. When the baseball reaches driveline height, they should also have their pitching elbow at driveline height. This means that they pitching forearm is horizontal and on the driveline, which is a line between home plate and second base. From this position, for maximum release velocity and release consistency, baseball pitchers drive their pitches in absolute straight lines toward home plate. If the baseball moves up, down and/or outward, then they will lose release velocity and consistency. Baseball pitchers achieve driveline perfection when the baseball never goes above or to the inside of this driveline. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 104. My 15 year old son (right-handed pitcher, 3/4 arm slot) was recently diagnosed on MRI with anterior labrum degeneration. He can feel humeral head migration when throwing (no pain) but has not been able to get velocity up to 75% of pre-injury status. Full diagnosis will require arthroscopic surgery which were hesitant to do. Our goal is at least let him finish high school as a position player. I realize I haven't given you a lot to work with but would like to know if changing arm slots is an option in your opinion along with specific rotator and scapular exercises. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is no such thing as 'arm slots.' Because it is anatomically impossible for baseball pitchers to raise their pitching upper arm above a line parallel with the line across the top of their shoulders, the only way 'traditional' baseball pitchers can change from where they release their pitches is be changing how much they lean to their glove side. Humeral head migration. Do you mean that, like birds, his pitching shoulder goes South for the winter? When the head of the Humerus bone is not stable in its Glenoid Fossa home, it means that too much youth baseball pitching has lengthened the Gleno-Humeral ligaments that hold the head of the Humerus bone in its fossa. Before you consider surgery of any type, I recommend that you wait until all growth plates in his pitching elbow and shoulder have completely matured. The growth plates in the shoulder mature at biological nineteen years old. Although the stress of baseball pitching can prematurely close them. To find out, you need X-rays of both his glove and pitching shoulders. In the meantime, if your son is biologically sixteen years old, I recommend that your son take the year off baseball and complete my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. To find out, you will need X-rays of his glove and pitching elbows from mid-upper arm to mid-forearm from the front and side views. If you send me copies, I will tell you his biological age and if I see any changes in the growth plates in his pitching elbow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 105. I guess what I mean is, on the voice over for the video, just let everyone know that what the pitcher is doing is within acceptable tolerances. He is not perfect. See, he could do this thing, or that thing better, but what he is doing is great. Over-emphasize the positive so that the viewer gets the point. You do not want someone watching the video, and then saying, "Well, that was OK, but I am STILL not sure what this should look like." I am sure it will be great. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am reasonably confident that viewers of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video will very precisely understand my pitching motion and I am equally confident that they will understand that not one of my pitchers can perform my pitching motion perfectly, but, collectively, they do perform my pitching motion perfectly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 106. My pitchers have been throwing indoors off of some poorly constructed mounds. The mounds' surface is slick plywood covered in extremely worn carpeting. Also, the gym floor we practice on is so dusty that when my pitchers brace their glove legs and begin to direct force towards second base, the carpet will shift forward and ball up under their feet and at times the entire mound can be seen sliding several inches forward. Periodically I will use the radar gun (several players are asked radar gun readings by schools that are interested in recruiting them). I read about the inaccuracy of radar guns in your book. It is a jugs model radar gun. My question is: could the instability of the mounds and the continuing forward momentum of the body cause a reduced amount of oppositely directed force thus limiting the resulting forward force and release velocity of the pitching arm and baseball? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The stability of the glove foot is critical for the proper transfer of force from the pitching leg to the glove leg. Without it, baseball pitchers will never achieve their maximum hip and shoulder rotation acceleration. I recommend that no pitcher attend a school where they use radar guns to determine the quality of pitchers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 107. Last Friday my 14 yr old son had subject procedure performed for multidirectional instability of the right shoulder. We chased the issue for four years and he was non-responsive to physical therapy. So we elected to have surgery. Was wondering if you had crossed paths with anyone who had the procedure and how did it turn out? We are hoping for pain free throwing of any kind of ball and will settle for any velocity that we can get. Just was curious what your thoughts are and expectations we could expect. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Multidirectional instability. How many different ways can the head of the Humerus bone move around in its Glenoid Fossa. Because the Gleno-Humeral Ligaments hold the head of the Humerus bone in the Glenoid Fossa, I assume that they tightened those ligaments. Without knowing your son's biological age, I cannot know whether the excessive baseball pitching he has done over the past several years has also prematurely closed growth plates in his pitching elbow and shoulder. Whether he returns to baseball pitching depends on whether he stops using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. Given his injurious history, I recommend that he wait until he is biologically sixteen years old, when all growth plates in his elbow completely mature, then he should complete my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 108. One of your cult following has been harassing the Eteamz website. If we don't agree with everything you preach he calls us child abusers and ignorant. While I don't believe you had much of a following in the first place at Eteamz, most of the posters absolutely detest your theories now due to the obnoxious behavior of this person. I'm especially angry as he's made it personal by bringing my son into every post. He claims he exchanges information on your site often. He goes by Kharma. From what I understand, he's been kicked off several other websites for his ranting and obnoxious behavior. This man is a Marshall cultist. Is this how you want to create a name for yourself? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On my website, I answer questions from anybody. It makes no difference to me whether questioners phase their questions or comments obnoxiously. I want to make it very clear that only I speak for me. Nobody else speaks for me. And, I have never asked anybody to speak for me. Whatever my readers do on other websites is their business and their opinions, not mine. It is called, 'free speech,' and the Constitution of the United States of America protects it. Nevertheless, if you would be so kind as to provide the question or discussion topic that caused this gentleman to call people child abusers and ignorant, I will be glad to provide my thoughts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 109. I wanted you to know of just another of many instances where you have helped a kid. My boys' mother is a freshman High School English teacher. She teaches at a large, very good, well known high school. They had baseball tryouts for two days this week, and one of her students did not make the team. He was extremely disappointed, my wife noticed, and asked about it. As it turns out, he is a delayed maturer, and simply could not compete with the more mature players. I emailed my wife some of your research on maturation, and some of your suggestions for these kids. Continuing to work on skills, let the growth plates close naturally, without undo stress, let the body mature, grow, and become stronger, etc. I wrote that his body will catch up at some point, and he should be ready at that time to compete. He could even be better and healthier at that time than the quick maturers. I also gave them your website address. Well, it made all the difference. More than just hope, it rekindled excitement for baseball. He now has a plan, a goal, and should continue with the game he loves until he matures. He has scientific evidence that he will be able to compete one day. He and his parents are very grateful. I thought you would like to know. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I want the all parents of delayed maturing youngsters to unite and demand fair and equal access to all youth competitions. That requires that, instead of chronological age, organizers use biological age to group youth baseball players for competitions. Why should the 8.3% of chronological twelve years olds who are biologically fourteen years old or older receive all the resources? While I am pleased that this delayed maturer understands that his inability of successfully compete right now will pass, I am not pleased that he has to spend his time and energies without the advantages of community resources. If any of the money spent for these activities come from taxes, then it is unlawful to not provide equal access to all. This means that the Courts should require the only equitable classification system, biological age. In the long run, the accelerated maturers will also benefit. To succeed without meaningful effort, then to lose that advantage and no longer dominate can cause serious self-image difficulties for these adolescent males. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 110. It's not a matter of any one question. I would have to cut and paste virtually every thread from the site relating to throwing a ball or swing a bat. As an educated man, I'm sure you believe the way gain believers is through intelligent debate, not antagonistic accusations. This person (Kharma) does not debate. He attacks. If anyone disagrees with your philosophies, they are child abusers and ignorant. He has referred to himself as the Messiah on your behalf. It would be funny if I thought he was joking. Personally, I think he's disturbed. As I mentioned this person is turning people against even considering your philosophies. Through him, you have become a joke on this site. It has happened on other baseball sites as well. He thinks he's spreading the word. All he's doing is antagonizing minds into closing. I'm not looking to save your reputation and spread your word. But I do enjoy sharing ideas and philosophies. Is this the kind of person you want claiming to be representing you? If he truly worships you, you have the power to get him to stop. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I regularly receive antagonistic questions. Nevertheless, I answer them with the same diligence that I would any other question. I fail to see why how someone phrases their disagreement makes any difference. I will try again to explain 'free speech.' Every body has a right to speak their mind. I would never refuse to answer anybody's question because of how they framed their question. I would never tell anybody what they can and cannot say. I find that some websites 'kick' someone off their website censorship. It says that if you disagree with the website, then we do not want to hear what you say. That is far worse that calling people child abusers because they do not take proper care to prevent their children from destroying their pitching arm with the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and permitting their children to pitch until their growth plate prematurely close or worse. If someone calls someone ignorant, it means that they have yet to learn. If someone calls someone stupid, that means that they do not have the ability to learn. Therefore, to call someone ignorance means that you have hope that they could learn. Perhaps, without concern for how others express their disagreement, they could learn by listening to the others with whom they disagree. I will shortly be releasing my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video in which I explain the injurious and biomechanical flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and my solutions. I also have a section where I explain what the 'traditional' pitching motion and too much baseball pitching does to the growth plates of eleven through sixteen biological year old males. It is the cure for ignorance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 111. When I leave your training Center, I always feel that your ides are just about to break into the mainstream. Then I meet "Coach" TG. I was speaking today to my friend from Sarasota who is a neighbor of a major league pitching coach. My friend is in Buffalo right now on business but will be back in FL next week. He told me that this pitching coach just got married and he thinks he is now with the another major league team. He said he thinks there will be a short window for he and this pitching coach to visit your training site, as Spring Training is starting. My friend is not a baseball guy but we shall see what happens. He knows this pitching coach socially. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you know, my Pitching Research/Training Center is open seven days a week from 9:00 to 10:30AM from the third Saturday in August until the fourth Saturday in May for anybody to visit. We welcome everybody. Because this year's group is just starting my Wind-Up body action, Pendulum Swing glove and pitching arm drill, this is the best time of the year to see the whole package. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 112. Apparently you have now heard from the infamous Coach TG. He's been writing, shall we say, rather unkind things about Kharma and he has responded in kind. I'm not sure that's the wisest approach, but that's the way it is, and it provides lots of opportunities for a nice game of bad cop, good cop. Following is what TG most recently posted: ----------------------------------------------------- For the benefit of the board, I'm not going to allow Kharma to draw me out. He's a waste of time. His post is a bunch of BS. For the benefit of anyone else: I did send an email to Marshall asking him if this is how he wants to be represented to coaches and parents who, for the most part, have an open mind to learning something they perceive to be valuable. I did tell him I'm a disbeliever. He said he's fine with Kharma's behavior. Pass the word whatever way possible. He stated a lot of people are obnoxious on his site. I have my views on this. Anyone else can be their own judge. ---------------------------------------------------- I would very much like to have the full text of his e-mail to you and your response. If you deem it proper, of course. I'd like to put this guy to bed. You also now have his e-mail address, which might prove useful and helpful. On more pleasant notes I had a nice chat with my son today. He indicated that he's working hard on keeping his 'lock', staying tall and using the glove-side more efficiently. I know he feels like he's making progress of these things. What's your appraisal? I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished video! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I appreciate that you sent me what TG wrote. He' the guy who called me a Charlatan in an article that he posted on infosports.com back on June 07, 2004. He wrote that a pitcher who played for him in the fall of his senior year, but, not in the spring, because this pitcher was academically challenged with a 590 SAT, came to me after a failed season of Junior College baseball. He then said that he saw him the summer after he trained forty weeks with me and that he had the most bizarre pitching delivery he had ever seen. He said that he could no longer break 78. Now, I will tell the truth. The young man's name is Ryan LeFleur. After I trained him, I recommended him to my former assistant baseball coach who was the pitching coach at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, TX. Ryan pitched three years at St. Mary's, including the year that they won the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship. He was their number three starting pitcher and regularly threw fastballs in excess of 90 miles per hour. Lastly, this academically challenged young man graduated from St. Mary's University. In what he recently wrote, he says that I said, "He's fine with Kharma's behavior. Pass the word whatever way possible." Well, the truth is in questions 108 and 110 of my 2006 Question/Answer file. In Question 108, I said, "I want to make it very clear that only I speak for me. Nobody else speaks for me. And, I have never asked anybody to speak for me. Whatever my readers do on other websites is their business and their opinions, not mine. It is called, 'free speech,' and the Constitution of the United States of America protects it. In Question 110, I said, "I will try again to explain 'free speech.' Every body has a right to speak their mind. I would never refuse to answer anybody's question because of how they framed their question. I would never tell anybody what they can and cannot say. I find that some websites 'kick' someone off their website censorship. It says that if you disagree with the website, then we do not want to hear what you say. That is far worse than calling people child abusers because they do not take proper care to prevent their children from destroying their pitching arm with the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and permitting their children to pitch until their growth plate prematurely close or worse. If someone calls someone ignorant, it means that they have yet to learn. If someone calls someone stupid, that means that they do not have the ability to learn. Therefore, to call someone ignorance means that you have hope that they could learn. Perhaps, without concern for how others express their disagreement, they could learn by listening to the others with whom they disagree. I will shortly be releasing my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video in which I explain the injurious and biomechanical flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and my solutions. I also have a section where I explain what the 'traditional' pitching motion and too much baseball pitching does to the growth plates of eleven through sixteen biological year old males. It is the cure for ignorance." I also said, "I regularly receive antagonistic questions. Nevertheless, I answer them with the same diligence that I would any other question. I fail to see why how someone phrases their disagreement makes any difference." As proof, even though I know that TG falsely accused me of ruining Ryan LeFleur's future and called me a Charlatan without ever discussing the matter with me, I respectfully answered his emails and will continue to do so. The high-speed film clearly showed your son the flaw in his pitching motion that I told him about last year. I believe that it's a flaw that he learned a long, long time ago that is now deeply imbedded in his baseball throwing motor engram. It will take time to overcome. But, at least now, when I tell him what he is doing, he knows what I am talking about. As a result, he is clearly focused on eliminating the flaw. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 113. My 11 year old son fractured his right forearm 3 weeks ago. The fracture was to the distal radius. It happened while playing school basketball during recess. The type of fracture is a "green stick" and/or "buckle" type, the bone did not completely break. The doctor described the fracture as to a tree branch being bent and not breaking completely. His arm was manually manipulated into position, the doctor felt the reduction would NOT need to be set with a pin (to temporary hold the bone into position until healing takes place). His arm was placed in a plaster full arm cast to reduce the chance of any movement or loss of reduction. He had his two week follow up last week and the healing is progressing nicely. However the doctor noticed there was a very slight lost of reduction since the bone was set, he felt the amount of reduction lost is not a concern at this time. He will have another follow-up visit next week for an x-ray and to hopefully remove the cast to below the elbow. The doctor indicated there were no injuries to the growth plates, tendons, nerves or soft tissue damage. The fracture occurred approximately 2-3 inches above the wrist joint. The doctor also indicated that kids will heal quickly and there would be no need for physical therapy, other then for him to regain his strength and flexibility loss due to the arm being immobile. I hope all this is true, however I would like to ask for your opinion on a few questions I have. A little background on my son, he is 11 years old, 5 ft 6 inches 150 pounds. He plays organized baseball, football, basketball and soccer. His main sport is baseball, his primary position is pitcher, and he also plays 1st base and outfield. He trains nearly year round for hitting and works on functional strength for pitching during the off-season and works on his pitching mechanics during pre-season and regular season. His pitching is limited to flat ground throwing during preseason and regular season practice and his pitch count is closely monitored during games. He generally only throws 2 and 4 seam fastballs and occasionally a circle change-up, his velocity is 58 -60 mph and his pitch count is limited to 75 pitches per game or 25 per inning which ever happens first, we usually start slower in the spring 40 pitches per game. He never complains about having a sore arm and we always warm-up before any throwing takes place. The questions I have are: 1. What kind of stresses will the radius forearm bone experience when exercising, throwing a baseball or football, hitting a baseball or playing basketball? 2. How long will it take for the bone to heal? 3. How long will it take for the bone to heal enough to support the activities such as baseball, football and basketball? 4. What kind of physical activity should he do while his arm is in a cast? 5. How long will it take for the muscles, tendons to regain strength and flexibility? 6. Should there be any pain or discomfort during physical therapy or when he resumes pitching or hitting? 7. Does the bone increase in strength as time goes by? Once the bone is healed will the strength at the fracture be as strong as other parts of the bone? 8. Will the fracture likely be the location of another fracture if a similar type of fall were to occur? Does this become a weak point? 9. The doctor indicated a slight reduction was lost since the arm was set. Does this weaken the bone? Does this lost of reduction impact the performance of his pitching? 10. Does the bone "remodel" reform the shape of the bone? How does this take place? How long will it take? I assume proper pitching mechanics and functional strength exercises would enhance this process, does this sound right? 11. Will this type of fracture reduce his range of motion in his forearm , wrist or elbow? 12. Will hitting cause any pain to the bone? How long should he waiting until he starts batting practice after the cast is removed? 13. How many times a day should the physical therapy exercises be performed? 3 times a day morning, afternoon and evening? 14. How do I determine when the physical therapy is complete or far enough along so baseball training with the right arm can begin? 15. I assume physical therapy exercises should increase in intensity if there is no pain and become easy to perform? 16. When can he start to participate in baseball activities NOT involving his right arm? For example, one arm hitting drills, pitching drills involving balance and form for other parts of his body, running and riding a stationary bike and catching fly balls. These activities will be considered after the full arm cast is removed to below his elbow. 17. When the cast is removed what type of exercises or drills would you recommend during physical therapy and after physical therapy is complete? 18. Should he concentrate on increasing the strength of his forearm muscles and bones? What types of exercises can he do to strengthen his forearm? 19. If the forearm muscles become larger & stronger does this reduce the chances of injury to the bone? 20. How does exercise and weight lifting increase the strength of the bone? 21. Do the muscles and tendons receive most of the stress when a baseball is pitched or hit? Or does the forearm bones receive the most stress? I would appreciate any information you can provide pertaining to these questions or any additional reading you think would be useful. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If your son is also biologically eleven years old, then the ossification center for his olecranon process recently appeared and the ossification center for his lateral epicondyle will not appear for another year. What I am telling you is that your son's pitching elbow is in a state of rapid growth and development, such that too much stress for too long can permanently alter the growth and development of these bones. I recommend that, until your son is biologically sixteen years old, that he not pitch baseballs for more than two consecutive months each year, does not pitch competitively until he is biologically thirteen years old and, then only pitch one inning per game twice a week. Your doctor will be happy to answer your questions. I answer questions about baseball pitching. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 114. Late today I had an interesting exchange with Coach TG. I asked him a simple question and received a genuine, lengthy reply. It appears we now have some common ground to discuss your ideas and he seems open instead of hostile. Sometimes those most antagonistic end up being staunch supporters, whatever the cause or idea. I hope this will become the case. If not, there are certainly guns in reserve. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's why, without concern for whether they ask their questions respectfully, I always respectfully answer all questions. Hate is not the opposite of love, indifference is. I like people with passion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 115. You have, throughout the Q/A, mentioned a colleague of yours that teaches your principles here in Texas. Might I be able to get in contact with him? San Antonio, Dallas, El Paso are a lot more manageable for us in Lubbock. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I spent a year in Amarillo, TX teaching and coaching baseball at West Texas A&M in Canyon, TX. The greatest, most helpful, independent people in the world live in your part of the world. My team played Lubbock Christian College and Texas Tech. When I taught and coached at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, AR, I had a graduate assistant assistant baseball coach. Because, when he played college baseball, he played in the infield, I made him my pitching coach. At present, he is the pitching coach at Texas State University in San Marcus, TX. However, from his ten years of coaching baseball pitchers at St. Mary's University, he and his family still live in San Antonio. I imagine that he is incredibly busy right now. But, you can call him. John can certainly help your son, but, with my 2006 Baseball Pitchers Instructional Video, you will become the best pitching coach that your son could ever have. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 116. Thank you for such a quick response. I did not intend to pin you down on medical advice, I only found that orthopedic doctors do not have the knowledge or experience to relate this kind of injury to how it impacts the player's ability to pitch or bat. If you have any input to any of the questions I have I would appreciate your input. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As I explained in my previous email, I am far more concerned about the fact that your eleven year old son pitches as much as he does than I am about his fracture. True, fracturing the distal end of his Radius bone at the growth plate probably will not help that growth plate to develop in the same manner as it would had he not broken it. But, when compared to the damage he is doing to all the other growth plates in his pitching arm as a result of pitching too much, too soon, too hard and for too long every year, it is insignificant. I recommend that, until your son is biologically sixteen years old, that he not pitch baseballs for more than two consecutive months each year, does not pitch competitively until he is biologically thirteen years old and, then only pitch one inning per game twice a week. I also recommend that within one week of his birthday, you have your doctor take X-rays of his glove and pitching arms from the front and side views between his mid-forearms and mid-upper arms, make copies, send them to me and I will email you his biological age and tell you whether I see any abnormalities in the development of the growth plates in his pitching elbow. With regard to the other growth plates in his pitching arm, the rest from pitching while he recovers from his broken bone could be the best thing that could happen to him. The next best thing that could happen for him is for him to stop using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 117. I am sorry to impose on your time and to ask a personal request. I was born in 1974 and 2 years ago I embarked on a bizarre and strange quest, to obtain each end every Sports Illustrated magazine from 1974 and to obtain each cover signature. I have managed to obtain each and every magazine and signature except yours and Mr. Ken Dryden (I refused to purchase OJ Simpson’s magazine for pretty obvious reasons). I totally understand your views on the hobby and after spending time with many “Collectors” agree with yours and many other perceptions, most only had financial motives in mind. I collect for myself only and have never nor will I ever Sell any piece in my collection. Once again, I understand your opinion about athletes not being heroes and could not agree more (Mr. Simpson is a pretty good example of blind hero worship). I read through the archives and found out that you participated in a private signing a few years ago with Jim Stinson, by the way I found it very funny that reading the archives the idiots who posted complaints only took pot shots at you, Mr. Stinson made a $200 profit on each autograph signed by you and I know he sold many at even higher prices in the next couple of years, nobody complained when Bill Russell decided to sign autographs at card shows for prices way higher than yours. Most importantly nobody held a gun at anyone’s head, if you wanted the signature then go for it, if not then don’t. You were and are entitled to receive just compensation for your wonderful career that after seeing Bruce Sutter enshrined, should have your plaque there without question. Anyway, I am writing the email in the smallest of hopes that you might consent to sign the Sports Illustrated magazine in question, I am prepared to pay whatever signing fee you fell is acceptable. I can offer you a promise that you can legally enforce if you wish “I promise never to sell the signed magazine for any reason”. I will also promise to not divulge any information if you choose to do me this special favor, you can sign the magazine anyway you choose (Personalization is fine with me). I understand if you choose to not sign the magazine or do not wish to even respond to this email, it will not dim my opinions of you as a player and the integrity you have displayed through your life. Thank you for reading this rambling email. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The reason that I agreed to sign autographs for Mr. Stinson was in response to honorable requests such as yours. I signed five hundred photos, baseball cards and baseballs. You can reach Mr. Stinson at (813)972-8175. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 118. One on my readers sent me a one-hour videotape that showed the off-season training program that Mr. Barry Zito does. In it, several people made claims about how this training program continues to his pitching success. There is not one word of truth in anything that anybody says in that video. It is all snake oil salesmanship. Poor Mr. Zito blindly follows this nonsence with enthusiasm. I feel sorry that he is wasting his time and energy on this exercise physiology babble. I saw several clips of Mr. Zito's pitching motion. At the end of his laterally behind his body pendulum swing, Mr. Zito reverse hooks his pitching hand. As a result, when he starts his 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' the ensuing 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' unnecessarily stresses his Ulnar Collateral Ligament even more than usual. Additionally, while we all knew that he supinates the release of his big, sweeping, lazy curve ball, I did not know that he also supinates the release of his pull fastball. If you watch his pitching hand after release, you can see how he slaps the glove side of his back. That means that he does not pronate his pitching forearm at all. I believe that he is on a rapid decline to extinction. Too bad, he seems like a very nice guy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 119. I haven't written since last year. And, after catching up on your 2006 emails, I want to point out to every one of your readers, who has visited your web site and sends you emails that there is a sure fire way to prove that you are ABSOLUTELY CORECT IN YOUR EVALUATIONS OF THE TRADITIONAL PITCHING MOTION. When I found your web site 6 yrs ago, I was teaching pitching with the naked eye. I advanced my teaching abilities by the following methods; video taping, 12 frames a second, computer software 30 frames a second, then computer software 60 frames a second. On each advancement of more frames a second your instructions were easier to understand, guess what: I NOW HAVE ACCESS TO COMPUTER SOFTWARE THAT PLAYS BACK THE FILM IN 250 FRAMES A SECOND, THIS IS AWESOME. YOU CAN ACTUALLY FILM AND STOP A BULLET COMING OUT OF THE END OF THE RIFLE. NOW HERE IS MY POINT, YOU HAVE BEEN USING THESE HIGH SPEED FILMS FOR OVER 40 YEARS, AND THAT'S WHY YOUR CONCLUSIONS ARE ACCURATE. USING THIS QUALITY OF FILM MAKES IT EASIER TO FOLLOW YOUR WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS AND IT WOULD BE WISE FOR ANY PARENT TO INSIST THAT ANY AND ALL INSTRUCTORS THAT TEACH THEIR KIDS TO PITCH TO USE THESE PRODUCTS. I KNOW THE CAMERA COSTS $6,000.00, BUT THE SOFTWARE IS ONLY A 150 BUCKS. WHEN YOU USE FILM OF 250 FRAMES A SECOND TO EVALUATE A PITCHERS OR HITTERS MOTION, YOU CAN SEE ALL THE FLAWS, THEY STICK OUT LIKE A BARE ASS ON A FLORIDA BEACH. ALL I DO NOW AT my COLLEGE PRACTICES IS FILM BEFORE AND AFTER shots AND PUT THEM SIDE BY SIDE ON A MOVIE SCREEN. THE KIDS CAN SEE FOR THEMSELVES HOW WRONG THE TALL AND FALL AND THE FLEX T THAT THE TRADITIONAL PITCHING MOTION IS BASED ON. I ACTUALLY SHOWED to all my players this comparison; A PITCHER WHO I TAUGHT YOUR FORCE-COUPLING SYSTEM ON ONE SIDE AND ANOTHER PITCHER WHO USES THE TALL AND FALL ON THE OTHER SIDE. I STARTED THEM IN SYNC, YOUR STYLE HAD HIS ARM POINTED TOWARD SECOND BASE WITH THE BALL AT KNEE LEVEL. THE TALL AND FALL PITCHER HAD HIS THROWING ARM IN THE LOADED COCKED POSITION ABOVE HIS SHOULDER READY TO EXPLODE TOWARD HOME PLATE. WELL, GUESS WHICH PITCHER RELEASED THE BALL QUICKER TOWARD HOME PLATE. IT WAS YOUR STYLE THAT WAS 50 FRAMES QUICKER. THIS WAS EYE OPENING TO ALL 20 PLAYERS WHO SAW THIS DEMO. I NOW HAVE ALL PLAYERS CATCHERS, INFIELDERS And OUTFIELDERS FOLLOWING your FORCE-COUPLING PROCEDURES. I HEARD SOME ONE EXPLAIN TO ME THAT FAST SPEED FILMING IS AN EXTENSION OF YOUR EYES. WHAT MORE PROOF DO PEOPLE NEED? P.S. Nobody should give pitching lessons with any film less than 250 frames a second. Sorry for the lengthy email. Can't wait to see you pitching video. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technology is our friend. Welcome to my world. Isn't it nice to come out of the Dark Ages and actually know what you are talking about? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 120. I emailed you once before on a discussion we were having about pitch counts and you were most helpful. I thank you again! A big topic of discussion now is a baserunners effect on a pitcher. The sabermatricians love to downplay this, but people who have been in the role of pitching know its effects. I was curious to hear your side, the side of a major league pitcher. How did an average or above average baserunner effect your pitching to the next batter? Granted, the scenerios have a lot to do with it (type of game, championship, score tied, etc). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the offensive side of baseball, the name of the game is how many free ninety feet can your team get. The more free ninety feet you can get, the more runs you can score without having to get hits. What are free ninety feet? Walks are free ninety feet. Therefore, to give pitchers the opportunity to walk them, the lead-off and second batters of every inning shoulde go deep into the count. They must force pitchers to show all their pitches. Then, they must take away whatever pitch on which pitchers rely in critical situations. That is, it is the responsibility of every batter in the line-up to force baseball pitchers to have to rely on the second best pitch. Stolen bases are free ninety feet. Therefore, you want base runners to constantly probe the weaknesses of pitchers and catchers for opportunities for steals, which also means advancing ninety feet without hitters getting base hits. Ground ball outs that advance base runners are steals, going from first to third base on singles is stealing an extra ninety feet and tagging on fly balls while on first and second bases and advancing ninety feet is stealing ninety feet. Run and hit plays where your batters can hit the baseball on the ground is stealing ninety feet. The more base runners your team can get to third base with no or one outs, the more runs your team can score without getting hits. I also love straight challenge steals. That is, I love when my base runners get on base as basically say, 'I am stealing second base, see if you can stop me.' This forces pitchers to focus on base runners. That enables your batters to get more walks, get more fastball pitches and move the infielders out of position. For base runners with the required time to second base, I would not permit my batters to swing without the base runners permission. To show that my actions are where my mouth is: In 1988, at Saint Leo College, in 51 games, my team stole 291 bases. We hold the NCAA II record for most steals and highest number of steals per game, at 5.71 stolen bases per nine inning game. Two years later, in 1990, at Henderson State University, my NAIA team stole 271 bases in 271 offensive innings. Just learning how to get their leads from bases and how to get back properly enables base runners to steal ninety feet. Actually, from first base, they can steal one hundred and eighty feet. Long leads entice pitchers to throw the baseball to bases. If base runners know how to return to bases properly, that is, without diving, then they force pitchers to throw the baseball more accurately. Wild pickoff throws to first base mean that base runners get to go to third base. Wild pickoff throw to second base mean that base runners get to also go to third base. And, if there are less than two outs, base runners can score runs without batters getting hits. In conclusion, yes, knowledgeable aggressive base runners can win more games with their skill and speed than batters can. If your team bats .333, then base runners advance ninety feet with every third batter. If your base runners successfully steal .666, then base runners advance ninety feet every other base runner. More free runs mean more wins. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 121. Had a couple of things. 1. I don't know about you, but I am getting tired of having to explain to people how major league pitchers actually throw the ball (e.g. Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce and Pitching Forearm Flyout). As a result, I have put together a document called "How Roger Clemens (Actually) Throws The Ball" that I use to try to deal with people's misconceptions about what the arms of pitchers like Roger Clemens actually do as they throw the ball. If you have the chance, I would appreciate it if you could review it and give me your comments. http://www.chrisoleary.com/documents/HowRogerClemensActuallyThrowsTheBall.pdf 2. With respect to how traditional pitchers actually pitch, I have been thinking a lot about the value of internal rotation of the upper arm (e.g. humerus). It seems to me that, because of Pitching Forearm Flyout, traditional pitchers (and unlike your pitchers) can't get much power out of the internal rotation of the humerus. I say this because, since a traditional pitcher's forearm flies out, when they are internally rotating their humerus their hand is pretty much sitting on the axis of rotation, which means that it can't give them much in the way of velocity (due to very short lever arm relative to the axis of rotation). Internal rotation would theoretically serve as a source of power if they could keep their elbow bent 90 degrees while internally rotating, but as I have since learned from you, users of the traditional pitching motion can't do that. Instead their forearm flies out. Is my think about this correct? 3. It seems like younger pitchers do get relatively more power out of internally rotating their upper arms because their velocities are too low to cause too much in the way of forearm fly out. However, as they learn to use their hips to increase their velocity, it becomes impossible for them to fight the fly out. Am I correct in thinking about his or does everyone's arm fly out, regardless of their age or the velocity at which they are throwing? 4. It may just be the time of year, but I am talking to a lot of people with medial (inner) elbow pain. It just reinforces what you are talking about with respect to the level of problems with the traditional pitching motion (it is obviously a non-trivial problem). I am introducing as many people as I can to your ideas. Keep up the good fight. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. It is not that I tire of analyzing the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, it's just that I can write my analysis for one and it fits all. In your frame one, Mr. Clemens make the classical 'traditional' baseball pitching motion flaw of taking the baseball laterally behind his body with the palm of his pitching hand facing downward. This down, back and laterally behind the body pendulum swing with the palm facing down comes to an abrupt stop because Mr. Clemens failed to outwardly rotate the head of his Humerus bone in its Glenoid Fossa. As a result, because Mr. Clemens failed to pendulum swing his pitching hand and baseball up to driveline height, he now has to raise his pitching hand and the baseball vertically upward to driveline height. In your frame two, Mr. Clemens is about one-quarter of the way through his 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover.' Because of his horrible pitching arm pendulum swing, he now has to move his pitching hand and baseball from pointing vertically downward to laying horizontally backward. In your frame three, Mr. Clemens continues his 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover.' There is no such thing as the 'high-cocked' position. Mr. Clemens's pitching forearm is merely passing through the vertical position on route to the horizontally behind his body position. When his pitching forearm is vertical, he will start using his pitching upper arm to pull his pitching forearm forward. Because his pitching elbow will be about four feet behind the straight line between home plate and second base, Mr. Clemens will have to drive his pitching elbow those four feet back to the pitching arm side of his body. In the small picture to the right in your frame 4, Mr. Clemens has finally positioned his pitching hand and the baseball horizontally behind his body. Unfortunately, to do so, he generated significant 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' force. This is where those pitchers who rupture their Ulnar Collateral Ligaments or fracture their Humerus bones generate the required force for those injuries. Your frame 5 shows the same thing as the small picture in your frame 4. Your frame 6 shows the result of all that excessive reverse rotating of his hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm. They all only serve to generate greater centripetal force to his pitching arm side that slings his pitching forearm laterally away from his body. For almost forty years I have called this, 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' It causes baseball pitchers to lose flexion and extension ranges of motion in their pitching arms. In your frame 7, we can see that Mr. Clemens released his pitch at about the same time that he lifted the toes of his pitching foot off the ground. That makes for a very short driveline. Your analysis that he started pronating his pitching forearm before release is questionable. Because his pitching arm is below shoulder height and he has only pronated his pitching forearm such that his pitching hand faces slightly outward, I cannot confirm that he powerfully pronated his pitching forearm before release. If he had powerfully pronated his pitching forearm, at this point, his pitching hand should face almost upward. Your frame 8 confirms what I saw in your frame 7. Mr. Clemens did not powerfully pronate his pitching hand. To prove otherwise, I would have to take five hundred frames per second high-speed film of him. That pronation action occurs very quickly, in the thousands of a second time period and these photos did not catch that moment. 02. I teach my pitchers that while they step forward with their glove foot, they immediately 'lock' their pitching upper arms with their shoulders, such that they have their pitching elbows at ear height. They should also reposition their pitching forearm for whatever pitch they wish to throw, such that they have their pitching forearms also at ear height parallel with the line between home plate and second base. Then, when their glove foot lands and they have the stability on which to start the forward rotation of their hips, shoulders and upper arm, they have their pitching forearm, wrist, hand, fingers and baseball on the straight driveline toward home plate. After they forwardly rotate their pitching upper arm as far forwardly as they can, they powerfully pronate their pitching forearm horizontally inside of vertical straight at home plate. Therefore, inward rotation of the shoulder joint is an isoanglos joint action. The force that moves everything forward comes from the forward rotation of the hips and shoulders. The final forces that accelerate the baseball through release comes from pitching elbow extension and pitching forearm pronation, wrist flexion and finger flexion. The 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' of the 'traditional' pitching motion prevents baseball pitchers from extending their pitching elbow. 03. If they use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, then everybody's pitching forearm flys laterally away from their body. 04. The area that receives the greatest unnecessary stress from the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion is the inside of the pitching elbow as a result of their 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' that causes the 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce.' Pop goes the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. I am not fighting with anybody, I am eliminating pitching injuries. Only those who refuse to learn are fighting and they are only fighting with themselves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 122. I was reading through the 2006 Q&A file and saw that someone had sent you a response that I had written regarding the relative behavior and drag of 2-seam versus 4-seam fastballs (it's nice to see that I am achieving my goal of driving traffic to your site). My perspective on this (which goes beyond just the Magnus effect) is based on a fairly complicated aerodynamic concept regarding the relationship between the action of the boundary layer and the total drag on an airfoil. Since this is way beyond what anybody needs to understand, let's just say that it's related to the reason why golf balls have dimples. Simply put, golf balls have dimples because the circulation of the air in those dimples energizes the boundary layer around the ball which (counterintuitively) decreases the drag on the ball and thus increases how far it will fly. The seams on a baseball have the same effect as the dimples of a golf ball; the more seams that are colliding with the air passing over the surface of the ball, the less the total drag on the ball. To your point about curveballs, if you want to maximize the bite of a ball, I would think that what you need to do is to either minimize the number of seams that are interacting with the air around the entire ball (e.g. 2-seam fastball or "sinker") or minimize the number of seams that are interacting with the air around a portion of the ball (which is you basic circle of friction idea). Regardless of exactly why it works (Magnus effect or stagnant/energized boundary layer) it works nonethless. Some good links that discuss this topic are: - http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/question37.htm (good, basic explanation). - http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/aerodynamics/q0215.shtml (more technical explanation). If you want to Google this on your own, try "dimples golf ball boundary layer". ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I disagree. Those baseball pitchers who throw my Maxline Pronation Curves with the highest spin velocity with four seams colliding with the air molecules have their curves move the greatest amounts the fastest. The idea that they should throw curves with less spin velocity and with only two seams colliding with the air molecules does not work. However, with the Marshall Effect, where pitchers place the 'circle of friction' to collide with air molecules, you do see the sudden movements that result from the phenomenon you describe. With these pitches, because of the 'lift' effect, spin velocity appear irrelevant, such that only the proper placement of the circle of friction occurs. The problem with this is that if pitchers do not properly place their circle of friction and they do not have high spin velocity, they throw the 'hanging sinker' or 'hanging slider.' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 123. I have searched your site high and low and can't seem to find an answer to two questions. 1. At what age should pitchers start to do the weight training drills (e.g. wrist weights) that you talk about versus just doing you motor skill acquisition programs? 2. What levels of weights should pitchers be training with at what ages? I ask because my guys are 11 year-olds and I want to start them on light stuff as soon as it's appropriate (but no sooner). If I'm having problems with this, then I'm sure that others are as well. I'd suggest you put a reference to this on the pages where you talk about your motor skill acquisition programs (and I apologize if you have already done this since I downloaded the pages). One way to present this information that might be helpful would be in the form of a table. Put different age groups of players in the column and put different drills in the rows. If there are weight differences by drill by age, then put the recommended weight in the appropriate cell (otherwise just put an "X" in the cell if it's something the pitcher should start doing at a certain age). I can mock up what I am thinking of if you can send me some raw data. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I recommend that to complete my wrist weight and iron ball drills, biologically ten year old youth baseball pitchers use two and one-half pound wrist weights and two pound iron balls, biologically thirteen year old youth baseball pitchers use five pound wrist weights and four pound iron balls and biologically sixteen years old high school baseball pitchers use ten pound wrist weights and six pound iron balls. Until they are biologically sixteen year old, youth baseball pitchers should only complete my four 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Programs. When I am done with my current project, I will update my training programs to include this information. I design my first program for biologically ten year olds, second for biologically eleven year olds, third for biologically twelve years olds and fourth for biologically thirteen year olds. Youth baseball pitchers who are biologically less than ten years old should not use wrist weights or iron balls. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 124. We spoke earlier today I have attached my son's X-Rays Left arm flex and straight; Subject arm (right) also flexed and straight. My son had arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday last to remove pieces of cartilage. Cartilage broke away from the capitulum these x-rays are before surgery. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The flexed lateral view X-ray of your son's left elbow shows an open growth plates for the olecranon process and radial head. This elbow is biologically fourteen years old. The extended anterior view X-ray of your son's left elbow shows that the growth plates for his capitulum and lateral epicondyle have closed, but the growth plate for his medial epicondyle is open. This affirms that this elbow is biologically fourteen years old. The flexed lateral view X-ray of your son's right elbow shows that growth plates for the olecranon process and radial head have closed. This elbow is biologically sixteen years old. The extended anterior view X-ray of your son's right elbow shows that the growth plates for his capitulum, lateral epicondyle, radial head have closed, but the growth plate for his medial epicondyle is very nearly closed. This affirms that this elbow is biologically sixteen year old. Too much youth baseball pitching has prematurely closed these growth plates, such that he has lost two years of bone growth and development in his pitching elbow. Also, the articulating surfaces between his radial head and capitulum are irregular from too many years of slamming the radial head back into the capitulum. It is possible that this will prevent your son from smoothly pronating and supinating his pitching forearm. In conclusion, the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and too much competitive pitching too hard for too long each year has greatly diminished the quality of your son's pitching elbow. He will never be what he could have been. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 125. I have attached overhead batting photographs. The photographs side by side are of the same swing. On one photograph, I have drawn a red line representing the batter's acromial line (approximate) at the position (approximate) in his swing where I see him beginning to extend his rear arm. On the other picture, I have marked, with green circles, the path of the center of mass (approximate) of the baseball bat starting from the same position pictured in the first photograph and ending two frames (slow video camera) after contact. In this photograph, the batter has just contacted the ball. I am interested in reading your comments concerning this batter's baseball swing and force application techniques based on the photographs I have attached. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I high-speed filmed my 1965 baseball batting swing, I wore a baseball cap that I painted the button white. This enabled me to watch the movement of my head. I mention this because the first thing that I noticed in these two photographs is how much he moved his head. The second thing that I noticed is how much he is bent forward at his waist. When baseball batters bend forward at their waist, they cannot rotate as fast or as well as when they keep their torso upright. Your red line for his acromial line is close, but it is too far back on his left shoulder and it should go through the middle of his neck. I see that he is swinging at a baseball on a tee. This prevents me from knowing toward where he should be hitting the baseball. Nevertheless, that he started driving his rear arm toward contact with the baseball with his acromial line essentially parallel with the line from home plate to the pitcher indicates that he will drop his rear elbow under and pull the baseball bat forward with his front arm. The circular path of the center of mass of the baseball bat also indicates a front arm pull swing. That his front elbow is continuing laterally around the front of his body also indicates a front arm pull swing. If he were doing my force-coupling swing, then he would not start driving his rear arm until he moved his acromial line to perpendicular to where he wanted to drive the baseball, he would not have a circular path of the center of mass of the baseball and the elbow of his front arm would stop moving forward before contact with the baseball. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 126. I am excitedly awaiting the release of your new video. It appears as though the information you have worked so hard all of these years to provide is really spreading throughout the baseball world. It will be interesting to see what kind of demand will be created by the production of this new video. Have you completed the video? And when can you speculate that it will be available for purchase? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I understand that nobody wants to hear about the labor pains, they just want to see the baby, but I am working my way through some labor pains. My video guy, on whom I rely for putting the segments of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video together has run into problems of his own and cannot help me right now. As a result, I have turned elsewhere. I finished my video last Sunday morning at about 5:30AM. I expected my video guy at about 11:00AM. He could not come over. Therefore, on Monday, I contacted people at the University of South Florida, where I also am working with the Physical Therapy Department in the Biomechanics Lab, to meet with someone who can teach me how to get my video off my computer, put a menu on the DVD and make DVD and VHS copies. On Tuesday, I spent a couple of hours meeting with them. I now know how to get my video off my computer. Unfortunately, the process requires several hours for the computer program to render each of my eleven segments. For example, to render about twenty minutes requires about four hours. My video is two and one-half hours long. I started as soon as I returned home yesterday. I have four segments done. As soon as I finish, I go back to the University and learn what I need to do next. I am doing everything that I know how to get the DVD and VHS copies made. Then, I have to find the packaging for shipping. Although professionals could have done a far better job with the on-camera scenes and graphics, I believe that I did a good job of explaining everything that people will need to understand that the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion has irreparable injurious and biomechanical flaws and why my pitching motion is a far better way for baseball pitchers to apply force to their pitches. I hesitate to say this because I do not know exactly when I will have copies of my video in my hand for shipping, but, if people can be patient with me and continue to realize that I do not have a staff of people doing anything, it is just me doing everything, then they could start sending me their requests. Until I get my video to all who want it, I will continue working the same eighteen hours a day schedule I have done for the past several months. I appreciate your interest and will even more greatly will appreciate your candid and thorough evaluation of my video. Without you, I will never make the perfect video with which every parent, coach and baseball pitcher can learn how to safely and effectively apply force to baseball pitches. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 127. I was able to see what you were talking about on the phone in the X-ray. My son is already pronating and supinating his right forearm to the same degree and with the same ease as his left 5 days after surgery and currently his left and right are the same length and each have grown longer in the last 6 months. We are going to curtail any activity that will further affect growth plates in any of his limbs. Is your 2004 training video available on line? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I share your hope that this injury to the capitular end of his Humerus bone will not negatively affect his future ability to pronate and supinate his pitching forearm. However, to become the best pitcher that he can be, he will have to very, very powerfully pronate his pitching forearm. After his growth plates have matured, we will just have to wait and see how the capitulum responds. Remember, where he lost the hyaline cartilage off the capitulum, he might develop bone spurs. During this down time, he should spend his time mastering my baseball pitching skills. When you see the icon for my Baseball Pitching Instructional Video change from 2004 to 2006, you will know that I have DVD and VHS copies in my hand ready to send. To request a copy, you should click on that video icon on the home page of my website and follow the directions in that file. As I approached completion of my 2006 video, I ran out of copies of my 2004 video and decided that rather than order another batch, I would wait for my 2006 video. Therefore, I do not have any 2004 videos. I expect to have my 2006 within the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 128. I have printed and read the Q&A in the site. I found it very interesting. I will probably go get a cashier’s check for the $100 and get the video. Seeing will help support my mental images, or head me in a new direction. A couple of questions: 1. The 45 degree angle to post foot, let’s assume a RHP, I suppose we have the front cleats of the right foot pointing almost mid-point between 3rd and home if I read that correctly. Is this accurate? 2. I have not noticed where you prefer the pitcher to start on the rubber, middle, from arm side edge? Please explain, and thanks for attempting to educate the youth coaches like you do. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I do need to find time to edit my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book. Over the past couple of years of training baseball pitchers, it became very clear to me that I had to stop trying to make my pitching motion look like the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. I did not make this decision to stop appeasing the 'traditional' pitching coaches who would force my kids to reverse rotate their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm well beyond second base, but, because trying to appease these guys prevented my pitchers from properly applying force to their pitches. 01. One basic change is that I now teach my baseball pitchers point the toes of their pitching foot toward the glove side batter and never, never turn their foot outward at all. If they do, then, when they try to forwardly rotate their hips, they will not be able to drive their pitching knee inward toward their glove knee. 02. I teach my baseball pitchers to throw pitches that move to the pitching arm side and the glove arm side of home plate. To do this, when they throw pitches to the pitching arm side of home plate, I have them stand on the glove arm side of the pitching rubber and when they throw pitches to the glove arm side of home plate, I have them stand on the pitching arm side of the pitching rubber. Yes, they can also throw these same pitches from both side of the pitching rubber to the same side of home plate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 129. Thanks very much for the reply. I wanted to make sure I had your permission to post it. We are currently discussing, debating, the effects a runner has on a pitcher. With the latest sabermetrics articles out, they tend to downplay how a runner affects a pitcher and or a defense or a batter for that matter. I'm old school baseball. I loved reading your reply. Many (but not even all) of the points you make I did also. It's my guesstimation a runner affects approximately 90% of all pitchers at 1st base (or any base). Of course there will always be an exception (Kevin Millwood) who lets runners go without notice. Thanks again for your reply. If you care to add more, PLEASE do! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I answer an email, as long as they clearly state that these are my ideas, such that I receive creative acknowledgement, I have no problem with anybody posting what I write anywhere that they want. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, major league baseball managers and players play out of fear of failure. They do not want criticism that might cost them their job. Therefore, they will never explore the concepts that I expressed. Unfortunately, in our society, most people only see the negative. With regard to professional baseball, if they see base runners caught stealing, then they focus on that rather than when they succeeded. As an example, when I coached that college team that stole 291 bases in 51 games, I had a game where we were four runs behind in the bottom of the eighth inning. I had a base runner on second with two outs and my lead-off batter, who was batting over .400 and ended the season with 96 steals to set the NCAA II record, batting with a no balls and two strikes count. Even though I knew that he had little chance with a straight steal, I ordered my base runner on second base to try to steal third base. They threw him out. In the press box, my Athletic Director was sitting with a former head coach at that school, who now scouted for a major league team. This guy told my AD that, if he managed the team, then he would win the conference. He would never have a base runner caught stealing third base with two outs and a .400 hitter at bat. After all, the team had three guys batting over .400, three guys batting between .350 and .400 and three guys batting between .300 and .350. After the season ended, my AD fired me and hired him. Back to the game. We were still behind by four runs when we batted in the bottom of the ninth. Because my lead-off batter had seen what the pitcher threw to get two quick strikes on him the previous inning, he sat on a pitch and singled to lead off the inning. Rather than to steal second right away, while appearing to steal on every pitch, my base runner waited until the pitcher threw a strike to steal second base. On the three ball-one strike count, while my second batter walked, he stole third. On the first fastball pitch to my third batter, my second batter took off for second while my third batter grounded the baseball threw the infield. We scored four runs without their pitchers ever getting an out. In this situation, it was better to give up the final out in the eighth and set up the ninth for a big inning. The next season, in spite of having the best right and left-handed pitchers in the conference, the team tumbled to the bottom of the conference. At .310, the new coach had only one batter bat over .300. What my AD and this coach failed to understand is that, when done correctly, base running improves batting averages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 130. I am a 19 year old pitcher. I am currently 6'2" and lbs. I'll be going to college next year as a recruited pitcher. I have been interested in your pitching theories and exercises and had a few questions for you. We will be starting practice for the spring season the end of February and I wanted to know if you had a specific throwing plan to strengthen my arm and decrease the chance of injury. I normally throw consistently all year so at this point my arm is in fairly good shape but I want to be able to throw harder for a longer period of time. I am also afraid to try your pitching exercises because I don't want to do them wrong and hurt my shoulder. I also wanted to hear your opinion of icing the shoulder, back, and elbow. I have always iced, but some coaches I have played for do not believe in it. Thank you for your time and good luck with your research, I look forward to hearing from you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To strengthen your pitching arm to the fitness level that I believe is necessary for you to become the best pitcher that you can be requires at least two forty-week training sessions. We start the third Saturday in August and go until the fourth Saturday the following May. Then, we do it again. Anything shorter is a waste of your time. If you use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, then you are wise not to do my drills. With the numerous injurious flaws inherent in the 'traditional' pitching motion, you would indeed rip your shoulder and elbow apart. That is the best evidence that I can provide that the 'traditional' pitching motion does not permit the smooth flow of momentum that is required for maximum release velocity and consistency. I never iced. I trained my pitching arm in the same way that marathon runners train their legs. I could pitch every day without any discomfort of any kind. Icing is for 'traditional' baseball pitchers in the hope of repairing the injuries that they suffered in time for their next game. Your home town is not that far away. We train from 9:00 to 10:30AM seven days a week. If you are interested in becoming all the baseball pitcher that you can be, then you might want to take a drive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 131. WOW, you are putting some long days into this video. I am glad to hear that you still have your hands on every scene. I am a 2004 video owner, and if you have started some sort of list, please put me on it for a copy of this latest edition. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For better or worse, it will be very clear that I am the only person who worked on this video. You are already on my mailing list. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 132. I have been studying Grant's Atlas of Anatomy to figure out which muscles of the arms are involved in baseball batting. I believe the most important muscles of the arms involved in baseball batting are the triceps brachii because they are the main extensors of the forearms. Also involved are the flexor carpi radialis muscles, the palmaris longus muscles, and the flexor carpi ulnaris muscles in the forearms which all act to ulnar flex the wrists. Also involved are the pronator teres and pronator quadratus muscles of the rear forearm which act to pronate the rear forearm, and the supinator muscle of the front forearm which acts to supinate the front forearm and, for baseball batting, to pronate the rear forearm. Do you agree with my conclusions? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While you need to also consider the Shoulder Girdle muscles and there are some smaller muscles involved in the Shoulder Joint, Elbow Joint, Forearm Joint, Wrist Joint, Hand and Fingers, you put together a pretty good list. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 133. I first heard about you in my Kinesiology and Biomechanics classes in college. We talked a great deal about your work regarding pitching mechanics. Although I don't know much about different kinds of pitches, I still found your videos and stills of different releases to be very intriguing. I have been looking at some of the data by different authors recommending minimum ages that pitches be taught at. If the knuckleball is supposedly a low stress pitch than why is it recommended that a curve ball be taught first? The research that I looked at recommends a curveball not be taught until the athlete is (at least) 13 or 14 years and a knuckleball (at least) 15 years. Is this something you could help me out with? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I designed my First 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Program for biological ten year old males. I designed my Second 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Program for biological eleven year old males. I designed my Third 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Program for biological twelve year old males. And, I designed my Fourth 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Program for biological thirteen year old males. Until youth baseball pitchers are biologically sixteen years old (when all growth plates in their pitching elbow mature), I recommend that they do not pitch competitively for more than two consecutive months per year. Until youth baseball pitchers are biologically thirteen years old (when the growth plates at the elbow end of their Humerus bone mature), I recommend that they pitch only one inning per game twice a week. I recommend that youth baseball pitchers less than thirteen biological years old do not pitch competitively against opponent teams. However, they can pitch to their teammates for batting practice or in the game for eleven and twelve biological year old youngsters that I recommend in Chapter Twelve of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book. I would not waste my time teaching or having anybody learn to throw the knuckleball. The information that you cited came from a survey of idiots who have absolutely no growth and development knowledge. The American Sports Medicine Institute should be ashamed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 134. On question #1044, a reader took you to task through me on your formulation of Chapter 29 where you state that if you apply 6.6 pounds of force for .2 of a second you get a 90 MPH release. I had a gentlemen with a doctorate in math from MIT look at the email and respond. He says you made a slight mistake (typo?), but that did not alter the overall results. Here is what my MIT guys says. I just finished reviewing Marshall's calculations. There is only one error, in the second pharagraph, instead of 0.0102539 ft. lbs./sec2 it should be 0.0102539 ft. sec2/lbs. This error may have been a typo and does not have any consequences on the rest of the analysis. Of course that to get to the formula Marshall gets, he does lots of assumptions so the results are an approximation of reality but, once we accept his model (i.e. assumptions he makes which are not unreasonable) the rest of the calculations are OK. To the person who made the complaints I'd say: "Yes, it is true that Marshall does not use the more standard units used in science and does not keep track of all the units when doing its calculations (that is why the error 0.0102539 ft. lbs./sec2 instead of 0.0102539 ft. sec2/lbs does not cause any problems). However, it is a nice illustrative calculation that someone outside science can follow and for somebody inside science it should be easy to reproduce in any units that the person wants." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you and the MIT professor for the help. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 135. I have read through many of the Q&A posts on your website with great interest. It sounds as though your graduate-level academic training, acquired after a pitching career founded on "traditional" mechanics, has led you to design models for pitching mechanics that are highly unique, but relatively untested. Please note: "relatively" is the key word here, and I can understand how something as central to baseball as pitching mechanics would be viewed very conservatively by most baseball people. Whether they understand the details or not, most people naturally tend to "go with what works" especially if "what works" has an extensive history of success. However, regardless of the fairness/unfairness or wisdom/ignorance questions about MLB traditionalists that in fact may limit the ability of Marshall-style pitchers to make it to MLB, how certain can you be that pitchers using your protocols would actually perform well, and injury-free, at the MLB level of play? While no experimental model can ever be as "perfect" as a theoretical model, it is nevertheless clear that 100+ years of MLB, along with 100+ years of all the lesser showcases for baseball, must provide a vast laboratory for the study of pitching mechanics, good, bad, and indifferent. If one makes the assumption, and I think it is a reasonable one even if not perfect--that the most effective practioners of the art generally rise to MLB pitching level--then they are a group worthy of careful study. Of that group there may be a subset that, for whatever reasons, had relatively injury-free pitching careers. Note again: "relatively" is the key word--MLB level pitching looks pretty damned intense, even dangerous, and the schedules look extremely grueling to a non-baseball person like myself. Nevertheless, if you assert that there are no examples of "relatively injury-free" pitchers with traditional mechanics...that claim should be supported with very clear data--it doesn't seem entirely plausible to me (again, I have no background in baseball so I may be missing something obvious to everyone else). My point (sorry for taking so long to get to it) is, if there is an historical group of relatively injury-free "traditional" MLB pitchers it might be useful to know more about the details of their mechanics. With large numbers of subjects to study, I would think that some very meaningful empirical information might come of such an examination. Your ideas, at least as I have gleaned them from your discussion, are very interesting but as long as they are mostly theoretical (in the sense that they appear largely untested in the same high-level arena as "traditional" ideas about pitching mechanics) it is hard to put them in proper perspective. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You wrote, "It sounds as though your graduate-level academic training, acquired after a pitching career founded on "traditional" mechanics, has led you to design models for pitching mechanics that are highly unique, but relatively untested." I received my Masters Degree in 1967. I started my Doctoral Program in 1969. I placed fourth in the National League Cy Young Award in 1972, second in 1973 and first in 1974. That means that I acquired my graduate level academic training before I achieve success. I would say that I succeeded because of my graduate level academic training. I suppose that one could argue that the Ulnar Collateral Ligament replacement surgeries do not indicate injurious flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, but they would be wrong. I suppose that one could argue that the extensive list of major league pitchers on the disabled list each year doe not indicate injurious flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, but they would be wrong. I suppose that one could argue that the lose of flexion and extension ranges of motion in the pitching arms of 'traditional' baseball pitchers does not indicate injurious flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, but they would be wrong. I know a guy that used a primitive form of the baseball pitching motion that I recommend and pitched 27 innings in 13 consecutive games. This same guy pitched 208 closing innings in 106 games in one season. This guy also averaged two innings per appearance over ten years. He also finished in the top seven in Cy Young Award balloting five times. I think that qualifies as properly tested. The 'traditional' baseball pitching motion destroys pitchers, my pitching motion does not. Instead of irrelevant, non-scientific arguments, please take the time to learn the appropriate science. I offer it to you in the form of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, which I hope to have available shortly. I do love debate, but you got to come with something better than this. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 136. You had an answer to an article about OU training (Q #170)in your 2005 Q&A in which you stated: "(As I said before, the training load must be sufficient to stimulate increases in bone density and require proper force application techniques. I estimate that means at least an eighteen hundred percent increase, not the twenty percent that this author believes.)" In your hitting training, you say that implements 1/2 the weight of normal baseball bats can provide sufficient stress. Am I missing something here? How does the load of swinging a bat differ from throwing a baseball, assuming there is a difference? Can one develop the muscles for swinging a 32 oz bat by swinging a 16 oz stick? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baseballs weigh five and one-quarter ounces. At five and one-quarter ounces, we cannot underload. This means that we cannot use weight less than five and one-quarter ounces to enable baseball pitchers to move their pitching arm at greater velocities than they can apply to game weight baseballs. Baseball bats weight thirty-two ounces. At thirty-two ounces, we can underload. This means that we can use weights less than thirty-two ounces to enable baseball batters to move their baseball bat at greater velocities than they can apply to game weight baseball bats. The purpose of underloading is to use time as an overload. In this case, time means the time that it takes for baseball batters to move the center of mass of the striking implement to contact. As a side benefit, for younger baseball batters, the weight of their baseball bat can be more than they can swing with perfect technique. Therefore, when they use lighter striking implements, they not only gain fitness from moving the center of mass to contact, but they also improve their swing technique. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 137. I found your web site when I was looking for information about my son's fracture forearm. I'm reading through the material and find your knowledge and commitment to the health of youth pitchers encouraging, I wish there were more dedicated people like you. I feel overwhelmed with so much information available on pitching, it is becoming difficult to decide who to believe and how to make sure your child does not become injured during the process. As a parent, I'm always looking for how to provide my child with the best training methods for him to succeed. I plan to continue reviewing the material on your web page and would like to purchase the 2006 book and videotape when it becomes available. I would like to know, how much stress does the radius forearm bone (not at the elbow) experience when pitching or hitting? Have you ever seen similar injuries with youths, and did the injury impact the players' ability to pitch or hit? I will also send you the X-rays taken before his next birthday in August. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I will save you time. No other pitching coach has the credentials to drag the infield, let alone teach baseball pitching. As an Associate Professor, I have taught graduate courses in Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology and Motor Skill Acquisition. They don't even have a clue that they don't have a clue. The very best information on youth baseball pitching is in my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. I hope to release it within the next couple of weeks. Other than possibly prematurely closing the distal growth plate of the Radius bone, that your son broke it probably will not negatively affect his baseball pitching or batting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 138. I did share your views with others. Thanks again for your input. Debating such things on an open forum can be difficult, but having a reply from someone who has the experience, easily makes for a more informed conclusion. The article we have been debating is by a sabermatrician here: http://www.hardballtimes.com/daily/article/base-stealer-intangibles-part-2/ I generally found the article to be pointless. Although my baseball skills didn't reach the MLB caliber, I take great pride in base stealing skills. If time permits, the article is somewhat lengthy, I welcome any more response from you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I barely have time to answer my emails. But, whatever they say is only the result to analyzing the present game and, as I said, managers are too afraid of criticism to ever do anything innovative. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 139. I am a moderator for the high school baseball section of a baseball website. Since the HS baseball season is approaching quickly, I was wondering if you could respond to the following question: "If you could give one piece of advice to HS coaches about pitching going into the season, what would it be?" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If they are teaching their pitchers to use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, then, with every pitch, they are destroying the pitching arms of their pitchers. My advice is to immediately stop using the 'traditional' pitching motion and start using my pitching motion. My 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video explains the injurious and biomechanical flaws in the 'traditional' pitching motion and shows parents, coaches and pitchers the step-by-step drills I use to teach my pitching motion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 140. I think that most scientists, in all fields that scientific enquiry is possible, rely very heavily on heuristic information. Pretty much always, theory follows experimentation. I don't really care whether you think I don't debate well, I'm trying to learn about what's going on in the world of pitching mechanics for my own reasons so I must make use of whatever intellectual skills I have. If I can also make any contributions to other people's thinking in this area along the way, fine. If not, that's fine too--I'm not trying to be a thought leader in pitching, I'm trying to evaluate the relative merits of various thought leaders in the field. I don't discount the many types of injuries that "traditional" pitchers are plagued with, but I also don't know how to put the actual rates of injury into perspective against expected injury rates from your mechanics teachings. It's not enough for you to assert that you would never expect any injuries at all from pitchers using your mechanics or that every traditional pitcher will necessarily experience injuries and destroy their arms. Actual data, not "massaged" to emphasize either point of view, would be much more compelling than assertions based on "common knowledge", biased estimates, or single examples. Your example of a single MLB pitcher who used a primitive form of your mechanics ideas is not very compelling because, (1) it's an n = 1, that cannot fairly be compared to n = "many thousands" of traditional pitchers and, (2) If you don't identify this person, no one else can seek to verify your assertions. The many injuries that you cited in your letter to me are clearly serious problems for pitchers and hopefully they can be minimized with optimal approaches to pitching. Perhaps your methods are the grail; however, there is apparently little hard evidence to support the combined ideas that: Your methods will (1) keep pitchers injury-free, and (2) allow them to also be competitive at the highest levels of baseball. That is why I asked you whether you know of any elite pitchers that were relatively injury-free despite using "traditional" mechanics. It is very clear that there are many flavors to choose from, even among what might be generally labelled "traditional". You may not think any of them are good but I'm asking, among other things, whether you believe there are any examples of injury-free "traditional" pitchers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apparently, I am not doing a very good job of explaining myself. Please let me try again. First, I am the n = 1. I used a primitive form of my present pitching motion. If I had used my present motion, then I would have pitched much, much better. In your first email, you correctly stated that 'traditional' pitching coaches at all level have demanded that pitchers I trained immediately change to their pitching motion. Basically, they gave my pitchers the choice of either changing back to the 'traditional' pitching motion or not pitch. Obviously, except for when they pitch for my former assistant coach, this makes it impossible for my pitchers to demonstrate the merits of my pitching motion. At the end of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I provide an example of how absurdly these 'traditional' pitching coaches act. After twelve major league appearances, one of my pitchers had a 1.50 earned run average and the manager told reporters that he had earned a spot in the bullpen. Then, after these reporters wrote that I had trained this pitcher, three weeks and only three appearances later, they released him. I ask you to watch this young man pitch and see for yourself whether he could pitch. In 30.1 major league innings, he struck out 41 batters and gave up 25 hits. My example of one is not without merit. The major league records that I hold that prove that I performed far superior to any other closer in the history of baseball. For example, I pitched 208 closing innings in one season. Who is the next closest closer? Me. I also pitched 179 closing innings in one season. I am the only closer in the history of baseball to qualify for the earned run average title. You cannot dismiss that. In fact, that with only one, to achieve more than all in the history of baseball makes the point more noteable, not less. No pitcher I have trained has ever had any pitching injury. I have trained well over a hundred pitchers. In addition to the dozen or so young men I have trained over the past ten years, I also coached seven years of college baseball. Not one ever injured his pitching arm. I taught my assistant coach how to train pitchers. In the ten years that he coached pitchers, he has never had a pitching injury. That's a sample of over two hundred and no pitching injuries. If you understood what causes pitching injuries, then you would understand why my pitching motion eliminates all pitching injuries. With my pitching motion, it is impossible for pitchers to injure their pitching arms. Therefore, rather than continue this debate, I recommend that we wait until you watch my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. It explains the injurious and biomechanical flaws in the 'traditional' pitching motion and why my pitching motion does not. It also shows why, with my pitching motion, baseball pitchers can achieve their genetic maximum release velocity and throw a wide variety of high-quality pitches. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 141. Then I submit this e-mail address, so that I can be notified when your 2006 video is ready for release. And yes, of course, I will send you comments on it, but that is because you have requested. :) P.S.: My son, a Freshman, made the high school baseball team this past week as a LH pitcher & 1st Baseman. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are assuming that I am better organized than I am. Rather than trust that I will remember to email you that I have my video ready for shipping, I would ask you to watch the home page of my website for when I change 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video to 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. That will mean that I am ready to send DVD or VHS copies of my video. I have finished the video. At this point, I am waiting for help to make the masters from which I will have the DVD and VHS copies made. Then, I will be waiting for those copies to be made. Then, I will be addressing the packages for mailing. All I can promise is that I will do everything I can to get them out as quickly as I can. In your request, I will need your mailing address and would like you to include your email address, so I can tell you when I mail your copy. I appreciate your interest and, together, we will help your son become the best injury-free baseball pitcher that he can be. Now, to determine his biological age and check for growth and developmental differences in the growth plates in his pitching arm, within a week of his next birthday, we need X-rays of his glove and pitching arms from mid-forearm to mid-upper arm from the front and side views. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 142. I recently purchased your 2004 video and am anxiously awaiting the 2006 video. I'm 35 and I want to use your pitching motion to pitch in an amateur adult league. I have no dreams to ever play higher than a competitive, but admittedly 'beer league' level. Since I'm currently a 2nd baseman, I can't stop throwing using a traditional throwing motion. I also believe you said it takes 2 years to master your pitching technique, so I came up with the following idea: I will continue to play 2nd base using a traditional throwing motion with my right hand. Meanwhile, over the next 2 years I'll learn to pitch using your throwing motion, but throwing with my left hand. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It sounds like a plan to me, but I recommend that you train your normal throwing arm. On the third Saturday of August, you should start with my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. Then, during June, July and the first three weeks of August, to see what you have learned, you should pitch competitively. Then, on the third Saturday of August, you should start my Fifteen Pound Wrist Weight Recoil Interval-Training Cycle, followed immediately with my Eight Pound Iron Ball Recoil Interval-Training Cycle, followed immediately with my Twenty Pound Wrist Weight Recoil Interval-Training Cycle. Then, you will be ready for your second summer of competitive pitching. At this point, depending on your motivation, on the next third Saturday of August, you could complete my Ten Pound Iron Ball Recoil Interval-Training Cycle, my Twenty-Five Pound Wrist Weight Recoil Interval-Training Cycle and my Twelve Pound Iron Ball Recoil Interval-Training Cycle. Then, you will be ready for your third summer of competitive pitching. Thereafter, during every off-season, you only need to repeat my Fifteen Pound Iron Ball Recoil Interval-Training Cycle and my Thirty Pound Wrist Weight Recoil Interval-Training Cycle. This is what I did from 1967 through 1981. Now, I will have to post my Recoil Interval-Training Cycles. I look forward to your reports. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 143. For those parents writing Dr Marshall concerned about their young pitchers having been injured or on the verge, I would like to give you first hand experience of a Dad and his son and family who experienced this agony first hand. My son is now 19. He started playing baseball at age 5, and was a natural. He excelled at every level as a pitcher, beginning at age 7. He did the Little League try outs and was drafted onto a team at age 9. He started as a pitcher, was named Leagues best 9 year old. He was the best pitcher on his team as a 10-11 and 12 year old. He pitched back to back no hitters in Little League. He was the League MVP. He was probably an accelerated maturer, but, without X-rays, I can't say for certain. When he moved up to Babe Ruth League, on larger field, he was League MVP as 13, 14 and 15 year old. He pitched 3 more no hitters in Babe Ruth. We worked diligently on his traditional mechanics, practiced in off season, bought loads of video and Dick Mills' entire collection of newsletters, videos, books everything. I still have it if anyone wants it. We lifted weights, threw in a winter league indoors (we live in the Northeast). We both were prepared for what would surely be a phenomenal high school career, and certainly a Division 1 college was waiting. Freshman year he made the varsity team as a reliever and also played some on the freshman team. He pitched a 2 hitter and struck out 16 in a 7 inning game. Then one night while we were playing in an indoor league, January of his sophomore year, one night changed both our lives forever. He felt a twinge on top of his right shoulder, and looseness in his right shoulder. Didn't think much of it at the time, but he was having difficulty even throwing so we stopped that league and shut down until practice started in March. When practice began it was quickly obvious he was throwing less than 50% of what he had been. We had to find out what was wrong, off to the orthopedic specialist, chiropractor for treatments, hospital for medications, MRI's, X-Rays, rest, physical therapy, more MRI's. Varying diagnosis did not lead to a cure. Everyone had a different answer and it became quickly evident they had no answers. They knew something was wrong, but they didnt know how to correct it or what caused it. Talk about frustration. By this time, the season had started. Try as he could he was clearly no where near where he was, it was very painful for a mom and dad to watch. Try to imagine this yourself, he struggled, and got hammered on the mound, couldn't reach first base from third. Heart wrenching, and being told he sucked from his teammates. I'm sure it was just as agonizing for my son if not more. He was now on the bench. Junior year was lost, gone forever. That summer he couldn't play at all for the American Legion team, which he made as a 16 year old and excelled. We were in dispair, how could this happen, why? We found Dr. Mike's website prior to start of senior year. We tried desperately to learn the mechanics over the winter, over and over in the backyard, but a quick fix was not that easy, it was impossible. Baseball season started, he was sitting the bench, got a couple starts in the outfield. Our dreams were over, baseball was not fun, everything we worked so hard for, gone, over. He wound up quitting the team midway through the year. He couldn't take it, our family was in stress mode every day. There was nothing I could do but try to soothe him and his ego. Believe me, as a Dad, watching your kids suffer and fail is a situation you don't want to be in. Then we made the trip to Zephyrhills, and the rest shall we say is history. He is now in his second 280 day cycle with Dr Marshall. He throws everyday without pain. He is throwing harder than ever before, with 10 pitches in his arsenal, baseball is fun, his confidence is back, he's grown emotionally, understands it's hard work and a long road back, but is closer to his dream of playing college ball than ever before. He's rooming with an ex-major leaguer, he's learning alot, about pitching and life. My son is not the only one is a similar situation, many of the guys there have been through the same. But now we can honestly say, we have found the light. Let there be no mistaking, had we not found Dr Marshall and his camp, my son would no longer be playing, he would have given it up. So for you parents who doubt what is being said on the website, or for those who would like to speak to me, Dr. Mike has my email and phone. Feel free to ask him for the info and contact me, or my son. And for those whose boys are lighting up the leagues they are playing in, it may be just a matter of time when our experinces will be yours. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How do you stop someone from talking from the heart because he does not want others to go through what he and his son went through? He knows that I do not solicit testimonials. I believe that most people will read this and see it as a cheap trick. On the other hand, I believe that when people watch my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, they will understand what this gentleman is saying. Nevertheless, I will honor his request. If you want to talk with him, his email address is: atholen@us.ibm.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 144. First, let me say that I have been following your teaching’s after my son had been injured during a disastrous time working with an internet site that teaches scapula loading and rotating in to foot plant. He had Tommy John surgery 2 years ago and is now ready to start throwing again after a very long recovery time. My Question is one of concern that this practice of scapula loading is being taught by some instructors as a way of throwing harder, but I’m sure it has become the source of injury of many athletes’ that are taking this theory to practice. I would like to hear what you think of this way of throwing and how it has not only hurt my son, but as I feel will be a source of disaster for many young arms if this idea continues to catch on! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I think that you should sue Paul Nyman and his SetPro website. I have repeatedly told him that his 'Scapula Loading' concept injures pitching arms. For probably about the tenth time, I will explain why 'Scapula Loading' destroys pitching arms. Nyman mistakenly believes that when baseball pitchers pinch their pitching and glove Scapulas tightly together, this maximally lengthens the muscles that drive their pitching arm forward. During the 'traditional' pitching motion, two injurious flaws converge to enable pitchers to pinch their Scapula together. First, 'traditional' baseball pitchers reverse rotate their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm well beyond second base. Second, when they forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders, the 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' and 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' flaws of the 'traditional' pitching motion causes the pitching arm to remain essentially stationary while their glove foot contacts the ground and the pitchers start to move their glove forearm laterally backward. As a result of these flaws, the Scapulas move very close together, such that the pitching and glove upper arms approach a ninety degree angle behind the pitchers' body. In this position, the front of the pitching shoulder suffers considerable unnecessary stress, but the danger is not over. Because the pitching forearm, wrist, hand, fingers and baseball are moving backward while the pitching upper arm is moving forward, by accelerating the 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce,' 'Scapula Loading' greatly increases the stress on the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. That explains why your son ruptures his Ulnar Collateral Ligament. But, there is more. If the Ulnar Collateral Ligament survives this stress, then 'Scapula Loading' attacks the olecranon fossa. This means that 'Scapula Loading' greatly accelerates 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' When the pitching elbow starts moving, it has to first return to the pitching arm side of their body. In 'traditional' baseball pitchers, this means that the pitching elbow moves about four feet sideways and two feet forward. This movement generates horizontal centripetal force that slings their pitching forearm, wrist, hand, fingers and baseball laterally away from their body to their pitching arm side. This means that 'Scapula Loading' accelerates 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' which causes the olecranon process to slam into it fossa, which decreases the extension range of motion of the pitching elbow. In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I show an overhead view of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. It clearly shows the ninety degree angle of which I speak. 'Scapula Loading' is extremely dangerous. However, the alleged safe pitching motion that Tom House is currently touting uses 'Scapula Loading' in an even more dangerous way. He calls it, 'Fast Arm.' 'Fast Arm' is the same as 'Scapula Loading,' but with another dangerous flaw added, 'Looping.' 'Looping' occurs when baseball pitchers move their pitching hand close to their head during their 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover.' Now, with their pitching hand and baseball close to their head when they start driving their pitching elbow four feet laterally and two feet forward, their pitching hand and baseball moves in a circle backward, then outward to their pitching arm side at even greater acceleration rates than with 'Scapula Loading' alone. 'Fast Arm' actually means that baseball pitchers will destroy their pitching arms even faster. Once again, I have warned Mr. House of this danger. Therefore, for him to claim in a Court of law that he did not know that 'Fast Arm' is not safe is perjury. I recommend that the first pitcher to use 'Fast Arm' and either rupture his Ulnar Collateral Ligament or lose extension range of motion in his pitching elbow should sue Mr. House for damages. My pitching motion eliminates 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover.' Therefore, my pitching motion does not have 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce.' This means that it is impossible for my pitchers to rupture their Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Then, because my pitchers powerfully pronate their pitching forearm before, during and after release, it is impossible for my pitchers to lose extension range of motion in their pitching elbow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 145. Just wanted to let you know that after taking a few weeks I have finally finished reading through all of the Q & A files for all the years, amazing amount of information there, it's great. I am also shocked at some of the stories on there. I cannot believe that you could take a guy throwing 95 mph to a tryout camp and that they won't even look at him, ridiculous. I guess that just proves baseball's good old boy nature and their unwillingness to accept scientific facts. I have just completed day 27 of 315 so I still have a long way to go, but everyday I look forward to coming home from work and doing my workout. I think I'm addicted to it. One of my questions is, is their any soreness or tiredness that would be deemed normal or natural from the workout, and if so, where would I feel it? Also, wondering about your guys who are playing in the minors right now, what did they say to their coaches to allow them to continue to pitch the way that they do? Would it be possible to speak with any of them so I could get some advice, with them already going through it? After reading about you and your followers dealings with my minor league pitching coordiator, I have a feeling that when I report to spring training early in March that they aren't going to take to kindly as to what I am doing. I'm not sure if I should keep it quiet or try and speak to them about it. Any thoughts? Also would it be possible for me to get the new video before the spring training, so I could look through it and then bring it to spring training if I decided to share it with my pitching coaches? I have really been thinking what to do, it just might come to them getting really pissed at me and then releasing me. If it came to that, then I think I'm prepared for it and if that actually did happen then I could just come down to FL and work with you. I really question and wonder why people seem to refuse something so true and so simple to understand if they just took the time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whenever athletes exceed the present capabilities of their muscle and connective tissues, these tissues will become irritated. For example, during the first few days that you did your wrist weight exercises, you had discomfort in your Trapezius and Levator Scapulae muscles in the back of your neck and shoulders. These discomforts will occur as the training that you do stresses different areas. In general, just keep working. If the discomfort interferes with your training, reduce your intensity, but keep working. If you become concerned, then email me where you feel the discomfort. I will know what it means and whether it is normal training discomfort or whether you are performing a drill incorrectly. I have just the guy training with me right now who has dealt with the wall of ignorance of the 'traditional' baseball pitching coaches. I am sure that he would talk with you. Better yet, come to Zephyrhills, FL before you go to spring training. That way, you can see for yourself what we do and talk with him. I have completed my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video and am doing everything I can to get the DVD and VHS copies made. When I have them in my hands, I will change the icon on my home page from 2004 to 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 146. You say, "When muscles powerfully contract while opposing (antagonist) muscles are contracting, antagonist muscle fibers tear." I believe this ties in with your statement that only muscles can pull muscles. If pitchers tear his Subscapularis muscle due to bringing the ball behind his acromial line, the Subscapularis must be the antagonistic muscle. What is the other muscle that is contracting? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Subscapularis muscle inwardly rotates the Humerus bone of the shoulder joint. Therefore, the antagonist muscles of the Subscapularis muscle are the muscles that outwardly rotate the Humerus bone of the shoulder joint. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 147. When performing your one-armed batting drills, should batters use the same body action that they use in their regular, two-armed swing? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When my baseball batters do my rear arm only drill, I have them grab their belt on the rear arm side of their body with their front hand. Otherwise, they should use their body in the manner I describe for baseball batters. When my baseball batters do my front arm only drill, I have them grab their belt in the front of their body with their rear hand. Otherwise, they should use their body in the manner I describe for baseball batters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 148. Dr. Marshall exaggerates the danger to youth baseball pitchers. His recommendations are too conservative. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is what happens when you let emotion cloud your thinking. You want eleven year olds to pitch on your team, so you rationalize that, because they do not all complain of pain and you are counting pitches that they are not injuring themselves. Well, you are wrong. In the entire history of youth baseball pitching, there has been only one valid research project on the effects of baseball pitching on the growth and development of the growth plates in the youth baseball pitching elbow. In the 1965 California Medicine Journal, Orthopedic Surgeon Joel E. Adams, surveyed the bi-lateral elbow X-rays of one hundred and sixty-two 9-14 year old San Bernadino, CA males of whom 80 pitched, 47 played other positions and 35 did not play baseball. No subject suffered from elbow fractures, severe elbow infections or genetically deformed elbows. Dr. Adams determined that physicians must compare non-pitching elbows with pitching elbows. Otherwise, physicians frequently incorrectly conclude that X-rays appear normal when accelerated maturation had prematurely closed pitching arm growth plates. Dr. Adams found that 95% of the eighty 9-14 year old pitchers had premature medial epicondyle growth plate closure and humeral growth plate separation, 15% suffered medial epicondyle fragmentation and 8.6% suffered osteochondritis (cartilage inflammation) on their capitular and radial head’s articular surfaces. Let me repeat Dr. Adams finding. 95% of the eighty 9-14 year old baseball pitchers had premature medial epicondyle growth plate closure and humeral growth plate separation. Do you understand what 95% means? In your ignorance, you are destroying the pitching arms of ninety-five percent of your pitchers. Because the young men do not suffer pain, is it okay to have their medial epicondyle growth plate prematurely close or their humeral growth plate separate? Read the table in Chapter Nine of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book. In all that reading you did that you now claims makes you some kind of expert, did you skip Chapter Nine? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 149. For your one-armed batting drills, do your batters hit balls off a batting tee, or do they hit balls thrown at them by a pitcher, or both? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I never work with batting tees. I built three foot wide by four foot tall heavy duty pitcher protector screens behind which pitchers sit on stools with their feet braced against their protector screens with a bucket of balls on their thighs. I use eighty foot batting cages with a middle divider net. I have the batters stand with their backs to the middle divider net and the protector screens twenty-five feet away from the batters. My well-protected pitchers use my Maxline and Torque Fastball pitching arm actions to throw directly over the top of their protector screens, such that when they 'stick' their pitching hand in the strike zone, their hand is below the top of the screen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 150. I have a couple follow-up questions. I got the idea to learn to pitch left-handed after reading your recommendation not to throw using the traditional motion while training using your method. I read an article about ambidextrous pitchers and thought, since I'd be learning a new throwing technique, maybe I should try learning with my left hand. I didn't think it was possible to learn to throw from your non-dominant side, but I also read that Dennys Reyes and Mickey Lolich who were both right hand dominant, learned to pitch left-handed. Do you think I'm just too old to learn to pitch from the left side? Or are there other reasons you recommend learning your method using my right hand (dominant side). While training my right arm with your method, will it be a problem if I continue to throw using a regular motion while playing the infield? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After a few weeks of practicing my Pickoff with Step Slingshot drill, you will never use the 'traditional' throwing motion again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 151. I would like to know what muscles are being used through the kinetic chain of events for a baseball pitcher. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you asking only about the acceleration phase? Do you want to start with the Shoulder Girdle muscles? Do you know the attachments for and actions of the Serratus Anterior muscle? Is this answer to a question for a class you are taking? I'll tell you what, you give me your answer and I will tell you whether you are right or wrong. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 152. After I left from down at the camp back in the beginning of January, my Dad and I worked on the rhythm and thought we had figured it out. I was pitching more accurately and I was throwing some good pitches. But over the past two weeks, I have become wild again. I was wondering, when I was pitching one of those days in January back at the camp, you showed me the correct rhythm of breaking my hands in front of me then stepping back with my glove foot then lifting my pitching foot up off the rubber and putting it back down on the rubber before going forward. I was wondering if that is the correct rhythm and where my arm should be when my foot comes back in contact with the rubber and I step foward to pitch. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To use the proper crow-hop rhythm in my Wind-Up body action, Pendulum Swing glove and pitching arm actions, you stand with your pitching foot on the pitching rubber and your glove foot one step behind and your hands together at your waist. To initiate the action, you raise both hands somewhat upward. I call this, the trigger action. Then, at the same time that you pendulum swing your pitching arm vertically downward and backward toward second base, you take a short step backward with your glove foot. During this time, you leave your glove arm hanging straight downward in front of your body. When your pitching arm reaches forty-five degrees behind your body, you outwardly rotate your pitching should and turn the palm of your pitching hand to face away from your body. At the same time, you step straight forward with your glove foot and pendulum swing your glove arm forward and upward to shoulder height with its thumb pointing downward. During the time that you step straight forward with your glove foot, you raise your pitching elbow to ear height and reposition your pitching forearm for whatever pitch that you want to throw, such that when your glove foot lands, your pitching elbow is at ear height and your pitching forearm points toward home plate. As viewed from the rear or front views, you must have your pitching hand at the same height as your pitching elbow and your pitching hand on the driveline toward home plate. After you lengthen your glove arm toward home plate, align your shoulders with your glove arm and lengthen your pitching arm toward second base, when your glove foot lands, you simultaneously pull your glove arm straight backward, pull your glove foot straight backward and drive your pitching knee forward and inward to very close to your glove knee. After you move your pitching knee in front of your glove foot, you extend your pitching elbow, such that you drive your pitching hand and baseball straight forward toward home plate. Lastly, when you have forwardly rotated your hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm as far forward as possible, you powerfully pronate your pitching forearm, wrist, hand and fingers to accelerate the baseball through release. After release, your pitching foot should land on the straight line toward home plate from where the pitching foot started on the pitching rubber and you should have your glove hand right beside your head. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 153. In your letters (which I thought were great by the way) this week you responded to a question about icing by saying you never iced. Yet in your Free Book (Chapter 31) you talk about how people should do Cold Induced Vaso Dilation. I assume this is Icing. I have read all your letters and you don't seem to totally disavow icing but you don't seem too keen on it either. Yet it is recommended in your Free Book. My question concerns how long someone has to ice for the Reactive Hyperemia to kick in. Say a pitcher has a sore shoulder from throwing. Let's say it's the subscapularis. How long would you recommend icing so that it would have the effect you describe in your Free Book? Would the length of time for icing be different for a pulled hamstring? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I never iced because, with my pitching motion and interval-training programs, I never needed extra blood flow to any area as a result of stressing tissue greater than it could withstand. However, Cold-Induced Vaso-Dilation (icing) is the best passive means of increasing blood flow to specific areas of the body. If pitchers have sore shoulders or anything else, then they are either using the 'traditional' pitching motion or have not completed my interval-training programs. When athletes tear the short head of their Biceps Femoris muscle, pulled hamstring in layman's terminology, they improperly co-contracted their Biceps Femoris when they contracted their quadriceps group of muscles. They had a glitch in the computer program. When icing, athletes experience a short time period of rather intense discomfort. This is because, to keep the body temperature from decreasing, the body responses to cold by initially constricting blood flow. However, because muscle cells require oxygen and constricting blood flow decreases their oxygen supply, in the form of pain sensations, they start screaming for oxygen. The body then decides that it is better for the body to get cold than to die from lack of oxygen and it dilates (opens) the blood vessels to the involved muscle cells, vaso-dilation. I recommend that athletes keep the ice on for at least twenty minutes after vaso-dilation occurs, that is, twenty minutes after the pain sensations stop. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 154. You may want to revisit Q124. You write: "The extended anterior view X-ray of your son's left elbow shows that the growth plates for his capitulum and lateral epicondyle have closed, but the growth plate for his medial epicondyle is closed. This affirms that this elbow is biologically fourteen years old." If the medial epicondyle is closed I believe he is biologically 16. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are absolutely correct. I screwed up. Thanks for the heads up. In this young man's left elbow, his glove elbow, the growth plates for his olecranon process, radial head and medial epicondyle were all open. Therefore, his glove elbow is biologically fourteen years old. But, I made another mistake two paragraphs down. In describing the extended anterior view X-ray, I did not change left elbow to right elbow. As you have probably realized by now, rather than retyping a paragraph, I frequently copy a paragraph and only change the words I need. In this case, I forgot to change left elbow to right elbow. However, I think I made the point. Too much baseball pitching prematurely closed the olecranon process, radial head and almost the medial epicondyle growth plates in this young man's pitching elbow. As a result, in addition to taking a big chunk of hyaline cartilage off the Capitular end of his Humerus bone, he lost almost two years of growth and development in his pitching elbow. Youth baseball pitching in NOT harmless fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 155. I want to start from the legs to the hips, core muscle, back, shoulder and arm to the point of release. I would like what muscles are being used through the kinetic chain of events for a baseball pitcher. Yes, I do know the basic functions of the serratus anterior muscle. I am helping a friend with his pitching skills and I wanted to know as much about the dynamics of pitching. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, now I understand your purpose. However, the best way to help your friend with his pitching skills is to have him follow the drills and skills as I lay them out in my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. With regard to the muscles that contribute to the baseball pitching motion, the best way is to consider the joint actions for the specific phases of the pitching motion, then list the muscles that perform those actions. My baseball pitching motion has five phases: Transition, Upper Arm Acceleration, Forearm Acceleration, Deceleration and Recovery. The 'traditional' baseball pitching motion has four phases: Transition, Acceleration, Deceleration and Recovery. I assume that you are interested in the Acceleration Phases, but the muscles that accelerate the baseball can only apply the force that the muscles that decelerate the pitching arm can safely decelerate their segments. The joints to consider are: Ankle Joint, Knee Joint, Hip Joint, Hip Girdle, Thorax, Neck, Shoulder Girdle, Shoulder Joint, Elbow Joint, Forearm, Wrist Joint and Finger Joints. In Chapters Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen and Eighteen of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book, I discuss the bones, Kinesiological actions, muscles and pitching actions of the Shoulder Girdle, Shoulder Joint, Elbow Joint, Forearm Joint, Wrist Joint and Finger Joints. By the way, there are no such things as core muscles. Instead, we have abdominal muscles, costal muscles and vertebral muscles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 156. I believe batting tees are valuable training aids for baseball batters in that they allow batters to to practice the biomechanics of their swings without concern for proper timing to contact pitched baseballs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't. We are not playing golf. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 157. In response to question 120, you state "If base runners know how to return to bases properly, that is, without diving." What is the proper way to take a lead off and return? I have seen several places that you should lead off so you can get back with one step and then diving to the bag. My son never liked to do that and always got back standing up, but I think that he is not getting as big a lead as he should. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Base runners on first base should use a two-step stand up return. They first step with their right foot, then with their left foot onto the base. Base runners on second base should use a three-step stand up return. The first step with their right foot, then with their left foot and, lastly, with their right foot onto the base. Stand up returns are faster, safer and prevent infielders from catching errant throws that are behind base runners. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 158. The "discomfort" I am feeling in on the inside of my elbow. I can just feel it differently there, its hard to explain, at worst it is an ache that I feel sometimes and at others, not at all. When I do the workout it doesn't bother me at all, I feel great. I know a chiropractor who uses applied kinesiology. I had him look at it for me and he did some tests and said that it was my pronator teres muscle that was probably just overworked. Does this make sense to you? The doctor recommended that I take a day off from the program. Do you agree or not? I know that you have said that rest isn't good and it only causes atrophy and that one day of rest means that you have to work 1.5 days just to get back to where you were. Your thoughts would greatly be appreciated. Also, I would love to come down and see you before spring training, but it will just not be doable. I have little money as it is, and my professional team pays for my flight to spring training. But I would very much like to speak with the professional pitcher that you are training. A phone conversation or email or something like that would definitely be great. The first chance I get, either during the season, or afterwards I do plan on coming to your facility though. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pitching forearm pronation protects the pitching elbow. All of my drills require pitchers to maximally pronate their pitching forearm. Therefore, we work the Pronator Teres very hard every day. It is appropriate for you to experience normal training discomfort in your Pronator Teres muscle. It is a well-vascularized muscle that trains very well. My pitchers can never pronate their pitching forearm too hard. The very worse thing that you could do is to take a day off. If the Pronator Teres does not bother your training, then continue to train at full intensity. Any discomfort that you feel after training is appropriate. It means that, as a result of the training, your Pronator Teres is making a physiological adjustment. That it does not bother you to train the next day means that it is making that adjustment. Even if your Pronator Teres did bother you when you trained, I would still want you to train, but simply reduce your intensity. You should never, ever not train every day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 159. Thanks for replying back even quicker than before. I thought that I should keep training anyways, because I read an earlier email from someone else to you in your Q&A files in which you told them that it's normal to have soreness after training. I just wanted your opinion and I kind of thought that you would reply that way. Good to know. Thanks for the help and knowledge. I will continue to train. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My pitchers train every day for as long as they want to pitch competitively. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 160. One of the returning kids on the high school baseball team I coach broke his left arm this past weekend snowboarding. He is a right-handed shortstop. I talked to him yesterday and he said the doctor told him he broke his ulna, radius, and a bone in his wrist. I wanted to check with you for your thoughts on what I should recommend he do to properly recover. I am guessing that he should do as much as possible. In terms of hitting and throwing, would you recommend maybe your 1 arm rear hitting drills to work on his batting and just throwing at highest intensity without pain for his throwing? In general, what is the best case scenario you think in terms of when he will be ready for competition? I realize that is a difficult question since you have not actually seen the boy. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would have him do my rear arm only batting drills with a thirty-four inch sawed off shovel handle with an one-quarter inch hole drilled the length of his forearm up from the bottom with a one-quarter inch rope threaded through and tied off. He should put his rear hand through this rope and tighten it. This will prevent him from accidentally throwing it. Someone in a forty-foot batting cage, behind a protective screen, preferable make with eight gauge metal fabric fencing, should throw him tennis balls from about twenty-five feet. He should practice hitting balls thrown outside, middle and inside. For his baseball throwing, he should do my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program, but double the number of Maxline and Torque Fastball and drop my Maxline True Screwball and Maxline Pronation Curves. The doctor will tell you when he can start using his front arm for batting. However, remember that the bones, ligaments and tendons of that arm will have tremendously atrophied, such that they are not ready to come back at full intensity. He will have to spend several weeks rehabilitating his front arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 161. For the May issue of a national magazine, I'm writing a story about Felix Hernandez, the Mariners' pitching prodigy, and about the nurturing of young pitchers generally. Your methods and ideas have intrigued me for some time (I periodically dip into the Q&A's on your Web site), and I wondered if you might be available for a short phone interview. As arguably the country's leading authority on pitching mechanics and the roots of pitching injuries, you would be a fantastic addition to the story. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Hernandez's mechanics as well as on the broader issue of the prevalence of pitching injuries. As you've said, baseball is suffering from an "epidemic" of career-threatening elbow and shoulder injuries. It's precisely because of the prevalence of injury among young pitchers that statisticians have invented an acronym, TINSTTAPP "There Is No Such Thing As A Pitching Prospect." The idea being that today's twenty-one year-old who throws 95 could very well be tomorrow's patient of Dr. James Andrews. I know you're extremely busy with the various programs you administer, but I wondered if you might be available for a twenty-minute phone interview during the next week or two. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am sure that we can find whatever time that you need. However, I have never seen Mr. Hernandez. Therefore, until you could send me a series of photographs that show his pitching motion, I will say that he has 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' and 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' such that it is just a matter of time before he breaks down. I recently finished my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. I am working on getting the DVD and VHS copies made. If you want to wait until I get those copies, I will send you a copy. You might find the information helpful for the story. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 162. I'm enclosing two attachments, one a video clip showing Hernandez throwing two pitches, the other a four-page PDF that includes numerous stop-motion images of Hernandez in action. (It also includes some analysis of his mechanics; I'm not familiar with the authors, pitchsmarter.com, so I don't know how much credence to give it.) Does this give you enough to work with? If not, let me know and I'll dig around for more. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The videotape file that you sent would not render, so I could not watch it. I did look at the series of photographs. Whoever those guys are who analyzed Mr. Hernandez pitching motion, they have no idea what they are talking about. To get his pitching forearm as vertical as possible, Mr. Hernandez moves his head to his glove side. Unlike what those guys said, this action will not injure Mr. Hernandez, nor will it reduce his release consistency. However, because it decreases his side-to-side movement, leaning dramatically to his glove side actually protects his pitching elbow somewhat. His biggest problem is his 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover.' Eventually, because his 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' leads to his 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce,' I worry about his Ulnar Collateral Ligament. As I said above, because he leans dramatically to his glove side, his 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' becomes 'Pitching Forearm Flyup.' By directing his centripetal force more upward than outward, he lessens its affect of the centripetal force. That is, instead of horizontal, it turns it more vertical, where gravity acts to decelerate the flyout. However, he very clearly supinates his pitch releases. You can see this by how he slaps the glove side of his body. Fortunately, because he has 'Pitching Forearm Flyup' rather than 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' he lessens the affect of slamming his olecranon process into its fossa. When I see he huge talent, I think about how much better he could be. The 'traditional' baseball pitching motion decreases the quality of his game. If he mastered my pitching motion and completed my interval-training programs, then he would throw triple digits and higher quality of a wider variety of pitches without ever injuring his pitching arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 163. Thank you for your very thorough analysis of Hernandez's mechanics. I very much appreciate your time, and hope you won't mind if I ask you to elaborate on some of the points you make. This is extremely interesting stuff and I want to be certain I understand it; it's crucial to the story I'm writing. 1. You note that Hernandez's biggest problem is his "Late Pitching Forearm Turnover." By this, do you mean to refer to Hernandez's supination? If not, what does this term refer to? 2. Similarly, you note that the result of "Late Pitching Forearm Turnover" is "Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce." By this, do you mean that his pitching arm actually bounces off his body after striking it as a result of his follow-through? If not, what is meant by this term? 3. You note that Hernandez protects his pitching arm by leaning dramatically to his glove side. The result, you note, is "Pitching Forearm Flyup" when "Pitching Forearm Flyout" would be (if I understand correctly) preferable, at least in terms of efficiently transferring energy. Are you saying that Hernandez should lean less dramatically to his glove side in order to direct his centripetal force outward rather than upward? 4. If your answer to question #3 is "yes," I'm confused: Wouldn't leaning less dramatically to his glove side mean Hernandez would be protecting his arm less? 5. You note that Hernandez very clearly supinates his pitch releases. I know that you strongly favor pronation; why is it, however, that supination is so dangerous? Does it increase the force of the collision between the olecranon process and its fossa (see question #6)? 6. Do I understand correctly that the same factor that prevents Hernandez from maximizing his velocity (namely, Pitching Forearm Flyup) also diminishes the stress to his elbow? Specifically, that it diminishes the force with which his olecranon process slams into its fossa? 7. Am I right in thinking that the collision described above (olecranon process - fossa) is essentially that of one bone (the ulna) against another (the humerus)? 8. Am I correct in thinking that this collision occurs at the time of contact between the pitching arm and the glove side of the body? 9. You note that you worry about Hernandez's ulnar collateral ligament as a consequence of his "Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce." How much do you worry? If it's possible to say, what in your view would be the percentage likelihood of Hernandez damaging that ligament? If you were a GM trying to determine the risk of Hernandez to a long-term deal, how concerned would you be about his mechanics? 10. Hernandez turns 20 in early April. The Mariners haven't let him throw his slider in game situations, even though it's said to be his best pitch. I know you have strong convictions regarding the development of young pitchers. Does Seattle's decision here make sense to you from a physiological standpoint? 11. Because of Hernandez's youth--he pitched in A ball at 17--the Mariners brought him along very slowly. In two years, he threw a total of 218 innings. Does this decision make sense to you from a physiological standpoint? 12. The Mariners will make Hernandez their fifth starter this year and skip his starts at times. They plan to limit his workload until he's older. Does this decision make sense to you from a physiological standpoint? 13. How old does Hernandez need to be before the Mariners can feel confident about turning him loose--letting him make 30 starts and throwing his slider in games? What factors in his physical development make it necessary to wait until then? 14. The piece I'm working on will discuss Hernandez in the context of other young and promising pitchers, so many of whom suffered career-ending injuries. If I may ask a broad question here, why has baseball seen (as you have said) an epidemic of pitching injuries among young pitchers? 15. It's my understanding that we haven't seen a similar epidemic throughout the history of the game; why are we seeing it now? 16. In your view, why haven't teams recognized the scope and seriousness of this problem and taken steps to protect their young pitchers? 17. Are there ANY Major League teams that have taken meaningful steps to address this problem? If so, which teams are they? 18. If you can say, are there Major League teams that qualify as the worst offenders in terms of their indifference to physiological issues affecting their young pitching prospects? 19. Luis Tiant reportedly threw 170+ pitches in one game in the early 70s; David Cone has said he thinks he threw 200 pitches once. These are not isolated stories. Why were guys of past generations able to throw so many pitches in games without injuring themselves (even if, unlike you, they were ignorant of kinesiology) when guys today can't? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I carefully and completely explain 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' and 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' It is too bad that I do not have a copy that I could send you at this time. It would save me a lot of time and printed words. 01. 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' results from 'traditional' baseball pitchers pendulum swinging their pitching arm downward, backward and laterally behind their body with the palm of their pitching hand facing downward. Try it yourself. Because they have the palm of their pitching hand facing downward, the pendulum swing of their pitching arm comes to a point at about forty-five degrees behind their body where it cannot continue swinging upward. The pendulum swing of their pitching arm comes to a complete stop. If you have videotape of Mr. Hernandez from behind, then you will see his pitching arm stop moving laterally behind his body. So, there he is with his entire pitching arm stopped with his pitching hand and baseball facing his first baseball at slightly above knee height. But, to throw the baseball, he has to get his pitching hand and baseball up to driveline height. To get his pitching hand and baseball up to driveline height, Mr. Hernandez has to lift his pitching hand and baseball from above knee height to above his head. So, now he starts lifting them. He cannot throw the baseball with the palm of his pitching hand facing his first baseman, so he has to turn his pitching forearm over, such that the palm of his pitching hand faces upward. This is 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover.' Unfortunately, he has already started his forward stride with his glove foot. Therefore, before he completes his 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' his glove foot will contact the ground and he will start forwardly rotating his shoulders. As a result, when his pitching forearm is about two-thirds of the way through his 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' usually close to when his pitching forearm points vertically upward, his pitching upper arm will start moving forward. Because his pitching elbow is four or more feet to this glove side behind the line between home plate and second base, when his starts moving his pitching upper arm forward, it actually goes at least as much sideways than forward. But first, we have to return to his now about vertical pitching forearm. He is about two-thirds of the way through his 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' and the elbow end of his pitching forearm starts moving forward. Therefore, while, in its attempt to have the palm of his pitching hand face upward in proper preparation to throw the baseball somewhat toward home plate, his pitching hand and baseball continue to move backward as his pitching elbow starts to move forward. His pitching hand and baseball are moving backward and downward and his pitching elbow is moving forward. At some point, his pitching hand and baseball have to stop moving backward and downward and follow his pitching upper arm moving sideways and forward. I call that moment, 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce.' With the stress of every 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce,' the tiny fibers in his Ulnar Collateral Ligament tear a little bit. The cumulative effect of all these miniscule tears leaves his Ulnar Collateral Ligament weakened until it can no longer tolerate this unnecessary stress and ruptures. Now, let's return to the at least as much sideways as toward home plate movement of his pitching elbow as a result of the excessive reverse rotation of his pitching hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm. So, here is his pitching elbow, anywhere from three to five feet to the first base side of the line from home plate to second base. He cannot drive the baseball toward home plate from here. Therefore, he has to return his pitching hand and baseball back to the pitching arm side of his body. His pitching hand and baseball have no choice but to follow his pitching elbow. Like in the ice skating game of 'crack the whip,' when the pitching elbow returns to the pitching arm side of his body and starts to move toward the general area of home plate, it slings his pitching hand and baseball laterally away from his body to his pitching arm side. I call this, 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' To prevent the olecranon process, the tip of the elbow on the back side of the elbow, of his pitching elbow from slamming into its fossa, Mr. Hernandez has to contract the Brachialis muscle on the front of his upper arm. This means that he cannot use the powerful Triceps Brachii muscle to accelerate the baseball forward. But, Mr. Hernandez's pitching arm cannot worry about that, it has to prevent the collision of the olecranon process of his pitching elbow into its fossa. Therefore, with every pitch, the Coronoid Process of his Ulna bone minusculely lengthens and he loses degrees of his flexion and extension ranges of motion in his pitching elbow. One way to protect the pitching elbow is to pronate the releases of all pitches. This prevents the olecranon process from slamming into its fossa. Unfortunately, Mr. Hernandez supinates the releases of his pitches. Therefore, the olecranon process of his pitching elbow frequently slams into its fossa. But, even though the hyaline cartilage in his olecranon fossa becomes irritated and calcifies, he only feels slight discomfort and continues to throw through it. 02. No, 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' does not mean that he bounces his pitching forearm off his body during the centripetal imperative recovery phase of the pitching motion, but the pitching forearm bounces downwardly backward just before his starts forward just before the start of the acceleration phase of the pitching motion. 03. No. Mr. Hernandez should stop generating the centripetal force. Mr. Hernandez leans dramatically to his glove side to get his pitching forearm as vertical as he can, not to protect his pitching arm. But, because he has zero degrees of separation between the longitudinal axes of his pitching upper arm and his pitching forearm, he would have to lay down on his glove side to achieve a truly vertical pitching forearm at release. Nevertheless, because he does lean so dramatically to his glove side, he changes a portion of the centripetal force of his pitching forearm from toward his pitching arm side to upward. That is why, instead of 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' I call what Mr. Hernandez does, 'Pitching Forearm Flyup.' This means that, instead of turning his pitching hand and baseball from moving toward third base to moving toward home plate, he has to turn his pitching hand and baseball from moving toward the upper deck on his pitching arm side of his body to moving toward home plate. Ironically, because gravity drives his pitching hand and baseball downward, this biomechanical flaw decreases the force that slings his pitching hand and baseball laterally away from his body. 04. Yes. However, not only does gravity decelerate his pitching hand and baseball from moving away from his body, it also decelerates the baseball from moving toward home plate. In addition, while the greater lean to his glove side does lessen the side-to-side variable, it increases the up-to-down variable in his release consistency. While I am in favor of this, I prefer to get his with degrees of separation rather than excessive lean. Excessive lean unnecessarily stresses the vertebral column, especially the L5-S1 joint. If he continues with this dramatic lean, back surgery could be in his future or, at the least, a lot of back pain. 05. When pitchers supinate the releases of their pitches, they place the olecranon process on the collision course with its fossa. To demonstrate the harm of supinating the releases of your pitches, raise your pitching hand to ear height beside your head with your thumb pointing upward. Now, extend your pitching arm straight forward with your thumb pointing upward. That pain that you feel is the olecranon process slamming into its fossa. To demonstrate the protection of pronating the releases of your pitches, raise your pitching hand to ear height beside your head with your thumb pointing upward. Now, while you turn the thumb of your pitching hand to point downward at full extension, extend your pitching arm straight forward. That lack of pain that you do not feel is the olecranon process not slamming into its fossa. 06. Yes. 07. Yes. 08. No, the collision occurs during the 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' of the acceleration phase of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. 09. At ninety-seven miles per hour of pitching hand velocity, if he continues to use this pitching motion at this intensity, he will eventually rupture his Ulnar Collateral Ligament. 10. 'Traditional' baseball pitching coaches teach their pitchers to throw sliders by powerfully supinating their pitching forearm. The more powerfully baseball pitchers supinate their pitching forearm, the more powerfully they slam their olecranon processes into their fossas. 11. If he is biologically nineteen years old, then the growth plates in his shoulders have closed. However, I suspect that, because he has been pitching for several years, he prematurely close the growth plates in his pitching shoulder several years ago. If, at seventeen years old, the growth plates in his pitching shoulder had prematurely closed, then, excepted for delaying the inevitable 'traditional' pitching motion destroying his pitching arm, they gained nothing. If, instead, he had spent those years mastering my pitching motion and completing my interval-training programs, he would be ready for twenty years of high-quality, injury-free baseball pitching. 12. To become stronger, the bones, ligaments and tendons of our body need systematic stress to stimulate the production of more bone, ligament and tendon tissue. However, with the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, for pitchers to stress these areas does not strengthen them, but destroys them. Fortunately, with my pitching motion and rigorous interval-training programs, with more training and throwing, these tissues get stronger and stronger. 13. As long as he uses the 'traditional' pitching motion and supinates his releases, he will destroy his pitching arm. Unless they are willing to take a couple of years off for him to learn my pitching motion and complete my interval-training programs, like the Florida Marlins are doing with Dontrell, they might as well let him pitch as much as can for as long as he can. 14. Unlike when I pitched, where getting batters out with movement and intelligence, the radar gun determined who got to pitch. Today, the radar gun determines who gets to pitch. Without knowledge and skill, today's pitchers throw every pitch as hard as they can and the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion takes care of the rest. I did what I did, 106 appearances, 208 closing innings, 13 consecutive game appearances and 84 games finished, because I learned that pronating my releases protected my pitching elbow and that making the baseball move in ways that baseball batters could not anticipate got batters out despite my 86 mile per hour fastball. That does not mean that I would not have thrown ninety-seven miles per hour if I could have, it means that I would have still pitched with movement and knowledge and been even better. 15. The inability of pitching coaches to teach pitches that baseball batters cannot hit and the radar gun has caused the increase in pitching arm injuries in today's baseball. 16. Because pitching coaches have no idea why their pitchers injure themselves and therefore, to protect their jobs, they blame the pitchers and use pitch counts and other nonsense to convince their owners that they are doing everything they can. But, in the end, it is because the owners continue to hire the same General Managers, Player Development Directors and Pitching Coordinators who do not have the academic background and lack of self-interest required to solve this problem. Unfortunately for the owners, I appear to be the only properly trained person in the world who can stop this epidemic and those that they have hired do not want someone who actually knows that those they have hired have no clue, but the owners still listen to them. Therefore, in the end, it is just these General Managers, Player Development Directors and Pitching Coordinators protecting their paychecks, instead of the pitching arms of their pitchers. 17. No, they are only rearranging the deck chairs on their individual Titanics. 18. No, they are all equally culpable. 19. Neither Mr. Tiant or Mr. Cone were not throwing to the radar gun. Rather than velocity, they used a variety of movements. But, even then, they all still pitched in pain. Are they still able to wipe their own butts? In the history of major league baseball, there was only one guy who pitched everyday without any discomfort at all. Ask Red Adams, 1974 the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching coach when I pitched in 106 games, what I did the day after I did not pitch in the game the night before. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 164. Your answers to my questions are fantastic. Thank you VERY much for your patience, time, and energy. If I can bother you one more time, I wanted to ask just a handful of follow-ups. 1. I would very much like to see your 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. As you say, the video would help me grasp some of the ideas you're discussing. My deadline for this story is in about three weeks. Will the video be out within that time? 2. I didn't quite understand the sentence that begins the fourth paragraph of your reply to my first question. The sentence reads as follows: "So, there he is with his entire pitching arm stopped with his pitching hand and baseball facing his first baseball at slightly above knee height." I don't follow what is meant by "facing his first baseball." 3. In your answer to my eleventh question, you say "I suspect that, because he has been pitching for several years, he prematurely closed the growth plates in his pitching shoulder several years ago." Why is it the case that Hernandez's pitching for several years has made his growth plates close prematurely? 4. In that same answer, you note that the premature closing of his growth plates would mean Seattle "gained nothing" from bringing him along slowly in the minors. Why is this the case? 5. You note that Dontrelle Willis is using your program. Is he doing the interval training only, or is he also learning your pitching motion? And is he doing this directly under your supervision, or is a Marshall disciple supervising him? I'd love to be able to say in the story that you're personally working with the Marlins and Dontrelle if this is the case. 6. You say I should ask Red Adams what you'd do during the 1974 season on days when you hadn't pitched the night before. I'm guessing you threw--is that correct? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. I am doing the very best that I can to get the masters made from which I can get my DVDs made. I hope to have them in my hands by the end of next week. I may not have the graphics, but I could send you the DVD without graphics. 02. Typo. I meant first baseman. 03. I suspect that before he signed with the Mariners, Mr. Hernandez pitched as much as he could throughout the year. If he did, then he already prematurely closed these growth plates. 04. The growth plates in the shoulder mature at biological nineteen years old. The Mariners did not pitch him much when he was seventeen and eighteen. I assume that they did not want to prematurely close the shoulder growth plate, which means that the Humerus bone will not grow longer at the shoulder end. I am saying that, if they had taken an X-ray, then I believe that the growth plates in his pitching shoulder had already closed. 05. Dontrelle Willis is not doing my program. What I meant is that he has a terrible pitching motion and will seriously injure his pitching arm. However, the Florida Marlins don't care. They are going to pitching as much as they can for as long as his pitching arm holds up. 06. Red Adams will tell you that the day after I did not pitch the night before, I threw batting practice. Clearly, I never had any stiffness or soreness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 165. I had "Tommy John" in October. I was wondering when I could start doing your program? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The doctor should tell you. But, as I understand their concern, the holes through which they threaded the replacement tendon close ninety days after the surgery. An X-ray will show whether the holes have closed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 166. How fast does the typical minor league relief pitcher throw? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I do not have any way of directly knowing the answer to this question. Nevertheless, it is my understanding that professional scouts always have radar guns with them and if pitchers cannot throw ninety miles per hour, then they will not sign them. However, after a couple of years with their crack pitching coach staff, they either require surgery or they cannot throw eighty miles per hour. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 167. My grandson is two years old and shows a great interest in catching and throwing. Is it too early to start giving him a heavied ball or should I wait a couple of years? He is small for his age but I expect him to grow, since his father is 5'10" and his half-brother is 16 and about 5'8". ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two years old seems a little late to get started prematurely closing growth plates. At birth, he had only two ossification centers in his entire body. That would have been the perfect time to start using the weighted baseballs. You could have destroyed every extremity growth plate in his body before the growth plates even form. If you are successful, the growth plates in his pitching arm could all be completely closed by the time he is chronologically six year old. Then, he could start my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Programs in time for he eight year old fall baseball league. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 168. Just stumbled on your site. Some parts are very technical but I am not afraid. I will process all of the info and I normally use a dictionary when I do this type of research. My son's well-being is most important. I admit I am not a doctor or physicist. See, that wasn't that so hard to admit. I enjoy baseball and my one son who is 15 and average size work at it. He is a golfer and he likens baseball to having a good time and is a good player. I have been involved with my local Little League for the past 20 years as a volunteer only, now. They came up with an absurd rule to be a coach awhile back and I wasn't interested. They used to get frustrated when I would have all pitchers on my team and win. I wasn't trying to win but minimize the young player's exposure to physical and biological growth affects I knew nothing about. I didn't even jockey for position in the draft. I didn't care about who was on my team. I coached to protect my son (selfish me). You are absolutely correct about kids would rather lose and play than sit and win (well-balanced kids that is). My son stopped playing Little League to play travel ball at 10 years old. He may have pitched his one inning twice a week or less in Little League at 10 and no pitching but practice mechanics from 11 to 14 years old. I just didn't know enough about it and information was varied in the market. We do travel ball to work on his hitting and fielding. Because of this, his fundamentals and mechanics are ahead of others in his grade and size. Now that he has grown, he has an exercise and diet regimen and gained some weight over this winter. He is a freshman and has been working out with his schools Varsity High School team by invitation of the coach. It looks like he is going to make and possibly start on the team. He started pitching late last year on his travel team but we he won't play on this team in the fall, instead he will play on the school's golf team. Our coach on the travel team is a pitch counter and controls all aspects of the arms on the team regardless of game situations. Just about all 13 of the boys are pitching to some extent now. That's what was good about the travel team. We were building fundamentals and protecting the players. I believe if he is to have success at baseball, his career is just about to start and I stumbled onto your site in good timing. I don't believe he has missed any glory playing on All-Star teams or any of that. It was very easy to convince him to walk away when we would talk about where he wanted to be in years to come when other kids were burning out or getting injured. Baseball is a slow growth sport to me and patience, proper training and mindset are very important. He has never thrown a piece of equipment or questioned an umpires call and I attribute this to changing his environment. I say this because I am a High School/Little League umpire and things are not getting better with some of the things I see. I appreciate your site and information and I can see why the mainstream is so very irate with you. I now have additional information to compare to traditional wisdom. Besides you providing this, I guess you must take the additional criticism due to the obvious fact that you are a free site. Ah, the almighty dollar that is slipping away from the others. And they blame you, which has nothing to do with baseball or the well-being of the Player. Mr. Carroll refers to you being out of the mainstream and they have cast this monetary curse on themselves in an effort to spite you, who probably couldn't care less. I have Dick Mills's videos that a friend gave me and other resources. I just couldn't get comfortable with everything and I always err on the side of moderation or get more facts. I plan to get your video and take it apart and compare it to information I already have and I am sure you would want me to do this. Who knows, my friend may have spent $200 on how not to train a pitcher which also would be as well spent money as my $100 for your video. It looks like your info will fill the void we were looking for to continue his growth and health in baseball. P.S.: Nobody could figure out why I didn't let my son play baseball in a conventional setting for the past 5 years and they thought he was a good player and would be missing out. Little did time tell that he probably won't miss anything he didn't want to miss and had fun doing it! It has nothing to do with being a Cy Young winner. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I look forward to your critique of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 169. I am 23 years old. I would like to try out for an independent team. I know some of your previous students have pitched for independent teams, I just cannot get a straight answer from anyone on how the tryouts are run and how I can get to one. How, where, and when can I try out for the independent leagues? Or can you put me in touch with someone who has played or is planning on attending tryouts. Also, I am going to be in Florida the second week of March and would like to drop by for a visit. I can get you a more specific date and time if you would like. It would only be for a day, but I would love to see what is going on and see how you and the guys work. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To find out when and where the Independent Leagues hold their tryouts, you check their websites on the internet. For example, for the Northern League tryouts, go to NorthernLeague.com. It says, "The Northern League of Professional Baseball's 2006 Open Tryout will take place on Monday, March 20 and Tuesday, March 21 at Red McEwen Field on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa, Florida." That is less than thirty minutes from my Pitching Research/Training Center in Zephyrhills, FL. We start training at 9:00AM and finish about 10:30AM. Everybody is welcome to visit at any time. The last day of this year's forty week session is the fourth Saturday in May. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 170. My father is 79 and has emphysema. He has not smoked for 22 years but is on oxygen. He has between 4 and 5 liters of oxygen levels in his tank. He has the use of about 1/4 of his lung. At the hospital tonight a therapist told him he has to relearn how to breathe correctly. Evidently, we breathe correctly as babies then unlearn it. The only thing I can think is that we, perhaps, should fill our stomachs when we breathe. Do you believe the therapist is correct? Is there anything you can recommend to get more oxygen into the lungs lungs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The trachea carries air to the lungs. To get as much air into his lungs as possible, he has to use the muscles of inspiration. The Diaphragm is the major muscle of inspiration. By depressing the contents of the stomach, it enlarges the chest cavity in which the lungs expand. But, with three-quarters of the alveoli of his lungs destroyed, he needs higher concentrations of oxygen than is in our atmosphere. The esophagus carries food to the stomach. Unless you like to burp on command, you do not want to use the esophagus to carry air to the stomach. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 171. Before I go too much further, I would like to know if you respond to email. If you answer this or not, I will get my answer. I have read your on-line book, glanced over all of your data, and I am interested in your methods, not convinced but interested none the less. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If I answer what? I don't see a question in your text. However, in your subject window, it says, RE: arm angles. Therefore, I will assume that you are asking me about arm angles. Baseball pitchers cannot raise their pitching upper arm any higher than parallel with the line across the top of their shoulders. 'Traditional' baseball pitchers raise the longitudinal axis of their pitching forearm higher than the longitudinal axis of their pitching upper arm. Therefore, the only thing that changes the angle at which 'traditional' baseball pitchers release their pitches is how much their lean their shoulder line to their glove side. In other words, for 'traditional' baseball pitchers, there is no such thing as different arm slots. However, because I teach my baseball pitchers to powerfully pronate the releases of all pitches, they do separate the longitudinal axis of their pitching forearm from their pitching upper arm. As result, my pitchers can achieve vertical forearms at release. P.S.: If you had read any of my Question/Answer files, then you would know that I always answer all emails. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 172. I am familiar with your work and am attempting to learn more about it. In particular, I am interested in the theses you did at Michigan State, your master's and Ph.D. dissertations. Are either of those studies easily available, either on line or through you? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1967, I completed my thesis for my degree of Masters of Arts at Michigan State University entitled: An Investigation of the Association Between Sexual Maturation and Physical Growth and Motor Proficiency Norms in Males. In 1978, I completed my dissertation for my degree of doctor of philosophy at Michigan State University entitled: Comparison of an Estimate of Skeletal Age with Chronological Age When Classifying Adolescent Males for Motor Proficiency Norms. My doctoral dissertation is on file in the library at Michigan State University. My 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video is my doctoral dissertation on baseball pitching. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 173. My son is 13 yrs. old and injured the growth plate on his elbow last May and had to sit out the season. He has now been cleared by the Doctor to go out for the school JV team next week. Someone just told me that I should inform the coaches not to play him at pitcher this entire season in order to give the growth plate time to strenghten and then let him pitch again next season. That is 2 years. What do you think? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first thing that you and your son need to know is his biological age. To learn this, you need to have X-rays taken of his glove and pitching arms from mid-forearm to mid-upper arm from the front and side views. Make copies and send them to me. I will determine his biological age and check on how his growth plates are maturing. The second thing that you and your son need to know is that the 'traditional' pitching motion destroys pitching arms. Therefore, he needs to master my pitching motion. I recommend that he does not pitch competitively until he masters my pitching motion and the growth plates for his radial head and medial epicondyle completely mature. If you and your son do these two things, then maybe when he is a junior in high school, he will be able to pitch without further injury and insult to his pitching arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 174. I pitched college baseball and did some coaching. I am a student of pitching. I spent a lot of time working with well-known pitching coach. But I am not locked into that method. I am always looking for new information that will lead to maximum efficiency. I've read a little bit on what you are teaching and I am very curious to know more. I have always had a rubber arm but I felt that the traditional way held me back a little bit in some areas. Whenever you have a chance I would love to talk more on this subject. I don't play anymore only coach part-time, but baseball is still the biggest passion in my life. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video is my doctoral dissertation on baseball pitching. After you study my video and my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book, I would greatly enjoy a collegial debate. Also, everybody is welcome to visit my Pitching Research/Training Center in Zephyrhills, FL. We start the third Saturday in August and train every day until the fourth Saturday the following May. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 175. I want to go back to last year and follow up on question and answer 1057: I referred to a study done by 5 scientists on all baseball hitters from 1870 to 1992. I concluded that your conclusions were similar to their findings, and now after 2 weeks of spring practice with my pitchers and hitters and evaluating them in high speed film, there is one UNDENIALABLE FACT. WHICH IS YOUR FORCE COUPLING THEORY IS BEYOND REPROACH. Tthe report refers to most swings by all those players fall into 2 categories, a two hand double pendulum swing dominated by the bottom hand or a two hand double pendulum swing dominated by the top hand. The success of the swing depends when the dominated hand intervenes on the swing, meaning that the swing is started by the bottom hand and depending on the power of the batter's top hand is where the top hand takes over the swing. This is exactly how all my hitters start their swings, the bottom hand start the swing forward and the top hand takes over creating a double pendulum swing with 2 radius, however, your force coupling swing starts the swing forward with the top hand PERIOD THEREFORE THERE IS ONLY A SINGLE PENDELUM MOTION AND ONLY A SINGLE RADIUS. After checking the swing of some famous batters on high speed film their success is that they actually push back with their bottom hand and then automatically start forward with the top hand in charge. This is exactly the same as your force motion concept. I now teach your force motion concept in hitting and pitching instructions, with tremendous success, and immediate feedback. HOWEVER YOU MUST FILM THE BATTER AND PITCHER AND PLAY IT BACK IN HIGH SPEED FILM PREFERABLY 250 FRAMES SEC OR AT LEAST 60 FRAMES A SECOND. I FEEL THE PROBLEM WITH MOST HITTING AND BATTING INSTRUCTORS IS THAT THEY ARE UNINFORMED AND LAZY. THEY TAKE TOO MANY SHORTCUTS, AND THEREFORE SCREW UP THE TIMING AND RHYTHM OF BOTH THE BATTING AND PITCHING MOTION. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ALL PARENTS THAT THEY GET THEIR CHILDREN FILM IN AT LEAST 60 FRAMES PER SEC FILM OR PERFERABLELY 250 FRAMES A SECOND FILM. OTHERWISE ALL THEIR EFFORTS ARE WORTHLESS. I HAVE BEEN COACHING FOR OVER 35 YEARS AND I AM NOT ASHAMED TO ADMIT THAT I WAS WRONG FOR THE 1ST 30 YEARS. THE LAST 5 YEARS I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH YOU. I CALL MY METHOD THE SINGLE PENDELUM HITTING AND PITCHING METHOD BASED ON YOUR FORCE COUPLING THEORY. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am glad that it is working well for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 176. I am a HS coach in the northeast. Our contact time with our athletes is limited to the season (about 10 weeks). Most of what I have read about the weighted baseball workouts is for off-season. Is there any application for in-season training? I plan to use total body work with med balls every day. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I do not use weighted baseballs and recommend that nobody else does either. I also do not use medicine balls and recommend that nobody else does either. I do recommend that biological sixteen year old baseball pitchers complete my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. Whoever limits your contact time with your baseball pitchers to ten weeks contributes to their pitching injuries. Your pitchers need solid off-season training programs wherein they learn my pitching motion and injury-proof the bones, ligaments and tendons in their pitching arms. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 177. Thank you for giving Jeff my number. We had a great conversation. He told me that I could call him anytime to talk about pitching and I thought and I feel really lucky to be able to do that, it's awesome. I am looking forward to hearing about how his tryouts go. The question I had for you is can you describe for me the in season maintenance with the 10lb wrist weights and 6lb iron ball? Jeff told me that you will not be at your training facility this summer. Where are you going to? I think that I am going to plan to train with you as soon as the season ends, if that would be alright with you. So thanks again for having Jeff call me, it opened my eyes even more. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The choice was his. He deserves your appreciation. Despite everything that the professional 'traditional' pitching coaches, General Managers, Field Managers and so on have done to him; he not only continues to train hard every day, but he still remains available to help others. That teams do not sign him immediately after every tryout he attends only shows the ignorance of those evaluating him. They have absolutely no idea what the pitches of a true pitching artist look like. From the fourth Saturday in May until the third Saturday in August, I am doing other things, including a couple of vacation trips with my better half. After spending every day since 1999 working on my Pitching Research/Training Center and completing my video doctoral dissertation on baseball pitching, I plan to take these days off every year. After less than two months into my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program, for me to describe an in-season maintenance program for you is silly. At this point, your body has not received sufficient stress to force it to make any physiological adjustments. Nevertheless, with my Pickoff with Step Slingshot drill, you should at least understand the proper ways to straight line drive your glove and pitching arms. And, I hope that you have some idea of how to pronate the releases of all pitches. At only ten pound wrist weights and a six pound iron ball, I recommend that you stay at those weights and complete forty-eight pitch specific repetitions every day. If all professional baseball pitchers wanted to become the best pitcher that they can be, then the day after their seasons ended this year, they would all be in Zephyrhills, FL ready to bust their butts every day of the off-season. If they start on September 01, 2006 and report on March 05, 2007, then they could complete three of the four training cycles of my 280-Day program. One more year and they could finish the entire 280-Day program and two of my six Recoil Cycles. All they have to remember is that it is their career, not their pitching coaches and take charge. To reserve a space, these pitchers will need to sign my Professional Baseball Pitcher's Lifetime Partnership Agreement and put down a non-refundable deposit. I only train twelve pitchers per session. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 178. I certainly enjoyed watching you pitch for the Dodgers and was amazed at your longevity, pitching as much as you did! I know that you are an expert in your field. My son had a very good little league pitching career, struck out 101 batters as a 12 year old. Last year he moved up to the big diamond at 13 years old and pitched bull-pens with his coach but never pitched in a game. This season will hopefully be different and he has been back working with his pitching coach since X-mass and we have high hopes for his success. He is now 14 and has grown to 6’ 2” tall. My question is this; if my son plans to play football in September as a freshman quarterback, would this effect his pitching as a freshman in baseball in the spring? I’ve watched Stanford University baseball players warm up throwing a football around before pre-season practices to warm up. Is this a good idea? Is the throwing motion compatible for baseball? I do like the cross-training idea. I would also like to purchase your 2006 training video and book when it’s completed, can you tell me when it’s ready? Thank you for your advice and teaching of young people the correct ways of training and excelling at pitching. Keep up the good work! P.S.: Is there any hitting or fielding instruction at your camp in Florida? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first two things that you and your son need to know are; what is his biological age and has all the competitive baseball pitching he has done prematurely closed or otherwise damaged the growth plates in his pitching elbow? Then, he needs to stop using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. To do that, when he is biologically sixteen years old, he needs to complete my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. Until then, he should complete my First, Second, Third and Fourth Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Programs. Because 'traditional' baseball pitchers will still have 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' and 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' when they throw footballs, for baseball pitchers to throw footballs that spiral has absolutely no value. However, in my baseball pitching drills to learn the skills, to learn how to achieve the perfect spin axes for my pitches, I have my baseball pitchers throw footballs, such that the end-over-end movement of the footballs provides immediate feedback. Cross-training is the wrong idea. Specificity of training is the right idea. If you want your son to excel at baseball pitching, then he needs to master the skills of baseball pitching. As we speak, I am having the masters prepared with which I will have the DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. In the future, I am going to have to get the software and knowledge to do this myself. I completed my video over two weeks ago and am at the mercy of the time of others for this step. When I have copies in my hands ready to ship, I will change the icon on the home page on my website to read 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, rather than 2004. This video is my doctoral dissertation on baseball pitching. After seeing it, nobody will ever use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion again. P.S.: At my Pitching Research/Training Center, I teach baseball pitching. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 179. I was really impressed by your article in Baseball America. I went to your website to acquire the proper materials and not all of your links are working correctly. Would you please tell me what you recommend that I purchase in order to train an adult? Videos, books, etc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My apologies. I am in the process of preparing for my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. That will show blank until I have DVD and VHS copies in hand ready to mail. At the same time, I reworked my Pitchers Training Programs. Now, I call them my 2006 Baseball Pitcher Interval-Training Programs. Unfortunately, I forgot to change my home page referrals. I did the same thing with my Free Coaching Baseball Pitchers Book!!! and Baseball Pitching Instruction. Hopefully, I have corrected those problems. To train adult baseball pitchers, you should copy my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program and get my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 180. I was recently reviewing your 2006 280 day training program, and I noticed that you use football throws over the entire time frame. I thought that the purpose of the football throw was to teach the proper spin axis for your pitches and nothing more. Shouldn't a pitcher have the spins down quite early in the program? And once they do, what is the point of continuing with the football throws? Congratulations on finishing your 2006 instructional video. I look forward to being able to see it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I love to watch them throw their footballs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 181. At the end of Chapter 36, when you introduce your various skill acquisition programs your starting age is 8 years old. In your your 2006 Motor Skill Acquisition Programs on the front of your web site, you have the starting age as 10. If your starting age is now 10 what do you recommend kids younger than 10 do? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If youth baseball pitchers start doing my four 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Programs at chronological eight years old, then they will complete them at chronological eleven years old. If they are equated or delayed maturers, then they will have to wait until they are biologically thirteen years old to pitch competitively. Therefore, I am trying to find a way to start everybody when they are biologically ten years old. However, the bone development signal that they are biologically eleven years old is the appearance of the tiny piece of bone in the center of the growth cartilage of the olecranon process. The lack of this tiny piece of bone means that they are not yet biologically eleven years old. They could be ten, nine or eight years old. Maybe, I should have youth baseball pitchers wait until they are biologically eleven years old. In any case, we need to know their biological ages. I want youth baseball competitions based on biological age, not chronological age. All youth baseball leagues need to do is to contract with a Radiologist to take X-rays within one week of the youth baseball players' birthdays and the technician can determine their biological ages. For youngsters less than ten biological years old, I recommend that they, like all position players, complete my four 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Programs without my Maxline True Screwballs and Maxline Pronation Curves. However, until they are biologically ten years old, they cannot use two and one-half pound wrist weights and two pound iron balls. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 182. Generally when a young man describes shoulder pain associated with the Subscapularis, he points right to the attachment at the lesser tuberosity. A young man recently described pain that started at this same spot, but he said the pain sensations were about 1-1/4 inches in width. The pain sensation seemed to go from the lesser tuberosity horizontally toward the chest (medially?). Do you think this is still the Subscapularis or is it a different muscle? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To feel confident about answering this question, I would like to know this young man's biological age. It is possible that the growth plate for the lesser tuberosity is the problem. However, if that is not the case, then I would give the following answer. There is no muscle that goes from the lesser tuberosity of the head of the Humerus bone medially. This means that you have missed your landmarks. You are either too high and the muscle is actually the Pectoralis Major muscle or you are too low and the muscle is actually the Anterior Deltoid muscle. If it is the Pectoralis Major muscle, then he might be pulling his pitching upper arm across the front of his body. While this would be a biomechanical flaw that he needs to correct, it is not an injurious flaw. If it is the Anterior Deltoid muscle, then he is using it to help inwardly rotate his shoulder joint and that is good. With more training, this discomfort will go away. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 183. I am a 24-year old graduate assistant baseball coach at a Division I university. Considering my young age I am still looking for exactly what is the best way/ways to teach my kids how to throw and why. I have read some of your theories, only unfortuntely I just ran across them today because of an ESPN article I found yesterday. I have a few questions that you could possibly clear up for me because the last thing I want to do is hurt a kid's arm. I played four years of college baseball and I know plenty about arm injuries. #1: Pronation. I understand the theory of pronation and agree, however, before you speak about pronation you warn against "inwardly rotating the shoulder." When I go through the motion, pronation automatically causes an inward rotation of my entire arm. Barring I am not missing a few important muscles, am I misinterpreting what you are saying? #2: Tall and Fall. Drop and Drive. I have been taught both and I do not think either do justice to what needs to be done at the top of your balance point in order to accelerate with all force going over your front toe. I simply teach to drive off the back side while keeping your shoulders "equal and opposite." (I teach the body should end with a hypotenuse triangle, head over chest, chest over knee, basically from the back of your drive foot to the tips of your fingers should be the longest side of a triangle. Is this correct? Any suggestions you have for me would be greatly appreciated, I take constructive criticism very well so feel free to let me know. I am dying to learn anything that can make my players better, injury free, and make me a better coach. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The problem that you are having in understanding what I teach is that when you go through your pitching motion, you are going through the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. To understand my baseball pitching motion, you need my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. 01. Pitching Forearm Joint Pronation and Pitching Shoulder Joint Inward Rotation do go hand in hand. It is not possible to pronate the pitching forearm and not inwardly rotate the pitching upper arm. However, the direction of the inward rotational force makes the difference. 'Traditional' baseball pitchers reverse rotate their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm seventy or more degrees beyond the line from home plate to second base. This action takes their pitching elbow several feet laterally behind their body. Then, from this position, they use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward. As a result of their pitching elbow returning to the pitching arm side of their body, they generate horizontal centripetal force to the pitching arm side of their body. When their pitching elbow finally returns to the pitching arm side of their body and starts to move toward home plate, like the 'crack the whip' game that ice skaters play where the last ice skater in the line flies laterally away from the group, the pitching forearm flies laterally away from the body. I call this, 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' If 'traditional' baseball pitchers powerfully pronate their pitching forearm during their 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' then they will prevent the olecranon process of their pitching elbow from slamming into its fossa. However, during the deceleration phase, the concomitant inward rotation of the pitching upper arm brings the pitching forearm laterally across the front of the body and downward. When 'traditional' baseball pitchers inwardly rotate their pitching upper arm, such that their pitching forearm goes from laying horizontally backward to beyond horizontally forward, they exceed their inward rotation range of motion. This is the moment when they unnecessarily stress the attachment of the muscles that inward and outward rotate the head of their Humerus bone of their pitching upper arm. With my pitching motion, baseball pitchers do not generate horizontal centripetal force. My pitchers do not use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward. My pitchers drive their pitching hand straight forward. Therefore, they do not have 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' Therefore, they do not pull their pitching elbow across the front of their body and downward. Therefore, they do not inwardly rotate their pitching upper arm beyond the inward rotation limit of the muscles that inwardly rotate the head of their Humerus bone of their pitching upper arm. 02. No. You do not understand the purpose of the baseball pitching body action. To satisfy Sir Isaac Newton's second law, the law of acceleration, and achieve their genetic maximum release velocity, baseball pitchers must apply as much force toward home plate over as great a time period as possible. Newton proved that force equal mass times acceleration. Because acceleration equals the change in velocity divided by the time required for the change in velocity to occur, release velocity equals force multiplied by time divided my the mass of the baseball. Therefore, if we increase the time period over which baseball pitchers apply force, then we increase their release velocity. As a result, the reason why baseball pitchers move forward off the pitching rubber is to maximize the distance over which they apply straight line force to their pitches. What you teach stops the center of mass of the body from moving forward. To maximize the length of their driveline, baseball pitchers must continually move the center of mass of their body forward from the start of their acceleration phase to the end of their deceleration phase. a. After they pendulum swing their pitching hand and baseball to forty-five degrees behind their body, baseball pitchers must first step straight forward with their glove foot, b. When it lands, they must use their pitching foot to drive their center of mass forward and their glove foot to pull their center of mass forward, c. Drive their pitching knee forward and inward toward their glove knee, d. After the center of mass of their body moves in front of their glove foot, they must pivot and hop straight forward off their glove foot while their forwardly rotate their body, such that their pitching foot lands in a straight line in front of their glove foot. As soon as I have it available, you need to get my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. It is my doctoral dissertation on baseball pitching. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 184. I am a former collegiate baseball player just 2 years removed from the game. Throughout my playing days I routinely experienced shoulder and elbow problems that originally started when I was 12 and had problems with the growth plate in my elbow. By the time I was in college I had to learn to throw submarine in order to continue to compete. I am now helping coach a group of 11 year old All-Stars. Like the coaches that worked with me growing up I have been teaching these kids the traditional mechanics for pitching and for their arm action. I don’t want to be doing the same damage to these kids as I had to endure. Do you have some tips for me? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes. To learn how to not pass on your pitching arm problems to these unsuspecting, eager kids, get my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video and follow the Youth Baseball Pitcher Programs that I recommend. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 185. I am excited that you are about to release your 2006 training video. I ordered your 2004 video and used the drills with my son last summer. I understand that you will be sending copies to those who have purchased your past videos. Please send a DVD copy to me. If you let me know what your cost is to send out the video, I will gladly compensate you for your time, expense, and effort. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I receive copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video in my hand ready to ship, I plan to send copies to everybody who has my 2002 and 2004 videos. I am only interested in getting this information into their hands. I will leave it to the recipients to reimburse me for the costs and my efforts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 186. I don't know if you heard this already, but I thought that I would let you know just the same. There was an article in the Chicago Sun-Times today that said that the unnamed source who reported on Mark Prior's Achilles problems last year has said that Prior is now having shoulder problems and that's why he hasn't thrown off the mound at spring training yet. Of course, Prior and the Cubs deny it, like they would admit to it. Just thought it was kinda funny because of what you have said regarding Mr. Prior. I wouldn't be surprised if at some time during the season or even sooner, he has the same problem with his shoulder that Kerry Wood went through. I guess pro pitching coaches or professional baseball will never learn, or at least take a long very long time to come around. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While I hope that these reports are wrong and Mr. Prior and Mr. Wood have corrected the injurious flaws in their 'traditional' baseball pitching motions, if Mr. Prior is using Tom House's latest injurious flaw, the 'fast arm' nonsense, then he will destroy his pitching shoulder as well as his pitching elbow. What a waste of baseball pitching genetic superiority. Before they will take the time and intellectual energy to examine what they are doing, 'traditional' baseball pitching coaches will fight to the last healthy pitching arm that they can destroy. And, before they will protect the pitching arms of their pitchers, professional baseball General Managers, Player Development Directors and Pitching Coordinators will protect their paychecks. In the end, it the fault of the owners who continue to let these failures to continue to fail. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 187. I am a regular visitor and contributor to the High School baseball web, www.hsbaseballweb.com. I have a son who is 6'6" and a left hander who is throwing at 90mph and is a junior in high school. He is starting to get recruited by all the big Universities in America, scouts are talking to us and have already have had 3 sports agencies get in contact with us. My son's future looks very bright and we hope it continues. One of my biggest fears is injury to his left arm. I go to the hs baseball web site for good info and help with whatever questions I might have knowing full well that not all the people on there are experts, but people that might be in the same situation as me. There is one person on this site with the screen name of Coach Chris he is from St. Louis. He has been on the site in recent months touting you and basically taking over any thread that has anything to do with throwing or pitching. Chris self admittedly has had no real coaching experience past his 11 year old sons team and not sure of his playing experience. May I suggest you go to this site and look at some of his postings? He has made a complete idiot of himself and offended many people using your good name. To be honest I would be very reluctant to use any of this info on my son and I know many others feel the same. I know that there are folks out there that might look to you for help, at this point you probably can forget about any hsbaseball websters being a customer of yours in the near future thanks to a self proclaimed "coach." Ken Rice ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nobody should assume that Mr. O'Leary speaks for me. Nobody speaks for me. However, our constitution gives him the right to make a idiot of himself. Nevertheless, I will forward your email to him. If anybody has any questions for me, then they should send those questions to me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 188. My son is currently on a nearby college baseball team. He is a freshman. He is there on academic, not athletic scholarship. He is a left-handed pitcher who started pitching as a sophomore in high school. So far, his pitching career has been a struggle. But, he has moments of success. I am interested in him attending your camp. We live about ten minutes from you. I was wondering if the rate would be less since he would live at home. Also, I wanted your professional opinion about when do you just give up on pitching. As an example of his frustration in not succeeding, he was on the list for the travel team today and as he was loading onto the bus his college coach informed him he had made a mistake and he wasn't going today. My son had to take the walk of shame back to his vehicle. What do you think about this or is this just the way it goes in sports? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When baseball pitchers give up on baseball pitching depends on how important it is to them to find out how good they can be. All first year baseball pitchers who train with me live in the apartments on site. During their optional second year, they can live wherever they want. However, they have to have an attendance and tardy deposit, such that if they do not attend or arrive late, they pay double. I cannot run a training program when participants are not present or arrive late. The coach said that he made a mistake. I don't see where your son had any blame or shame. If, to find out how good of a baseball pitcher he can be, your son is interested in working as hard as he can every day for a minimum of two hundred and eighty days, then I suggest that he visit my Pitching Research/Training Center and watch those who are doing just that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 189. Instead of sending him (Chris O'Leary) my email to you, which I never intended for you to do, why don't you write your own email?. That is exactly what a reputable Doctor would do to protect his good name, not forward someone else's email. I think I am starting to understand exactly what you are about. The word Quack is starting to come to mind. Unsigned (Ken Rice) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am sorry. I did not realize that you wanted to avoid having to admit that you wrote me an email. When I criticize someone, I tell them to their face. Everybody deserves the right to face their accusers. That is also in our Constitution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 190. Ken, Relax. You got your wish. I was just banned from the HSBaseballweb. Also, I never brought up Dr. Marshall's name on the HSBaseballweb site and had no intention of doing so (I have seen doing so create problems on other boards). Instead, a disciple of Paul Nyman "outed" me as being a fan of Dr. Marshall (which Nyman evidently views as a sin worse than death) and then tried to libel both Dr. Marshall and me. I was then forced to explain why I found Dr. Marshall's ideas to be interesting. It's too bad, but not surprising, that the people on that board cannot carry on a civil discussion of Dr. Marshall's ideas, much less tolerate the mere mention of his name. They might learn something. Finally, I'd love to know what I said that you found to be incorrect, misleading, or dangerous. Chris O'Leary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I appreciate that you copied me with the email that you sent to Mr. Rice. You saw my response. You and everybody else have a constitutional right of free speech. That they banned you from their website shows that they do not believe in free speech. Instead, they believe in censorship. Shame on them. I also just sent you his email response to my refusal to order you to stop. It appears he likes to criticize anonymously. In my first email to Mr. Rice, I invited him to send me his questions, but, instead, he calls me a Quack. And here, I have always thought that it is the truth that sets us free. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 191. Perhaps you could log onto www.pitchsmarter.com/101/baseballbiomechanics_kingfelix.pdf. It takes awhile to download, but there is video, including slow motion of Mr. Hernandez pitching. It looks like he his arm moves in a huge arc, putting tremendous strain on the shoulder joint. It looks like he really “labors” on every pitch. I would very much like to read your evaluation of the video. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I discussed Mr. Hernandez's baseball pitching motion in Question #161. But, I will use the frame by frame video at the very end to show where, with every pitch that he throws, the 'traditional' pitching motion that he uses is destroying his pitching arm. This is not slow motion. In fact, I suspect that it is no more than thirty frames per second. Nevertheless, let's start with the picture in row three columns two and three. In picture 3,2, Mr. Hernandez has pendulum swung his pitching arm downward, backward and laterally behind his body. We can see that he has the palm of his pitching hand on top of the baseball. As result, to throw the baseball toward home plate, he has to raise his pitching hand and the baseball to driveline height. I call this action, 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover.' Now, let's move to the fuzzy pictures in row four columns one, two and three. When Mr. Hernandez moves his pitching forearm from pointing straight downward to pointing straight upward, he uses his pitching upper arm to start to pull his pitching forearm forward. When the elbow end of his pitching forearm starts moving forward, the pitching hand end of his pitching forearm continues to move backward. As a result, his pitching forearm moves backward and downward until he reaches his maximum shoulder joint outward rotation. I call this action, 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce.' 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' unnecessarily stresses the Ulnar Collateral Ligament, such that microscopic tears eventually ruptures this critical baseball pitching ligament. Therefore, this is the moment in his pitching motion where he will rupture his Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Mr. Hernandez has all the injurious and biomechanical flaws inherent in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I show and explain these flaws in much greater detail. By the way, the head movement is irrelevant, but, because his excessive to the glove side lean decreases the horizontal centripetal force that he generates, he decreases the force that causes 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' which decreases the extension and flexion ranges of motion in the pitching elbow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 192. In Question #065 of your 2006 Question/Answer file, you answered “If the pitching coach teaches the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, then it is not sound and your son is silently destroying his pitching arm. He is prematurely closing growth plates, losing elbow flexion and extension ranges of motion and lengthening elbow and shoulder ligaments. I have a few questions relating to the “lengthening” of ligaments. Is this common in young (High school) pitchers using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion? Secondly, is there any medical procedures (surgery) or rehabilitation (complete your 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program) to correct these lengthened ligaments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- During the rapid growth phase of the adolescent growth spurt, the stress of pitching too much, too hard, too often for too long each year lengthens the Gleno-Humeral and Ulnar Collateral Ligament in the pitching shoulder and elbow, respectively. As a result, they destabilize those joints. Until they rupture these ligaments, no respectable surgeon would operate on them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 193. My son has really begun to drive the max-FB, SB and Torque FB. He pronates what I deem to be very well and is getting good movement. However, yes there is a but, he wants to still supinate his curve. Do you have any suggestions on how to fight this temptation? He still wants to lead pinky down on this pitch. Do most others have a similar problem? Secondly, he sometimes experiences some discomfort during his routine in the throwing side clavicle. He said it doesn’t “hurt”, but he sometimes is aware of the discomfort. The area in question is midway between his neck and shoulder (towards the front). I am just wondering if this was somewhat normal throughout the training. And third, does there ever come a time when the pronator teres stops feeling worn out? Or is this just a natural work in progress (I asked about this initially about 4 months ago) his throwing side muscle is definitively solid and bigger, but after every session, he comments on how tight it gets, (I guess this is like a weight lifter getting pumped???) And one more thing… You have never really gone into great detail about how to generate additional energy/incorporate the lower body (legs and hips) into the pitch. What are they supposed to do? You’ve mentioned to step straight forward. You’ve mentioned to step forward as far as you can without sacrificing height. You’ve mentioned pushing with the back foot and pulling with the front foot. But do you want the pitcher to roll up on the throwing side toe? Do you want them to swing their throwing side leg around? Do you want them to step forward with the throwing side leg? In your 2004 video it seems that every other pitching model does things a little differently. What exactly do you recommend? Looking at it, I would assume that since almost ½ of the pitcher rests below the belt, you can call on some of that to really get what is above the belt going with more force. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I have included the best way that I have found to teach baseball pitchers how to pronate the release of my Maxline Pronation Curve. We use the approximately one square foot lid off a four gallon container. I buy detergent in these buckets. To prepare the lid, I take cloth duct tape and go four times around the side of the lid. Then, I go twice around the top and bottom of the lid from both directions. This gives the lid weight and protects it and whatever it hits from harm. For their first throws, I recommend that baseball pitchers use my Pickoff with Step body action, Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill. To perform my Maxline Pronation Curve lid throw, baseball pitchers place the tip of their middle finger in one of the four corners on the top of the lid. To start the drill, they raise both arms in front of them and draw their pitching hand straight back to beside their pitching ear with the lid horizontal. Then, they turn toward home plate and point their glove arm at home plate with their thumb downward and move their pitching hand and lid straight back toward second base, such that their pitching elbow points at home plate and their pitching hand points at second base. To execute the throw, baseball pitchers lift their pitching foot off the ground and step straight forward. When their foot lands, they pull their glove hand straight backward and drive their pitching hand and lid straight forward. If they pronate the release of their lid properly, then the lid will sail nearly horizontally straight toward home plate. If they supinate the release of their lid, then they will turn the top of the lid forward and it will flutter to the ground. 02. The area midway between his neck and shoulder toward the front is probably the coracoid process of his Scapula. The Coracobrachialis, Pectoralis Minor and short head of the Biceps Brachii muscles attach to the coracoid process. If he has limited outward rotation range of motion in his pitching upper arm, then, when he tries to get his pitching elbow to ear height, he might be stressing his Coracobrachialis muscle, which would register its complaint. If he hunches forward through release, then he is unnecessarily stressing his Pectoralis Minor muscles. If so, then he needs to stand tall and rotate. If he actively reverse rotates his pitching upper arm, such that, from the front view, you can see his pitching hand laterally behind his body to his glove side, then he is unnecessarily stressing the short head of his Biceps Brachii muscle. If so, he needs pendulum swing his pitching arm straight back at second base, not laterally behind his body. 03. When my baseball pitchers complete all my training programs, I want their Pronator Teres muscle to bulge out like a powerful Biceps Brachii muscle. Baseball pitchers can never pronate too hard. Therefore, it pleases me to hear that his Pronator Teres muscle barks at him after every workout. 04. At the end of my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I said that the next major improvement in my pitching motion would involve how baseball pitchers drive the center of mass of their body forward. In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I demonstrate and explain how my pitchers should use their legs to powerfully drive the center of mass of their body forward. In my Wind-Up body action; Pendulum Swing glove and pitching arm actions drill, I have my baseball pitchers stand with their pitching foot on the pitching rubber pointing forward turned slightly to their glove side, their glove foot one step behind the pitching rubber about shoulder width to the glove side of their pitching foot, also turned slightly to their glove side and both hands together in front of their body. To trigger my Wind-Up Pendulum Swings, baseball pitchers swing both hand upward about six inches straight in front of their body. To execute my pitching arm pendulum swing, baseball pitchers simultaneously pendulum swing their pitching arm downward and backward straight toward second base and step straight back with their glove foot about six inches while they leave their glove arm straight and laying against the front of their glove thigh. When their pitching arm reaches forty-five degrees behind their body, baseball pitchers simultaneously outwardly rotate their pitching upper arm to turn the palm of their pitching hand to face away from their body, step straight forward with their glove foot and raise their glove arm to shoulder height pointing straight at home plate with their thumb downward. While they move the center of mass of their body straight forward, baseball pitchers continue to raise their pitching hand to driveline height, 'lock' their pitching upper arm with their shoulders and reposition their pitching forearm for whatever pitch they wish to throw. When their glove foot lands, baseball pitchers shoulder align their glove arm, acromial line and pitching arm to point straight toward home plate. To initiate the forward rotation of their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm to point toward home plate, baseball pitchers should push off the pitching rubber with their pitching foot, pull straight backward with their glove foot, pull their glove hand straight backward and drive their pitching knee inward toward their glove knee. While their body forwardly rotates about their glove foot, baseball pitchers should have their pitching elbow at ear height and their pitching forearm horizontally behind pointing at home plate. When they move the center of mass of their body in front of their glove foot, baseball pitchers should have their pitching elbow pointing at home plate. Then, when they forwardly rotate their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm to align again pointing at home plate, baseball pitchers should drive their pitching hand and baseball straight toward home plate. After release, baseball pitchers should have their pitching foot land directly in front of their glove foot with their glove hand to the glove side of their head. My 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video shows this very powerful body action very clearly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 194. Thank you very much for your analysis of Felix Hernandez. I always appreciate your informative responses. They are always helpful. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That is why, in September 1960 I started college, spent the next nineteen years earning my doctoral degree and, for the last forty years of my life, researched baseball pitching and will continue to do so. After you watch my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, you will be able to make the same analysis. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 195. Another question regarding lengthened elbow and shoulder ligaments would your 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program prevent anymore lengthening of ligaments or would they eventually rupture? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The growth plates in the pitching elbow of biologically sixteen year old youth baseball pitchers have completely matured. It is time to start increasing the strength of the bones, ligaments and tendons in their pitching arms. However, the growth plates in their pitching shoulder and wrist remain open. Therefore, we still have to be careful. That is why I limit their wrist weights to ten pounds and iron ball to six pounds. My 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program will strengthen the Gleno-Humeral and Ulnar Collateral Ligaments. But, it will not shorten them. Also, my pitching motion will eliminate the unnecessary stress on these ligaments. Depending on how lax these ligaments are, my program will prevent more damage and enable baseball pitchers to maximally apply force. The only question is whether the ligaments are so long that the bones move around too much to stabilize the joint action. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 196. I truly enjoyed your book and now look back to my experience pitching in High School and then working with my son. Sorry to say but the local division I college program of training got my son before he threw his first pitch. Having a track trainer for pitchers and performing high hurdles to do what, I do not know to this day. Three kids when down and had to quit my son being one of them. To this day my son really has no idea why his leg hurts and the MRIs show nothing. If you have any ideas on this I would like to know. On the book; I am not a doctor, so if you had pictures of the human body and point out the muscles, that would bring your words to LIFE. Having a picture would show your muscles, positioning of the body and movement. One day I would love to see you talk about this program and your training program, since I live nearby. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would love to have anatomical pictures to accompany my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book. In the meantime, I will shortly release my 2006 Baseball Pitchers Instructional Video that includes some anatomical pictures. The baseball pitchers at my Pitching Research/Training Center in Zephyrhills train from 9:00 to 10:30AM seven days a week from the third Saturday in August until the fourth Saturday in May. We welcome everybody. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 197. Per your e-mail of September 26, 2005 has the new video come out yet? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I finished my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video about three weeks ago. It appears the process of getting the video off my computer and getting it ready for replication takes awhile. When I change the icon on my home page from 2004 to 2006, I will be ready to start shipping them. I consider this video my doctoral dissertation of baseball pitching. I look forward to your critique. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 198. My son had Tommy John’s surgery last June and has been in a rehab mode since then. Dr. Kremchek, the Reds doctor, was his surgeon. He has been throwing off the mound now for about a month or so, mostly about 75 percent. Most recently his program added some breaking ball stuff and for the most part, he has not really had any problems. However, he says that his elbow does hurt a little sometimes and I am concerned about that. Can you tell me if that would be considered normal at this stage of his development coming back? His comeback has been programmed out slower then others on his team that also had Tommy Johns by other doctors, but I wonder if he is still coming back too quickly. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have three questions that I need you to answer. 01. What pitching motion was he using when he ruptured his Ulnar Collateral Ligament? 02. What pitching motion is he using during his rehabilitation? 03. If they are the same pitching motion, why are you expecting a different result? During Ulnar Collateral Ligament replacement surgery, doctors drill holes in the Medial Epicondyle of the Humerus bone of the pitching upper arm and the Coronoid Process of the Ulnar bone of the pitching forearm. Then, they thread the tendon of the Palmaris Longus muscle through these holes and tie it off. After about nine weeks, the little osteoblastic bone cells close these holes around the tendon and the pitching elbow is ready to rehabilitation. The first step in a successful rehabilitation is to stop using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion that ruptured the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. The second step in a successful rehabilitation is to use my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. My training program teaches my pitching motion. No pitchers has ever injured himself doing my pitching motion. In addition, my wrist weight and iron ball training programs will strengthen the bones, ligaments and tendons of the pitching arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 199. I see in your 2006 interval training program, you have eliminated the Recoil phase. Do you mind explaining why and what benefit this provides over the previous model? Also, what will the cost be of your new 2006 video? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rather than the usual twenty-four day start-up time for my one of my Recoil Interval-Training Cycle, I thought that it would be good to include my Eight Pound Iron Ball Recoil Interval-Training Cycle in my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. However, I found out that after two hundred and six consecutive days of increasing stress, adding another sixty days was too much. That is, it took my baseball pitchers too long to come out of their training regression, such that they could not have a meaningful summer pitching experience. Therefore, I now recommend that we wait until after their summer pitching to start my Recoil Interval-Training Programs. That is why I call my Training Site, my Pitching Research/Training Center. With the knowledge and experience I now have, I recommend that baseball pitchers complete my 280-Day program, then pitch competitively for a couple of months, then complete my first three Recoil Interval-Training Programs, then pitch competitively for a couple of months and then complete my last three Recoil Interval-Training Programs. At the end of these training programs, my pitchers will be maintaining with thirty pound wrist weights and fifteen pound iron balls, which is almost what I did. And, with eight hundred and forty days of motor skill acquisition training, they should be highly skilled. Thereafter, every off-season, they simply repeat my Fifteen Pound Iron Ball Recoil Interval-Training Cycle and my Thirty Pound Wrist Weight Recoil Interval-Training Cycle. With regard to the cost of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, as soon as I have sufficient copies in hand, I plan to send one to every person who has my 2002 and/or 2004 video. I will leave it to each individual to contribute to keeping my website going and making my video available to all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 200. I read your interview in Baseball America. I'm interested in buying your instructional video, but the link on your Web site with the information didn't seem to be working. Can you send me the info? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Until I have DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video in hand ready to ship, I have closed my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video file. As soon as I have those copies, I will open my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video file. Please keep checking the home page of my website. Unfortunately, I may not have these copies for about another couple of weeks. It appears that it requires more time to get the video off my computer and ready for copying than I thought. Actually, the people who do that for me have other business demands on their time. Nevertheless, I will keep working on it. This video is worth the wait. It is my doctoral dissertation on baseball pitching. I appreciate your interest and look forward to your critique. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 201. What did you think of the article in Baseball America by Alan Schwarz? ------------------------------------------------- Marshall's methods pique interest of many. Mike Marshall fashions himself a baseball pariah. The 63-year old former ironman pitcher - who in 1974 pitched in 208 innings over 106 games to set records for a major league reliever - now coaches amateur pitchers at his facility in Zephyrhills, Fla., using such unconventional methods and criticizing other pitching experts so vehemently that he claims his students are blackballed by major league organizations. Few dispute that Marshall, who owns a doctorate in exercise physiology from Michigan State and has done tremendous other research on pitching arms and injuries, has some interesting ideas. I spoke with Marshall about those ideas, the contentiousness with which he shares them, and his vow to change pitching forever. ALAN SCHWARZ: What is the greatest threat to a young pitcher today? MIKE MARSHALL: Using the traditional pitching motion. It is destroying their arms, pitch by pitch, until it will finally explode on them. It can be stopped and I know how to do it. ALAN SCHWARZ: What specifically do you consider so dangerous, that can be corrected? MIKE MARSHALL: They teach pitcher to take the hand back with the palm facing downward. They teach them to take it laterally behind their body, which makes no sense at all. You can’t raise your arm when you are doing that, it comes to a stop and now you can’t throw the ball because you’ve got it over on the first-base side of your body. So now you’ve got to lift that arm up, and as you’re lifting it up, it’s coming up and then you get to where your forearm is almost vertical, and all of a sudden now your elbow is moving forward but your hand’s moving backward and the hand is going back, the ball is going back, forearm is going back. The elbow is going foard it gets to a point where it bounces, it slams – that’s what ruptures your ulnar collateral ligament, that reverse pitching forearm bounce. It’s an atrocious motion, it’s been destroying pitching arms for 130 years and we’re still using it. Why? Because we’re still using the same pitching coaches. They don’t have a clue what they’re doing. They have done nothing to take care of the problem, absolutely nothing. If I destroyed one pitching arm, I’d stop. I’d be mortified for the rest of my life. ALAN SCHWARZ: Roughly how many pitchers have you worked with? MIKE MARSHALL: It’s in the neighborhood of 120-140 pitchers. ALAN SCHWARZ: Have none of those pitchers gotten injured? MIKE MARSHALL: Never. ALAN SCHWARZ: Not one? MIKE MARSHALL: The only time any of my guys have had any difficulties is when a traditional pitching coach gets a hold of them and forces them to change – reverse rotate and unnecessarily stress their arm. Until those meatheads can get that through their minds and stop making these kids reverse rotate so far, they’re going to continue to destroy pitching arms. Let me remind you of a guy pitching 106 games, 208 closing innings, never was stiff or tired and threw batting practice when he didn’t pitch the night before. ALAN SCHWARZ: Well, citing yourself isn’t exactly a large sample. MIKE MARSHALL: That was just me, but I can tell you that everybody I’ve trained, they can’t all pitch major league baseball, but they can throw every single day without any stiffness or soreness. ALAN SCHWARZ: Who are some pitchers who you’ve worked with? Have any reached the major leagues? MIKE MARSHALL: We have a little privacy issue here that I think I should adhere to, so I’m only going to mention those that I have already asked and clarifies that with. (Former Devil Ray) Jeff Sparks came to me with an injured elbow – 79 mph was his very top when I met him. He’s played major league ball and he has reached a high of 96 mph and he throws every single day as hard as he possibly can. He still does. And is a high quality major league pitcher. What happened to him was he got on a team where they found out that I was coaching him and the meathead manager released him with a 3.5 ERA because I coached him. ALAN SCHWARZ: Sparks walked almost a batter per inning during his short time in Tampa Bay – and I find it hard to believe that a team as desperate as the Devil Rays would release a so-called “high-quality major league pitcher.” MIKE MARSHALL: He played the end of (1999) and the next years, the first 12 games he’s in, he’s got a 1.5 ERA. Then a reporter does an article in which Sparks says that I trained him. He didn’t pitch but three times in the next three weeks, they warmed him up time after time, and finally put him in a game and forced it until they got his earned run average up to 3.5, then they released him. It wasn’t because of Jeff Sparks, it was because they could not tolerate the fact that I trained him. Who releases someone with a 3.5 ERA? ALAN SCHWARZ: You are very wary of kids pitching at too young an age. Can you describe your approach? MIKE MARSHALL: Sure. There is a difference between chronological age and biological age. Ten year-olds not only have open growth plates, they don’t even have an ossification center for the olecranon process-which is the tip of the elbow-for the lateral epicondyle. They don’t even have bones where they need bones to have muscles to attach to them. I recommend that they don’t pitch competitively until they’re biologically 13 years old. And then I say don’t have them pitch more than one inning a game twice a week-so that they don’t overstress the medial epicondyle growth plate or the radial head growth plate. ALAN SCHWARZ: Other pitching experts have spent a great deal of time studying these issues as well. Isn’t it possible that they know what they’re talking about too? MIKE MARSHALL: No. They have no idea. No clue. Ask them to cite Newton’s three laws to you and how it pertains to applying force to a baseball. They think he invented the Fig Newton. ALAN SCHWARZ: Now wait a minute. I know of several who are intellectual enough to talk about muscles and ligaments and what-not. MIKE MARSHALL: How does pronation protect the elbow? What muscles are involved in it and why does it protect the elbow? They haven’t a clue, so how can they even talk about pitching? They don’t understand anything. ALAN SCHWARZ: Given that your goal is to help young pitchers, wouldn’t you have more effect on them if you were less aggressive in how you market your ideas? MIKE MARSHALL: No. I’m not going to soft-sell it. I’m not going to say, “Oh well, he’s a nice guy and I’m sure he’s trying to do really well.” No, he’s destroying pitching arms. Now if that’s aggressive, I’m sorry. That’s the truth. ALAN SCHWARZ: One major league pitching coach told me, “A lot of what Mike is doing might be right, but no one will ever do it. I would be fired instantaneously.” What’s your reaction to that? MIKE MARSHALL: The general manager is a moron. If the general manager fires somebody who is trying to find a way to prevent destroying the arms of his pitchers, then the general manager needs to be fired. Let me get into one major league organization, and it’ll be over for everybody else because my pitchers will never injure themselves. My pitchers will throw harder than they did before. They’ll get closer to their genetic release velocity, whatever that is. They’ll throw higher quality pitches and they’ll do the same thing I did, be able to pitch every single day. We’ll have a four-man rotation, we’ll have relievers who can relieve every other day without any stiffness or soreness, we’ll have an eight-man pitching staff, and we’ll just kick your butt. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Over the past forty years, I have done hundreds of interviews. I know what I am getting into. I know that I will lose some of my message and that my message will not be as clear as I would write it. Nevertheless, because I need help getting my message of how to eliminate pitching injuries out I do, any and all interviews without regard to the venue. Mr Schwarz and I talked for quite some time. I would guess that our conversation lasted about ten times the length of this article. Therefore, Mr. Schwarz had considerable editing to do. While I would have edited differently, he has the right to edit as he wishes. I do not fashion myself a baseball pariah, I fashion myself a baseball savior. That is, unless we stop pitching injuries, I do not believe that baseball will ever be as great a game as it should be. I do not think that I use unconventional methods. My exercise physiology, Kinesiology and motor skill acquisition professors would consider my training methods innovative and creative. I can provide many, many examples of how major league organizations have discriminated against baseball pitchers that I have trained. Jeff Sparks is only one of at least two dozen examples that I can verify. When I explained that it is not possible for my baseball pitchers for any of my pitchers to ever injure their pitching arms, I tried to explain that I eliminated the injurious flaws of the 'traditional' pitching motion. I did not mean that because I pitched in 208 closing innings in 106 games. But, I take exception with his argument that citing myself isn't exactly a large sample. The fact that the 'traditional' pitching motion has had thousands of subjects and my pitching motion has had only one subject makes the case that my pitching motion is superior stronger, not weaker. Mr. Schwarz is a bright guy. He has a quick mind. Unfortunately, he would ask questions while I was explaining something. As a result, he would never allow me to finish my explanation. When he asked me to specifically explain what in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion that I considered dangerous, I wanted to explain about 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce,' 'Pitching Elbow Behind his Acromial Line,' 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' 'Striding Closed' and 'Striding Closed.' However, I did not really even get to explain 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce.' When I would pause to determine whether he understood what I was saying, he would take the conversation in another direction. Those of you who have read my Question/Answer file know that when he asked me whether any pitchers I trained have pitched major league baseball, I told him that the measure of my theories is not in whether pitchers I train reach the major leagues. I also explained that I do not train draft choice quality pitchers. I also explained that when my pitchers sign profession contracts, 'traditional' pitching coaches demand that they change their motion. I explained that these factors and others prevent my pitchers from reaching the major leagues. Nevertheless, I have had over three dozen pitchers I have trained sign professional baseball contracts that would never have had that opportunity had they not trained with me. However, I have trained six pitchers who have reached the major leagues. I told Mr. Schwarz that Jeff Sparks is the only one who has agreed to let me discuss his situation. I told him that I respect the privacy of the others. I don't recall that, before I told him, Mr. Scharz knew that I trained Jeff. But, I am positive that he did not know that Jeff walked thirty batters in his thirty and one-third major league innings. While this is self-serving editing, it does not bother me. But, do not believe that he was that prepared for this interview. However, now we come to one of the two things that Mr. Schwarz did that irritated me. To strengthen his argument that Tampa Bay did not discriminate against Jeff Sparks when they release him, he did not include the fact that, in his thirty and one-third major league innings, Jeff struck out 41 batters. So, let's check the facts of Jeff's release again. Jeff had a 1.5 ERA after 12 games. Jeff struck out 41 batters in 30.1 innings. Jeff pitched in only 15 total games, or one a week for the next three weeks. When released, Jeff had a 3.5 ERA. Oh yeah, one more thing. After 12 games, USA Today quoted the manager as saying, Jeff Sparks has earned a spot in our bullpen. Three weeks later, he release Jeff. The other thing that Mr. Schwarz did that irritated me is something he did not do. I did not get paid for helping Mr. Schwarz sell more magazines, but I did ask Mr. Schwarz to include my website address and that I was soon releasing my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. He did neither. When Mr. Schwarz said that he has pitching coach friends who are intellectual enough to talk abour muscles and ligaments and what-not, I said that I would like to sit in a room with them and, then, I will show him that they know nothing. However, he did include some of the easier questions I would ask them. I can get a whole lot tougher. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 202. What do you do if you have a player in regression from the recoil phase and it's near baseball season or the start of the season, rest? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. No. Highly-trained, highly-skilled athletes never take days off. Rest causes atrophy of the bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles and all other tissues involved in enhancing performance. Also, rest causes the loss of the perfection in their motor unit contraction and relaxation sequences. Once athletes master the fine motor control of their activity at their highest levels they must never let that control diminish. That is, whether a great concert pianist or major league baseball pitcher, these athletes must take time every day to practice their fine motor control. Also, if they are not continuing to train to enhance the fitness' specific to their activity, then they are slowly losing their fitness. They must dedicate every off-season to improving their fitness and fine motor control. If athletes misjudge when they will come out of regression from an intense training program, then they continue their program until they do come out of regression. They must never back out of regression, but always train through their regression. All that will happen is that they will come out of regression later than they wanted, but they will come out of regression. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 203. I’ve been a frequent visitor at your site. Thanks for the GREAT work you do! The link to your video isn’t working. How can I order the 2004 video, or is the 2006 DVD nearly ready for release? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, I have shut down the link to my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. I do not have any more copies of my 2004 video and am waiting for DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 video. When I have them in hand ready to ship, I will change the icon from 2004 to 2006 and reopen that file. I completed my 2006 video several weeks ago, but I am having trouble finding someone who has the time and knowledge to get it off my computer and make copies that work. Apparently, it has something to do with the fact that I used Adobe Premiere 6.0 and the newest generation is not as compatible as Adobe says. I am keeping my fingers crossed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 204. I am not sure I know enough about pitching motion to be able to identify a particular type, but I know his motion was one of the things that many of the coaches liked about him. He generated high 80/s low 90's before he was hurt and his delivery was talked about as being a whip like motion that cause tremendous movement in the ball. Of course, no doubt the reason for the problems. He was recruited for a SEC college baseball team and signed early, but hurt his arm at the end of his High School Junior Year which continued into his senior year and had surgery in June 2005 after he graduated, but before he entered college. As for his motion now, I have no clue what they are showing him at his college. I know they have about 3 pitchers coming back from the same issue. He is not really having a problem, but I get concerned when he talks about being a little sore. His doctor released him today for the next step which is evidently increased velocity and spinning pitches. But he did recommend him redshirt this season and come back next, which is what we will attempt to do. He suggested learning to pitch correctly so he will not have further problems. So we did a motion capture thing, which was offered, but frankly while they do the motion capture, nobody seems real certain on how to use the information and the surgeons are just too busy to work at this level. It is like we have it, now what do we do with it. In fact the people doing it made the statement that in his words, "to be honest there isn't a lot of knowledge about what is the best motion, because there are so many different kinds of people and it is different for different people" and they used the analogy of several professional pitchers, some who never have arm problems and have the similar whipping motion. They blame most of it on pitchers starting too young and carrying over the problems later when they start throwing harder. There seems to be as many theories about correct pitching motion as there are people that teach pitching. I have looked at your videos and material and it all makes sense to me, but how you pull your son out of the current program and get him to your system, is not yet clear to me. He is going to be assigned to a summer ball program somewhere, and that is probably where he will start his first real pitching since his Junior Year when he was injured. I would prefer him to spend the summer working with someone that knows what they are doing, but I am not clear yet, as to how to get that accomplished. In the meantime I am going to provide the information on your site to their pitching coach and whomever he is working with. Beyond that, I am not sure what I can do. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If his coaches liked his pitching motion, then he used the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. Now, after he ruptured his Ulnar Collateral Ligament using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, he is again using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. Gee, I wonder why his pitching arm hurts. This college team has other pitchers with the same problem? That is not unusual. I had a pitcher from Louisiana State University train with me after he had surgery on the back of his shoulder tell me that twenty-seven of the twenty-eight baseball pitchers at LSU during the time that he was there had surgery. Why do they keep using the same pitching motion and expecting a different result? The doctor suggested that your son learn to pitch correctly, so he will not have further problems? That is a great idea. Unfortunately, it appears that I am the only person who knows what that motion is. But, at least, you should now know that it is not the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. I agree that youth baseball pitchers pitch competitively before the bones, ligaments and tendons of their pitching arm are ready and that they throw too hard, too often for too long each year, but the biggest problem is the injurious and biomechanical flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. My next group arrives on the third Saturday of August 2006 and leaves on the fourth Saturday of May 2007. I also recommend that they return for another forty week session the following year. After these two years, they will be close to the injury-free best pitcher that they will be. Your son has that choice. He can continue what he is doing and completely destroy his pitching arm and wonder what if, or he can stop the madness of his never-ending downward spiral and devote two years of his life to real baseball pitching training. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 205. Sir, I was Googling some baseball information for my 14 year old son and read one of your articles and was impressed with your outstanding knowledge of pitching mechanics. My son has played baseball since T-Ball and has an appreciation for the game like no one else. I have played baseball as a youth and was never coached properly. I decided to make baseball something my son and my family should share. It has been nothing more than a wonderful experience. Nothing is better than spending time with my son and family on Saturday mornings at the baseball field, meeting great players, parents etc. My son has read every book there is, and that is another thing baseball has help us with. He is an outstanding reader and writer, winning contest after contest for his entrees. He is now reaching the age where everyone is "throwing curveballs" We made an agreement that he would wait till 16 years old before attempting this. He and I have read some conflicting stories about ages and fastballs. I have gotten him professional coaching and this was when he was 12 for learning proper mechanics. But we never even discussed curveball. He is constantly bugging me now and I worried he will hurt his arm if he is playing with his friends and he starts throwing curves. I guess if he heard some solid fact from a doctor like you it would sink in more. He is throwing low 70 mph at 13 years old, gave up one hit all season, and has great control. Unlike allot of little league pitchers he has not hit any players in 3 seasons. Allot of people approach me and tell me he has a gift and he should be well coached, problem is I'm in the military and we live overseas. I get deployed allot, the coaching he is limited to volunteers. If we get lucky we will have someone who played collage ball to help coach. I hope I did not take up too much of your time. I am just a concerned Dad. I never push baseball on my kid. He knows school come first. He is on the Honor Roll so no problems so far. I am moving back to the states in 2007 and I hope we find a good school for him and some good coaching. I have some short movie clips of him pitching and will attach a photo at the bottom if you interested. If you have any words of wisdom for him, I am happy to pass them along. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To find out the growth and development status of the growth plates in his pitching elbow and whether his pitching success is due to a 'gift' he has, you need to have X-rays taken of his glove and pitching arms from mid-upper arm to mid-forearm from the front and side views. If you make copies and send them to me, I will tell you the status of these growth plate and whether your fourteen chronological year old son is also biologically fourteen years old. With my Maxline Pronation Curve release, all baseball pitchers at any age can safely throw curves. However, I do not want youth baseball pitchers under thirteen biological years old pitching competitively at all and those over thirteen biological years old pitching more than one inning per game twice a week for two consecutive months until they are biologically sixteen years old, when the growth plates in their pitching elbow are supposed to mature. When you get my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, until he graduates and attends my Pitching Research/Training Center, you and your son will be the best baseball pitching coach he could have. I hope to have it ready for shipping shortly. Please watch the home page of my website for when I change 2004 to 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 206. First off I was a big fan of yours. I am currently a collegiate baseball coach at one of the top Junior Colleges in the country. We have visited the JUCO World Series many times in our history. While playing at junior college baseball I was being followed by many organizations in 1985. While touching low 90's I tore my rotator cuff which ended my career. Since then I have been coaching some of the top players in collegiate baseball and now a high school travel team. I have had only one pitcher have arm surgery. The player was a freshman four years ago at the school and had Tommy John surgery. He has never taken the mound since. It bothers me every day that he got hurt and has never recovered. Some of the blame must go to him and his work ethic was not there for recovery. I recently read your article in Baseball America and found it interesting. I strongly agree about arm action and what are causes. I plan on reading your material and if there is any one thing that I should stress to pitchers before our season, I would love to pass along the information. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you watch my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, you will understand why you destroyed your pitching arm and why your baseball pitcher destroyed his pitching arm. The other baseball pitchers that you trained also destroyed their pitching arms, but the symptoms did not require surgery. How could this young man recover from an injury that the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion caused by continuing to use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. No, his work ethic was not to blame for his inability to recover; it was that you were telling him to continue to use the 'traditional' pitching motion. He knew that you and the 'traditional' pitching motion were wrong. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 207. We finished up lefty's second 120-day training program about two weeks ago. Since then I've had him continue with daily training sessions, though we've cut back to maintenance levels on the wrist weights and iron ball. His high school spring baseball season tryouts have been held over the past two weeks but they don't really 'train,' and my lefty now more fully understands the difference. He comments that the coaches 'don't have a clue.' The new pitching coach who took my place did come to observe a training session and seems extremely helpful. He promised that he would not attempt to change anything my lefty is working on and asked loads of questions about how he can help the process along. I think he is genuinely interested, particularly after seeing the pitch sequences. Today my lefty threw to hitters for the first time since summer ball wrapped up. In two innings of intra-squad work he faced seven hitters, striking out six and walking one. I think he averaged about five pitches per hitter. Some pretty good high school varsity hitters looked absolutely foolish. After the scrimmage a couple of his teammates told him they didn't think they could ever get a hit off him. For me the experience was painful and frustrating. I'm reminded of comments you have made about how poorly pitchers can pitch and still get hitters out. Mechanically I watched him regress dramatically, failing to get his arm up to driveline height, dropping the elbow, driving the arm up and then having to pull down, and leaving his pitching foot and hip behind. His Maxline pitches were poor compared to what I usually see every day, and he was pulling the arm across the body on the Torque pitches. Reminded me of what I watched last summer. The difference is that now he knows what to work on and I hope he can get back to where he's been in the past few weeks. This journey is quite a process. I look forward to seeing what he can accomplish under your supervision when he joins you next fall, and I hope I have given you a baseball pitcher to work with. We'll see. The best news: in spite of the flaws Mike continues to throw each and every day, pain free and injury free. On this benchmark alone I count the experience a dramatic success. His only discomfort is in the Brachialis muscle, so I know he is fighting flyout. It's amazing to me that with his success and ability to throw every day I don't have parents beating down the door to sign their young men up. The walls of ignorance are indeed high. I watched several other young men pitch today and their body language clearly tells of elbows and shoulders on fire. How tragic and how completely unnecessary. I really hope this journey does not end here for me, and I hope to have other students. Armed with what you have taught me, and with dedicated students, I am quite confident we could build a high school baseball dynasty that never see's a young man suffer a pitching arm injury. And we'd have tremendous fun in the process. How is my son progressing toward keeping his elbow up? Is he continuing to work on cross-panel drills? Again, many thanks for all your help and assistance on this journey. I so appreciate you and all that you have done. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What you have learned is how easy it is to remove the injurious flaws of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, but how difficult it is to remove the biomechanical flaws of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. Also, you have learned how easy it is to get baseball batters out. Now, you understand my frustration with the pitchers that I have trained that they settle for getting batters out, not perfection. Unfortunately, when my pitchers encounter 'traditional' pitching coaches, they try to compromise and, as a result, lose even their ability to get batters out. You also now know why I usually only get to train pitchers with serious pitching injuries or unable to succeed at any level. Parents ignorantly continue to listen to the 'traditional' pitching coaches with some they-all-can't-be-wrong philosophy. Hopefully, my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video will show them that they all are wrong. Your son works hard every day, but as soon as he gets some command of my Maxline Pronation Curve release, he immediately wants to try it with my Wind-Up Pendulum Swing throws at home plate. I keep telling him that until he can throw every Maxline Pronation Curve perfectly every time for several days, he needs to continue to do cross-panel throws. That he does not only extends the days he will need to master his release. But, they all are impatient. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 208. I have just been named the head baseball coach at a college. I retired as a college head hockey coach for 21 years. My dad was president of a minor league baseball team. I just read your interview in Baseball America and tried to read your on-line book. I am fascinated by what you have to say and am trying hard to understand it. I am not sure what I want, except for you to know I have always tried to keep an open mind and learn. Thank you for your time and for publishing this book on line for the education of others. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I initially wrote my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book during my post-doctoral year at Michigan State University as a result of a comment from my Kinesiology professor, William W. Heusner that I should write how Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, Motor Skill Acquisition and other disciplines influence baseball pitching. Over recent years, as a result of working with young men every day for forty consecutive weeks, I have learned a great deal more about what drills better teach what skills. I have also learned a great deal about how they physiologically respond to weight and repetition increases and psychologically respond to the challenges of correcting biomechanical flaws in their pitching motions. I need to add these insights to my book. Therefore, after I recover from the nearly ten month ordeal of making my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I plan to edit my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book. Hopefully, I will not only make my book more readable to laypersons, but also add the knowledge that the young men I have trained every day for forty weeks over the past six years have given me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 209. My lefty came in to train with me for the final time this morning. What we have worked on came back with only minimal prompting and we were also able to work on infield throws with the crow-hop rhythm. He throws the heck out of the ball using the crow-hop and is unbelievably accurate. I know he is committed to standing up to the pressure from coaches. We've talked much about how to handle the inevitable. I understand your frustration with these issues all too well and am amazed you haven't given up and I appreciate your example. Though velocity is of relatively minor concern, my lefty told me coaches had a radar gun on him during the intra-squad and that his fastball velocities came up 5-7 mph over the winter's training and he's not yet comfortable in front of hitters. Now the coaches are gaining interest. I wish they had let him know the velocity differentials between fastballs and off-speed/breaking pitches. Apparently they do not understand the importance, as if that's any surprise. Regarding my son, have you told him point blank that if you were training him for an organization, his impatience and stubbornness would reward him rather prompt loss of his job? I'm all for you approaching him this way. It might be time for a reality check. Over the years, I worked diligently to try and break him of this habit and was not completely successful. Coming from someone other than dad this might serve him well in years ahead. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When they return to game situations, it is very common for my pitchers to revert to their 'traditional' pitching motion biomechanical flaws. That coupled with the pressure that the 'traditional' pitching coaches put on them to change back to the 'traditional' pitching motion can considerably reduce the quality of their pitches. For example, with my Maxline Pronation Curve, my guys will throw outstanding pitches at my Pitching Research/Training Center one day, then two weeks later in their spring training camp, completely discard the pitch because they cannot throw it for strikes now that they have to lift their glove foot first and reverse rotate their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm. Of course, the answer is two-fold. First, we have to train the eight, nine and ten year olds how to properly use their glove and pitching arms to throw my Maxline and Torque Fastballs and biological eleven years olds how to properly grip, drive and release my Maxline True Screwball and Maxline Pronation Curve. Without the injurious and biomechanical flaws of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion to overcome, they will learn the skills much more quickly. Then, we just have to keep them away from 'traditional' pitching coaches. That your lefty quickly corrected the biomechanical flaws that you saw in his intra-squad game indicates that he has learned the skills, but that those old 'traditional' baseball pitching motion flaws remain near the surface. It will take many months of perfect execution of my pitching motion to drive those flaws deep into the Motor Cortex never to rise again. That your lefty increased his release velocity does not surprise me. With my pitching motion, every time he completes another training program, including my six Recoil Interval-Training Programs, he will increase his release velocity. Also, as he moves closer and closer to absolute straight line drive, he will increase his release velocity. Lastly, with every pitch that he throws at his maximum intensity, because, instead of using our pitching upper arm to pull our pitching forearm forward, we drive the pitching hand and baseball straight forward, he will increase his release velocity. While I cannot predict his genetic maximum release velocity, I know that he has many more miles per hour of release velocity in him. It is unfortunate that today's baseball coaches revere velocity when the variety of movements is what confuses baseball batters. When I finally get me 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video out, my James Jeffrey Sparks section will teach them the artistry of baseball pitching. It shows how he made the best major league batters look foolish with a variety of velocity and movement and threw 92 mph fastballs right past them. Hopefully, after this video, we will return radar guns to the highways and keep them away from baseball fields. My answer to your son and others trying to throw strikes with their Maxline Pronation Curves and Maxline True Screwballs before they mastered driving the pitching hand and baseball rather than using their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward was to tell them that if they pull their pitching forearm one time out of twenty-four, then they do not have the technique mastered and that one bad throw eliminated the twenty-three good throws, such that they have to start all over again. I don't think that they believed me. I told them all that they need to continue to do cross-panel work until their can drive their pitching hand and baseball with their eyes closed in their sleep. Unfortunately, during their workouts, your son and the others still tried to throw strikes and pulled their pitching forearm down and/or across the front of their body. You might be right. If I were coaching a college team or training professional baseball pitchers, I could use the line-up card or fines or release as negative motivators. If, when they throw these pitches at home plate and pull, I could make them run laps, pay me twenty dollars or send them home, then maybe they would make sure that they have mastered their releases with their cross-panel work before they try to throw strikes. Or, maybe I need to have drill sergeant assistant coaches assigned to each who scream at them every time they do it wrong. Unfortunately, like when your lefty pitched to his teammates, he used his pitching upper arm to pull his pitching forearm forward when the threw his curves and he struck them out. That was the wrong feedback. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 210. While reading through your last series of Q & A's, I saw that you were going to send your new 2006 video out to those who had purchased either your 2002 or 2004 video. I purchased your 2002 video while living at a different address and wanted to contact you with the new one. Upon receiving the new video I will send you the compensation for your time and effort. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That is a problem that I had not yet considered. I suppose that I will have several DVDs returned for that reason. I appreciate your address update and will make the change on my address file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 211. We just got to day 31. In the version I had (until today) it had something like 'wrong foot swing to ready' for the weights, IB throws and the rest. The version on your site today has wrong foot loaded slingshot. This is no longer in your book, not one of the five. So question one, which one do we do? If it's the swing to ready, the description in the book doesn't match what's on the 2004 video. In the video you do the pendulum swing, but in the book you go from arms straight out in front to the ready position. Am I just confused? Please let me know what to do. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are absolutely correct. You are caught in the no-man's land between my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video and my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. I recently updated my Pitcher Training Programs to coincide with my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video and you do not yet have your copy. Unfortunately, I have not yet had time to update my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book with my 2006 drills. With my 2006 video, I have reduced my number of drills from twelve to six. 01. Pickoff with Step body action; Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill. I used this drill in my 2004 video, so you should be okay with this drill. 02. Wrong Foot body action; Loaded Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill. Because my pitchers were having difficulty 'locking' their pitching arm with their shoulders, I replaced my Swing-to-Ready glove and pitching arm actions drill with my Loaded Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill. Except that we are using my Wrong Foot body action, my Loaded Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill starts as though it is my Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill with the glove arm pointing at home plate and the pitching forearm pointing at second base. Then, to 'load' the Slingshot, while they keep their pitching elbow at ear height, I have my pitchers reach back with their pitching arm as far as they can. I want their glove arm, shoulders and pitching arm in a straight line between home plate and second base. To execute the drill, from this 'Loaded Slingshot' position, they step straight forward with their pitching foot and, when their pitching foot lands, they pull their glove forearm straight back and drive their pitching hand straight forward. 03. Wrong Foot body action; Pendulum Swing glove and pitching arm actions drill. I used this drill in my 2004 video, so you should be okay with this drill. 04. One Step Crow-Hop body action; Pendulum Swing glove and pitching arm actions drill. This is new. You will need my 2006 video. 05. Wind-Up body action; Pendulum Swing glove and pitching arm actions drill. This is also new. You will need my 2006 video. 06. Set Position body action; Pendulum Swing glove and pitching arm actions drills. This is also new. You will need my 2006 video. I apologize for the overlap. I will get my 2006 video to you as quickly as I can. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 212. I read in your book that because of the weight of a football, it increases arm resistance and decreases throwing arm velocity. How does this differ from throwing the weighted Iron Ball's in your interval training program? Also, my son is a QB and a pitcher. How does he overcome the decrease in throwing arm velocity in time for baseball season? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are correct. Because footballs weigh more than baseballs, when baseball pitchers throw them in the manner I recommend, they receive more stress than when they throw baseballs. Therefore, they receive a training effect. It is the only way that I can train the muscles of the hand and fingers to increase the spin velocity that pitchers achieve with their baseballs. Football quarterbacks do not throw footballs in the manner that I recommend. Therefore, that he plays quarterback does not influence the muscles that I want to train with my football throws drill. That my pitchers cannot throw their wrist weights, iron balls or footballs at the same release velocity that they can throw baseballs does not decrease throwing arm velocity. The increased resistance of their wrist weights, iron balls and footballs strengthen the bones, ligaments and tendons in their pitching arm, such that they can apply greater stress with their baseball throws without exceeding their physiological limits. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 213. What is the best way to conduct batting practice? Last year for the senior little league team I coached, I pitched batting practice for the first few practices. (I used your motion the best I could, and even untrained, I did not experience any arm pain and had much greater endurance than past years.) After a few practices, one of the fathers brought a pitching machine which we used most of the rest of the season. On a few occasions we had the boys pitch. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am not a fan of pitching machines. I believe that, to pick up the baseball as early as possible, baseball batters need to see baseball pitchers release their pitches. When I coached college baseball, I taught my position players how to throw my fastballs. Then, like you, they could throw batting practice to each other without arm problems. I also had my pitchers throw what I called, pitchers practice, where my baseball batters got to see their releases. Of course, we also did allot of batting cage work, where I had throwers sitting on a bucket behind a double-thickness eight gauge wire fence pitcher protector throwing to batters from twenty-five feet. My batters took twenty-four swings per session at least four times per day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 214. Outstanding! I look forward to your video. When will the video be available? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I finished the video almost a month ago. Unfortunately, I am having trouble finding someone to get the video off my computer and onto a DVD disk with which we can make copies. It appears to be a compatibility problem between the Adobe Premiere 6.0 version I used and the newest Adobe program. Hopefully, they will resolve that problem soon and we can start making copies. When I have copies ready to ship, I will change the icon on the home page of my website from 2004 to 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. I apologize for the delay. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 215. I have been reading that most of the gains that are made in weightlifting are a result of the central nevous system adapting to the load and not the particular muscle getting stronger. Could you attempt to explain how the central nervous system works when it comes to weightlifting? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That is correct. For every human movement, there is a biomechanically perfect way to apply the force that muscles can generate. With perfect practice, athletes refine their motor unit contraction and relaxation sequences until they can perform their activity biomechanically perfect. As a result, they can perform their activity with less unnecessary stress, which provides more force for the necessary stress. For example, my pitching motion eliminates the unnecessary stress of the 'traditional' pitching motion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 216. Would you send me copies of the Adams article? I haven’t been able to get my hands on them at the libraries here. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have original reprints of all of Dr. Adams articles that I discuss in Chapter Nine of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book. I will put a copy of his 1965 article in the mail to you today. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 217. I read the interview that you participated in and was published recently in Baseball America. I want you to know that I heard you speak several years ago at a baseball pitching clinic and have read your work. I respect your knowledge about the science of pitching and, of course, your professional record speaks for itself. You need to know that I was disappointed with the published interview. You certainly have a right to your views on how pitching should be taught, and I believe that you are one of the few to really understand the physics of pitching. But it seems to me that you were disrespectful and arrogant. You seem to be an angry person. It is unfortunate because I think you have a lot to offer. Perhaps a little more humbleness in your knowledge may encourage more to listen to your ideas. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am sorry that you feel that I was disrespectful and arrogant. But then, I do not have any respect for baseball pitching coaches that knowingly destroy pitching arms for their personal financial gain. Whether I am arrogant or know what I am talking about is semantics. I think that arrogance is someone believing that I need to know how they feel about my interview. I am angry. What bothers me is, why aren't you? These guys continue to destroy pitching arm after pitching arm and we are supposed to accept it? As an Associate Professor of Physical Therapy, you should be furious. I have been talking about the destruction of generation after generation of youth baseball pitchers since Dr. Joel Adams's first article in 1965. I began researching baseball pitching with high-speed film in 1967. After nearly forty years of no change, I apologize if I have run out of patience. I know how to eliminate all baseball pitching injuries. I know how all baseball pitchers can achieve their genetic maximum release velocity. I know how all baseball pitchers can learn how to throw the wide variety of high-quality baseball pitches that are necessary to succeed at the highest levels. Am I supposed to let these greedy jackasses continue to attack me and discriminate against my pitchers? As one who understands and prefers collegial debate, that is not the forum with which I am dealing. It is unfortunate that we cannot raise the level of discourse, but this is the real world, not the cloistered university setting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 218. I read your interview from earlier this month on ESPN.com. Though I lack the genetic heritage to have ever possessed aspirations of a professional baseball career, I enjoy playing the game as an amateur and I am a supporter of your guide. I have no specialized knowledge of physiology or kinesiology, but the internal consistency of the guide is intrinsic evidence of its soundness. In the interview, you made it very clear what the problems were with the precision of a professional advocate. I am writing because I would like to applaud your forthright approach. I hope that eventually, your views will be accepted by at least one team (preferably one for which I root, but even one of the other 29 would be a start). Republication of your views on ESPN.com is a step in the right direction. It may not be able to alleviate your "blacklist" status, but publicity has a snowball effect. I hope you continue to "get the word out". Increased public awareness that there is a better way for teams to handle pitchers may pressure GMs to take the "risk" of not-risking their pitchers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because I did not do an interview with ESPN.com, I went to their website to see what you are talking about. It turns out that the ESPN article is the interview that I did with Baseball America. At sixty-three years old, I have no expectation of ever working with a major league baseball organization. My goal is to eliminate youth baseball pitching injuries. I trust Moms. When Moms understand the injurious flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion that will permanently deform the pitching arms of their sons, they will protect their sons and my pitching motion and training programs are the answer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 219. If you have a mailing list, please put me on it when the video comes out. Again, I thank you for taking the time to respond. My son's long term health is, and always will be, my top prioroity. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To get on my mailing list, I will need you to send me your name, mailing address, email address and a money order for one hundred dollars. Then, when I have DVD and VHS copies to ship, I will send on to you. Together, we will make sure that your son becomes the best injury-free high school junior baseball pitcher that he wants to be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 220. Am I correct in thinking then, that throwing footballs during football season will not have an affect on my son's baseball pitching velocity? However, if it does, it is short term? Also, if, during football season he does the wrist weight and iron ball training, what effect wil this have, good or bad, being a pitcher and QB, does this require a special training program? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When your son does my football throws, the football spins with the spin axes of my Maxline True Screwball, Maxline Fastball, Maxline Pronation Curve and Torque Fastball. When your son throws footballs to receivers, he spirals the football. If, during football season, he learns how to pronate his release of his footballs throws to receivers, then, during baseball season, he will not negatively affect the release velocity of his baseball pitches. If he does his baseball pitching wrist weight and iron ball training during football season, then he will be more tired than if he did not do that training. Otherwise, he will be fine. If, when he threw footballs, as long as he did not have 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' and 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' then I would even expect his throwing arm to be stronger for football throws. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 221. One more question regarding lengthened ligaments. You answered in #195 that "The only question is whether the ligaments are so long that the bones move around too much to stabilize the joint action". My question is that is there any procedures (medical) that could correct (shorten the ligaments) and stabilize the joint action that you know of? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other than with surgery, no, there is no way to unlengthen the Gleno-Humeral and Ulnar Collateral Ligaments that youth baseball pitchers lengthen when they pitch too hard, too often for too many days per year. And, without a rupture, no respectable orthopedic surgeon would do this surgery. I am reasonably sure that I said this already. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 222. This was from the head of the NCAA umpires association to all NCAA coaches. Is he talking about your pitching motion? --------------------------------------------- Subject: Windup position To: All NCAA Baseball Coaches I am writing because of some confusion about the windup position rule that came up at University of Texas this weekend, in a game that I was umpiring. The coaches insisted that when they played out of state earlier this year, they were told that in a windup position the pitcher must have both feet on the rubber, and that the umpires forced their pitchers to do this. I have checked with Dave Yeast and this is incorrect. The rule states that the ENTIRE free foot may not be in front of the pivot foot on the rubber; it is OK, therefore, to have part of the foot in front. I've sent an email to the umpires reminding them that the intent of the rule is to prohibit pitchers from taking a stance that is confusing in terms of whether it is a windup or a set, and that if the pitcher is squarely facing the batter there is no question that he is in a windup and we shouldn't split hairs in terms of the position of the feet as long as one is not clearly in front of the other. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In major league baseball rule 8.0, there is no requirement as to where, in the Wind-Up Position, baseball pitchers place their glove (free) foot. This means that umpires cannot force baseball pitchers to hvae both feet on the pitching rubbers. However, is also means that, in the Wind-Up Position, umpires cannot prohibit baseball pitchers from placing their glove (free) foot on the ground in front of the pitching rubber. Further, nowhere in these rules does it mention an intent of the Wind-Up or Set Position rules about baseball pitchers having to turn sideways for their Set Position. This guy is making rules that are not in the major league baseball rule book. If the NCAA makes such rules, then they are meaningfully altering the rules of baseball. In the Wind-Up Position, baseball pitchers must have their entire pitching (pivot) foot on the pitching rubber, but they can then have their glove (free) foot wherever they want. That is, they can have their free foot on the pitching rubber, behind the pitching rubber or in front of the pitching rubber. This means that, as long as it is within the width of their shoulders, they are free to place the glove (free) foot wherever they want. In the Set Position, baseball pitchers must also have their entire pitching (pivot) foot on the pitching rubber, but they must have their entire glove (free) foot on the ground in front of the pitching rubber. Therefore, it is possible for baseball pitchers to be in their Wind-Up Position with their glove (free) foot on the ground in front of the pitching rubber. This means that baseball pitchers can appear to be in their Set Position when they are in their Wind-Up Position. After all, baseball pitchers can pitch either from their Wind-Up or Set Positions any time that they want, even with base runners on first base. Therefore, Mr. Yeast is correct, umpires cannot force them baseball pitchers to stand with their glove (free) foot on the pitching rubber. However, this umprie is incorrect about the intent of the Wind-Up and Set Position rules are to prohibit pitchers from taking a stance that is confusing in terms of whether it is a windup or set position. Certainly, when baseball pitchers are in their Set Position, umpires may not require them to not squarely face home plate. To be clear, in their Wind-Up or Set Positions, whether baseball pitchers squarely face home plate or turn sideways is their option. Umpires cannot force them to do either. The rule regarding Wind-Up and Set Positions are simple. If baseball pitchers have their glove (free) foot on the ground in front of the pitching rubber, then they are in their Set Position. In their Wind-Up Position, baseball pitchers may their glove (free) foot on the ground, behind, on or in front of the pitching rubber. Whether they face home plate or not is immaterial. For further edification: Without properly disengaging the pitching rubber, baseball pitchers may not start in their Wind-Up Position and move into their Set Position. However, without properly disengaging the pitching rubber, when in their Set Position, baseball pitchers can move from their Set Position into their Wind-Up Position. I do not understand why this umpire would take a complaint about out-of-state umpires incorrectly requiring baseball pitchers to have both feet on the pitching rubber when they are in their Wind-Up Positions to making new law about how baseball pitchers must stand when they are in their Set Positions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 223. I recently read your article in "Baseball America" and am very intrigued by your philosophy. I am trying to copy/paste your free book to read more about your approach. As a High School Head Coach and former Div II pitcher, I am glad to say that I have never had a pitcher (or myself) injured. That being said, I coach at a school where athletes play all sports and have a difficult time truly preparing their bodies for the strains of baseball, particularly pitchers. Is there any additional info you would like to share that I could study and try to apply to my pitchers? Specifically mechanics, release, simple does and don't, and how you actually relieve stress on the arm. I'm sure much of that is in your free book, but I truly am one who was lucky to have some success, and enjoys more learning about the game and teaching. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, and I share it in the form of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. If you watch the home page of my website, when I change my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video to 2006, then I will have DVD and VHS copies ready to ship. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 224. I have another question for you. Do your players gain weight at all from doing the training program, and if so what would you say is an average gain while completing your program? I have only been doing it for 45 days, but have gained 5 lbs during that time and I have been eating right (so I don't think I'm getting fatter). I am guessing that maybe I am just becoming stronger so my muscles have grown, which would make sense I think. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, my baseball pitchers add pounds to their baseball pitching muscles. However, if they come in over-weight, then the loss of fat and gain of muscle mass may disguise the additional poundage in their baseball pitching muscles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 225. Are you in the process of updating your pitching video? Does it still cost $100.00? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I recently completed my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. We are in the process of getting it off my computer. After we do, we will begin making DVD and VHS copies to ship. If you are a first time partner, then the cost is one hundred dollars. Before you request your copy, please wait until I change the 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video icon on the home page of my website to 2006. Then, to send me your request, please follow the instructions that I provide in that file. I appreciate your interest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 226. I caught up on your emails, and I like to reply to the one about Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. THIS IS A TRUE STORY. Last April, 2005, I was going through some still pictures I have in my file and I pulled out the famous one of both Mr. Prior and Mr. Wood that was in Sports Illustrated. I was sitting at my kitchen table with this picture in clear view for anyone to see, having a cup of tea. My daughter walked by and asked who they were and I told her that they are the hottest two pitchers in the MAJORS at that moment. Now, my daughter knows nothing of baseball, she is a hockey and field hockey NUT, and she has her Doctorate in physical therapy. Well, to get back to the picture my daughter look at me and said " they may be hot now but in a short period of time both of them are going to have major shoulder surgery. Well, everyone knows what happen, Wood and Prior do have shoulder problems. But here is the point, my daughter just took look at that picture and predicted what would happen to them. She knows nothing about pitching mechanics but she knows how the human body should perform and she saw immediately that the mechanics of these 2 pitchers were bad for them. So, the question is: Why don't people wake up? This has to be exposed and I hope the people who write in to you realize that the only instructions to follow are YOURS. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have known this since I viewed my first high-speed film of baseball pitching in 1967. During the 1970s, I gave numerous speeches to state Sport Medicine Associations and even to the American Medical Association. I have tried as hard as I could to alert baseball people to the injurious flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. Their response was, "So?" I assumed that they meant that it was the only pitching motion in town. Therefore, on my own dime with my own time, I have searched to the biomechanically perfect baseball pitching motion that eliminates these injurious flaws. In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I show and explain the injurious flaws of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and how, with my pitching motion, I not only eliminate those flaws, but also satisfy Sir Isaac Newton's three laws of motion, which makes my pitching motion biomechanically perfect. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 227. It sounds like you are having some technical issues with your new 2006 video. If you could describe exactly what they are, I'll ask some friends for solutions. I'm sure your loyal readers will as well. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To make my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I used Adobe Premier 6.0. In this program, to render your video, you Export the Timeline to Movie. I did this and, on the Matrox video player, each section played beautifully. However, when my video guy made a DVD copy on the latest Adobe program, the computer moved the picture upward, such that it cut off the top about twenty percent of the frame. That was last Friday. I have not heard from him since. I know that he has talked with Adobe technicians, but I do not know whether they have solved the problem. If your guys have suggestions, please send them to me and I will forward them to him. My suggestion is to play the sections of my two and one-half hour video on the Adobe Premiere 6.0 Matrox video players and videotape it with a quality digital camera. As I understand, we can make DVD and VHS copies from mini-DV. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 228. Before I found your web site 5 years ago I bought books published by Dick Mills and Tom House. After one of my pitchers dislocated his throwing elbow one year, I stopped using their instructions and went back to Tom Seaver who just wrote one book and it wasn't bad. He just talked about how he pitched and what made him successful and really didn't try to be a pitching guru. He didn't write any more books. However, I want to futher enlighten your readers about Tom House. He has published nine books on pitching mechanics. I have his eighth book in front of me, it's called, The Pitching Edge. Except for page 146, the book is garbage. On page 146, Mr. House writes, "Nobody has been mor wrong, or right about preparing pitchers than I have." What in the hell does that mean? It sound like he is trying to cover his tracks. At best, it sounds like he is fifty percent right and fifty percent wrong. And, this is his eighth book. How can anyone really trust anything he says in the nine books he has written, if nobody is more wrong than he is?. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That is an incredible admission. If he bases his statement on the thousands of baseball pitchers who have destroyed their pitching arms with his pitching motion, then you would think that he would stop. While, with my pitching motion, no baseball pitcher has ever injured himself, I do state that I am still learning how to better teach my pitching motion. Therefore, I reserve the right to improve the drills that I use to teach my baseball pitching skills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 229. Here is my follow-up question to the Wrong Foot body action; Loaded Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill. Here is my guess at the steps. 1) stand facing the plate with both arms extended in front of you, pointing at the plate. 2) bring your pitching arm into 'loaded slingshot' position 3) as you step forward with your pitching foot reach back as far as you can with your pitching hand 4) as your foot lands pull your glove hand to your armpit, and punch your pitching hand straight at the plate Is that it? Or do you start with both arms extended - glove arm straight at the plate, pitching arm straight at second base? What got me confused was the 'Except that we are using my Wrong Foot body action', which is why I have step 1 above. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You did quite well. 01. Step one is fine. 02. In Step two, baseball pitchers should draw their pitching hand straight backward as far as they can reach toward second base. I want them to align their glove arm, shoulders and pitching arm with the line between home plate and second base. 03. Step three is when baseball pitchers step forward. 04. Step four is fine. Please keep me updated. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 230. The worse part of this is every year I get new pitchers on my college baseball team that still throw the way Mr. House and Mr. Mills teach in their books, the tall and fall, and the stupid flex T and the terrible scapula loading method of know-it-all Paul Nyman. All over the world they are still teaching this crap. I think it has to do with time; these coaches don't want to take the time to film and then put the film on the computer or video tape. Also there are some ego problems. Why do people feel they can see perfectly with the naked eye at normal speed? Also it is money. It does cost some hard earned cash to buy this equipment, but it also costs allot more cash to pay for the doctor and PT bill when the injuries start to get worse. So my advice to everyone who is reading this email, pay Dr. marshall NOW or pay a surgeon later. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I understand your frustration. In our let the buyer beware society, we have to let these guys teach their crap. Therefore, we have to show the parents of youth baseball pitchers that what these guys and other teach is nothing more than the same old 'traditional' baseball pitching motion that destroys pitching arms. I am confident that my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video will get the message out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 231. Is the splitter a potentially dangerous pitch for a 16 year old boy? My son has been fooling with it and it has great movement. I have heard it is bad for your elbow. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To understand the danger of the split-finger fastball to baseball pitchers, we need to understand how the intrinsic muscles of the pitching hand operate. The intrinsic muscles of the pitching hand move the metacarpal bones. Four muscles operate our thumb, also called the Thenar Eminence. They are the Flexor Pollicis Brevis, Opponens Pollicis, Abductor Pollicis Brevis and Abductor Pollicis Brevis. Three muscles operate our little finger, also called the Hypothenar Eminence and also called Digiti V or my favorite, Digiti Minimi. They are the Abductor Digiti Minimi, Flexor Brevis Digiti Minimi and Opponens Digiti Minimi. Four Lumbrical muscles arise from the radial sides of the tendons of the four Flexor Digitorum Profundus muscles that serve the second through fifth digits and insert into the radial sides of the dorsal expansions of the corresponding digits. However, the two medial Lumbrical muscles also arise from the medial sides of the adjacent tendons of the Flexor Digitorum Profundus muscles. With regard to the danger of the split-finger fastball to the muscles of the pitching hand, we need to only consider what muscles operate the second (index finger) and third digits (middle finger). The third (middle) and fourth (ring finger) digits are the only digits (fingers) able to apply force both ways. The second and fourth digits can only apply force to the radial side of the hand. This means that the second (index finger) digit cannot apply force toward the third (middle finger) digit. To throw the split-finger fastball, when baseball pitchers place the baseball between their index and middle fingers, the index finger does not have a Lumbrical muscle with which to squeeze the baseball toward the middle finger. Therefore, the index finger has to use its portion of the Flexor Digitorum Profundus muscle not only to flex the index finger, but to also apply force toward the middle finger. As a result, they can injure the portion of the Flexor Digitorum Profundus muscle, including tearing the tendonous attachment to the distal phalange away from the bone. That is why when I teach my Maxline Fastball Sinker, I have my pitchers place the baseball between their third (middle finger) and fourth (ring finger) digits. These muscles have Lumbrical muscle attachments that enable them to apply force radially and ulnarly. Therefore, they can squeeze the baseball tighter for higher spin velocity releases and they do not rely on only their portions of the Flexor Digitorum Profundus muscles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 232. I doubt you lose sleep about what others care to think about you or your philosophies, but since I’m seeing a lot of what I’d call venomous attacks recently on the eteamz bulletin board, I thought I’d ask for some clarification on something I know you feel very strongly about. Kids pitching at very young ages, 12U. I’ve read several things you’ve written on the subject and am wondering if I’m correct in assuming you feel as I do. That being, there’s a vast difference in a kid going out to the mound to “throw” an inning or two, and a kid going out there to “pitch” with all of the intensity of a ML pitcher who’s getting paid to do it, and working his buns off to do it. On a very different subject, I’d appreciate your thoughts on something else. I happen to be one of those cuckoos who believes there’s infinitely more to pitching than is intuitively obvious to the casual observer. So, I was wondering what your thoughts were about how much a “routine” means to a pitcher at any level, but more precisely to a college pitcher. I happen to have a boy who’s pitching at a JUCO. Ever since he started pitching fairly seriously at 11, his strong suit has always been control as opposed to power. I’ve noticed recently that although he still has the capability to throw FB, CU, Slider, his precision with the breaking balls has really fallen off. Talking to him, I get the distinct idea that throwing in games less than 4-5 innings a week, with 7 days between appearances might be the major culprit. He says he’s not getting the feeling of being loose to the point of just trusting himself to just make up his mind what he’s going to do, then let ‘er go, until its just about time to come out of the game. How much do you think precision is dependent on getting to throw for “real”? P.S.: Red Adams asked me to pass along his greetings. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you know Red Adams (my pitching coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers), then you know one of the great people on Earth. Tell him that I love him. My position on youth baseball is that it should be a time when youngsters learn the skills of baseball without the physical and emotional stresses that negatively influence their growth and development. Child growth and development research shows that some stress during adolescence is good, but too much causes permanent damage. With regard to baseball pitching, the growth plates in the pitching elbow are particularly susceptible to permanent damage. Therefore, we must be very careful with how much stress we permit our youth baseball pitchers apply for how long each year. The only definitive study ever done on this question was done by Dr. Joel Adams. To read my synopsis of his reports, please go to Chapter Nine of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book. It is free for all to read on my website. Dr. Adams found that, without meaningful discomfort complaints, youth baseball pitchers suffer permanent damage to their growth plates. For example, without meaningful discomfort, youth baseball pitching causes premature closure of growth plates, which means that these bones can never grow to the full adult lengths. Dr. Adams also chronicled the severe permanent injuries that youth baseball pitchers suffer, such as pulling the ossification center of their medial epicondyle away from the shaft of the Humerus bone, which permanently destroys the elbow for future baseball pitching and such as grossly enlarging the head of the Radius bone, which requires its removal. I love youth baseball pitchers, but I want them to become healthy high school baseball pitchers without deformed and damaged pitching elbows. Therefore, I recommend: 01. Until they are biologically sixteen years old (when the growth plates in their pitching elbow should mature), they should not pitch competitively for more than two consecutive months per year, 02. Until they are biologically thirteen years old (when the growth plates on the elbow end of their Humerus bone should mature), they should not pitch more than one inning per game twice a week and 03. Youth baseball pitchers less than thirteen biological years old only pitch one inning twice a week to their teammates in the baseball game that I describe in Chapter Twelve of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book. Because your junior college son uses the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, whether he pitches with power or finesse makes no difference. He is destroying his pitching arm with every throw and will never be the best baseball pitcher thatn he can be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 233. I would imagine that you have received more than a few questions in this regard, but I was hoping to get an answer to my situation which I believe is unique. I originally injured my right (pitching) elbow in January of 2005. I was pitching in college, figuring I would be signing a contract upon graduation. After seeing many multiple physicians, I was correctly diagnosed in May and had surgery. I had a torn UCL and an entrapped ulnar nerve. I was not cleared to start throwing until just about a month ago, as the doctor wanted to make sure that the nerve completely regenerated. I have been following the throwing program as prescribed by Dr. James Andrews. My question to you is as I begin to throw again is there any advice you would give? Anything in particular you would avoid, or any certain strength exercises you would focus on? I can only imagine how many more emails you have been receiving lately, but you were very helpful when I emailed you in 2002 in concern to weighted balls. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The most important advice that I can give you is to stop using the pitching motion that you used when you tore your Ulnar Collateral Ligament. That pitching motion injured you once, do not let it injure you again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 234. I do not understand your application of Newton's Third Law of Motion in baseball batting. I agree that your force coupling concept adds force and thus increases the acceleration to the center of mass of the baseball bat during the swing. This makes sense to me because Newton's Second Law of Motion states that the sum of the forces on an object is directly proportional to the acceleration of that object. However, Newton's Third Law of Motion, by definition, states that the force on object 'A' by object 'B' is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force on object 'B' by object 'A.' For example, when the center of mass of a baseball bat strikes a pitched baseball, the force on the baseball by the bat is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force on the bat by the baseball. To satisfy Newton's Third Law of Motion, an interaction between two objects must take place. What two objects interact during the force coupling phase of the baseball swing that you teach? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sir Isaac Newton's second law say that force equals mass times acceleration. With regard to baseball batting, this means that, to achieve higher bat head velocities, baseball batters must apply greater force to the center of mass of their baseball bats. This differs from baseball pitching, where Sir Isaac Newton's second law tells baseball pitchers to apply force over greater time periods. The reason for this difference is that baseball batters should apply their force over as short a time period as they possible can. The shorter the time period, the later they can start their swing, which means the greater the time period they have to determine where and when the pitched baseball will enter their contact zone. Sir Isaac Newton's third law, the law of reaction, remains the same for baseball batting as for baseball pitching. That is, for every action force, there is an equal and oppositely-directed reaction force. This means that, like baseball pitchers, baseball batters must apply more force away from the pitched baseball. In my baseball pitching motion, my pitchers apply this force with their pitching leg, glove leg and glove arm. In my baseball batting swing, my batters apply this force with their rear leg and front arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 235. My son is a college baseball player in college. He was originally recruited as a two way player (pitcher and outfielder), but tore his ACL last year in Fall Ball while running the bases. He has since rehabbed the ACL and is now not getting any playing time as an outfielder and hasn't pitched since high school. In high school, he was clocked at 84-86 mph. He feels like his arm has gotten stronger while doing long toss drills and practicing as an outfielder, but hasn't pitched at all in college. He is considering converting to pitching full time next year. He plans to pitch over the summer and coming back next year as a pitcher. I think I read that it takes "280 days" to develop in your system. He will have from now until next September to develop, approximately 180 days. Would you suggest he do your system or try to use the "traditional" route? He used to train with some other pitchers at Tom House. I was a big believer in Tom House and always read your interviews and wondered about your system. Can he benefit from doing 180 days of your system? Would it work at 180 days and then could he continue to use it for another 100 days of Fall Ball? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It will take him more than two hundred and eighty days to eliminate the injurious flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion that Mr. House taught him. I now recommend that baseball pitchers train with me for at least two forty-week session separated by twelve weeks during which, to determine how badly the biomechanical flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion continue to negatively affect their pitches, they pitch competitively. Under no circumstances would I ever recommend that baseball pitchers spend one minute practicing any of the versions of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, especially Mr. House's version. If your son does so, he does so at considerable risk to his pitching arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 236. We've had a physical therapist talk to us about Ligamentous Laxity in trying to solve a problem with my 15 year son's elbow. Can you comment on this condition in regards to how it affects pitchers, and how you feel about a recommended treatment called Prolotherapy? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In my opinion, it is just another way to steal money. I doubt that he has any scientifically valid way of proving that what he does what he says it does, which means that you do not have any scientifically valid way of proving that it does not help. It will all be touchy-feely, fast chatter, speculation and smoke and mirrors, like three card Monte. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 237. In baseball batting and baseball pitching, what, specifically, are the action forces (force on what by what)? What, specifically, are the reaction forces (force on what by what)? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In baseball batting, the action forces drive the center of mass of the baseball bat toward the baseball. The reaction forces are those forces that baseball batters apply in the opposite direction. In baseball pitching, the action forces drive the center of mass of the baseball toward home plate. The reaction forces are those forces that baseball batters apply in the opposite direction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 238. I tried to click on the link on your website for the video and it didn't work. Do you have a link to the site where I can purchase the video that you can send me and then I can take it from there? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Until I have DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video in hand ready to ship, I have closed down my website link to my video file. Please wait until I change the icon from 2004 to 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. I appreciate your interest and I will work as hard as I can to get you your copy as soon as possible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 239. My son would normally want to do the 2 forty week sessions with you, but that won't be possible right now since he is still a full time student. He will get your video tape and try to learn your system as best he can on his own. If we can schedule it, we'll try to come see you in Florida when we can. In the meantime, I'll send you the $100 for the video today. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- School will still be there in a couple of years. Rather than waste his time, I recommend that he join my 2006-2007 group. But, it is your decision, so I will help in whatever way I can over the internet. As soon as I receive your request and have DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video ready to ship, I will send you a copy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 240. I'm very interested in your coaching. I heard about your program on "The Show" on XM radio. I guess my reason for emailing you is to see if I would be a candidate for your program. I'm 23 years old 6'5" and a lefty, and in all honesty I've never had a "pitching coach". I've played the game since I was 5 years old, and ever since then I've never had a coach that knew how to teach left handers, even through high school. Two week after graduating I joined the Air Force; I still practiced, but nothing serious. There are no adult leagues around here and I now know this could be my last chance. I would really like to see you get me to my full potential. I have the money, I'm willing to make the commitment, I'm a decent student, I'm not a trouble maker, druggie, or and alcoholic, and I promise you I wouldn't be a waste of time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With the hope that they have the motor learning ability to master my pitching motion and releases, I train baseball pitchers to pitch college baseball. I also hope that they have sufficient genetic gifts to throw these pitches with sufficient release velocity to pitch professional baseball. At minimum, I believe that all pitchers previously trained to use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion will need two forty-week training sessions with a twelve week break between to pitch competitively. However, the second forty-week session is optional. That is, either I or the pitcher can decide not to continue. At twenty-three years old, in the mindset of the affiliated major league baseball organizations, you are not the best candidate. However, independent professional baseball teams do not care how old you are and neither do I. I only care about your dedication. I want baseball pitchers who will show up on time and do everything that I tell them to do at the best of their ability. We start the third Saturday in August and end the fourth Saturday the following May. We train for two hundred and eighty consecutive days. I expect everybody to get a job and/or attend college part-time. I do not want anybody sitting on the couch all day or staying out late. I reserve the right to dismiss any student at any time. I only have room for twelve students each year. Other than a personal conversation on which I base whether I want to work with you, I have no entrance requirement. I do not run a fantasy camp and I will not tolerate anybody who will not commit to using my pitching motion. If, at any time, I see that any pitcher using my program to train to use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, then I will tell them to leave. If you are still interested, then please telephone me at (813)783-1357 and leave a message that includes your name, telephone number and a good time to return your call. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 241. I am just checking to see if the 2006 video is completed. Also is if possible for me to bring my 14 year old and to drive over from Orlando and watch you instruct/teach pitchers? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have completed my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. However, I do not yet have DVD and VHS copies ready to ship. When I do, I will change the icon on the home page of my website from 2004 to 2006. From the third Saturday in August until the fourth Saturday the following May, we train from 9:00 to 10:30AM seven days a week. We welcome unannounced visitors at any time. We are at the corner of Hwy 301 and Vinson Avenue on the South side of Zephyrhills, FL. From Orlando, you would want to exit I-4 on Hwy 39 and drive North to Hwy 301, then North about three blocks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 242. A quick question about long toss. Are you a proponent of long toss? If so, at what age would you suggest to begin? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All training is specific. If you want to improve your ability to long toss, then you should practice long tossing. However, if you want to improve your ability to pitch to a strike zone, then you might want to practice doing that. In either case, you will want to use the crow-hop throwing rhythm. I recommend that until they are biologically eleven years old, youngsters use my First, Second, Third and Fourth 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Programs to learn how to throw my Maxline and Torque Fastballs. Then, at biological eleven years old, they learn how to throw my Maxline True Screwball and Maxline Pronation Curve. If parents teach their youth baseball pitchers these skills, then, when they are biologically thirteen years old, they will be ready to pitch one inning per game twice a week for two consecutive months each year. Then, when they are biologically sixteen years old, they will be ready to complete my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program and be well on their way to becoming the best injury-free high school baseball pitcher that they can be. Lastly, if they still love baseball pitching and want to devote another few years to finding out just how good they can be, then they can complete my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitcher Interval-Training Program and my advanced level Recoil Interval-Training Programs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 243. A professional baseball player that I know is supplementing his off-season strength workouts with Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS). As I understand, he uses electricity to stimulate specific muscle groups to contract at much higher intensities than he could by just lifting weights. Have you heard of EMS training? If yes, then what is your opinion about EMS training? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A goofy waste of time, energy and money. There is a sucker born every minute. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 244. Rather than a "waste of time", my acquaintance tells me that EMS training is very efficient. For example, he said that the muscle contractions in his upper leg caused by EMS are equivalent to perorming squats with more than 1000 lbs. on his back. He said that the electrical nodes that he attaches to his body to perform EMS take the place of his central nervous system, which only allows for much lower intensity muscle contractions. Supposedly, then, EMS training will strengthen muscles more and more quickly than traditional weight lifting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where is the voluntary control? Where is the motor unit contraction and relaxation sequence? How does he generate motor engrams? It is a waste of time, energy and money. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 245. Can the center of mass of a bat achieve a speed that is faster than the hand speed in a baseball swing? 1. Is it possible for the center of mass to be traveling faster than the hands before your force coupling? Some people think this is the case because of the whipping action in the swing. 2. I would assume the bat head speed is faster than the hands when you force couple right before you hit the ball. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where is the 'whipping action' in the 'traditional' baseball batting swing? 'Whipping action' refers to what happens when bull whip throwers pull the handle of their bull whip backward just before the tip of their whip fully extends. When they do this, the oppositely-directed force of this backward movement of the handle of the whip accelerates the tip of the whip. There is no 'whipping' action in the 'traditional' baseball batting swing. In the 'traditional' baseball batting swing, the front arm pulls the baseball bat forward, which causes considerable curvilinear movement in the driveline of the center of mass of the baseball bat. This is not 'whipping,' this is changing direction in the center of mass of the baseball bat. Whenever the center of mass continually changes direction, like in baseball pitching, the center of mass of the baseball bat wants to move away from that curvilinear pathway in straight lines at every moment on the pathway. Therefore, to keep the center of mass of the baseball bat on the curvilinear pathway requires force that decreases the force to drive the center of mass of the baseball bat straight forward. This means that their so-called 'whipping' action wastes force and decreases bat head velocity. Force-coupling occurs when two parallel and oppositely-directed forces operate on either side of a fulcrum. With regard to baseball batting, the rear arm applies force straight toward the pitched baseball and the front arm applies force straight away from the pitched baseball on either side of the fulcrum between their hands. 01. Until the front hand applies its parallel and oppositely-directed force the center of mass of the baseball bat can only move as fast as the force toward the pitched baseball that the rear arm generates. 02. When, immediately before the center of mass of the baseball bat collides with the pitched baseball, baseball batters apply parallel and oppositely-directed force to the baseball bat, the center of mass of the baseball bat increases its velocity in direct response to the amount of force the front arm provides. That is, the force the front arm generates summates with force that the rear arm generates. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 246. I'd like to find out what it would take for me to spend 3-5 days with you to learn form your teachings. I've been studying pitching for around 7 years. I started with Dick Mills program continued with several other professional pitching coaches and just recently spent a week in San Diego with Tom House. With all the controversy in the Pitching world I'd like to learn your way teaching. I've got the opportunity to come down to Florida this next week some time because of being "laid off" from work and a free airline ticket. My parents live in Dunedin and are willing to let me stay at their place. Let me know ASAP so I can get down there. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because the guys who started my program last August are over two hundred days into my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Program, you will not see them do my Pickoff with Step Slingshot drill, my Wrong Foot Loaded Slingshot Drill or my Wrong Foot Pendulum Swing drill. However, you will see them do my One Step Crow-Hop Pendulum Swing drill, my Wind-Up Pendulum Swing drill and my Set Position Pendulum Swing drill. I do plan to start summer weekend clinics for interested parents and coaches where I provide housing in my on-site apartments. But, with all the work that I have this summer, unless I find an overwhelming demand, I do not expect to start until next summer. Until then, when it is ready, we will have to rely on my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. We welcome anybody at any time to visit my Pitching Research/Training Center. Starting the third Saturday in August until the fourth Saturday the following May, we train from 9:00 to 10:30AM seven days a week. From Dunedin, it is about an hour and one-half drive. At that time in the morning, I would recommend that you take Hwy 19 North to Hwy 54 and drive East to Hwy 301. Then, turn South for about ten blocks to Vinson Avenue. Turn West on Vinson and right into the first driveway. Park at the far end and enter through the gate at that end. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 247. I have a problem and am not sure how to correct it. I have played baseball my whole life and in the last year of college ball I played was when I started having arm problems. Since then I haven't touched a baseball in two years until receintly when I joined an adult league. We have had about 6 practices and I have been trying to build up my arm and not throw too hard yet, but this past week I started getting pain again in the top of my arm just below the deltoid. Now I don't have insurance right now so I can't get it checked by the doctor and I wasn't sure if it is because I need more time to get my arm back into shape or if it is a reacurring injury from before. I have never had a tear in my arm that I am aware of the doctor in college just gave me Vioxx and naproxin. I was wondering if I could have your advice on what to do or sucessful ways to make go away. Sometimes even 3 or 4 days after I throw last if I try to stretch my arm I still can feel a little tension, but there is no throbbing pain. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anti-inflammatories are not the answer. The biggest problem you have is that you use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. Inherent in that pitching motion are numerous injurious flaws. When 'traditional' baseball pitchers have pain in the top of your pitching arm just below the deltoid, it means that they are bringing their pitching hand close to their head before they use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward. This increases the unnecessary stress that the 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' of the 'traditional' pitching motion causes. Your cure is to stop using your pitching upper arm to pull your pitching forearm forward. This means that you have to discard the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and learn my pitching motion. To learn my pitching motion, you will need my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 248. Unfortunately, the direct response I received from you in answer to my questions, failed to have this last paragraph in it. "Because your junior college son uses the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, whether he pitches with power or finesse makes no difference. He is destroying his pitching arm with every throw and will never be the best baseball pitcher thatn he can be." I truly have no argument with what you're saying, but what's a player supposed to do when he's "forced" into situations where the choices become: a) defy the powers to be (in this case the coaching staff), then suffer the consequences whatever they may be; b) go along with the forces working on him even though they might be motivated more by dogma than fact; or c) quit? After so many years being involved with the game, it has become apparent to me that there simply aren't enough qualified (however that may be defined) coaches to go around. Although it may be debatable, the best coaching is very likely in the pro ranks. With the low percentage of ML quality pitchers being turned out at that level, even though they have access to the "best in the world", the odds for any capable individual hooking up with a competent coach at any level lower, let alone all through his career, seem less than the chances of a single sperm hooking up with an egg. With that thought in mind, even if a parent were to follow your advice from day one and really begin to work on pitching only after they were biologically and mentally mature enough to accept and apply "proper" technique, how does one manage to keep the wolves from the door? I'd say my son was fairly typical of most kids who've managed to get to the college level, and he's had at least 15 different coaches trying to "help" him! I daresay it's a safe bet to say no two of them were even close to being reasonably competent and of like minds, with some being downright incompetent. How is it possible to break the cycle? With not only tens of thousands of less than fully competent coaches having direct access to players, but with today's technology, thousands of wannabe gurus making post after post on baseball bulletin boards where even more people have access to them? I realize this is more of a social conundrum than a baseball one, but I'd be interested in your response none-the-less. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You have explained the problem perfectly. 'Traditional' baseball pitching coaches do not know that they do not know, yet they have the positions of authority that enables them to impose their will on susceptible young men. My answer is education. That is, I want to arm parents, pitchers and open-minded 'traditional' baseball pitching coaches with the knowledge of what is wrong with the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and why my pitching motion eliminates not only all injurious flaws, but also all biomechanical flaws. With my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I have done this. I hope to have DVD and VHS copies ready to ship within the next couple of weeks. Please watch the home page of my website for when I change my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video icon to 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 249. My son is a 10 year old pitcher. His birthday is during the regular Little league Season, which is April 1 to May 26. I would like to have both his arms, elbows more exactly X-rayed this spring as soon as possible BEFORE the season starts and he is throwing. I would like to have the X-rays done as soon as possible to determine if there is any thing discernible going on BEFORE the season starts. But, I would also like to provide meaningful data to you for your study. His birthday, 11 years old, is May 16, 1995. Before I waste anyone's time and money, I would like to ask some questions. 1.) Are X-rays taken out of your specified date window invalid? Do I have to wait until within 10 days of his birthday to be of relevant use to you? 2.) Is an explanation of what I require of sufficient technical terminology for our family physician? That is, can I simply ask him to X-ray both mid/forearms so we can see the elbows and any potential baseball damage? "You will need to X-ray both arms from mid-forearm to mid-upper arm from the anterior/posterior and lateral views." 3.) Regarding the above, is that 4 X-rays total? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I understand your need to compare your son's pitching elbow before he starts his baseball season. Therefore, I recommend that, just this one time, you get X-rays as soon as possible, then, within one week of this birthday, you get another set of X-rays. Thereafter, I recommend that, until he is biologically sixteen years old, you get the same X-rays only once a year within one week of his birthday. The purpose of my Research Study is to make parents and youth baseball pitchers aware of how the growth plates in their glove and pitching arms develop and whether baseball pitching is causing the growth plates in their pitching elbow to develop differently than those in their glove elbow. You will need a total of four X-rays, two of each arm. You need anterior and lateral views from mid-forearm to mid-upper arm of both arms. If you have a copy of each of the four X-rays made and send them to me, I will email you with his biological age and any abnormalities in how the growth plates in his pitching arm are developing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 250. Got the Dr. Joel Adams article in the mail today. Pretty scary. I take some solace in that my guys don't play year round. However, it seems to hammer home the point that too much repetition between the ages of 10 and 16, regardless of the intensity, can do permanent damage. That brings up a point. What are the more subtle long-term consequences of some of these injuries to young ball players? For example, of prematurely closed growth plates (aside from one arm being shorter than the other)? Does it limit how much force you can exert by altering the orientation of the components of the elbow? Does it lead to permanent pain due to the malformation? I ask because sometimes when I tell people what happens they respond with a "so what" and I don't have a great comeback. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Premature closure means that the bones in their pitching arm will never be what they should have been. That is, they are permanently deformed. But, your question is: is the loss of one-half inch in the length of the Humerus bone of the pitching upper arm meaningful? I suppose we could somehow measure the loss in release velocity that one-half inch makes, but for what are we willing to sacrifice that one-half inch? Are youth baseball games so important that we are willing to give away one-half inch of long bone growth? I suppose each parent and child have to make that decision. It is my job to make sure that they know that that is the decision that they are making. They must know that youth baseball pitching is not harmless fun. They must know that youth baseball pitching causes life-time alterations in the bones of their pitching arms. In every Baseball Pitching Instructional Video that I make, I show Dr. Adams X-rays of permanently destroyed youth baseball pitching arms. I show avulsed, fractured and detached medial epicondyle ossification centers. I show the removal of the head of the Radius bone in the pitching arm. What parent in their right mind wants to subject their son to that devastation? Youth baseball should be a time to learn the skills and strategies of baseball, not destroy pitching arms. What is wrong with waiting until the growth plates at the elbow end of the Humerus bone completely mature before youth baseball pitchers pitch competitively one inning twice a week for two consecutive months? With my recommendations, more youth baseball pitchers get opportunities to learn how to pitch and they do not alter the proper growth and development of their pitching arms. Therefore, when they are high school juniors with mature growth plates in their pitching elbow, they will have that extra one-half inch of leverage with which to throw their pitches. While that extra one-half inch may mean the difference between eighty-five miles per hour and ninety miles per hour, but it definitely will mean non-deformed pitching arms. When parents and youth baseball pitchers understand the consequences of their actions, they can make informed decisions. You know what my decision would be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 251. Boy, life has flipped a few curves at me the last few years. Every time I get going, DUECE! Anyway, I'm getting back into instructing and have some parents that I want to see your latest CD. I did get one several years ago for $25 as I also had bought your first tape. But the above mentioned curveballs have consumed them, ungracefully! Just wondering if you have an updated one and how much it will cost, including all the postage and stuff. And, can't remember if its cash, checks, or plastic. Well, I hope all is going well. I am hearing more and more about your name and since I employ some of your stuff in my instruction, people are recognizing it, this is a good thing! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On February 02, 2002, you requested my 2002 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. On March 04, 2005, you requested my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. When I have DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video ready to ship, I intend to send copies to all who requested my previous two videos without charge. However, to continue to provide my website and take more high-speed film, I do request partners to contribute what they can. After you watch this video, you will change from 'employing some of my stuff in your instruction,' you will understand why you need to teach all of my stuff. May your future only have my Maxline Pronation Curves in it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 252. I find your work very interesting. I just read the article in Baseball America. Now my son is not a pitcher, he's a catcher. I'm concerned about his mechanics. I hope we are doing the right thing teaching the traditional throwing mechanics. He will turn 16 the end of May. Do you have any thoughts on the subject? Also is it possible to build arm strength, if so can you direct me? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am unfamiliar with Baseball-Almanac-eBook. I offer the most recent update of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book for free on my website. The 'traditional' catchers throwing motion is even more injurious than the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. That catchers should bring their throwing hand up to their ear insures that they will have severe 'Reverse Throwing Forearm Bounce,' 'Looping' and 'Throwing Forearm Flyout.' He needs to learn my throwing motion. I recommend that all biologically sixteen year old position players do my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program, but with only my Maxline and Torque Fastball releases. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 253. Thank you so much, this is the final dagger to the traditionalists pulling of the bottom hand teaching style of hitting. You are the best and what is scary is that I fully understand what you are saying. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope that everybody fully understands what I am saying and adjusts how they teach baseball batting accordingly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 254. I am 14 years old and I haven't been able to pitch like I use to because my arm hurts every time I throw a hard pitch it hurts between tri & bi. But now it's starting to send sharp pains in to my forearm and shoulder so I have no idea. I've took ibuprofen tons of time but it just doesn't work I've put ice and a heating pad on it and it still doesn't help any either so I wrote this to see if u could see what's wrong are give me any tips. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The discomfort between your Biceps Brachii and Triceps Brachii is your Brachialis muscle. Your Brachialis muscle is trying to keep the Olecranon Process of your pitching elbow from slamming into its fossa. To stop doing this, you have to stop using your pitching upper arm to pull your pitching forearm forward. That action causes 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' which will decrease the extension and flexion ranges of motion in your pitching elbow. Ice and medication are not the answer. You need to learn my pitching motion where, instead of using their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward, my pitchers drive their pitching hand straight forward. I recommend that you get my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video and learn my pitching motion and complete my training programs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 255. I tried clicking on your 2004 video, but I can't get through. The drills you directed me to, are they on the video? If so please tell me how I can purchase it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are temporarily in that no-man's land between my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video and my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. Until I have DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 video, I have shut down my video file. Please keep checking the home page of my website. When the icon changes from 2004 to 2006, I will be ready to answer requests for copies. Yes, the drills that I recommend baseball pitchers use to learn the skills of my pitching motion are on my 2006 video. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 256. I can assure you that your concept of force coupling in hitting is being applied correctly. I am awaiting your video before I attempt to teach it in pitching. I feel I know how to do it but why start something when your video will be out shortly. Because of the instant feedback in hitting with the top hand in control the forward movement and the bottom hand not pulling the bat forward, my pitchers are more willing to try your force coupling pitching concept, my pitchers await your video. When you get 19 yr old kids who pitched and hit the traditional way for all those years they are a little skeptical until they get blown away by a 4 yr senior pitcher. When they pitch against a senior batter, they find out real quick what even division 3 baseball rally is like. I even took your swing concept and applied it to the golf swing. As I said in previous e mails, with 250 frames a sec film you see things allot clearer. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Force-coupling applies to all human movements and sport actions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 257. I am writing on behalf of my son, who is a minor league pitcher and currently rehabilitating his shoulder following surgery last June to relieve an impingement. He lives nearby and is trying to prepare to pitch this year. Are you working with pitchers one on one at this point? If you could contact me or my son, we would like to find someone to work with as soon as possible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I only train baseball pitchers for two hundred and eighty days starting the third Saturday in August. However, your son is welcome to visit my Pitching Research/Training Center. We train every day from 9:00 to 10:30AM. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 258. My son and I had attended a pitching workout requested by a NAIA college coach this past weekend. After speaking with him prior to the workout, we were pleasantly surprised that he had looked at your website and was somewhat familiar with your research center and teachings. What a refreshing relief and he was also open minded enough to ask my son to come up and throw for him and his team. Through our discussion he made it clear he does not care about velocity as an absolute barometer of effectiveness, but his bottom line is getting batters out! Amazing there are still some open minds around, many of the college coaches would be well versed to take a clue from that concept. He did not have a radar gun, and wanted my son to pitch attempting to get his hitters out. It was 35 degrees, after he did his blood flows, in a short sleeve shirt at maximum intensity, my son threw 119 CONSECUTIVE pitches. After about 50 throws the coach asked my son if he had enough to which my son said he felt fine. One ball was hit hard, a couple 3 hoppers to infielders on fastballs and fly ball to center and left. He struck out 4, with no umpire there were no called third strikes. Of course he walked a few, hit a batter, but the curve was unhittable when it was in the zone. He threw everyone one of his 10 pitches, reverse breaking balls needing some improvement, with the catcher having a hard time handling some of the sliders and curves. When we were done, both the head coach and another coach were amazed his arm was still attached, and outside of his tricep a bit sore, he told coach he was fine. It was a good workout as he put it. Knowing my son, he was just OK with his performance, impatience you know, but the coach was very very impressed, as were some of the players watching in amazement. The coach will be coming down to see your guys as soon as possible, and would like a copy of the 2006 video. My son will provide his mailing information. It was refreshing that he had an open mind, and gave the kid a chance, and wanted to know more. I'm convinced that if some coach took a few of your guys on their teams, gave them some innings, they would win conferences going away. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I believe that there are many college coaches tired of pitching injuries and pitchers who cannot pitch but once or twice a week. I remember when I scheduled twenty-nine nine innings games in thirty days, the other coaches in our league said that they would never have enough pitching to even try that. What I find amazing about your son's effort is that he is still completing his twenty pound wrist weight Recoil Interval-Training Cycle, which means that he is still doing ninety-six wrist weight repetitions every day along with twenty-four iron ball throws, twenty-four football throws and forty-eight baseball throws. He will not be out of his training regression until about the first of May. With his pitching arm exhausted with all that daily training, how he threw any strikes is remarkable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 259. Does Rich Harden (Athletics) throw the same way that you describe in your pitching motion chapter? From what I read in that section it sort of looks like he does. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have not seen high-speed film of Mr. Harden, so I cannot determine whether he uses my pitching motion. However, I seriously doubt it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 260. It's been a while I am currently coaching JUCO baseball. I learned a lot from your hitting and throwing techniques. I am a professional batting instructor and I swear by your push and pull style of hitting. When I was playing for you in 1986-87, I wasn't too happy about it, but I believe it gives a player the best chance of getting on base. It makes you hit the ball hard on the ground and line drives. I also recall the fall of 86 when the whole fall season was dedicated to the slug bunt. Wow, you made a believer out of me. Thanks for the knowledge it has taken me in the right direction in the game. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While, instead of push and pull, I prefer force-coupling, I am pleased that it is working for you. I wish you continued success. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 261. I recently stumbled onto your web sight while searching for some info on pitching instructions for youth. I am a youth Pony league coach for my 13 year old son, and have coached his teams several years in the past. He has attended a few local pitching camps, and has pitched competitively since about age 9. He has never complained about any arm discomfort or pain. He was one of five pitchers that I had lined up for this season which starts in about three weeks. I also have two other barely 14 year old boys on my team that have played in the same league as my son, and both have what I think is a tremendous amount of natural pitching ability, but have never been coached. Both throw in the 70 mph range and that is with arms only, no lower body. I have been looking into someone for lessons for all three, and now after finding your info. I do not know if I should. What is your advice for me and my players for this season? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I recommend that they and you watch my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video and do the drills that I have my baseball pitchers do. To determine their biological age and check the growth and development status of the growth plates in their pitching elbow, I also recommend that, within one week of their birthdays, all youth baseball pitchers get front and side view X-rays taken of their glove and pitching arms from their mid-forearm to mid-upper arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 262. A quick note to thank you for taking time to speak with me recently. Our conversations leave me encouraged and invigorated. My son called me earlier today and it sounds like he's starting to lay his arm all the way back with the wrist weights, and he tells me he can now 'feel' it when he gets it right with the baseball. You mentioned this when we spoke. Is he finally on the right track to keep from dropping out of lock? This seems to be the most monumental hurdle that prevents him from addressing other flaws. When he can consistently do this it seems he should throw the ball considerably harder and have much crisper releases. At full arm speed, how far inside of vertical do you think it is humanly possible to keep the forearm, and what does this do to releases? This would mean that the shoulders could be almost level, so body rotation would be at maximum speeds. I can almost envision a screwball that moves only laterally except for the effects of gravity. That would be something to see, but I wonder if it would be the best of pitches. I enjoy thinking about this. Once he can keep his lock and concentrate more on learning to drive his pitching hand straight forward, what is the next flaw he will have to address? I suspect it will have something to do with keeping him from pulling down on the ball, since that goes hand-in-hand with a straighter driveline. Or is it something with body rotation and the glove side action? When you consider what the guys have accomplished in this second year of training, now knowing how important it is, do you foresee that a third year to neurologically embedd skills would be advantageous? To what degree will that depend on how well they pitch this summer? Is there any real point to heading back for college ball if they can advance more substantially by completing remaining recoil cycles and more fully mastering each and every pitch? We might then have a real idea of their potential. I am looking forward to your insights. I'm full of questions today and find my note is not so quick. You are at least partially culpable for my addiction. And I thank you for it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To have someone who understands enough of the scientific bases for why I teach baseball pitching as I do is fun for me. All these years of discussing Newton's three laws and the applied anatomy with myself gets old. With his twenty pound wrist weight on, yourson has sufficiently remodeled his pitching arm to be able to keep his pitching elbow 'locked' with his shoulders and lay his pitching forearm horizontally behind it. When he does his twenty-five and thirty pound wrist weight Recoil Interval-Training cycles, he will be able to do even better. He is much improved with his biomechanical flaw of dropping his pitching elbow downward during his driveline to home plate. On May 13, 2006, I again plan to take front and side view five hundred frames per second high-speed film of your son and the others who are completing their first three recoil cycles. I will also again digitize these films into my computer and examine how horizontally he drives the baseball toward home plate. After years of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, your son has a very strong impulse to pull his pitching elbow downward and bend forward. Therefore, when I tell him to keep his pitching elbow up and lean backward through release, unless he concentrates very hard, these old habits creep back into his motion. For now, what I hope for is that when he throws a pitch incorrectly, he can correct it on his next pitch. If so, then eventually he will stop pulling and bending. Until then, he should not pitch competitively. The critical difference between the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and my baseball pitching motion is whether baseball pitchers use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward or whether they drive their pitching hand straight forward. When I pitched, I used my pitching upper arm to pull my pitching forearm from laterally behind my body back to my pitching arm side. Then, I drove my pitching hand straight forward. With sufficient practice, I learned to offset the biomechanical flaw of taking the baseball laterally behind my body with my straight line drive to do okay. However, if I had not taken my pitching hand laterally behind my body, I could have used the force that I used to offset that sideways force to increase my toward-home-plate force. That would have increased my release velocity and my release consistency. I would have been a much better pitcher. If I had made that adjustment and known how to throw my Maxline Pronation Curve and Torque Fastball, then I could have been the best pitcher I could be. Were ifs and buts candy and nuts, I would have also had happier Christmases. That is what I am trying to do with my baseball pitchers. If I can get them to never use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward, then they will not have to overcome any horizontal centripetal force and, as a result, they will drive their pitching hand straight toward home plate without wasting any force. The answer lies in eliminating all active reverse rotation of the hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm. We are getting close. These second years guys have learned to passively reverse rotate their hips and shoulders. That is, when they pendulum swing their pitching arm straight back toward second base, they passively reverse rotate their hips and shoulders to allow their pitching arm to point toward second base. The only remaining problem is that they still actively reverse rotate their pitching upper arm and, when they reposition their pitching forearm for any pitch other than my Maxline True Screwball, they still move their pitching hand laterally behind their body. With their pitching hand inside of their pitching hand when they start the explosive forward rotation of their hips, shoulders and pitching arm, they generate horizontal centripetal force that they have to first overcome before they can drive their pitching hand straight toward home plate. This causes them to drive their pitching hand upward instead of forward. When you watch my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, you will see how horizontally they drive their pitches toward home plate. When I showed them their driveline, they could not believe how, just before they started their explosive rotation phase, they moved their pitching hand downward, which causes them to drive their pitching hand upward through release. Because only the toward-home-plate horizontal force vector counts toward release velocity, they immediately understood how much wasted upward force they applied. As a result, I expect far superior drivelines in May. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 263. I viewed a post on Steven Ellis' website today that I thought you might find 'interesting' reflecting ASMI's position on biomechanics. It clearly shows that they have no interest in or inclination toward understanding the causes of pitching injuries. If they did they would do something besides gather data and report their findings. I've included the text below, and here is the link: http://www.letstalkpitching.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=519 ----------------------------------------------- I contacted Dr. Glenn Fleisig today at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Alabama. Thought you'd appreciate his words on "pushing off the rubber," "proper stride length," and "proper foot landing." I asked, "Should you push off the rubber? Fall? Glide?" He answered, "ASMI's pitching research is based on: * principles of biomechanics * data from many elite pitchers * a focus on shoulder and elbow motions and loads Because of this basis, the push or fall issue is not a big focus of ours since injuries do not occur during the stride phase. What's important in our analysis is that the arm and body are in the proper position and coordination at the time of front foot contact, when significant loading of the elbow and shoulder really start. We have quantified the position used by healthy, elite pitchers at the time of foot contact. We don't care too much how a pitcher gets to this position, and only worry about leg and arm motions in the stride if there is a problem at the time of foot contact or after. On proper stride length: The proper position at foot contact is for the arm to be on the way up. For a righty, the ball should be showing to the shortstop at the time of pitcher's foot contact. For a lefty, the ball should be showing to the second baseman. The shoulders should still be closed, while the pelvis should be beginning to open up. On proper foot landing: At foot contact, the stride length should be between 78% and 88% of the pitcher's height. Here, stride length is measured as the distance from the front of the rubber to the ankle of the front foot. Just as important, the front foot should land in front of the back foot or slightly to the closed side, with the front foot rotated slightly inward. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is what I have said about Dr. Fleisig and the American Sports Medicine Institute group. They still operate under the mistaken belief that 'elite' baseball pitchers must do something right. That belief violates the basic premise of scientific research. Dr. Fleisig is wrong, the proper position at foot contact is not for the pitching arm to be on the way up, the proper position of the pitching arm when the glove foot lands is at driveline height. Dr. Fleisig is wrong, baseball pitchers should not show the baseball to the opposite mid-infielder, baseball pitchers should not point their pitching upper arm beyond second base and they should have the palm of their pitching hand facing laterally to their pitching arm side. Dr. Fleisig is wrong, baseball pitchers should not have their acromial line pointing behind the pitching arm side batter, baseball pitchers should point their acromial line at home plate. Dr. Fleisig is wrong, baseball pitchers should not stride seventy-eight to eighty-eight percent of their standing height, 'Striding Too Far' is an injurious flaw. Dr. Fleisig is wrong, baseball pitchers should not place their glove foot on the line from their pitching foot straight forward, 'Striding Closed' is an injurious flaw. As one example, this is what causes baseball pitchers to tear the posterior horn of their medial meniscus of their glove knee. Dr. Fleisig has absolutely no idea what he is talking about, he is not doing research, he is simply reporting what 'traditional' baseball pitchers do. I thought that, when, to determine how many baseball pitches youth baseball pitchers of various ages, ASMI surveyed their 'experts, they exposed themselves as quacks, but these statements show that they still have no idea how to conduct real research. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 264. I just received the following notice about a change in the NCAA rule about the wind-up. What do you think? Rule 9, Pitching. Rule 9-1-a. Changed the wind-up rule to read: "The pitcher shall stand facing the batter, with the entire pivot foot on or in front of and touching, but not off the end of the pitcher's rubber. The pitcher may have one foot, not the pivot foot, off the rubber and any distance he may desire back of a line which is an extension to the back edge of the pitcher's plate, but not at either side or in front of the pitcher's plate. Rationale: The committee is trying to avoid some pitchers deceiving a runner (usually on third base) but simulating the position of the wind-up, but truly starting in the stretch position. The committee also has instructed the secretary-editor and the national coordinator of umpires to collect good video examples for umpires to review in this area. This rule comes directly from the Major League Baseball Umpire Manual. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I assume that the Major League Baseball Umpire Manual says the same thing that the Major League Baseball Rule books says. Before I start, I believe that they have a typographical error in the second line under Rationale. I believe that they meant to say, "by simulating the position of the wind-up," not "but simulating the position of the wind-up." Now, let's examine the Major League Baseball rule with regard to the wind-up position. The Wind-Up Position. The pitcher shall stand facing the batter, his entire pivot foot on, or in front of and touching and not off the end of the pitcher’s plate, and the other foot free. When we compare these two rules, we see that the NCAA does not like the glove foot to be free. The NCAA rule requires that baseball pitchers have their glove foot on the ground behind the pitcher's plate. In their Rationale statement, they say that the problem arises from baseball pitchers appearing to be in their wind-up position when they are actually in their set position position. To see how baseball pitchers can appear to be in their wind-up position when they are actually in their set position, let us examine the Major League Baseball rule with regard to the set position. The Set Position. Set Position shall be indicated by the pitcher when he stands facing the batter with his entire pivot foot on, or in front of, and in contact with, and not off the end of the pitcher’s plate, and his other foot in front of the pitcher’s plate, holding the ball in both hands in front of his body and coming to a complete stop. The key phrase here is "and his other foot in front of the pitcher's plate." Except for this phrase, the wind-up and set position rules are identical. That is, in the wind-up position, the glove foot is free, but, in the set position, baseball pitchers must have their glove foot on the ground in front of the pitcher's plate. I see the problem. In the wind-up position, because the glove foot is free, it can be on the ground in front of the pitcher's plate. If it is, then, when they are in their wind-up position, they appear to be in their set position. However, the Major League Baseball rule book other rules that cover this problem. The Major League Baseball rule books says that there are two legal pitching positions, the Wind-Up Position and the Set Position, and either position may be used at any time. This means even with no base runners, baseball pitchers can use their set position and with base runners, baseball pitchers can use their windup position. The Major League Baseball rule book also says that when baseball pitchers are in their wind-up position, they may not go into their set or stretch position. Therefore, because the Major League Baseball rule book does not prohibit it, baseball pitchers can go into their wind-up position from their set position. This means that, if baseball pitchers have their glove foot on the ground in front of the pitcher's plate and they decide that they want to use their wind-up position, then they can step back with their glove foot and perform their wind-up. In fact, the Major League Baseball rule book provides for precisely this situation. The Major League Baseball rule book says, when baseball pitchers are in their wind-up position, they may take one step backward with their glove foot and one step forward. Therefore, the action that defines the wind-up position is when baseball pitchers take one backward step with their glove foot. With the NCAA wind-up rule, with the glove foot already behind the pitcher's plate, how are baseball pitchers going to take their one backward step? As I watch the spring training games, in their wind-up position, all baseball pitchers stand with their glove foot on or in front of the pitcher's plate. How else would they be able to step backward with their glove foot when they raise their arms upward in front of them. Now, the NCAA has made a rule that all baseball pitchers stop the wind-up position pitching motion that they have used for years. As a result, I expect these baseball pitchers to experience increases in control problems and, potentially, increases in pitching arm injuries. And, unless they are ready to re-write the entire rule book on wind-up and set positions, baseball pitchers can still start in their set position and change to their wind-up position, which means that they cannot prevent what they say they designed this rule to stop. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 265. I am a member of the Society for American Baseball Research living in the Montreal area. I am currently working on a book about the Montreal Expos, covering the years 1977-1984. I know that you didn't play in Montreal during that time. However, I found out that the Expos really wanted you back after the 1978 season, when you became a free agent. I would appreciate if you would take the time to answer a couple of quick questions. I'd like to know: 1. How seriously were you considering the possibility of signing with the Expos? 2. The newspapers reported at the time that the way your wife and daughter were treated during your time in Montreal had a bearing in your decision to stay with the Twins. Was that really the case? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When, in 1970, I arrived in Montreal, I was nobody. When, after the 1973 season, the Montreal Expos traded me, I had finished fourth and second in the National League Cy Young Award. Gene Mauch was the manager. During the three and one-half years I pitched for the Expos, I greatly enjoyed both the city of Montreal and the people. In 1978, I pitched for the Minnesota Twins. I finished seventh in the Cy Young Award. Gene Mauch was the manager. While the money offer was better from Montreal, I chose Minnesota because Gene Mauch was the manager. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 266. Are there any copies of your 04 video available? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With the impending release of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I discontinued production of my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. Unfortunately, I failed to foresee the difficulties I am having getting DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 video made. I am hopeful that we will have them available within the next couple of weeks. I apologize for any inconvenience that this delay is causing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 267. So, I've been in my minor league spring training camp for almost a week. I just felt the need to share how unknowledgeable every single one of the pitching coaches we have down here. It would have shocked me last season, but after reading your book and speaking with you, it doesn't. They have told us that whenever we run, do any of our conditioning, we need to have long sleeves on. After reading your story about Tommy John, it seems almost idiotic for us to wear long sleeves when we run, wouldn't that leave us suseptible to electrolyte loss and possibly what happened to Tommy John? I sometimes get the urge to ask them about all the bad things that the traditional pitching motion can due to arms, but I know that they won't be able to answer me anyways, and I don't want to cause any trouble, yet. I already can't wait for the season to be over so I can finish your training program and come back to spring training next year and show them how a real pitcher is supposed to pitch. Also, wanted to give you my address down hear so you can send me a DVD copy of the 2006 video when you have it finished. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sweating is an emergency response of the body to the life-threatening situation of the body temperature increasing to dangerous levels. Not only do we lose interstitial and blood fluids, but we also lose proportionally more Potassium than Sodium. We should do everything that we can to prevent sweating. We need Potassium to move the Sodium ions out of our nerve cells after nerve impulses. With low Potassium levels, we cannot control nerve impulses. Uncontrollable nerve impulses cause muscle fibers to continuously contract, that is, cramp. Muscle cramping during athletic competitions tears muscle tissue. Tommy John tried to pitch with low Potassium levels and the result was that he pulled the common attachments of his Pronator Teres, Flexor Carpi Radialis, Palmaris Longus, Flexor Carpi Ulnaris and a portion of his Flexor Digitorum Superficialis muscles off the Medial Epicondle of his pitching elbow. Throughout my professional baseball career, I endured the ignorance of my managers and coaches. When their ignorance would overcome me, I made small attempts to educate them. Unfortunately, those attempts made me the smart ass college kid. You are right to remain silent. As soon as I have DVD copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I will send you your copy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 268. I read that walking five miles burns as many calories as running five miles. Also, the article stated that walking burns more fat than running. Are both of these statements correct? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What substrate we metabolize to resynthesize Adenosine-Tri-Phosphate (ATP) molecules depends on whether the intensity of our activity is above or below our anaerobic threshold. When we train at intensities that are above our anaerobic threshold, we use our fast-twitch glycolytic muscle fibers, which metabolize muscle glycogen. When we train at intensities that are below our anaerobic threshold, we use our slow-twitch oxidative muscle fibers, which metabolize muscle triglycerides. Therefore, under typical circumstances, both statements are true. However, while it is typically not possible for most of us to walk above our anaerobic threshold, it is typically possible for most of us to jog at intensities below our anaerobic threshold. With appropriate training, we can greatly increase our anaerobic threshold. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 269. I heard you on the radio yesterdy and I am interested to learn more about your pitching philosophy and keeping arms healthy. I have a son, 17, who is a junior in high school that has the potential to pitch in college. How can I get information from you on this new video of yours? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Coaching Baseball Pitchers book is free for all to read and copy on my website at drmikemarshall.com. However, I just finished my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. I expect to have DVD and VHS copies ready to ship in about two weeks. To learn when I am ready to ship, please check the home page of my website for when I change 2004 to 2006. I plan to edit my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book some time this summer. Until then, my video is the latest on how I recommend baseball pitchers perform the drills that teach the skills of my baseball pitching motion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 270. I know that bringing the baseball laterally beyond the acromial line overly stresses the Subscapularis attachment to the Rotator Cuff. I believe the the Subscapularis arises on the entire anterior portion of the Scapular and attaches on the Lesser Tuberosity on the front top of the Humerus. 1. What path does the Subscapularis take from the Scapular to the Humerus? Does the muscle go over the top of the humerus and attach to the Lesser Tuberosity or does it go through the arm pit area and attach that way? 2. I am under the impression that this muscle gives way when they are at their maximum length. Where exactly in the pitching motion would a pitcher hurt the Subscapularis? It seems to me that bringing the humerus back toward the anterior of the scapula would make the muscle lax if anything. I believe this muscle accelerates the baseball toward homeplate. I also believe that the muscle should be at its maximum length before it exerts its force? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rotator cuff is a name given to the attachments of the Subscapularis, Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus and Teres Minor muscles around the head of the Humerus bone. It is not an attachment. As you write, the Subscapularis muscle attaches to the lesser tuberosity of the head of the Humerus bone and inwardly rotates the Humerus bone of the shoulder joint. The Supraspinatus muscle attaches to the facet on the top of the head of the Humerus bone and can inwardly and outwardly rotate the Humerus bone of the shoulder joint. The Infraspinatus muscle attaches to the immediately behind the Supraspinatus to the second facet on the posterior surface of the head of the Humerus bone and outwardly rotates the Humerus bone of the shoulder joint. The Teres Minor muscle attaches to the third facet on the posterior surface of the head of the Humerus bone and outwardly rotates the Humerus bone of the shoulder joint. 01. The tendon of the Subscapularis muscle wraps under the head of the Humerus bone. If it wrapped over the head of the Humerus bone, then it would outwardly rotate the shoulder joint. 02. When 'traditional' baseball pitchers take their Humerus bone behind their acromial line and, as part of their 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover, begin to outwardly rotate their shoulder joint, they maximally lengthen the tendon of their Subscapularis muscle. If they continue to outwardly rotate their shoulder joint after they start to use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward, then they continue to lengthen the tendon of their Subscapularis muscle. If, they continue to outwardly rotate their shoulder joint through their 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' and powerfully forwardly rotate their shoulders, then they injure the Subscapularis attachment to the lesser tuberosity of the head of their Humerus bone. Once again, a powerful antagonist muscle action tears the agonist muscle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 271. I am 18 years old, and a senior in high school. I was recently diagnosed with an entrapped ulnar nerve in my throwing elbow. I have heard that you are the best when it comes to injury rehab and prevention, and was wondering if I could get your opinion on this. My orthopedic has told me to ice and use anti-inflammatories, which so far has not helped very much. It has been three weeks since this first started. I am scheduled to see a neurologist next week. Are there any ways to rehab this, anything that I can do to help it? I came across nerve glides and have been using those which seem to help some. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your Ulnar Nerve passes through a groove in the back of the medial epicondyle of your Humerus bone. When you use the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, the injurious 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' flaw unnecessarily stresses your Ulnar Nerve. The cure is simple. You have to stop using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. With the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, you use your pitching upper arm to pull your pitching forearm forward. Because you reverse rotate your hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm well beyond the line from home plate to second base, at the start of your forward rotation, your pitching elbow is several feet laterally behind your body. Therefore, when you return your pitching elbow to the pitching arm side of your body, you generate considerable centripetal force to the pitching arm side of your body. This force slings your pitching forearm laterally away from your body. Because your Ulnar Nerve wraps around your elbow, this action irritates it. With my pitching motion, you will not have 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' Therefore, you will not irritate your Ulnar Nerve. As a result, your discomfort will go away. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 272. When starting the drive toward the plate, I see the biggest obstacle to overcoming forearm flyout, is the fact the elbow must move laterally from a position pointing toward second base, to a position pointing toward home plate. This action has an inherent effect of producing some centripetal force causing the forearm to tend to be thrown laterally away from the body. No matter what throwing method you use, we can’t change the characteristics of the human body. How can the pitcher fight this force so that he can release the ball with a vertical forearm? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let me review. 01. My baseball pitchers pendulum swing their pitching arm downward, backward and upward to driveline height pointing at second base with the palm of their pitching hand facing toward their pitching arm side. 02. Then, without moving their pitching hand sideways, they reposition their pitching forearm for whatever pitch they wish to throw and 'lock' their pitching upper arm with their shoulders. 03. Then, they forwardly rotate their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm. At the start of this forward rotation, they have their pitching forearm pointing at home plate. Therefore, rather than move laterally, their pitching forearm moves straight forward. If they do not have their pitching hand in line with their pitching elbow, then they might generate some centripetal force to their pitching arm side. However, all this force will do is move their pitching hand laterally, such that when they point their pitching elbow at home plate, they can more easily drive their pitching hand straight forward inside of their elbow. Now, do not misunderstand. For baseball pitchers with ten to twelve years of 'traditional' baseball pitching experience, this is not easy to change. They do so want to reverse rotate and use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward. However, my Pickoff with Step Slingshot drill teaches them how to drive their pitching hand straight forward. Until they feel the difference, they should not advance to my Wrong Foot Loaded Slingshot drill. What their pitching arm does after release tells us whether they used their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward or whether they drove their pitching hand straight forward. If they drove their pitching hand straight forward, then, at the end of their deceleration phase, they will point their entire pitching arm straight at home plate with their thumb pointing downward. That means they did not generate any centripetal force. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 273. First, thank you very much for reading this email and for serving as such a wonderful resource. I am a 30-year old 6’3” 250 lb big kid who still adores baseball and can’t stay away from it competitively. I help run an amateur baseball wood bat league team. It’s about as much fun as I’ve had playing baseball since my little league days. I’d love to make it last another ten years. I was on my college baseball team my first two years of college. I left the team because of chronic arm trouble including elbow and rotator cuff tendonitis, and because I was having very little fun and success. I threw hard – low 90’s in my younger days (mid-low 80’s now). In high school (small town southern Wisconsin) I threw 90% fastballs. My ball had movement and at that velocity and level of competition I didn’t need to throw anything else. My arm trouble started early my freshman year. My coaches were trying to develop an overhand curve and “OK” change with a screw ball motion. I red-shirted my freshman year and learned to throw both a change and curve with significant movement (little control, however). My pitching coach focused on hand position early in the pitch, stride length, arm angle, straight up and down body, and straight line motion to the plate. We long tossed often and used weighted balls and footballs. We also weight trained extensively – mostly legs and core (I gained 40 pounds my freshman year in the weight room). My problem now is mostly my elbow. I usually pitch once every 5 - 7 days, with light tossing 2 – 3 times between games, 10 starts a summer. After my starts, I develop a bursa sack at the forearm side of my elbow. The bursa sack is so noticeable that other people have pointed it out. I cannot straighten my arm out most of the season either. The elbow is “tender” most of the year as well – uncomfortable when that area rests on a hard surface – it causes my forearm to go numb very quickly. Also, I feel a lot of “loose” material (chips??) at the point of my elbow as well. I’ve combated this problem in season with icing, ibuprofen, and stretching (which I’ve read you state does no good for the elbow). I pitch with pain because I want to be out there (and, because of Advil). I know this is stupid and unsustainable, so I’ve been searching the web for several nights for a better way and bumped into your website. I’m bought in. I need to know what to do to get better. I’ve read a lot of info on your site. The 280 day adult baseball pitchers training looks like the place I should start. However, I don’t understand much of the abbreviations, terms, etc (Maxline, WW, FB, IB, etc.) and I need to know what the exercise motions are. I am more than willing to pay for answers to these questions – but there seems to be no link for purchasing on your website (I have began to read the book, is it in a chapter?) Also, would you recommend that I get my elbow ex-rayed? I travel to the Florida on business about four times a year. I’m unsure of when I’ll be there next, but would it be possible for you to evaluate me, my motion, etc. for a day to give me a work plan? If so, how would you work out the charges? I would be well prepared by reading your teachings before I arrive. I’m serious about playing for ten more years, and have given up any grand illusions of playing ball professionally (I have a young family and a great job and am very happy). I really just want to stay healthy and competitive. It would be great if my 15 month old son could have memories of his old man on the mound, I only have stories from my father. It would also be great if I could pass on my learnings to him. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help is on its way. Within a couple of weeks, I will have DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video ready to ship. If you master the drills that I recommend and complete my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program, then you will never again have any pain in your pitching arm. We welcome visitors. We are located in Zephyrhills, FL about twenty-five miles Northeast of Tampa. We start at 9:00AM and finish at 10:30AM. On the fourth Saturday of May, we end this forty week session. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 274. My son was on day 35 of the first youth training program, and broke both bones in his pitching arm, just at the wrist. They called it a dinner fork fracture, because that's what the bend looked like. The doctor said the radius broke at the growth plate. X-Ray is attached for your viewing pleasure. Anyhow, he'll be in a cast for 3-5 more weeks, and my question is, then what? Should we start over, and if so can we do it right away? One concern I have is that the wrist weights we have been using slide back and forth and that might put more pressure on the wrist when they bang into his hand. I will try taping real tight I guess. Also, he may be able to play on the school team (he's 14), so question two is; is there any danger in throwing if he plays a non-pitching position? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The lateral view X-ray showed a complete fracture of the distal Radius ossification center from the shaft of the Radius bone. This type of fracture typically occurs to skateboarders or others who fall and land on their hands and wrists. I suffered the same fracture as a twelve year old when I fell down some steps at school. You say that your son is chronologically fourteen years old. Have you determined his biological age? In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video that I have yet to release, I recommend that biological thirteen year old baseball pitchers use five pound wrist weights. How heavy were the wrist weights he used? If they were five pounds and your son fractured his wrist while performing my Pickoff with Step Slingshot drill, then I will have to rethink this recommendation. While it will not significantly influence his long-term baseball abilities, this is a serious injury. Unlike a straight fracture, where after doctors reposition the bones, they immediately start to repair the fracture, in this case, when doctors reposition the distal Radius ossification center, the growth plate requires more time to start repairing the injury. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 275. So would it be best to rest, or could I throw if I threw correctly? Also, what types of conditioning programs do you suggest? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After you watch my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, to learn how to correctly drive your pitching hand straight toward home plate, you could start with my Pickoff with Step Slingshot drill. I recommend that you complete my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 276. My present video already has your pronation curve on it. However, I do need a copy of either your first videotape, or your last CD. I'm talking to parents of youngsters who are just about to be over-pitched and their parents need to know! I plan on sending a "C" note your way shortly because you, as I, are child advocates. Do you have ANYTHING that will show some of your work on the damage done to the kids due to over pitching when young? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In your present video, I also included X-rays that showed how too much youth baseball pitching permanently destroys the growth plates in their pitching elbow. My 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video adds a new teaching technique for my Maxline Pronation Curve that decreases the time for students to learn the release. Dr. Joel Adams conducted the best research study of the dangers of baseball pitching on the growth plates of youth baseball pitchers. I discuss his research in Chapter Nine of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book. Dr. Adams he did his research in the early 1960s. Unfortunately, with fall baseball, travel teams and almost year around baseball, the situation is far worse today. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 277. I am a personal golf coach to players on 3 professional tours (LPGA, Futures and Hooters). Just today while reading MSN, I learned about the double spiral pitch supposedly being used by a Japanese pitcher. I would assume that you have already gotten tons of questions regarding this pitch, but was wondering if you could relate to me how it is thrown or direct me to a site where I could learn more about it. Being a big researcher myself, on the specific biomechanics needed for golf, I'm more than curious to know how a gyroball is thrown. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Questions #735 and 736 of my 2005 Question/Answer file, I discuss this double spiral pitch and the gyro ball in great detail. Double spiral refers to the body rotating in one direction while the pitching forearm rotates in the opposite direction. I call this injurious flaw in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, 'Looping.' 'Looping' occurs when baseball pitchers move their pitching hand close to their head before they use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward. As a result, while they rotate their shoulders forward, their pitching forearm rotates backwards. Tom House teaches this and calls it, 'Fast Arm.' Unfortunately, because, when baseball pitchers loop their pitching forearm and hand, the baseball moves slightly backward and considerably laterally away from their body, 'Looping' significantly decreases the length of the driveline and increases the intensity of their 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' As a result, they destroy the inside of their pitching elbow and front of their pitching shoulder. To achieve the 'cut fastball' spin axis of the gyro ball, baseball pitchers supinate their pitching forearm and drop their fingers under the baseball. This release causes their olecranon process to slam into its fossa, which decreases their extension and flexion ranges of motion in their pitching elbow. To quote the article: Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Seibu Lions’ 23-year-old ace, throws a 98 mph fastball in addition to his gyroball. But, he is best remembered in Japan for pitching ten innings in an Olympics game while just out of high school. He has lived up to the promise he showed in 2000, but has experienced elbow problems over the last two seasons. "But, he has experienced elbow problems over the last two seasons." "But, he has experienced elbow problems over the last two seasons." "But, he has experienced elbow problems over the last two seasons." "But, he has experienced elbow problems over the last two seasons." "But, he has experienced elbow problems over the last two seasons." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 278. My son is doing really well. I have not been able to see him often, but watched him pitch to 12 batters in a simulated game yesterday. Before that, about three weeks ago, I watched him throw to a catcher. He was bending at the waist. I feel like this is a result of his shoulder roll, which normally makes him bend AFTER the pitch has been delivered. The bend crept into his delivery BEFORE the pitch was delivered. Since he lives a couple hours away from me, I told him the only was to correct this was with a lot of mirror work, thousands of simulated pitches, concentrating on staying up, and re-acquiring the correct muscle memory. Well, it appears to have worked well. In the game yesterday, he stayed up, and delivered high quality pitches. However, he is very deep in regression, fascial tissue, muscles, etc. He could not put much on the pitches, and yet only gave up one hit. I would estimate perhaps 20% intensity. My question is, what do you think of pitching in game situations while deep in regression? He plans on keeping up a heavy workload until the middle of April. This means he will be pitching in Open division Senior league games for about a month. Oh, by the way, he went 3-3 with four walks. Double, single, and believe it or not, a HR, the only one hit on the day. Thanks for all you do. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because your son has completed some Recoil Interval-Training Cycles, pitching in simulated games while still in training regression lessens the effect. However, if he were still doing my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program, then not only would pitching in simulated games drive him deeper into training regression, but he also could overwhelm the weakest link in his pitching arm. I prefer that my pitchers are out of their training regression for at least three weeks before they add competitive intensity. Nevertheless, I am pleased to hear that he is putting his game back together. Those bone chips can sit in the pitching elbow for years, then, with one pitch, move between the bones of the elbow and lock everything up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 279. He broke his wrist skateboarding, good guess! He was using the 5 pound wrist weights and had no problem with them, so don't worry about that. My only concern with the weights is to stop them from sliding around (they have velcro, but they loosen up). So, once we start up again I think I'll tape them on each time. We haven't determined his biological age, but his voice hasn't changed yet. He's 5 foot 7, around 125 pounds and my guess is he'll end up six feet or more. The cast may come off April 8 and the doctor may say he can start throwing, but I'm interested in what you say. And, would we then start at day one again or where we left off, but with reduced number of reps? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I show how to tape the wrist weights to fit each pitcher. I am confident that the doctor would not remove the case until he sees that the break has fully healed. However, the several weeks of inactivity has decreased the bone density in his pitching arm. Therefore, he needs to ease back into training. I recommend that he does start over and that he start with one-half of the number of repetitions and at one-half intensity. If, after a couple of weeks, he does not experience any discomfort, then he could move up to three-quarter the repetitions and three-quarter the intensity. Until he can perform the full number of repetitions at full intensity, he should not move to day three. I am primarily interested in technique. I want him to learn how to drive his pitching hand straight forward with strong forearm pronation. He should be able to 'stick' his pitching hand in the strike zone with his wrist weights, iron balls, footballs and baseballs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 280. I am having trouble opening the web page used order your video. I think it is a result of the firewall used for my computer. Could you send me the cost and the info needed to order your video? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are temporarily in that no-man's land between my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video and my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. Therefore, I have closed my link to my video file. When I have DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 video ready to ship, I will change the icon from 2004 to 2006 and I will again establish the link to my video file. In that file, I will explain everything about the video and how to receive your copy. I appreciate your interest and apologize for any inconvenience. If all goes well, I expect to have those copies within a week to ten days. But then, very little has gone well in this process since I finished making the video. I am told it is my fault for making over a thousand graphics for my two and one-half hour movie. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 281. My son is 13 years old and has never pitched. However, he would like to learn. Do you teach individual lessons? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. I only train high school graduates for forty consecutive weeks beginning the third Saturday in August. However, with my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, you will become the best baseball pitching instructor that your son can have at this time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 282. I have too many questions and comments for one email so I will try and keep this one brief. A 17 year old high school pitcher I know was taught to imagine his shoulder was like jello and to use his arm like a whip when he pitches. After the doctor diagnosed "golfers elbow" and ordered stretching exercises and no throwing for 3 weeks, he talked with me. I had him press on his Ulnar nerve and "OUCH"!. We talked about changing his technique and incorporating some of yours. His dad was very skeptical. The experts said 3 weeks. However, he was open minded enough to let us throw. He worked bringing the ball straight back towards 2nd base and on pointing the palm to 3rd base or skyward before acceleration and pronating his forearm early and during acceleration. UNBELIEVABLE! This same kid who could not throw the ball 30 feet without pain was now throwing hard with very little discomfort. It is a start of great things to come for this young man and his dad, eyes opened wide that day. It has been almost 3 weeks since he went to the doctors and has been throwing every other day without pain. The only time he hurts is when he messes with his curveball and now realizes that needs to change also. Thank you for what and how you are doing it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That 'jello' instruction invites pitching elbow problems. However, the doctor's advice of 'stretching' is a waste of time and 'rest' causes atrophy, which only worsens the situation. Your solution was correct. He had to stop using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. By incorporating my pitching arm pendulum swing and pitching forearm pronation, you eliminated 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' and 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' and stopped the olecranon process of his pitching elbow from slamming into its fossa. Brilliant! However, to learn how to pull his glove hand straight back, drive his pitching hand straight forward and lean his body back through release, I would have preferred that you had this young man use my Pickoff with Step body action; Slingshot glove and pitching arm action drill. Now, if you incorporate ALL of my baseball pitching motion and have him complete my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program, he will learn what he has to do to become the best baseball pitcher he can be. After that, if you could get the 'traditional' baseball pitching coaches to stop worrying about their paychecks and start worrying about baseball pitchers, you might have something. When you receive your copy of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, you will not only learn why the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion destroys pitching arms, but you will also learn a simple way to teach this young man how to properly release my Maxline Pronation Curve. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 283. One more follow-up. What about actually playing (not pitching - maybe infield)? He's been attending practices, doing lunges, some aerobic stuff, and helping with equipment. Should he throw at all day one, swing a bat? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because he did not suffer this injury as a result of training for pitching or pitching, he should not experience any difficulties when he starts to throw again after the doctor says that his fracture has healed. However, that he has had his pitching arm in a cast means the he has lost bone density. This means that the bones in his pitching arm cannot withstand the normal stress of pitching as well as it did before. Except that he start with one-half of the number of repetitions and at one-half intensity, I recommend that he starts my First 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitcher Motor Skill Acquisition Program. If, after a couple of weeks, he does not experience any discomfort, then he could move up to three-quarter the repetitions and three-quarter the intensity. Until he can perform the full number of repetitions at full intensity, he should not move to day three. I am primarily interested in technique. I want him to learn how to drive his pitching hand straight forward with strong forearm pronation. He should be able to 'stick' his pitching hand in the strike zone with his wrist weights, iron balls, footballs and baseballs. The batting question is more complicated. If he pulls the baseball bat forward with his front arm, then, when the baseball bat contacts the pitched baseball, he has the Radius bone of his rear forearm inside of the ninety degree angle straight to the baseball. This means that the stress has a sideways component. Sideways stress is what caused the ossification center of his distal Radius bone to fracture. If he drives the baseball bat forward with his rear arm, then, when the baseball bat contacts the pitched baseball, he has the Radius bone of his rear forearm at the ninety degree angle straight to the baseball. This means that the stress does not have a sideways component. Therefore, I would expect the ossification center of his distal Radius bone to withstand the stress. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 284. You wrote, "You eliminated 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' and 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' and, to stop the olecranon process of his pitching elbow from slamming into its fossa, you had him pronate his releases, except for his curve release. Brilliant." He did the work, you have done the research and I have been lucky to find your sight 4 years ago. The information you provide for free is incredible. You wrote, "After that, if you could get the 'traditional' baseball pitching coaches to stop worrying about their paychecks and start worrying about baseball pitchers, you might have something." I am working on it. It is a slow process. However, I am starting to get the sense that some of the coaches in my small world are starting to listen. I have found that using an anatomy book with your information to be very convincing. I have had three parents come to me in the past year with the same story. Their son's elbows hurt, bad. Their new coaches had "better" ways for them to pitch that would increase their speed. Then, the elbow pain sets in and no more pitching. They go back to the way I showed them and no more pain. This is your fault, because of you these 3 ballplayers are still pitching and their opponents are cringing. Thank you, you are making the best game on this planet even better. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It sounds as though these 'traditional' baseball pitching coaches are using Tom House's 'Fast Arm' nonsense. He stole it from the Japanese 'Double Spiral' pitching forearm action, which is nothing more than what I call, 'Looping.' I warned everybody that 'Looping' destroys the pitching elbow. These guys will do anything to protect their paycheck, except protect their baseball pitchers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 285. Just checking if the DVD has been received? Can you let me know the situation? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Only one guy is more anxious for you to have my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video than you, me. I finished this monster over a month ago and am at the mercy of the experts. At last, we have the masters from which we will have the DVD and VHS copies made. Now, we need to get the copies made, get the graphics ready, get the DVD holders, get the shipping containers, get the addresses printed and ship them. As I understand the situation, we are hopeful that we will get the copies made next week. All I can personally promise is that, when I receive the copies, I will do everything that I can do to ship them as quickly as I can. I appreciate your interest and patience. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 286. The NCAA changed the rules for the wind-up and set positions again. If you go to NCAA.org and look under spring sports and baseball, you will find them. What started out as a problem with umpires knowing whether pitchers were in their wind-up or set positions has changed to where I think they are trying to ban your pitching motion. --------------------------------------------------- Pitching Positions Section 1. There are two legal pitching positions, the wind-up and set. Either position may be used at any time. a. The Wind-up. ("The pitcher shall stand facing (shoulders squared to) the batter, with the pivot foot on or in front of and touching the pitcher's plate. The pitcher's entire free foot shall not be in front of the pivot foot.") From this position, any natural movement associated with the delivery of the ball to the batter commits the pitcher to pitch without interruption or alteration. The pitcher shall not raise either foot from the ground, except that in the actual delivery of the ball to the batter, the pitcher may take one step backward or sideward and one step forward with the free foot. PENALTY - Warning on the first offence. Illegal pitch shall be called on subsequent offences. (1) A pitcher may assume the wind-up position with: (a) hands together in front of the body, (b) hands apart (both arms or the throwing arm at the pitcher's side) and then go directly into the delivery to the plate, (c) hands apart and then bring the hands together and come to a stop to adjust his grip on the ball before beginning the delivery to the plate. From these positions the pitcher may: (a) Deliver the ball to the batter. (b) Step and throw to a base in an attempt to pick off a runner, or (c) Disengage from the pitching rubber by stepping back with the pivot foot first before separating the hands or stepping back with the free foot. (2) With a runner on base, the pitcher shall pitch to the batter immediately after making any motion with any part of the body such as the pitcher habitually uses during the delivery. (3) With a runner on base, the pitcher may disengage from the rubber as long as no natural pitching motion with the body, legs or free foot has been started. (4) With a runner on base, the pitcher may throw to that base without first disengaging the pivot foot from the rubber as long as no natural pitching motion has been started. (5) The pitcher cannot move from the wind-up position to the set position without disengaging the pivot foot from the rubber. (6) The pitcher must step directly and gain ground toward a base in an attempt to pick off a runner. "Directly" is interpreted to mean within a 45 degree angle measuring from the pivot foot toward the base the pitcher is throwing to or feinting a throw. (7) A pitcher, when stepping off the rubber, shall not drop the heel of the free foot before disengaging the pivot foot from the rubber. PENALTY for 1-7 -- With the bases occupied, a balk shall be called. With the bases empty, the umpire shall rule no pitch. (8) The pitcher shall not take a forward step with the pivot foot in using the wind-up delivery. This is commonly known as "running into the pitch" and is an illegal pitch. PENALTY for (8) -- With the bases occupied, a balk shall be called. With the bases empty, the umpire shall call a ball. b. The Set. The set position shall be indicated ("when the pitcher stands with his chest generally facing the respective foul lines with the pivot foot on or in front of and touching the pitcher's plate and the free foot in front of the pivot foot.") The pitching arm shall be at the side or on the hip of the pitcher with the ball in the glove or pitching hand. The pitcher will come to the set position holding the ball in both hands in front of the body and coming to a complete and discernible stop. From such set position, the pitcher may pitch, throw to a base or step backward of the pitcher's rubber with the pivot foot. Before assuming the set position, the pitcher may elect to make any natural preliminary motion such as that known as the "the stretch," but the pitcher shall come to the set position using a continuous hand motion before pitching to the batter. After assuming the set position, any natural motion associated with the pitch commits the pitcher to the pitch without alteration or interruption. PENALTY -- Warning on first offense. Illegal pitch shall be called on subsequent offenses. (1) When taking the sign before assuming the set position, the pitcher must have the pitching hand at the side or behind the body. (2) The pitcher shall deliver the pitch from the set position only after coming to a complete and discernible stop with his entire body. A.R. -- With the bases unoccupied, the pitcher does not need to come to a complete or discernible stop. (3) When the pitcher starts the delivery from the set position and the entire free foot or any part of the stride leg breaks the plane of the back edge of the pitcher's rubber, the pitcher is committed to throw or feint a motion toward second base or pitch to home plate. PENALTY -- For violations of 1, 2 or 3, a "balk" shall be called. c. At any time during the preliminary movements and until the natural pitching motion begins, the pitcher may throw to any base provided a step that gains ground and is directed toward such base is taken before making the throw (see 9-1-a-[6]). d. If the pitcher makes an illegal pitch with the bases unoccupied, it is a ball unless the batter reaches first base on a hit, an error, a base on balls, a hit batter or otherwise. e. The pitcher, upon breaking contact with the pitcher's rubber by stepping backward with his pivot foot, becomes an infielder. If the pitcher then makes a wild throw, it is the same as a wild throw by an other infielder. A.E. -- To "step off" the pitcher's rubber, the pitcher must 1) step back off the rubber and 2) disengage the pivot foot before moving the free foot. f. When taking signs, the pitcher must have the pivot foot touching the pitcher's rubber. If the sign is taken in the windup position, the pitcher must use the windup to deliver the ball. If the sign is taken in the set position, the pitcher must use the set position to deliver the ball. If the pitcher steps back off the pitcher's rubber with the pivot foot, this breaks the continuity. When the pitcher again touches the pitcher's rubber, the delivery appropriate to the stance now assumed on the mound must be used. If the pitcher takes a sign from other than a legal position, the pitch shall be called a ball. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wow, reading all this can give you a headache. Because, when I use Hypertext Mark Up Language to place my emails on my website, I lose all formatting, I had to place parenthesis and quotation marks (" ... ") around of the NCAA rules that they recently changed. Before I discuss those changes, I would like to comment on a couple of other NCAA differences that I see from the Major League Baseball rules. 01. When pitchers are in the Wind-Up Position, Major League Baseball rules define a 'quick pitch' as when, after pitchers disengage the pitcher's plate, they step quickly back onto the pitcher's plate and pitch. The NCAA rules fail to define a 'quick pitch.' 02. When pitchers are in their Wind-Up Position, Major League Baseball rules do not permit pitchers to take a step with their free foot to either the first base or third base side of the pitching rubber. The NCAA rules permit pitcher to take one step sideward. 03. Under their Wind-Up Position section, Major League rules prohibit pitchers from going into their Set Position from their Wind-Up Position. Under their Wind-Up Position section, the NCAA rules do not prohibit pitchers from going into their Set Position. 04. Under their Set Position section, Major League rules do not prohibit pitchers from going into their Wind-Up Position from their Set Position. Under their Set Position section, the NCAA rules prohibit pitchers from going from their Wind-Up Position into their Set Position and from going from their Set Position into their Wind-Up Position. In Questions 222 and 264, I posted two communiques that NCAA baseball coaches received from the NCAA regarding changes in their Wind-Up Position rules. In Question 264, the NCAA wrote: --------------------------------------------- Rule 9, Pitching. Rule 9-1-a. Changed the wind-up rule to read: "The pitcher shall stand facing the batter, with the entire pivot foot on or in front of and touching, but not off the end of the pitcher's rubber. The pitcher may have one foot, not the pivot foot, off the rubber and any distance he may desire back of a line which is an extension to the back edge of the pitcher's plate, but not at either side or in front of the pitcher's plate. Rationale: The committee is trying to avoid some pitchers deceiving a runner (usually on third base) by simulating the position of the wind-up, but truly starting in the stretch position. The committee also has instructed the secretary-editor and the national coordinator of umpires to collect good video examples for umpires to review in this area. This rule comes directly from the Major League Baseball Umpire Manual. --------------------------------------------- As you can see, they never mentioned any change in the rules regarding their Set Position. Now, they have changed their Wind-Up rule from their earlier communique. Before, they said that pitchers had to have their glove foot behind the pitcher's plate. Now, they say that pitchers can have their glove foot on the pitcher's plate. In their earlier communique, they said that they wanted to avoid confusion about whether pitchers were in their Wind-Up Position or in their Set Position. In their changes to their Wind-Up Position rule; ("The pitcher shall stand facing (shoulders squared to) the batter, with the pivot foot on or in front of and touching the pitcher's plate. The pitcher's entire free foot shall not be in front of the pivot foot."), unlike the Major League Baseball rules, the NCAA baseball rules committee prohibits pitchers from having their glove foot on the ground in front of the pitcher's plate. By prohibiting pitchers from having their glove foot on the ground in front of the pitcher's plate, they have accomplished their goal. That is, when baseball pitchers have their glove foot on the ground in front of the pitcher's plate, then they are in their Set Position and nobody can confuse this position with their Wind-Up Position. However, they were not satisfied. Now, they had to write a rule that eliminates any pitching motion other than the 'traditional' pitching motion. In their changes to their Set Position rule; ("when the pitcher stands with his chest generally facing the respective foul lines with the pivot foot on or in front of and touching the pitcher's plate and the free foot in front of the pivot foot."), they force pitchers to reverse rotate their shoulders. I understand that they do not understand that reverse rotating their shoulders causes pitching arm injuries, but stupidity is no excuse. This requirement does not solve their believed problem. They have already solved their believed problem. When baseball pitchers have to turn their acromial line to forty-five degrees toward their respective foul line, then, when they start their pendulum swing perpendicular to their acromial line, they have to take their pitching arm forty-five degrees laterally behind their body. This flaw in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion destroys pitching arms. I wonder how many NCAA baseball pitchers square their shoulders to the batter when they are in their Set Position. Other than my pitchers, I doubt that any NCAA pitchers have their shoulders squared to the batter. But, more importantly, how does them squaring their shoulders to the batter confuse anybody about whether they are in their Wind-Up or Set Positions? When my pitchers telephoned me about these new rules, I told them that I do not want them to pitch out of my Set Position anyway. I told them to only pitch out of my Wind-Up Position. Now, to prohibit my pitching motion, the NCAA rules committee will have to change the rule that baseball pitchers can use either their Wind-Up or Set Positions at any time. The NCAA Wind-Up Position rule does permit baseball pitchers to: "Step and throw to a base in an attempt to pick off a runner." Unfortunately, the NCAA rules committee failed to describe how pitchers are supposed to do this. The NCAA rules committee says, "With a runner on base, the pitcher shall pitch to the batter immediately after making any motion with any part of the body such as the pitcher habitually uses during the delivery." What happens when baseball pitchers also habitually make the same motion when they step and throw to a base in an attempt to pick off a runner? It seems to me that the rule should say, "With a runner on base, when in their Wind-Up Position, pitchers signal their committment to pitch to the batter when they take their backward step with their glove foot. Who are these guys on the NCAA rules committee and how can their change rules without proving the need, without the consent of their members and without proper notification? I have never heard of changing the rules after the competition has started. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 287. I just can't stop. He can switch hit, preferring righty, but pretty good lefty also. So, would hitting left handed, putting the break in the front hand, be safer? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 288. Hey, coach, it seems as if Paul Reddick is taking aim at Tom House. ------------------------------------------------ Maybe the Worst Pitching Drill Ever I think I have seen a drill that will contribute to hurting more pitchers than anything since the bench press. If you have seen Tom House's new pitching drill. STOP right now and read this because I am going to save your arm from injury (or surgery). Tom's new "Lift and lead" drill is awful. Here it is: you stand next to a wall as if you were throwing towards the wall. You, then, lift, turn your rear end to the wall and push towards the wall with your rear end. This is about as dumb as you can get. Here's why this drill is bad. It causes the pitcher to rotate away from home plate. This will cause a counter effect when the pitcher has to now turn back to the left forward to start moving forward towards home plate. So now you are moving left and right instead of towards home plate. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that you can't generate momentum forward by moving in two different directions (neither of them being forward). Here is why you will get hurt if you master this movement. The left-right movement will cause your head to go all over the place. This will cause your step to be at least 6 inches to the right (off line to home plate). I have worked with over 600 injured pitchers in the last 7 years. Guess what, I would say 95% stepped across their body. This is one of the worst things you can do as a pitcher. Just ask Ron Nen, Trevor Hoffman and Mark Prior. Can a 30 year old fully developed pitcher twist and turn and still direct himself to home plate? Maybe, but you are running a big risk. A developing young pitcher cannot, no way. P.S.: I get asked why I am being so critical of Tom House, after all I did write a book with him and do 2 videos with him. I am going to tell you all about it next week. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If Paul Reddick had any credentials on which to criticize anything any baseball pitching coach says, then maybe I would care what he has to say. With so few things in the world on which we can depend, knowing that whatever Tom House says destroys baseball pitching arms remains constant. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 289. Thank you for making your book available on line. After reading the interview, I was intrigued by what you said and want to learn more. As a Giants fan, I was a little reluctant to think good thoughts about a former Dodger, but I'm learning to get over all that. While I love Dave Righetti, I think the Giants could use you as their pitching coach. The way Felipe uses pitchers, it's like he thinks he has an entire pitching staff of Mike Marshalls. I have two young sons who love to play baseball but I want them to do it right. Your experience and knowledge will go a long way to helping me guide them. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My goal is to eliminate pitching injuries. But, I also want all baseball pitchers to understand what they have to do to become the best pitchers they can be. I believe that, if your sons complete the drills that I recommend in my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, master those skills and complete my interval-training programs, then they will become the best injury-free baseball pitchers that they can be. In the spring of 1983, I was a volunteer baseball pitching coach at the University of Tampa. A twenty-eight year old was the head baseball coach. That year, for I believe the first time in their school's history, the University of Tampa earned its way into the NCAA II Regional Championship. While we did not win the championship, for the past ten years or so, that young head baseball coach has been the general manager of the San Francisco Giants. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 290. That's amazing. I was reading your FAQ's and saw the blurb about Matt Prior not having shoulder injuries, then low and behold this week he has rotator cuff problems. To say I'm intrigued by your approach is an understatement. It flies in the face of everything that youth baseball has become in this age of 10 year old traveling teams. This may seem silly but I am managing a T-ball team and I want to teach them the proper way to throw, not pitch, just throw. I hope I am smart enough to comprehend your lessons in time to help these kids on their way. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, until they graduate from high school, you will become the best baseball pitching coach that they could have. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 291. I'm sure you've already heard, but just in case you didn't I thought I'd let you know that the Cubs have now come out and said that Mark Prior is hurt. He apparently strained his shoulder and will probably miss the beginning of the season. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like the Swallows returning to Capistrano, last evening, I received the first of may annual telephone calls from the Chicago area media about Mr. Prior's injured pitching arm. I will talk with them about it on radio tomorrow morning. They told me that the injury report said that he has discomfort in the back of his shoulder up under his arm pit area. The back of the shoulder means that he has exceeded the ability of a decelerator muscle to slow down and stop his pitching arm after release. In all probability, he has injured his Teres Minor muscle. In the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, because pitchers take their pitching elbow as far as four feet laterally behind their body, when they use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearms, wrist, hand, fingers and baseball back to the pitching arm side of their body, they generate horizontal centripetal force that slings their pitching hand and baseball laterally away from their body to their pitching arm side. I call this action, 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' not only decreases the elbow extension and flexion ranges of motion of the pitching elbow, but it also generates a force that destroys the Teres Minor muscle. The Teres Minor muscle is a small muscle that arises from the middle of the axillary border of the Scapula and inserts into the back of the head of the Humerus bone just below the insertion of the Infraspinatus muscle. When 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' centripetally slings the pitching hand and baseball laterally to the pitching arm side of 'traditional' baseball pitcher, in much the same way as when ice skaters play 'crack the whip' to sling the last ice skater in the line laterally away from the turning line, because baseball pitchers cannot detach their pitching arm from their body, when their pitching hand and baseball reach the end of the length of their pitching arm, the ongoing centripetal force causes the pitching arm to move across the front of the body. Contrary to what you have heard all your life, this is not 'follow-through,' this is the centripetal imperative consequence of 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' And, only the tiny Teres Minor muscle is in position to decelerate and stop the pitching arm. Over years of abuse of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and an off-season of rest and atrophy, the Teres Minor muscle cannot withstand the stress and tears. The permanent answer to this problem is to stop using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. In my pitching motion, I have eliminated 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' Therefore, my pitchers do not generate horizontal centripetal force. Therefore, the tiny Teres Minor muscle does not decelerate the pitching arm. Therefore, my pitchers do not unnecessarily stress the Teres Minor muscle. Therefore, they do not injure their Teres Minor muscle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 292. I am very interested in getting your video. For some reason when I click the link on your web page I get an error message. Could you e-mail me back with the address and cost so I could receive it? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I have DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video in my hands ready to ship, I will change the icon on my home page from 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video to 2006 and I will re-activate that file. I have hopes that I will be able to do this within a week or so. I appreciate your interest and apologize for any inconvenience. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 293. For baseball batting, how do you train batters to rotate their acromial lines perpendicular to the driveline of their rear forearms before they begin their back forearm extension? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In my basic baseball batting skill development drill, I use eighty foot batting cages that I divide in half and have the two baseball batters stand back to back on either side of the divider net with two pitcher's protector front stops twenty-five feet from the batters. To completely protect my pitchers, I make these front stops three feet wide by four feet high out of sturdy metal bars welded together with two foot metal stabilizers perpendicular to the frame. Around this metal frame, I double-wrap eight gauge metal fencing and tie the ends together on the back side of the frame with heavy gauge wire. I also require that my pitchers wear batting helmets. To make sure that the pitcher's entire body is hidden, I have my pitchers sitting on stools with their feet against and inside of the front stop with the bucket of twenty-four baseballs between their legs. With they throw, I have them use my 'Loaded Slingshot' glove and pitching arm action. The only time that they expose any part of their body is during the moment that they release the baseball. However, because, immediately after they release the baseballs, their pitching hand returns below the top of the front stop, at no time after baseball batters hit the baseball do my pitchers expose have any part of their body to the batted baseball. With this throwing motion, my pitchers can throw baseball into the nine batting squares in the strike zone; namely, high-away, middle-away, low-away, high-middle, middle-middle, low-middle, high-in, middle-in and low-in. This is the order that I teach baseball batters to hit. To teach my baseball batters how to rotate their acromial lines to perpendicular to the driveline for high-away pitches, I tell them that my pitchers are going to throw baseballs into the high-away square and that they are to drive the baseball through the infield opening between the opposite side infielders. And so on. After they forwardly rotate their acromial line to perpendicular to the driveline to where they should hit the baseball, I tell them to 'punch' their rear arm directly at the appropriate infield opening. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 294. Correct me if I am wrong but, I'm starting to conclude with the success that I having with my hitters that are using your force coupling method that FORCE COUPLING PROVIDES A PERFECT WEIGHT SHIFT. WE JUST PLAYED OUR 1st DOUBLEHEADER LAST SUNDAY and there is one player a freshman who has mastered your technique. In his 1st at bat in division #3 college baseball, on the 2nd pitch, he ripped a double to left-center. Unfortunately, he sprained his ankle sliding into home plate and had to leave the game. Anyway, in the next couple of days in talking with him about his rehab by emails,he talked about how he doubted the hitting style would work, but now is convinced. He accurately described how he starts the forward motion with the top hand and pulls the bat back with the bottom hand. He also admits that he was always a singles hitter. He weighs 140 lbs and cannot believe the power that this change provides. This was the 1st time we played outside, all of our spring practices were inside. So, I am keeping the email for future references and, if you would like a copy, I would be glad to send it to you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like with all explosive motor skills, when the force-coupling that accelerates the center of mass is perfect, athletes do not experience any unnecessary stress. They are likely to say that they did not feel any resistance; that the object jumped out of their hands. Now, let's talk about how to teach proper sliding technique. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 295. Do you have any plans to develop a video on hitting instruction? You mentioned on your web site that you had a lot of tape to analyze for proper hitting technique. I enjoy your web site. Thanks for your efforts. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have thousands of feet of sixteen millimeter high-speed film of baseball batting. To convert sixteen millimeter film to digital videotape costs about five hundred dollars per hour. Unfortunately, you cannot just convert the clips that you want, it has to be the entire four hundred feet of film. Nevertheless, to demonstrate the basics of my force-coupling baseball batting technique, I would like to present some of my 1970s high-speed film research. Unfortunately, at the present time, I am swamped with other projects both personal and professional. And, as always, I am without help and financing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 296. My lefty pitched in his first game of the spring season. Unfortunately, the game was on the other side of the state and I could not attend. My job seems to get in the way of baseball. He pitched seven full innings and threw a two-hit shutout. Seven strikeouts and four bases on balls. His dad thought a couple of the walks were actually strikeouts, but I have no way of knowing. One of the hits was a chopper back to the mound and Mike didn't get a glove on it. Went as an infield hit. The other hit was off the end of the bat (Maxline fastball to a right-handed batter) that chopped on the infield and got by the first baseman. It sounds like neither pitch was hit solidly. Nothing else was hit out of the infield. When he issued his first base on balls, the runner tried to take off for second with him pitching from your windup position. He threw to first base and they got him at second. After that they quit trying to steal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for the report. I send my congratulations to him and to you. I want generations of fathers and sons to experience this joy. This young man has a lifetime of injury-free baseball pitching ahead of him. What fun he, you and I will have. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 297. The real problem I have is the way to convince to hardheads of your methods. I started to explain force coupling to a hitting instructor and his reply was. I understand but I don't want to confuse the kids. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? So I change it to a perfect pendulum swing. He wasn't too crazy about that analogy however his hitters understood what U was saying so he went along with it. I read in a book an explanation of a FACTOID. MOST PEOPLE THINK A FACTOID IS AN INTERESTING FACT. WELL IT'S NOT. ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN HERTIGAGE DICTIONARY, A FACTOID IS, IN ACTUALITY A PIECE OF UNVERIFIED OR INACCURATE INFORMATION THAT IS PRESENTED IN WRITTEN OR ORAL FORM AS FACTUAL AND THEN IS ACCEPTED AS TRUE BECAUSE OF FREQUENT REPETITION. Well as far as I am concerned, all pitching and hitting instructions are FACTOIDS, EXCEPT YOURS. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I consider these people to be intellectually lazy. To them, learning something new requires too much effort. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 298. Got a question about overall arm useage/throwing a baseball. what is a good way to establish a throwing limit per week for 10-11 year boys, who play secondary positions as well as pitch? they might practice tuesday, again wednesday, and friday, play a game on saturday and sunday. we have 6 kids that are representative of this. i do limit their pitchcount during their outings, i'm almost afraid to tell you what that is! just kidding, 50 pitch limit. we are a very fortunate team, to have 6 kids that like to pitch. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. I recommend that, until they are biologically sixteen years old, youth baseball pitchers do not throw baseballs much less pitch for more than two consecutive months per year. 02. I recommend that, until they are biologically thirteen years old, youth baseball pitchers do not pitch competitively. 03. I recommend that, when they are between biological thirteen years old and biological sixteen years old, youth baseball pitchers pitch only one inning per game no more than twice a week. Pitch counts are useless. The American Sports Medicine Institute made up those pitch count numbers for youth baseball pitchers. They have no scientific research to back up their pitch count recommendations. If you teach your kids to pitch and throw with my pitching motion and implement the preceding recommendations, then, when they are biologically sixteen years old, they will no only be injury-free, but they will also be the best baseball pitchers that they can be. To do otherwise will destroy their pitching arms. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 299. Do you recommend your throwing motion for field players? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Absolutely. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 300. Wow! I think you're probably right with your research. Now what? I bet you get some serious input on this subject. Please explain physiologically what damage can be inflicted? I ask this for learning potential, not to question your research. I can handle medical terminology. I am kind of out of words to say right now. My wife is smiling; she thinks I'm too gungho with my desire to develop our young pitchers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Chapter Nine of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book, my Baseball Pitching Instructional Videos and throughout my Question/Answer files for the past six years, I have explained why youth baseball pitching is not harmless fun. I will leave it to you to research those areas, but I will give you the headlines. The 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, pitching for more than two consecutive months per year, pitching too often and throwing too hard permanently deforms the bones in the pitching arms of youth baseball pitchers and lengthens the ligaments that hold the elbow and shoulder joints tightly together. With my pitching motion, pitching for only two consecutive months per year, waiting until the growth plates at the elbow end of the Humerus bone mature to pitch competitively and pitching only one inning no more than twice a week will greatly reduce, if not eliminate, the permanent damage that youth baseball pitching inflicts on the pitching arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 301. I like that, intellectually LAZY. THAT'S right on the money. Just for your info: we played our 2nd DH yesterday and another player stepped up to the plate on force-coupling. He missed last week because he went to help the Katrina victims on spring break. But, after being called out on strikes in his 1st official at bat this year, he then went 5 for 5 and he ripped the ball. So, now have two players using the force coupling method and are they opening some eyes. Now, every one else is using the Marshall hitting style. If they only started it on Feb. 1st like the other 2, just think how good we would be. But, it is better late than never ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While such anecdotal information is scientifically without meaning, it is fun to read that young men are performing baseball skills well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 302. If you would send me the Coaching Baseball Pitchers Book, I promise you, I'll start reading it as soon as possible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Coaching Baseball Pitching book is free on my website at www.drmikemarshall.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 303. Since I am not a scientist, just a former Jock coach being educated, it a big step forward and a means to show up the intellectually lazy. I would say seriously, that 90% of people who give hitting and pitching instructions in the world today are intellectually lazy. All they want to do is give ORAL INSTRUCTIONS and put the 50 to 100 bucks an hour in their pockets. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't know the exact percentage, but I know that you are right. This spring, my guy was throwing at a Major League tryout camp. They had a pitching coach standing beside each pitcher across three mounds. He stopped my guy and said that, if he would turn his pitching foot outward, then he would add five miles per hour to his fastball. No, if he turned his pitching foot outward, then he would take the baseball laterally behind his body and lose velocity, not gain. But, this 'traditional' pitching coach is too stupid to know what is said is stupid. Without turning his head, much less his pitching foot, my guy said, I don't think so and kept throwing high-quality pitches. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 304. I am interested in your pitching video as I coach 13-14 yr olds. I think I know how to get it. Is the 2006 video available yet, or, will I get the 2004 one. How long would the turnaround be? If you receive everything from me this week, will I get it the following week or two? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I have DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I will change 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video to 2006. I do not have any 2004 videos. When I have the DVD and VHS copies, I will priority mail them. Therefore, as soon as I have the DVD and VHS copies, I will mail them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 305. I'd like to ask some questions concerning so-called absolutes and falsehoods in baseball. Please give me your feedback pertaining to each of these questions (reasons for/against). 1. Pitchers should wear jackets between innings and while they're running bases? 2. Pitchers should ice after they pitch? 3. Pitchers should stretch their arms before pitching? 4. How many pitches should a pre-game bullpen consist of? 5. Is soreness in the deltoid relating to your screwball to be expected when first beginning to throw the pitch? 6. Is "running poles" after you pitch helpful to conditioning? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. Athletes should never do anything that promotes sweating. Therefore, whether athletes wear jackets depends on whether wearing jackets promote sweating. If position players do not have the need to wear jackets, then pitchers do not have the need to wear jackets. The body has its own mechanisms to insure that its core temperature remains constant. When the ambient temperature is such that it will severely decrease the core temperature, the body diverts blood flow from its surface inward. When the ambient temperature is such that it will severely increase the core temperature, the body diverts the blood flow to its outer surface where sweat vaporizing cools the body. 02. Ice increases blood flow to the area of the body covered with ice. Researchers call the physiological mechanism, Cold-Induced Vaso-Dilation. If baseball pitchers benefit by increasing the blood flow to specific areas of their body, then I have no objection. That said, other than to treat sprained ankles, I have never iced. With my pitching motion and 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program, because they do not destroy their pitching arms with every throw they make, my baseball pitchers do not need medical attention after they pitch. 03. Muscles do not stretch. Stretching causes injury. I never 'stretched', whatever that means, and I never have any of my baseball pitchers 'stretch.' 04. With my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program, to maintain their fitness, in season, my baseball pitchers complete twenty-four wrist weight exercises every day, complete twenty-four iron ball throws every day, complete twenty-four football throws every day and complete thirty-six baseball throws every day. If, after they complete this maintenance workout, they have a game to pitch, then they are ready. 05. Whenever athletes perform activities that they have never performed before at intensities above their normal levels, to be able to continue to perform these activities at these intensities, the bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles must make a physiological adjustment. This is training. Therefore, unless athletes do not experience discomfort after training, they are not exceeding previous fitness levels. However, after athletes start training and increase the blood flow to these areas, the discomfort should either disappear or remain minimal. If the discomfort continues during training, then the athletes need to decrease their intensity, but continue to train. As the bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles physiologically adapt, the discomfort disappears and, then, they can again increase the intensity. 06. Aerobic training metabolizes lactic acid. Therefore, if baseball pitching produces lactic acid, then aerobic training after pitching would metabolize that lactic acid. Anaerobic training produces lactic acid. Baseball pitching is not anaerobic training. Therefore, baseball pitching does not produce lactic acid. Therefore, with regard to baseball pitching, 'running poles' after pitching is not helpful conditioning. However, aerobic fitness is a good thing. For example, I jog two miles every day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 306. In the fall of 1965, I was a freshman at Michigan State University and was a student in one of your HPR 105 sections. I can't tell you how many times I have told this story about you and that class. As all the other sections were doing calisthenics, you were telling us that if we never did an exercise in your class, you wanted us to remember that one must exercise 3-4 times per week at a level where 80% of the maximum heart rate would be held for 30 minutes or so. That was revolutionary thinking at the time and I have always appreciated you for that lesson. After the HPR experience, I ran into you once more at one of Coach Litwhiler's clinic for high school baseball coaches during the winter a couple of years later. Your presentation at that session was in presenting a paper that you had authored regarding an exercise to gain more bat speed. The paper, I thought, was published in Athletic Training, but I did not see it referenced in your website list. At any rate, I followed your MLB career with great interest, but had wondered where you landed after retirement from baseball. I am a practicing periodontist and still a great baseball enthusiast, although I quit playing at age 31. This past weekend, I heard you on Chicago's WSCR radio station and today I looked on your website. I noticed several articles on Tension Control in athletics and wondered if you could send me references on these articles or possibly a reprint or two if you have them laying around. Thanks for the life long lesson from MSU and keep up the good work that you are doing in helping pitchers practice their craft in a more healthy way. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have always believed that it is more important to teach why we should do something than what we should do. It is sort of my variation on teaching you how to fish rather than giving you a fish. In 1967, Athletic Training printed my 'Overload for the Quick Bat' paper. I have reprints of, 'A Method for Teaching Tension Control in the Elementary School' that I presented to the Second Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Tension Control in 1975. If you would like a copy, I could mail one to you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 307. I live in the northeast. Is there an outside temperature that you feel is too cold to being throwing baseballs? From a medical stand point, would it be better to be throwing inside a small gym that's warm or get out into the fresh crisp air? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In general, we must always minimize sweating. High temperatures are potentially more harmful to our body than temperatures at or near freezing. When I played outside in Parc Jarry in Montreal, I pitched without shirt sleeves in thirty-five degree weather without any problems. When the body is active, blood flow keeps its tissues safe from the cold. However, when the body is not active, it is a good idea to insulate it against the loss of heat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 308. I have been reading your online book and emails for almost 2 years now. I can’t wait for the 2006 video. I have been working with my 13 year old son for several months now. He had all of the traditional flaws, reverse rotation, forearm bounce and forearm flyout. After working to the best of our ability on your technique, I find now that when I play catch with him, when he pendulum swings his arm straight back toward second base and up to driveline height, it is impossible for me to see the ball. As he drives the ball in a straight line directly at me, it seems that the ball just “appears” in front of his right ear. He is a right hander. It appears that he is propelling the ball effortlessly, and then it ”explodes” toward me from in front of his face. When he plays catch with the other boys on his team now, I see them flinch, until they get accustomed to picking up the flight of the ball. You speak about hidden velocity. In my part of the country, we called it “sneaky quick”. From what I see he has developed this trait. Is this the type of effect your throwing technique should manifest? If so, it is quite effective. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is absolutely how I want my pitchers to appear to baseball batters. However, this is not 'hidden velocity.' 'Hidden velocity' occurs when my pitchers release their pitches closer to home plate than 'traditional' baseball pitchers can. As a result, baseball batters see the pitching arm velocity of the 'traditional' baseball pitchers, but the baseball arrives over a foot sooner than they expect. This benefit is simple slight of hand deception. Baseball batters cannot see how my pitchers release their pitches. They do not know whether they threw my Maxline Fastball, Maxline Fastball Screwball, Maxline Pronation Curve or Torque Fastball. As a result, they cannot correctly anticipate either the velocity or movement of the pitch, such that they cannot correctly time their swings to hit the pitch. Here is how it works: 01. When my baseball pitchers pendulum swing their pitching arms downward, backward and upward, their body hides their pitching hand and baseball from baseball batters. 02. Then, when they step forward and raise their pitching arm to driveline height, their head hides their pitching hand and baseball from baseball batters. 03. Next, when they raise their pitching elbow to driveline height, their pitching upper arm hides their pitching hand and baseball from baseball batters. 04. Next, when their glove foot lands and they start their explosive forward rotation of their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm, the speed of this action hides their pitching hand and baseball from baseball batters. 05. Lastly, after they forwardly rotate their pitching upper arm as far as they can to point toward home plate, they powerfully extend their pitching elbow and continue to pronate their pitching forearm and the baseball appears out of the flurry of pitching arm action without disclosing how they applied spin to their pitch. I have seen catchers flinch even when they know what pitch my pitchers are throwing, especially when they do not know which fastball my pitchers are throwing. That is, they expect my Maxline Fastball and my pitchers throw my Torque Fastball. Or, when they expect my four-seam Maxline or Torque Fastball and my pitchers throw my two-seam Maxline or Torque Fastball. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 309. My daughter is 16, plays third base on high school softball. She just began practice and I've been working with her on the proper maxline straight-line force application, slingshot drills and powerfully pronating on throws to first. She's been throwing two to three times a week for 3 months, maybe 35 throws each day, and some very slight discomfort. Today after throwing with additional intensity at the first outdoor practice she's complaining of continued discomfort on what I believe is the humeral head of the pronator teres which I assume is to be expected. However I want to be sure and eliminate any ligament problems and ensure I am correct that it is the pronator teres. She has no numbness in her fingers. Are there any physical examinations, or other at home pressure/stress tests I can perform to ensure my half-assed diagnosis may be close? Would you recommend she continue throwing at less intensity, and add 5lb wrist weights for slingshot throws, or something else? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because she plays third base, I recommend that she practice my Torque Fastball release. But, because she is a position player, not a pitcher, she should release the softball with absolutely horizontal spin. This means that she will have to adjust the position of her fingers at release, such that they are vertical. The Pronator Teres muscle arises from the medial epicondyle of the Humerus bone at attaches to the Radius bone. This means that when she hold her throwing arm out in front of her with her throwing palm facing up, the medial epicondyle is on the inside of her elbow. The Pronator Teres muscle diagonally crosses the top part of the forearm. If you put your thumb on the medial epicondyle and move it diagonally across the upper part of the forearm, then you will feel the Pronator Teres muscle. With the intensity of her training, I expect that her Pronator Teres muscle is quite tight. This is normal training response and no problem. She needs to continue to train. However, if the discomfort does not either go away or diminish during training, then she should reduce her intensity. But, under no circumstances should she discontinue training. If she does, then she will have to go through the process again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 310. I thought you might enjoy this article. Looking forward to seeing your 2006 DVD. ------------------------------------------------- CUBS BITS Prior, Wood to get mechanics tune-up Rothschild working on deliveries with injured pitchers By Dave van Dyck Tribune staff reporter March 19, 2006, 10:48 PM CST MESA, Ariz. -- When oft-injured starters Mark Prior and Kerry Wood return to the Cubs, perhaps sometime in early May, they will be different pitchers—at least mechanically. In an effort to keep their arms, elbows and shoulders healthy, pitching coach Larry Rothschild is using the down time to brush up on their deliveries. Though no one is sure what caused Prior's strained shoulder muscle, Rothschild said he was "trying to keep [Prior's] hand [farther] away from his head." "We've been trying to stress mechanics even back to when he started his throwing program before [the latest injury] came up," he said. "We'll keep stressing that … but with mechanics, you have to remember he's done this his whole life. To try to get him ready mechanically different for a major-league season is not an easy thing. [Pitchers] are kind of creatures of habit. "When you look at Mark the first couple of years here, you look at the way he released the ball at the end of his delivery and it was pretty easy. You didn't see a lot of effort. So you would hope that he would overcome the other part of it." And Wood, who threw two sessions of 20 pitches each Saturday? "The only thing we're concentrating on is smoothing things out, which we've tried to do over the last couple of years anyway," Rothschild said. "The biggest thing with [Wood] are his legs. You go back to the last month of '03, he was on his legs driving. When he feels good, you'll see it. The last couple of years, it's been off and on. He'll stand straight up when he's not feeling right and then try to generate [power]. "He's a power pitcher and has a great arm. You don't want to take all that away from him, because that is his strength and what made him the guy everybody talks about." And what happens when the Cubs break camp for the season and Wood stays behind on his own? "Woody probably knows what I'm going to say to him before I do," Rothschild said. "It's been repeated enough, and he's attentive enough. But it will be watched closely." D-day ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I can always trust my readers to keep me updated. Thank you. While I take no any pleasure in the problems that Mr. Prior and Mr. Wood are having, I did take some pleasure in reading that Mr. Rothchild has taken my advice about Mr. Prior's 'Looping.' Mr. Prior does have to stop moving his pitching hand close to his head just before he starts the baseball forward. But, he also has to make some other adjustments. Unfortunately, Mr. Rothchild does not understand anything that he is doing. Mr. Prior also needs to stop his 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover.' These tremendous talents need to stop reverse rotating their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arms, such that their pitching elbows are several feet laterally behind their bodies. It seems to me simple common sense to understand that this action not only destroys pitching arms, but also decreases release consistency, decreases release velocity and decreases the variety of pitches that pitchers can throw. Unfortunately, baseball pitching coaches are so blinded by what they have seen all their life that they cannot see the obvious. The first thing that these young men need to learn is how to pronate the releases of thei pitches. But, the first thing I would do is take high-speed film of their present pitching motion. In a week, I could teach them how they can stop the negative of what they are doing and how to do the positive that they are not doing. While they could not complete a 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program in one week, they could start immediately after their season and complete it in two off-seasons. While they could not master my pitching motion in a week, they would greatly reduce the unnecessary stress that they generate and, with their motor skill abilities, learn how to throw strikes with the greatly reduced side-to-side forces. When Mr. Prior learns how to not move his pitching hand close to his head before he starts the baseball forward, he will move the unnecessary stress from the inside of his pitching elbow to the back of his pitching shoulder. Therefore, he will exchange one problem for another. The insidiousness of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion is that it has so many injurious flaws in it that when baseball pitchers either decrease the unnecessary stress of one flaw or strengthen that area to better withstand the flaw, they only expose their susceptibility to another injurious flaw. The 'traditional' baseball pitching motion has no redeeming value. That is, other than holding the baseball in the pitching hand, no aspect of the 'traditional' baseball pitching has any merit. It is completely and irreparably broken and we must treat it like 'Small Pox' and make it extinct. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 311. I have a few questions for you. 1) Can you explain to me how the traditional pitching motion destroys pitching shoulders? My roommate in spring training is having shoulder problems and I want to be able to tell him why they are happening. 2) I think you told me in a previous email that it wouldn't be possible to pitch competitively and also complete your adult training program. Why is that? What would or could possibly happen if someone were to try and do that? The reason I ask is that I am totally convinced that the traditional pitching motion is crap and I want to use your pitching motion. However, I don't want to just quit pro ball, because I feel like I have my foot in the door, and if I quit for now, then I'm not sure that I could get back in, does this make sense? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. I need more precise information about where your roommate feels his discomfort. That is, is it in the top, front of his pitching shoulder or the back up under his armpit? In either event, the injurious flaws of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion cause his problem. 02. When baseball pitchers complete my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program, they stimulate growth in their bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles. While these tissues are making a physiological response, baseball pitchers should not add the stress of pitching competitively. If you learn how to pronate the releases of your pitches, then you will not only protect your pitching elbow, but you will also improve the quality of your releases. If you take your pitching arm to driveline height without 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' then you will improve how you apply force to your pitches. If you have your pitching arm at driveline height before your glove foot lands, then you will not only protect the front of your shoulder, but you will improve how you apply force to your pitches. If you learn how to drive your pitching hand straight forward, rather than use your pitching upper arm to pull your pitching forearm forward, then you will improve how you apply force to your pitches. When you become the best baseball pitcher that you can be, then you will get to pitch at the competitive level appropriate for you. The longer that you take to become the best baseball pitcher that you can be, the lower the odds are that you will pitch at that level. I recommend that all pitchers immediately stop using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and start my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitching Interval-Training Program. Every day that they do otherwise is another day wasted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 312. My son and I are going to try and pay you a "announced" visit tomorrow. We will be checking the weather but in all likelihood we will see you around 9:00. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since you mailed your email on Tuesday, March 21st and I am reading your email on the morning of Wednesday, March 22nd, I guess I will see you at in a few hours. My guys will love to show off for you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 313. I just got your agreement notarized, and I will be mailing it back to you this week. Is the any other information I need to know before my arrival? Is there any weight training or any specific condition I should be in before hand? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I suppose that it would not hurt for you to familiarize yourself with what you will be doing. You will be completing my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. You could be doing this on your own, but you have chosen to let me guide you. I appreciate the opportunity. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 314. During a discussion about baseball injuries someone said that most elbow injuries are cause by "leading" with the elbow. What would your response be? I do not think my answer was well received. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Traditional' baseball pitchers rupture their Ulnar Collateral Ligament and fracture the Humerus bone of their pitching upper arm when they 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' their pitching forearm. 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' occurs before 'traditional' start moving the baseball toward home plate. 'Traditional' baseball pitchers slam the olecranon process of their pitching elbow into its fossa as a result of 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' occurs immediately before pitchers release their pitches. All baseball pitchers 'lead' with their pitching elbow. With what do these people think they 'lead?' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 315. You wrote, "All baseball pitchers 'lead' with their pitching elbow. With what do these people think they 'lead?'" Exactly! I could not figure out how you could start with the baseball pointing at second base and throw to home without the elbow leading the way. I asked for a demonstration and tried to politely point out the dangers of the forearm bounce and fly out and the unlocking of the pitching upper arm with the shoulder. One of the responses I received was "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" to which I replied, "better to have a little knowledge that is correct than a lot of knowledge that is wrong." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help is on its way. In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I show my five hundred frames per second high-speed film of my 1971 version of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. I point out when 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover' occurs and how to prevent it. I point out when 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' occurs and how to prevent it. I point out when 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' occurs and how to prevent it. But, all baseball pitchers will always 'lead' with their pitching elbow. My challenge to these guys is always; let me high-speed film the pitcher who they believe does not 'lead' with his pitching elbow and we will see the truth of what really happens, not what they fantasize what happens. One fact trumps an infinite number of opinions. It is possible for one person to be right and the rest of the world to be wrong. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 316. I spoke with my roommate and he told me he is having some minor discomfort in the front of his shoulder and minor discomfort also in the back near his arm pit. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The discomfort in the front of his shoulder is from the insertion of his Subscapularis muscle into the lesser tuberosity of the head of his Humerus bone. The injurious flaw in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion that unnecessarily stresses this area is 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce.' To prevent 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce,' he has to stop taking the baseball back with his hand on top of the baseball and he has to stop taking his pitching elbow laterally behind his body. The discomfort in the back of his shoulder near his arm pit is the insertion of the Teres Minor muscle into the third facet on the back of the head of the Humerus bone. The injurious flaw in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion that unnecessarily stresses this area is 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' To prevent 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' he has to stop generating horizontal centripetal force to his pitching arm side of his body that slings his pitching forearm, wrist, hand, fingers and baseball away from his body. In short, he needs to master my baseball pitching motion. Until he does, with every pitch that he throws, he is destroying his pitching arm. With luck, I will soon have DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, which shows these injurious flaws and my solutions and you and he will understand that your pitching coaches have no idea what they are talking about. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 317. In my son's sophomore year, our family was introduced to Dr. Tom House and our son became one of his students. Over the years, Tom was one of our son's greatest advocates and to this day is one of our family friends. I tell you this because I have written a book for baseball moms, Diamond Moms, A Mother's Guide to Raising a Baseball Player. Tom wrote the foreword for my book. I am writing to you, specifically, to forward a link to my book and if you have an interest, I would like to send you one, as much for your review and consideration as for your support. I am uncertain as to your feelings about Tom and know that often times the baseball community differs with him on his style and technique. Please let me know if you would like a copy. I have only recently become familiar with your work. Truly, I am more interested in helping mothers cope with the world of baseball and raising responsible, successful men than I am about coaching or technique. I am only interested in advocating and promoting coaches and trainers who have the welfare of our sons in their heart. You appear to be one of those coaches. That is what prompted me to send you this email. Thank you for your time and I appreciate the good you do for the young men whose heart has been stolen by this beautiful game. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I trust baseball Moms to protect their sons against the irreparable deformation damage that the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion causes to the growth plates of the pitching arms of youth baseball pitchers. Yes, even though he knows that he has caused thousands of serious pitching arm injuries that required surgery, I am talking about the baseball pitching motion that Mr. House continues to advocate. While I strongly support your efforts, I as strongly oppose what Mr. House teaches. It is my opinion that he is more interested in protecting the money he makes from selling his nonsense than protecting youth baseball pitchers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 318. Do you have a finish date for your new dvd, and if so, what will the cost of the dvd be? Also,can I go ahead and order now? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Every day, I am doing everything that I can to get DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video in my hands ready to ship. Unfortunately, I do not have the expertise to do everything myself. Therefore, I have to count on others. As soon as I have copies, I will change my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video icon on the home page of my website at www.drmikemarshall.com to 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video and I will open that file to explain how to request your copy. I appreciate your interest and apologize for the inconvenience this delay has caused. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 319. I appreciate your reply. Since our only experience at a time when my son needed guidance and counseling was Tom, we depended on him a great deal. It is not my position to defend him but only describe our experience with him. When my son was being challenged Tom spent a great deal of time with us and with him, encouraging him emotionally and mentally AND teaching him the importance of core training, etc...and at no cost to us. I only know Tom from the perspective of his generosity, kindness, and sincere care for our son. And yes, our son will have to have surgery in June. I do not know if I attribute that to Tom as much as I attribute it to my lack of understanding as he grew up playing baseball. He did not meet Tom until he was 15. To that time we had no information or experience with workouts, the importance of core training, etc. My husband pitched in high school so he never allowed our son to throw a curveball until he was 12. Do I wish I would have been better informed as a parent: yes. That is why I wrote the book. These are the things I do know as a mother: 1) that coaching differences cause great confusion for many of the young men coming up through baseball; 2) that the majority of coaches who have a particular point of view are in conflict with all the other coaches so the information becomes murky and confusing for young players; 3) that egos get in the way of exploring all the possibilities available so instead of experts working together to find a common solution, it becomes a "he's wrong-I'm right" environment where players are caught in the middle. I know that parents are confused and do not know what to do or the right direction to take when it comes to managing their son's work outs, their nutritional programs, or even how to manage their desire to passionately play baseball and yet have a life. I know that there are still coaches out there that are more impressed with their teams records than they care about their players and insist on unreasonable amounts of ibuprofen to get their players through the season because there is no common, sensible ground for training...and that winning is everything because they depend on their paychecks. I know that as imperfect as the world of baseball is it is still an amazing game that steals your heart. Mr. Marshall, I could go on and on. As much as I love baseball I dislike and feel immense frustration with how you all do business. As a mother of a son whose heart and soul is part of this game, the bottom line is that all your in-house fighting is doing nothing to help our kids. I understand your position regarding Tom and I do not expect your support for my book. Maybe someday, someone out there will create a united national baseball organization that actually helps us raise healthy, strong, injury free athletes. If there is a baseball mother's prayer, that is it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First, I take great exception with you including me with how "you all do business." 01. I earned the credentials that allow me to criticize those who either do not know that they do not know or, like Tom House, who knows that what he does injures baseball pitchers and does not care. I do not mean that I played fourteen years of Major League Baseball and set numerous records, I mean that, when I earned my doctoral degree, in addition to majoring in the Physiology of Exercise, minoring in Physiological Psychology, Biomechanics and Motor Skill Acquisition, I specialized in Child Growth and Development. 02. I have advocated for youth baseball pitchers since 1965, when Dr. Joel Adams wrote the definitive research article showing the youth baseball pitching destroys their pitching arms. 03. For my doctoral dissertation requirement of original research, I did a longitidinal investigation on how to properly group adolescent males when classifying them for motor proficiency norms. In short, I have tried my best to protect youngsters for over forty years. 04. With regard to how I deal with these psuedo-coaches, when my readers ask me about what they recommend, I tell the truth. I am far too busy to seek them out. I am not an active part of whatever 'in-fighting' to which you refer. I am not out to protect my paycheck, I am out to protect baseball pitchers of all ages. I know how to eliminate all pitching injuries. You can trust me with the safety, not only of your son, but also with the safety of youth baseball pitchers everywhere. That you cannot tell the difference between me and those wannbee ripoff pitching coaches shows that you have not done your research. You and all other Moms need to check credentials. I have them, they do not. In our buyer beware economic system, the buyer is responsible for their choices. Second, I am so sorry that your son has to have surgery. I had no idea. But, he just joins a long list of Tom House's failure. If I had met him when he was fifteen, he would not be having surgery this June. No baseball pitcher I train will ever injure his pitching arm. If, after his surgery, your son wants to continue to pitch, then he needs to watch my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video and complete the appropriate training program that I provide for free on my website. My Coaching Baseball Pitchers book is also free on my website. There are only two pitching motions; the 'traditional' pitching motion and mine. While the 'traditional' pitching motion uses the balance position pitching rhythm, I use the crow-hop pitching rhythm. Therefore, while 'traditional' pitching coaches appear to differ, they are all teaching basically the same pitching motion. All 'traditional' pitching coach tell pitchers to reverse rotate their hips, shoulders and upper arm beyond second base and to use their pitching upper arm to pull their pitching forearm forward. I tell pitchers to pendulum swing their pitching arm straight back toward second base and only passively reverse rotate their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm to parallel with the line between home plate and second base. 'Traditional' baseball pitchers would not know a growth plate for their dinner plate. I developed the procedure with which to determine the biological age of youth baseball pitchers based on the growth and development of the growth plates in the adolescent elbow. I believe that we share the same purpose; we want youngsters to enjoy playing baseball without injuries. I wish you success. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 320. I was looking through your Q&A's and couldn't stop laughing. I don't know if being "ignorant" helps you sell tapes to soccer moms and 12 year old's, but as someone who is a medical professional you need to tone it down. You claim to have an education and I don't take that away from you. (Even though you look more qualified to teach gym @ middle school). Most people that have an education don't need to advertise it, but I guess that helps you sell tapes as previously stated. With a statement like this "Athletic trainers are not Exercise Physiologists, they do not have the training with which to design training programs. They tape ankles, put ice on body parts and wear white shirts. Nice guys, but they do not have doctoral degrees in Exercise Physiology," you are just as ignorant as these pitching coaches you talk about. A lot has changed in the field of Athletic Training since you played, open a book! Oh, any sports Med Training? My Ex Phys. Prof. Spent more time working on VO2Max and cardiac health. If you have a doctorate in Biomech/Kinesology I could take some of your "Doc in the Box" rhetoric more seriously. Do you count cal's for the pitchers, being ignorant is fun! :) If you really think you can be "injury free" I feel sorry for you. I hope this is an effort to dupe people into buying tapes from a gym coach. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, let's talk. When I talk about Athletic Trainers, I am speaking specifically about how they treat baseball pitchers when they complain about soreness. What do you tell these baseball pitchers? But, do not feel bad, I feel the same way about orthopedic surgeons. They do not have any answers either. I have nothing against anybody who does not have the answers. I know very little about most things. But, I know a great deal about baseball pitching. Ignorance does not bother me, stupidity does. It is stupidity that continues to destroy the pitching arms of baseball pitchers. If you want to end your ignorance about baseball pitching, then read my Coaching Baseball Pitching book and watch my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. Then, I look forward to a collegial debate. Let's start with a couple of simple questions. What do you think causes 'traditional' baseball pitchers to rupture their Ulnar Collateral Ligament? Why do you think that pronating the releases of their baseball pitches prevents baseball pitchers from slamming the olecranon process of their pitching elbow into its fossa? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 321. I am trying to educate my roommate, but he is skeptical. I am greatly looking forward to your new video, I hope is will be ready soon. Can you explain to me what actually makes someone throw as hard as they do, and some throw harder or not as hard? I know that it is how they apply force and for how long, but I am wondering, does fast twitch muscle have anything to do with it? Which muscles actually apply the force and does the tightness of ligaments and thickness and strength of them play into velocity also? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am doing absolutely everything that I personally can to get DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video read to ship. Unfortunately, I do not have the expertise to do these final stages. I apologize. Genetically, we are not all created equally. That is, some of us have the ability to contract our muscles faster that others. 01. The percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers accounts for some of this. 02. Nerve conduction velocity accounts for some of this. 03. The precision of the motor unit contraction and relaxation sequence accounts for some of this. 04. The efficiency of the force application accounts for some of this. 05. The physiological limits of the bones, ligaments, tendons and muscle associated with baseball pitching accounts for some of this. 06. The amount of deformation of the bones and ligaments as a result to too much youth baseball pitching accounts for some of this. 07. The amount of substrate baseball pitchers store in these muscle fibers accounts for some of this. 08. The number of mitochondria in these muscle fibers account for some of this. 09. The ability of these muscle fibers to resynthesize Adenosine-Tri-Phosphate accounts for some of this. 10. The number of capillaries that serve these muscle fibers account for some of this. And so on. In short, to achieve their genetic maximum release velocity, baseball pitchers have to perfect my baseball pitching motion and complete my training programs. When they do, they will account for all the above factors. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 322. I just returned from San Diego, and the final three games of the inaugural WBC. I couldn't help but notice, the Japanese pitchers have totally different mechanics and delivery, than USA pitchers do. Have you noticed this yourself? Do you know if they have lessened arm and shoulder injuries? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I did not watch any World Baseball Classic games. I did not see how Japanese baseball pitchers apply their force. I have no information regarding injuries that Japanese baseball pitchers suffer. However, from what I have seen of the Japanese baseball pitchers who pitch in our Major Leagues and from what I have read about a double-spiral pitching motion and a gyro pitch that some Japanese biomechanists recommend, I would be surprised if the Japanese do not use some version of the 'traditional' pitching motion and suffer the same problems. If I could watch some high-speed film of Japanese baseball pitchers, then I could analyze what they do and tell you what injuries they will suffer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 323. I hope you don't mind me emailing you all the time. I guess I have a thirst for knowledge, especially when it involves baseball and pitching. You say that I shouldn't stress my body with the training program while I competitively pitch, which makes sense to me. I think I remember you telling me that I should just use the ten pound wrist weights and six pound iron ball and do 48 pitch specific repetitions for each. What that correct? Also, will this interfere with my pitching at all? I want to make sure that I don't over-stress my body. I am taking your advice about bringing my arm to driveline height before my front foot lands and also driving the baseball straight toward home plate. After I have finished the season, can I pick up were I left all with the training program, or would I have to start all over again? Thanks again for your input. If I'm bothering you with too many emails, just let me know. I'm just trying to be the best pitcher that I can possibly be, and with your help I know that I will do that, in time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The only questions that I mind answering are those questions that I have answered many times before. I only ask that questioners read my material before they ask questions. Even then, if I have not answered questions well enough to satisfy readers, I welcome another opportunity. As I understand your situation, you started my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. However, you were only able to complete the first training cycle before you had to report to spring training. This means that you used my Pickoff with Step body action; Slingshot glove and pitching arm action drill. I designed this drill to teach baseball pitchers how to pull their glove hand straight backward, how to drive their pitching hand straight forward and how to lean their shoulders back through release. In addition to these skills, you should have learned how to pronate the releases of my Maxline Fastball, Maxline True Screwball, Maxline Pronation Curve and Torque Fastball. If you have learned these skills, then you are doing well. Unfortunately, you have not worked with my Wrong Foot Loaded Slingshot drill, my Wrong Foot Pendulum Swing drill, my One Step Crow-Hop Pendulum Swing drill, My Wind-Up Pendulum Swing drill or my Set Position Pendulum Swing drill. Therefore, while it is good that you get your pitching hand to driveline height before your glove foot land, I doubt that you have perfected your straight line drive. Nevertheless, if you have eliminated your 'Late Pitching Forearm Turnover,' then you will not have 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce.' This means that you will not rupture your Ulnar Collateral Ligament. I expect that you are still using your pitching upper arm to pull your pitching forearm forward, which means that you still have 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' However, if you can pronate the releases of your pitches, then you will not slam the olecranon process of your pitching elbow into its fossa. Every day, you need to continue to do the drill that you were doing when you started spring training. That is, with your ten pound wrist weight, six pound iron ball, appropriately-sized football and baseballs, you should do twenty-four repetitions of my Pickoff with Step Slingshot drill every day between now and when you arrive at my Pitching Research/Training Center. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 324. In 1973, I was a walk-on second baseman at Michigan State. I played football against your independent A touch football team and watched you in the batting cage working out in the winter. Your advice back then helped me improve my rag arm. I was one of 10 guys you helped that winter and while it's a bit late, I wanted to say thanks. My son is now 15 and began pitching 3 years ago. His 6' 215 and throws fairly hard. I will introduce him to your workout program for high school age pitchers with the hope he will remain as committed as he has been for the last two years. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you or your son have any questions at any time, please email them to me. Together, we will help him become the best baseball pitcher that he wants to be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 325. You asked me, "What do you tell baseball pitchers (when they complain of soreness?" I hope you are not saying you can't have "soreness." You have a Ph.D. in Physiology and don't believe in the SAID principle? Throwing has a large eccentric portion and eccentric activities stress tissue, i.e., soreness. When you say "soreness," that leaves a large grey area so it is easy to say you shouldn't have it. All my pitchers from youth to pro have programs to work on. This is based on the kinetic chain and dispersing forces throughout the body. You asked me, "What do you think causes 'traditional' baseball pitchers to rupture their Ulnar Collateral Ligament?" There is no one reason for this. I know it helps you sell books and makes it easy for moms's/dads to understand, but it's not that easy. Do I think young kids are over-pitched? YES! Do I think the youngest kids have the most "ill-skilled" coaches? YES! Poor mechanics, poor conditioning and fatigue are the main reasons for UCL tears. I know you talk about the "skeletally mature athlete." We have 800 athletes here from all ages, but, in tennis, some of them are only 8. They play in upwards of 6 hours/day. Do I see stress reactions? Yes, but not at the rate one would think. Some studies have shown that you gain your "fast twitch" fibers at a young age. Fast twitch help that tennis kid hit aces and the pitcher to throw "hard." If you are in a controlled environment with good coaching your body will adapt to these stress's (SAID). I need to read your info, but I think you do a good job of packaging a "program" for young people or novice coaches. This is better than the "chuck and chase" little league approach many kids go through. You asked me, "Why do you think that pronating the releases of their baseball pitches prevents baseball pitchers from slamming the olecranon process of their pitching elbow into its fossa?" You don't throw with terminal extension, but I see where you are going. Most UCL injuries I see are related to shoulder girdle weakness. As the innings pile up kinetic chain breaks down and elbow drops. This puts more stress on the UCL. You paint a picture with a broad brush. I see more elbow pain with catchers due to their short motion. One problem is over-pronating! Over-pronation can create internal rotation at the glenohumeral joint resulting in impingement. Pronation, Adduction and GH internal rotation = O'breins test - "SLAP TEST". I'm sorry I took the low road on my first email, but you fired me up. I need to read your program before I can comment on that part of it. I'm a student of the game and learn all the time. I don't turn a blind eye to any "different" information. Your method for delivery is what was at fault. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, now this is fun. 01. "What do you tell these baseball pitchers?" Of course athletes experience soreness. But, not all soreness means something bad. Whenever athletes place more stress on their body than usual, the weak link in the kinetic chain will not be able to withstand the stress. For example, because I want my pitchers to powerfully pronate the releases of all pitches, when I ask them for their daily discomfort report, they frequently tell me, Pronator Teres. This is good. I tell them to continue. But, I have an advantage. I know how they are applying force to their pitches. I know that I do not have to worry about their Ulnar Collateral Ligament. I know that I do not have to worry about their Olecranon Fossa. I know that I do not have to worry about the Humeral insertion of their Subscapularis muscle. 02. "What do you think causes 'traditional' baseball pitchers to rupture their Ulnar Collateral Ligament." The 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' injurious flaw inherent in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion ruptures the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Because, in my baseball pitching motion, I have eliminated 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce,' it is impossible for my baseball pitchers to rupture their Ulnar Collateral Ligament. 03. "Why do you think that pronating the releases of their baseball pitches prevents baseball pitchers from slamming the olecranon process of their pitching elbow into it's fossa?" The Pronator Teres muscle arises from the Medial Epicondyle of the Humerus bone and attaches to middle of the lateral surface of the Radius bone. Therefore, when the Pronator Teres muscle contracts, it not only rotate the Radius bone closer to the Ulna bone of the forearm, but it also moves the Radius bone anteriorly closer to the Humerus bone. In other words, the Pronator Teres muscle operates like a two-joint muscle that while it pronates the forearm joint, it also flexes the elbow joint. As a result of this elbow flexion, it is impossible for baseball pitchers to slam the Olecranon Process of their pitching elbow into it's fossa. Therefore, it is impossible to pronate too hard. While inwardly rotating the shoulder joint and pronating the forearm go hand in hand, when baseball pitchers drive their pitching hand straight forward, they do not inwardly rotate their shoulder joint. It is anatomically impossible for the Humerus bone to touch the Acromial Process. Therefore, there is no such thing an impingement. During all of my professional baseball pitching career and college baseball coaching career, whenever athletic trainers talked to my pitchers and my pitchers told them of their soreness, the first thing that the trainers did was to put ice on it and the second was to tell them to not touch a baseball for several days. Orthopedic surgeons do the same thing. When trainers and orthopedic surgeons do not understand why pitchers have discomfort, they take what they think is the safe course of action. Unfortunately, rest increases atrophy, not the ability to withstand appropriately applied stress. With my pitching motion and after they complete my interval-training programs, my baseball pitchers throw a minimum of one hundred and forty-four wrist weights, iron balls, footballs and baseball every day without any discomfort during or after training. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 326. Are you interested in research material? First, I apologize for the long e-mail. I want to provide you with as much of the total picture as possible in an e-mail. My goal is to provide you with information you can use for research that can assist in helping people understand adolescent injuries. My son was diagnosed with Osteochondritis Dissecans after turning 11 years old in October of 2004. The injury resulted from repeated blows to his right elbow as a running back during football. We followed the advice of the orthopedic surgeon and stopped all activity with his right arm until the injury completed the process of healing. During 2005 baseball my son started throwing left handed and with the approval of the orthopedic surgeon he played half of the season; however, we maintained a close relationship with the physician and monitored the progress of his right elbow. The injury progressed through the healing process as predicted. Approximately 14 months from the time he was diagnosed until the X-rays revealed complete healing. During the healing process a piece of the bone fell off and lodged in a position that prevent complete arm extension. After we verified total healing of Osteochondritis Dissecans the doctor had to scope the elbow to remove a 1.5 cm chip. There is no evidence of any cartilage damage or evidence of bone damage as a result of the chip. We speculate that the bone chip might have been a slight deformity that fell off and might be a “blessing” in disguise. We are doing physical therapy three times per week with a professional and exercises at home each evening to increase the movement with the goal of obtaining 100% movement. Currently he has progressed from -62 degrees to -27 degrees (if that is the correct way to measure extension) or increased more than 50%. We are getting very close. To give you an idea of his body type/maturation age: My son went through puberty at 11.75 to 12 years old and is currently shaving (occasionally), 5’6” 135 pounds, size 12 shoes and very muscular. He has always been one of the tallest, fastest and strongest kids in his class. His athletic skills are advanced beyond most kids his age. He is significantly stronger, faster than most, but he is only 12. We are not the type of people that promote our children at such a young age. If our children are gifted we will have plenty of time to promote after they reach their sophomore year in high school. Right now we want to have fun and play baseball. You may not care or find the following useful for your research but I want you to understand our parental commitment to athletics. I am an engineer and my wife is an RN and we do not have the professional credentials to make an authoritative assessment of a kid’s future athletic performance. We as parents will not do the 50, 60, or 80 game sport seasons until our children are 13 years old or greater and posses the mental and physical maturity to maintain the responsibility and commitment to an extended athletic endeavor. In my opinion based upon experience and various publications, we really do not know how any kid’s performance below 14 years old will translate into his performance as a high school player; therefore I will not attempt to judge a kids future opportunities. I manage and coach a 12U travel baseball team in order to teach proper mechanics, skills, strategies, and control the number of games per season to a maximum of 40 games. We have people in our community playing a minimum of 80 games while traveling all over the Midwest with teams of 10, 11, and 12 year old boys. I think that is nuts. Would you be interested in progressive X-rays, DVD of the surgery and possibly the MRI for your research? If you are interested I will do what I can to obtain the x-rays and MRI and send them to you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I do not have to tell you, your wife or your son that youth athletics are not harmless fun. Even with the presumably moderate approach that your family has taken, your son is suffering permanent damage to his growing bones. To determine your son's biological age, you need to have front and side view X-rays taken from mid-upper arm to mid-forearm of both this glove and pitching arms, make copies and send them to me. I will tell you his biological age and whatever changes have occurred in his elbow growth plates. I doubt that the piece of hyaline cartilage that the doctor found in your son's pitching elbow was from a slight deformity that fell off. That your son cannot fully extend his pitching elbow indicates that, a result of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, your son has been slamming the olecranon process of his pitching elbow into its fossa. This is but one of many dirty secrets about the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion that 'traditional' baseball pitching coaches do not tell you. They all know that this injury and many other serious, permanent injuries occur to 'traditional' baseball pitchers, but they don't get paid to protect your son's pitching arm. Maybe it is time for you to rethink the merit of twelve year old travel baseball teams. Certainly, it is clear that you do not know the proper mechanics for baseball pitching. Even with your enlightened view of ten, eleven and twelve year olds playing eighty baseball games, you have destroyed your son's pitching arm. Rather than chronological age, I recommend that youth sport programs group adolescent athletes based on biological age, rather than chronological age. Chronological age accounts for less than fifty percent of the physiological age of adolescent males. That your son is so much bigger, faster, stronger and skilled that other chronological twelve year olds and shaves indicate that he is at least fifteen biological years old. When compared with other biological fifteen year olds, his size and athletic abilities are below average. What will happen to his self-image when he realizes this and that he will stop growing several years before his same chronologically aged friends? What I am trying to say is that chronological age grouping not only harms the delayed maturing athletes by excluding them, but also harms the accelerated maturing athletes with false hopes and dreams. I worry far more about how your son will deal with these problems than whether he will ever pitch again. Until youth baseball pitchers are biologically sixteen years old when all growth plates in their elbows mature, I recommend that they do not competitively for more than two consecutive months per year. Until youth baseball pitchers are biologically thirteen years old when the growth plates on the elbow end of the Humerus bone of their pitching upper arm completely mature, I recommend that youth baseball pitchers do not pitch competitively at all. Between when youth baseball pitchers are biologically thirteen years old and sixteen years old, I recommend that youth baseball pitchers pitch only one inning per game no more than twice a week. Lastly, I recommend that, before they are biologically thirteen years old, all youth baseball pitchers complete my First, Second, Third and Fourth 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Program. If all youth baseball pitchers follow my recommendations, then, when they are biologically sixteen years old, they will have non-deformed bones in their pitching arms and will be the best baseball pitcher that their genetics and motor learning abilities enable them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 327. What can you tell me about BRAIN PROCESSING? I have the tools to time BRAIN PROCESSING. FOR EXAMPLE, I CAN TIME a hitters reaction time to starting his trigger when he bats. 3 of my best hitters were consistently timed at 2 1/2 tenths of a sec, which should mean that if they time a 85 mph fastball out of the pitcher's hand they have 1 tenth of a sec to hit the pitch. Also it is the same with a pitcher, if he takes 2 1/2 sec to react to his trigger, does it take that long also for him to recognize his target and get his brain to process the message to his body parts to hit that target. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How quickly athletes can make a programmed response to a specific stimuli is a learned skill, not a reflex. Therefore, with more training, they can respond more quickly. Of course, there is a physiological limit. For example, the velocity of their nerve conduction velocity limits how quickly their motor nerves can activate their muscle fibers. When I train baseball batters, it is all stimulus/response training. I provide baseball pitches in one of the nine strike zone locations and require a specific response. After a thousand or so perfect responses, they can appropriately respond to the stimulus. The only reason why high-quality baseball batters hit the baseball hard less than one-half the time is that they have either not sufficiently practiced their stimulus/response drills or their responses are biomechanically inadequate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 328. Thank you for your reply. Quite frankly, I did not think I would hear back from you. I appreciate the exchange and would like to offer some thoughts to you as a woman and mother. Your list of degrees and accomplishments certainly recommend you as an expert. I respect and admire education; I know it to be a way of accumulating information that can then be turned around to help others (or self, as the case may be). I am surrounded by educated people. My husband is an attorney, all of my children are either college graduated and successful or, in the case of our youngest son, on his way. What I have found to be true about education is that what we learn is acadmeic and how we use it must be practical if it is to be of any value to the world. Because, quite frankly, the world is not an academic, controlled experiment. All the degrees in the world could not have prepared me to be a mother. To clarify my son's condition, Dr. Tom House did not create the need for surgery. He probably kept Stephen away from it all through high school. Our son began pitching at 9, joined a travel team at 10 and played year round baseball from the the age of 11 through high school. Not because we demanded he do it, he simply loved it so much we allowed him to choose it. The coaches at his high school were uninformed regarding training and so they invited Dr. House to the school and that is how we met. By the time my son was 15 years old he had already been pitching 6 years. While he had amazing travel team coaches who had been professional athletes and had protected his arm quite well, the early years of high school were challenging. He played football and baseball and it was the football training that originally got him in trouble. He entered a west coast college as a freshman student athlete and trained with them. He was redshirted and basically cut loose from the restriction of working out with the team. To put it bluntly, they left him on his own. His goal then became one of developing a bigger butt, stronger upper body, abs, etc, and to gain weight so he could throw over 90. He is a junk pitcher (he ended his season last year with a 1.46 ERA and is headed toward another amazing season this year) but he also understood to be considered seriously for professional ball he needed to push for 90 mph...AND...his coaches would not play him unless his speed increased. He ached to play baseball but because of his redshirting the opportunity did not present itself. He was placed on a team in the midwest. He spent five days driving there, literally jumped out of his truck, put on a uniform, and pitched in a game. He struck out something like 8 of the 9 batters he faced. That is when he hurt his arm. His love and passion for the game overrode his common sense. He had been sitting in a car for five days and then, after being absent from the mound for months, he exploded and he pulled something in his shoulder. Again, to be quite clear, it was not Tom. While I recognize that you are an accomplished player and coach, I must also say that you have left an impression with me that you do not know Dr. Tom House or the work he is currently doing. You portray him as someone who does not care. You could not be further from the truth. So when I say "you all" I am talking about making blanket statements and accusations about others in order, it appears, to make yourself "right." With all respect due to you, it diminishes my ability as a mother to trust you, even if your methodology works. You and Tom are more alike than you are different. The only difference is that I have NEVER heard Tom bad-mouth another coach, not to me. He is quite honest about himself and the mistakes he has made over the years. But he has adjusted, grown, and evolved. The only time I have heard him go even remotely ballistic was when my son's college coach had him taking mass amounts of ibuprofen before pitching. Unfortunately right now for my son not to feel pain, he does it anyway. My son has determined this is his last year of baseball. Not because he does not love it but because he is just wants to move on with his life. While I wish that life came with rules that allowed for us to have ideal experiences, it simply does not. Youth sports will continue and I believe it has a purposeful and powerful place in the lives of our sons. It is the last bastion of coming of age for a generation of boys who need to become strong and responsible men. My complaint, and it is the most sincere one I can communicate to you, is that there are too many coaches at odds with one another so the information to parents is murky and spoiled. I once had a teacher tell me when one of my fingers was pointing at someone else there were three pointing back in my direction. It is hard to know who to trust when it comes to placing your children in the hands of coaches whose fingers are wagging all over the place. I would suggest, quite kindly, that you engage somehow in a conversation with Dr. House to research and find out what he is doing before you pass on your judgment to other individuals. He is a good coach and a good, caring man. It appears that you may also be in the same category. Unfortunately, who you are speaks so loud I cannot hear what you have to say. And yes, we are on the same page when it comes to helping boys. It is just that our pages happen to come out of different books. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If, at fifteen years old, your son learned my pitching motion and completed my interval-training programs, then he would never have injured his pitching arm no matter how foolishly he used it. What Tom House taught him destroyed his pitching arm, not a long drive. I am well aware of Mr. House's apology to at the College Baseball Coaches national meeting several years ago. He made that apology for injuriously teaching baseball pitchers for the preceding twenty-two years after I told him that his 'high guard' pitching position ruptured Ulnar Collateral Ligaments. Now, he has stolen a Japanese concept and calls it 'fast arm.' This also destroys pitching arms. Mr. House is well aware of what I teach. I have told him to steal it all, just stop destroying pitching arms. He has sent people to my Pitching Research/Training Center. I have invited him to come. All I want from him is to stop destroying pitching arms. But, he keeps putting out ridiculous videos that continue to destroy pitching arms. All your rationalizing and clever verbiage does not change the fact that credentials are important. I have them, neither you nor Tom House do. Common sense is the fools excuse for lack of knowledge. Knowledge comes from years of hard work, scientific research and caring, not conning. That you call Mr. House, Dr. House insults those of us who did the years of hard work and scientific research and earned our doctoral degrees. You don't get real doctoral degrees by just hanging around for a couple of more years. Lastly, telling the truth with factual examples is not name-calling. Mr. House has every opportunity to dispute that facts as I present them. Please understand, I don't personally give a care about Mr. House one way or the other, I want to stop what he is doing to baseball pitchers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 329. I am baseball coach and yesterday I was hearing about double spin mechanic. Could you explain about that? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In my 2005 Question/Answer file, I discussed the double spin mechanic that the Japanese advocate in questions #735 and #736. In my 2006 Question/Answer file, I again discuss the double spin mechanic in questions #032 and #277. Basically, it is biomechanical nonsense that destroys pitching arms. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 330. I was wondering if the 2005 Flaws and Solutions Video was ever produced and if it was available for purchase or download. Specifically, I was hoping to see video of Justin Steinbach. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rather than put out a video with just the injurious and biomechanical flaws in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion and what I recommend to eliminate those flaws, I decided to include that discussion in my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. While I have a short high-speed film clip of Mr. Steinbach releasing my Maxline Pronation Curve in my 2006 video, I have a couple of complete high-speed film clips of him in my 2004 video. Unfortunately, I am out of 2004 videos and no longer make them. However, I am sure that I have given him a VHS copy of all his high-speed film clips. Since it appears that you know him, you might ask him to show you his personal video. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 331. You wrote, "It is anatomically impossible for the Humerus bone to touch the Acromial Process. Therefore, there is no such thing an impingement." Well, impingement isn't the humerus making contact with the Acromium. There are several types of impingement with 3 types of acromium. Soft tissue is compressed or impinged not bone on bone. If an athlete were to over pronate, into a thumb down the humerus would be internally rotated. Again, you don't throw with terminal extension. I do believe that you should be "more pronated" than supinated though. You wrote, "During all of my professional baseball pitching career and college baseball coaching career, whenever athletic trainers talked to my pitchers and my pitchers told them of their soreness, the first thing that the trainers did was to put ice on it and the second was to tell them to not touch a baseball for several days. Orthopedic surgeons do the same thing. When trainers and orthopedic surgeons do not understand why pitchers have discomfort, they take what they think is the safe course of action. Unfortunately, rest increases atrophy, not the ability to withstand appropriately applied stress. With my pitching motion and after they complete my interval-training programs, my baseball pitchers throw a minimum of one hundred and forty-four wrist weights, iron balls, footballs and baseball every day without any discomfort during or after training." This is the part you are just a little ignorant on. I can't blame you because the athletic trainers in your day didn't have much if any education. If you look around on the NATA you can see what education we have to complete these days. Anyway, I'm not a "Ice and Stim Jim" and I do understand why my pitchers are sore. I don't see many inflamed elbows in my pitchers as stated before. The problem starts at the shoulder girdle and I my guys are on programs to help facilitate neuromuscular activity and muscular endurance. I need to look your program over to see if you address some of the things I do, such as neural tension. What do you feel about posterior cuff/capsule tightness? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. Let's keep in mind that we are talking about baseball pitching. I said that it is anatomically impossible for the Humerus bone to touch the acromial process. Baseball pitchers cannot abduct the Humerus bone of their pitching arm any higher than parallel with the line across the top of their shoulders. I have my Grant's Atlas of Anatomy opened to the dissections of the shoulder joint. What soft tissue are you talking about? There is no such thing as over-pronation. The Radius bone rotates toward the Ulna bone. When they touch, it cannot rotate any farther. The forearm joint operates independent from the shoulder joint. We can pronate and supinate the forearm joint without inwardly rotating the shoulder joint. But, what is the concern about inwardly rotating the shoulder joint? Several very powerful muscles inwardly rotate the shoulder joint. Shoulder joint inward rotation is good. Forearm pronation is good. Forearm pronation and forearm supination are antagonistic activities. Therefore, when athletes powerfully pronate their forearm, those muscles that supinate that pronation have to decelerate the powerful pronation. This means that athletes can only pronate as powerfully as they can supinate their forearm. I see where you have dropped your terminal extension argument. Does that mean that you now understand how pronating the pitching forearm protects the olecranon fossa? 02. What problem starts with the Shoulder Girdle? During the acceleration phase of baseball pitching, the Scapula serves as the foundation against which the pitching arm operates. The critical joint action is Shoulder Girdle Abduction. This action requires the Serratus Anterior muscle. How is this a problem? During the deceleration phase of baseball pitching, the Scapula moves back toward the vertebral column. The critical joint action is Shoulder Girdle Adduction. This action requires the Rhomboid Major and Minor muscles. How is this a problem? What programs do you have that helps facilitate neuromuscular activity and muscular endurance for baseball pitching? What do you think neuromuscular activity is? What do you think muscular endurance is? How do your programs increase neuromuscular activity for baseball pitching? How do your programs increase muscular endurance for baseball pitching? How do you define 'neural tension'? Why do you think baseball pitchers need to address 'neural tension'? What do you think makes up the 'posterior cuff'? What do you think makes up the 'posterior capsule'? What do you think makes the 'posterior cuff/capsule tight? When you say, 'posterior cuff/capsule tightness,' are you talking about how far baseball pitchers can outwardly rotate their abducted Humerus bone during their pitching motion? What limits the ability of baseball pitchers to outwardly rotate their shoulder joint? Can you name the muscles that, during the baseball pitching motion, outwardly rotate the shoulder joint? Can you name the muscles that, during the baseball pitching motion, inwardly rotate the shoulder joint? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 332. So timing is not involved? Also, I heard about the nine strike zone locations theory recently, what do you call the nine areas? Did someone steal this from you? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baseball batters must learn how to coordinate every segment of their body to place the center of mass of their baseball bat on the contact line at the precise location and moment the pitched baseball cross it. In layman's terms, that is timing. In the order that I teach them, the nine areas of the strike zone are: 01. High, Away 02. Middle, Away 03. Low, Away 04. High, Middle 05. Middle, Middle 06. Low, Middle 07. High, Inside 08. Middle, Inside 09. Low, Inside I first used this teaching sequence in 1965. If someone else uses it, that is great. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 333. I'm anxiously awaiting your video as the season has already started. My questions revolve around youth baseball. I know you don't want kids to pitch before age 13, but unfortunately, if that was implemented in my kids' league, it would cease to exist. We already lose 80%-90% of the kids by age 13 and over 90% by age 15. My sons, 7 and 8, both play in a kid pitch league and I try to limit the time they pitch. However, I have more concerns with their throwing in general. The vast majority of kids who pitch from ages 7-10 throw much less frequently and much softer when pitching than they do when playing the infield or outfield. In fact, far too many kids arrive at practice and just grab a ball and start heaving it as hard as they can. My 7 year old can throw very hard, but he whips the ball backwards behind his head so that I see it on the glove side of his head (this is when throwing, not pitching). I'm trying to teach him the pendulum swing and locking the upper arm with the shoulder, but it is slow going and I haven't seen your video so I'm kind of guessing. My question is, does your motion reduce the potential for growth plate closure and arm injury for all types of throwing and why would pitching be more harmful than throwing? I think I read that no one is quite sure what causes premature growth plate closure, but do you believe trauma can occur just from the stress of throwing or is it mostly due to the process/fossa slamming you describe. Also, you have said numerous times that muscles don't stretch (though my wife would disagree during her 3 pregnancies:) so should anything be done before throwing or running? I've been told to stretch for every sport I've played but have remained completely inflexible (I can't even sit cross legged on the floor). Yet after college, I rarely warmed up for anything (hockey, baseball, softball etc) yet have only strained one muscle in my life. I want the kids to learn to warm up properly, but every other source says stretching is paramount. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. The reason why you lose those kids is because that league exists. 02. The reason why kids throw softer when pitching than when they play in the field is because they do not use the crow-hop throwing rhythm when they pitch. 03. At seven years old, your son should not be learning my pendulum swing. He needs to learn how to not generate horizontal centripetal force. My First 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Program teaches him this skill. 04. I say that youth baseball pitchers start pitching too early, pitch too much, pitch for too long a time period each year and apply force injuriously. My pitching motion does reduce the last variable. But, to prevent any damage to the growth plates in your son's pitching elbow, he must follow all guidelines. How will you feel when your son permanently deforms his pitching arm. If he pitches at seven years old, even if he uses my pitching motion, I guarantee you that he will. 05. A couple of years ago, the Center for Disease Control verified my belief that 'stretching' injures people. Muscles do not lengthen, they tear. When pregnant, the Rectus Abdominis muscle splits and moves to the side. It does not lengthen. However, I cannot say the same for the skin and connective tissue. I recommend that youth baseball pitchers do not pitch competitively until they are BIOLOGICALLY thirteen years old. To understand what percentage of chronological eleven through fifteen year old youth baseball pitchers this includes, you need to look at the table I provide in Chapter Five of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book. In my 1979 doctoral dissertation, I compared the chronological ages (CA) of 1571 adolescent males with my estimate of their skeletal ages (ESA). (In the parentheses, I provide the percent of subjects at each chronological age.) Estimated Skeletal Ages and Chronological Ages of 1571 Adolescent Males |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |ESA\CA| 11.0 | 12.0 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 | 16.0 | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11.0 |17(43.6%)| 45(20.7%)| 10(01.8%)| | | | | 12.0 |20(51.3%)|104(47.9%)|140(25.1%)| 31(06.5%)| 4(01.7%)| | | 13.0 | 2(05.1%)| 50(23.0%)|215(38.5%)|109(22.9%)| 14(06.0%)| | | 14.0 | | 15(06.9%)|150(26.9%)|173(36.3%)| 47(20.0%)| 4(08.7%)| | 15.0 | | 3(01.4%)| 38(06.8%)|136(28.6%)|110(46.8%)| 16(34.8%)| | 16.0 | | | 4(00.7%)| 24(05.0%)| 53(22.5%)| 21(45.7%)| | 17.0 | | | 1(00.2%)| 3(00.1%)| 7(03.0%)| 5(10.9%)| |-----------------------------------------------------------------------| |Total | 39 | 217 | 558 | 476 | 235 | 46 | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|01. At chronological eleven years old, a little over five percent of youth baseball pitchers are biologically thirteen years old and are biologically ready to competitively pitch one inning twice a week for two consecutive months each year until they are biologically sixteen years old. 02. At chronological twelve years old, almost one-third of youth baseball pitchers are biologically thirteen years old and are biologically ready to competitively pitch one inning twice a week for two consecutive months each year until they are biologically sixteen years old. 03. At chronological thirteen years old, almost three-quarters of youth baseball pitchers are biologically thirteen years old and are biologically ready to competitively pitch one inning twice a week for two consecutive months each year until they are biologically sixteen years old. 04. At chronological fourteen years old, over ninety percent of youth baseball pitchers are biologically thirteen years old and are biologically ready to competitively pitch one inning twice a week for two consecutive months each year until they are biologically sixteen years old. 05. At chronological fifteen years old, ninety-eight percent of youth baseball pitchers are biologically thirteen years old and are biologically ready to competitively pitch one inning twice a week for two consecutive months each year until they are biologically sixteen years old. Like with the President's Physical Fitness Award, a primary reason why youngsters drop out of youth athletic competitions is that the way that these competitions group youngsters is unfair. That is, chronological age accounts for less than fifty percent of the biological variability between adolescent males. If you look at the column in my table for chronological twelve year olds, then you will see that 8.3% are biologically fourteen and fifteen years old. What chance do you think that the 20.7% that are biologically eleven years old have? That is why they quit. Then, when that 8.3% become fifteen years old, they have stopped growing and the equated maturers become bigger, faster and stronger than they are. As a result, with their self-image shattered, they quit. We teach ninety percent of our sons to hate athletics. Aren't we all proud of the youth athletic programs that we provide for our sons? To teach my pitching motion, I have provided four 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Programs. Rather than participate in seven to ten chronological year old leagues, I recommend that parents spend sixty summer days with these programs. With my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, until they graduate from high school, parents will be the best pitching coaches that their sons can have. The proper definition of warm-up is to increase the blood flow to the working muscles. Therefore, to warm-up the baseball throwing muscles, baseball pitchers need to mildly exercise their arms. I have my guys start with my Pronated Swing and One Step Crow-Hop with Shakedowns wrist weight exercises. When your boys are biologically eleven years old, they can do my wrist weight exercises with two and one-half pound wrist weights. Until then, they can do these exercises without any weights strapped around their wrists. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 334. I was wondering if you are catching 3 innings, is it ok to then go and pitch 3 inning in the same game (9 yrs old) is there going to be any negative effect on your arm? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because I recommend that youth baseball pitchers do not pitch competitively until they are biologically thirteen years old, I certainly would never agree to allow a chronological nine year old pitch three innings under any circumstances. Even if your son were biologically thirteen years old, I would not allow him to pitch more than one inning per game more than twice a week until he is biologically sixteen years old. Instead of destroying the growth plates in his pitching elbow at nine years old, he should be completing the first of my four Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Programs. With my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, until he graduates from high school, you will be the best pitching coach that he could have. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 335. My 14 yr old son has had arm problems over the last 2 years. He complained of both elbow and shoulder pain during this course of time and has never completed a full season because one thing I have instilled in my son was that it is not normal to have pain when you are pitching. When the pain continued, I pulled him off the team that he was playing on to try and prevent any future permanent damage to his arm. As late as this fall, he tried out and made his H.S. fall ball team, but he continued to complain of pain, so I took him off the team before we even played 1 game. I took him to a sports orthopedics doctor who x-rayed both shoulders and elbows and was informed that he could not find any structural damage to either his shoulder or elbow. He informed me that the pain he was experiencing was due to either bad mechanics or he just threw to hard for his arm to withstand. At the time of this diagnosis, I knew the pain wasn't caused by overuse and felt it wasn't due to bad mechanics even though he has had professional pitching lessons and was told his mechanics was close to perfect. Looking for a solution to my son's problem I happen to stumble on to your website and found that the problems he was having was due to his pitching mechanics which was close to perfect (Traditional pitching motion) and knew that he had to drastically change the way he threw in order to have any chance to pitch in HS or college. My son and I visited your pitching school last fall and both of us were impressed on how your students performed your drills and exercises and I purchased your video right there on the spot. During the fall season, my son performed your drills and exercises especially the 5lb. wrist weight exercises. This spring he again tried out and made his H.S. JV spring team. But, he was told because of his past arm problems in the fall, they wanted to protect his arm for the future (he throws 80 MPH) and would only use him as a closer. So far the team has played only 5 games and he has pitched a total of 3 innings and the results so far have been amazing. Following your described pitching motion, (which at this writing he has not perfected and stills needs more work), he has noticed the following immediate results: 1) He no longer pitches in pain or does he have any discomfort in either his elbow or shoulder. Your pitching motion has greatly reduced the amount of stress he places on both his elbow and shoulder. 2) Your pitching motion (straight line force) has definitely caused an increase in speed on his fastball. 3) Your pitching motion has resulted in my son having greater command of his pitches. In the 3 inning, he has pitched (against mainly 15 & 16 year olds), he has faced a total of 11 batters giving up (0 runs; 0 Walks; 1 Hit; 1 HB; 5 K's). He has thrown a total of 37 pitches in the 3 innings and 31 of the pitches have been strikes. I do not know want his future holds as a pitcher, but I do know that thanks to your book and video he is on the right track to becoming the best pitcher he can be. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I congratulate you and your son, first, for recognizing that the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion was destroying his pitching arm and second, for working so hard and well to incorporate my pitching motion so quickly. As soon as I have DVD copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video ready to ship, I will send you your copy. With this video, you and he can improve his driveline even more. In my video, I recommend that biological thirteen year olds can also start using five pound wrist weights to perform my wrist weight drills and using a four pound iron ball to perform my iron ball drills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 336. In the tenuous world of sports, especially baseball, the only lighthouse in our troubled sea when my son was 15 was Tom. Your lighthouse was not where on the horizon. What your emails basically conveyed to me was that I chose someone who destroyed my son's arm. The part of the puzzle you, as a coach must know, is that even if God Himself had been my son's personal coach, the other coaches he had to play under wouldn't have listened to him any way. And that, my friend, is why as a mother I am so upset and was so upset by your responses. No one agrees. My book is placing me in the honored position of being looked to for guidance by mother's of athletes in many different areas. It is my intention and goal to offer information to them that will help them. Therefore, I would request a truce. If you are interested in helping me understand your position I am willing to hear. But you must know that I believe there are as many ways to get to Los Angeles are there are roads and therefore must be able to agree to disagree when it comes to these matters. You are right, I am not an expert, but I am a broker of information. I believe you to be as passionate with your position as I am with my desire to get information to mothers. If you cannot agree to disagree then we really have no path to travel. You can be assured that I will not mention your name in vain should you choose silence. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First, let me make one thing perfectly clear. I do not consider us at odds at all. I don't have any information with which to disagree with your comments that Mr. House is a personable guy. I am on the side of all parents who want their sons to safely pitch baseball. I believe that if the Moms of all youth baseball pitchers were as involved as you are, then we would eliminate all pitching injuries. I believe that you did the very best you or any parent could have done under the circumstances you encountered. I feel angry for what you and your son have had to go through. To insure that you have the knowledge that you need to determine what you should advise other similarly situated mothers, if you provide me with your mailing address, then, when I have DVD copies ready to ship, I will send you a copy of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. I look forward to your critique. If you ever find yourself in Tampa, FL, my Pitching Research/Training Center is twenty-five miles Northeast of Tampa. Until the fourth Saturday in May, we train every day from 9:00 to 11:00AM. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 337. I will tell you who talked about the nine hitting zones. It was, Bobby Wine's son. He is the baseball coach at Penn State University. His interpretation was non-scientific, just a jock explanation, so I disregarded it. However, with your knowledge and scientific explanation, it is now very clear to me that these nine zones have to be brought to the public's attention. I immediately put your words to good use and now have a couple of my training aides teaching your system. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I was with the Montreal Expos, I played with Bobby Wine. He is a great guy. I cannot think of anybody who I would more want to use anything I have to help his baseball players than his son. Baseball pitching is an Initiator Skill. That means the baseball pitchers initiate the action. Baseball batting is a Responder Skill. That means that baseball batters respond to stimuli. Coaches have to teach Initiator Skills and Responder Skills differently. When teaching baseball batting, it is all stimulus/response reaction. This means that coaches must teach baseball batters how to perfectly respond to pitched baseballs. Therefore, the first skill baseball batters need is the perfect swing. Once they can perform the perfect swing, then they need to apply that swing to specific stimuli. I start with High-Away fastballs. I have my throwers twenty-five feet away from my batters safely tucked behind my protective front stops. From a seated position with the bucket of twenty-four baseballs between their legs, I have my throwers use my 'Loaded Slingshot' throwing arm action to throw fastballs to the High-Away location in the strike zone. If batters use my force-coupling baseball batting swing properly and drive these pitches on one hop between the infielders on the opposite side of the field five hundred times, then we move to the High-Middle pitches. In my program, baseball batters swing at twenty-four pitches four times a practice session. We work in groups of six with each taking turns as thrower, batter and pick-up the baseballs guys. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 338. Thank you for your kind response. I would appreciate having your training video and information for parents. Here is my address. I look forward to watching it and I appreciate that you would like feedback. I will be happy to give you my uneducated but motherly thoughts!! Should I ever make it to Florida I would love to meet you. Take care and sincerely, thank you for the work you do with our sons. It is valuable and parents need to know what their options are. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With any luck, you will have your copy within a couple of weeks. After you watch it, you will know more about baseball pitching than any 'traditional' pitching coach. I look forward to your critique. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 339. After an MRI, I was diagnosed with an " slightly irregular" labrum. My shoulder feels fine all the time, except during the forward progress of the throwing motion. My rotator cuff and shouler muscles are very strong and when I do throw there is never any weakness or instability. It just hurts in the front of the shoulder during the throwing motion. Is there anything I can do besides surgery? What do you think of microcurrent? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discomfort in the front of the pitching shoulder means that you are taking your pitching upper arm behind your acromial line (the line that passes through the tips of your shoulders). To stop doing this, you have to stop actively reverse rotating your hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm beyond the line between home plate and second base. Because you currently take your pitching elbow several feet laterally behind your body, when you start the baseball forward, it actually has to go several feet back to the pitching arm side of your body. This sideways force is destroying your pitching arm. To learn how to drive your pitching hand and baseball straight toward home plate, rather than use your pitching upper arm to pull your pitching forearm laterally to your pitching arm side, you need to do my Pickoff with Step body action; Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill. Within a few days, I hope to have DVD copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video ready to ship. If you keep an eye on the home page of my website, when you see that I have changed my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video icon to 2006, then click on it and follow my instructions for how to get your copy. Surgery is the very last option you should take. Except for ruptured Ulnar Collateral Ligaments and bothersome bone chips, for every other pitching arm discomfort, I recommend my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program before surgery. Please keep me updated on your situation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 340. I spoke with my son this morning and it sounds as though the change he's making at the end of the pendulum swing is working. I'm also encouraged to hear that his brakes in the shoulder and forearm are utterly exhausted. He must be working his tail off. How are the other guys coming along? Is D continuing to train daily? Hopefully sometime later in April or, at worst, May I'll make the trip down and look forward to seeing you then. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am very pleased with the pitching arm action your on is now using. He has eliminated straightening his pitching elbow and the pitching elbow drop he had before. Now, his pitching hand has a smooth and continuous flow. Unfortunately, he still occasionally bends forward at his waist or pulls his pitching elbow down and still does not pull his glove hand straight backward. But, these are biomechanical flaws that decrease his release consistency, not release velocity or pitch quality. His three roommates also work at the highest intensity and have their personal biomechanical flaws to correct. D is sporadic. Unfortunately, he cannot feel the difference between using his pitching upper arm to pull his pitching forearm forward and driving his pitching hand straight forward. The kindest thing that I could do for him is to return him to my Wrong Foot body action; Pendulum Swing glove and pitching arm action drill and have him do nothing but cross-panel throws with my Maxline Fastball, Maxline True Screwball and Maxline Pronation Curve. However, if I did this, then he would never practice when I am here. Consequently, I permit him to flounder to frustration and then yell, 'Stop pulling your forearm, drive the baseball straight toward home plate. Drive your hand straight into the strike zone.' Oh how I wish I had the line-up card or his paycheck to use as motivation for him to do what I tell teach him and others like him to do. He could be an outstanding baseball pitcher, but I doubt that he will ever be more than a what-might-have-been curiosity. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 341. In Question #325 you stated the following: "While inwardly rotating the shoulder joint and pronating the forearm go hand in hand, when baseball pitchers drive their pitching hand straight forward, they do not inwardly rotate their shoulder joint." I believe you want your pitchers to pronate throughout their driveline from the Ready position until they release their pitch. I believe that when you pronate the forearm, you internally rotate the humerus. I thought that the internal rotation of the humerus could also be described as internal rotation of the shoulder joint. I think this is a key piece that I missed in understanding you motion. I thought the shoulder joint was where the humerus attached to the glenoid fossa. Can you describe shoulder joint rotation and how it differs from the rotation of the humerus? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Shoulder Girdle involves the movement of the Scapula bone. The Shoulder Joint involves the movement of the Humerus bone. The Elbow Joint involves the movement of the Ulna bone. The Forearm Joint involves the movement of the Radius bone. The Wrist Joint involves the movement of the eight carpal bones. The Hand Joint involves the movement of the five metacarpal bones. The Finger Joints involve the movement of the proximal, middle and distal phalange bones. Therefore, with regard to the Shoulder Joint, when I say movement of the Shoulder Joint or movement of the Humerus bone, I am saying the same thing. That is, when baseball pitchers inwardly rotate their shoulder joint, they are inwardly rotating their Humerus bone. I do want my baseball pitchers to pronate their pitching forearm from the first moment that they start to extend their pitching elbow until they have fully extended their pitching arm toward home plate. After my baseball pitchers 'lock' their pitching upper arm with their shoulders and start to forwardly rotate their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arms straight toward home plate, their pitching forearm should lay horizontally backward pointing at second base. During this Pitching Upper Arm Acceleration Phase in my baseball pitching motion, the shoulder joint is isoanglosly inwardly rotating, the elbow joint is isoanglosly extending and the forearm joint is isoanglosly pronating. When my baseball pitchers forwardly rotate their hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm to point as far as they can toward home plate, then their shoulder joint mioanglosly inwardly rotates, their elbow joint mioanglosly extends and their forearm joint mioanglosly pronates through release. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 342. I thought all your technical issues for the 2006 video were solved. From this week's letters, it appears that you are still having problems. Is there something that your readers might be able to research for you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After many attempts, my video guy was finally able to get a quality digital copy of my video. After a many attempts, my video guy was finally able to get a perfect DVD copy of my video. After many attempts, my video guy was finally able to get a perfect menu for the first volume of my video. As yet, he has not been able to get a perfect menu for the second volume of my video. I have everything else that I can control ready to go. But, until my video guy has perfect DVDs ready to copy, I have to wait. Then, I have to hope that the DVD Publisher makes perfect copies. When I have the number of perfect DVD copies that I need ready to ship, I will change the 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video to 2006. These last seven weeks since I finished the video have been torturous for me. I am not a patient person. I have to learn how to do these things for myself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 343. I had more than enough of my coaches trying to tell me how I should throw. They didn't like what I was trying to do and I couldn't take it from them anymore. So, I told them a few things and they didn't like what I had to say. Needless to say, I am now on my way back home because they released me. Actually, I am happy and relieved. Now, I can finally start back up on your program which I am looking forward to. So, if you could send the 2006 video back to my original address, I would greatly appreciate it. I am also wondering that if it is possible for me to come down to Florida to workout with you and learn from you. I'm not sure what I am going to be doing until the fall. In the fall, I am going to finish my master's degree in Education. I don't know if that is something you would be willing to do or not, just wondering. I think that when I spoke with Jeff Sparks, I think he told me that you weren't even going to be around this summer, is that right? So anyways, I was just wondering about those few things. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amazing. Now, all you have to do is mention my ideas and they will release you. Jeff is correct. I will not be at my Pitching Research/Training Center from May 27th to August 19th. I wish that you had waited to return home. If you had come to Zephyrhills, then we could have at least spent the next couple of months getting you properly started. In addition, you would have gotten to watch my guys train. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 344. You have solved a stumbling block in hitting instructions. I feel timing is the number one SKILL, followed by the perfect swing, however what matters is not the order but that these 2 facets are addressed, first and foremost, before anything else. I love your explanation describing the batters action. For quite some time and especially now with 250 frame per sec speed film, I noticed that all hitters that I filmed, hit 9 out of ten pitches on the handle, with alum bats they get cheap hits. However I felt that Timing was the main culprit for this dilemma, but now you have taken the problem on the handle to another level, you are a GENIUS. With your force couple method, your 9 zones of the strike zone and my timing light system I developed, plus 150 frames a sec film, nobody and I mean NOBDDY can explain hitting better. I await your video then I can make the same claims on pitching. I haven't given a pitching lesson in 2 months privately because I feel your video will show your methods perfectly. And I no longer have to transfer the words of your e mails for instructions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am glad that I could help. You sound like you are having fun. I commend you for your relentless pursuit of a better way to help your players. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 345. I appreciate a lot your answer and I can follow with a good training. I train pitchers from 12 to 20 years old and I feel a great respect from your and american baseball. I will read 2006 Question/Answer file. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I appreciate the opportunity to answer your questions. If you give me your mailing address, when I have DVD copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, then I will send you a copy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 346. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my e-mail. I will try to get the X-rays you mentioned. What is your fee to review and make an assessment of the X-rays? One piece of information that was incorrect (according to my wife) was the date of his diagnosis. He was diagnosed with the injury in March of 2004 at the age of 10 as the result of impact injuries in football and not baseball. We are not proposing sports or baseball as a life. His self image and esteem are based in Jesus Christ and not in the requirements of the social order we live in. So I am confident that he will adjust if the other kids "pass him up" as he gets older. He currently aspires to be a missionary if the Lord leads in that direction. However, he is only 12 and his goals will change as he gets older and grows in his walk with Jesus Christ. If athletics continue as a part of his life in high school and college it will be God's choice and not ours. Although he is not pitching, and I never said he was pitching, we had started your Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Program and he was having some pain so we took him to the doctor. Obviously he could not complete the program. Our purpose was to help his throwing mechanics as an infielder and not as a pitcher. Keep in mind the following: my son does not pitch because I will not let him, but has the ability to pitch left or right handed. His injury was to his right elbow. Whether or not his throwing arm is destroyed as a result of my ignorance of pitching mechanics is probably an overly broad statement based upon the limited information I was able to provide to you. I guess you have to make the statement "Certainly, it is clear that you do not know the proper mechanics for baseball pitching" since you do not know me and I do not coach for a living and or have not been to your facility. Unfortunately we do not have a full time instructor or facility that I am aware of that teaches proper throwing mechanics as detailed on your website. Indeed I can only attempt to teach my son and players what I have been able to extract from your free book. As a result of your information, my B.S. in mechanical engineering, personnel experience in baseball through high school and college, I do believe I understand throwing mechanics better than most paid coaches in the region. If you know of a league in our state that adheres to your proposed youth league baseball program, let me know and I will join the league. I have proposed your recommendation but we could not get enough players for one team. For clarification: My sons pitching arm was injured during football and not baseball. I never said he was a pitcher, but an injured adolescent athlete. He received several blows to the outside of his elbow from other kid's helmets while he was running the ball during several football games. We stopped all sports activities after he was diagnosed. When he was first diagnosed he had full extension and flexion for the first 13 months. The stiffness in his elbow resulted from the chip lodging in a position that would not allow him to fully extend for approximately 3 months before surgery. However he had complete flexion prior to surgery. His arm was in a sling for one week post-op which contributed to the in-ability to flex and extend properly. Since the information cannot assist you in your endeavors I would like your advice to assist in his recovery. I cannot find a medical professional in our state that is specialized with the appropriate knowledge of body mechanics and child development that is knowledgeable in the recovery process from my son's injury. I would appreciate any references you can provide. Our physician does not believe the limited extension and flexion are permanent but have resulted from lack of use. I would like to know if his recovery can be assisted through the Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Program. I have your free book that provides details for adolescent training; however, I am not sure if the complete program will be applicable. If you do not have the time to assist me I understand. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It had never crossed my mind to charge for reading the elbow X-rays of youth baseball pitchers. My mission is to eliminate pitching arm injuries. I want all parents to send me copies of their son's elbows. I want all parents and youth baseball pitcher to fully understand why youth baseball pitching is not harmless fun. I do not want 'traditional' baseball pitchers to teach youth baseball pitchers. I want parents to teach their sons my pitching motion. However, it is not only because what 'traditional' baseball pitching coaches teach destroys pitching arm, it is also because I want parents to take charge of how, how much, how often, how hard and for how long each year their sons pitch and, for those sons who love baseball, this is something that parents should share with them. That you volunteered to coach the travel team told me that you understand this. Everybody sympathizes with the injured youth baseball pitcher, but what about the parents? I was and am concerned with how you feel about what your son is going through. I wanted to know whether you felt responsible. I was trying to say that you were not responsible for your son's injury, those who teach the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion are responsible. For not getting my information out earlier, I am responsible. You did the best that you could under the circumstances. That you son cannot straighten his throwing elbow indicates an injury to either his olecranon process or olecranon fossa. The 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' flaw in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion destroys the olecranon process and fossa. By pronating the releases of all pitches, even 'traditional' baseball pitchers protect their olecranon process and fossa. The ossification center for the olecranon process appears at biological eleven years old. The growth plate for the olecranon process matures at biological fifteen years old. I suppose that it is possible for repeated blows to the tip of his throwing elbow could injure the growth plate for the olecranon process. However, the most likely cause of the injury typically would be the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. Unless the repeated blows to his throwing elbow broke the olecranon process ossification center off the shaft of his Ulna bone, I cannot see how a bone chip moved between his olecranon process and fossa. Baseball pitchers get bone chips from slamming the olecranon process into its fossa and from the head of their Radius bone slamming into the capitular end of their Humerus bone. We need to know where this bone chip came from. Once the doctor removed the bone chip, you son should have immediately been able to fully extend his elbow. That he cannot indicates injury to the olecranon fossa. Frequent collisions between the olecranon process and its fossa cause the hyaline cartilage of the olecranon fossa to calcify, this limiting the depth of the fossa. This is an irreversible injury. I know of professional baseball pitcher who have lost more than one-third of the elbow extension range of motion in this pitching elbow. This is but one of the many dirty secrets that 'traditional' baseball pitching coaches do not tell parents about the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. The only way that baseball pitchers and your son will be able to extend their pitching elbows without destroying their olecranon fossa is to pronate their pitching forearm before they release their pitches. My Pickoff with Step body action; Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill teaches baseball pitchers how to do this. Until your son learns how to drive his pitching hand straight toward home plate and 'stick' his throwing arm in the strike zone rather than use his pitching upper arm to pull his pitching forearm forward, he should not only not advance to my Wrong Foot body action; Loaded Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill, he should never, ever throw another baseball. Together, we will make sure that your son gains whatever extension range of motion he can have in his pitching elbow and that he can throw baseballs without any further damage to his olecranon fossa. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 347. I want to follow your youth pitchers training program for 10 to 12 yr old kids and 13 thru 15. I downloaded your free book and I love it. The technical stuff about bones etc, I haven't a clue cause I'm sure not a doctor! I have a grandson who is showing a lot of interest this year for learning how to pitch and hit. He had a broken collarbone 3 yrs ago and complains off and on yet about pain. What's the doctor's term for 'collarbone'? Is it in your list? And what do I do to strengthen it? And reading in chapter 36 it says "pitchers should have their (acromial line) pointed to home plate. What's an acromial? Subscapularis muscle? Where are they? In your drills the football throws, I've heard a college uses one. I don't follow what you mean in how to grip it and throw it. Do you throw it like a quarterback so you get a football spiral or do you grip the middle of the football with the white stripes facing first and third base and throw it toward home that way? I think you are the best and I hope you can answer my questions for me. I've coached kids for over 25 years and hope I've never hurt one with my methods and instruction. I want to teach your method and mention your name along with it if you don't mind. If you say no then I won't mention your name it's just that I believe if I use someone's ideas, then they should get the credit for the idea. I'm retired and can't afford a $100 video. Would you have shorter videos just showing your pitchers motions and drills? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first thing that I am going to do is, when I have DVD copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video ready to ship, I am going to send you a copy. To help me pay the costs of making the video, I only ask that you send whatever you are able. The collarbone is the Clavicle. To strengthen his Clavicle for baseball pitching, your grandson needs to complete my four 60-Day Youth Baseball Pitchers Motor Skill Acquisition Programs. The acromial line is an imaginary line that we can draw between and on outward the tips of the shoulder. The Subscapularis muscle attaches to the head of the Humerus bone on the front of the shoulder. The Subscapularis muscle inwardly rotates the head of the Humerus bone. It is one of the four rotator cuff muscles. I use football throws to teach baseball pitchers how to properly spin their pitches. How the tips of the football rotates provides immediate feedback about their success or failure. Therefore, we certainly do not spiral the football. Instead, we grip one tip of the football. For example, with my Maxline Pronation Curve, the tips of the football forwardly rotate vertically end over end. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 348. My son had some good BP work on Saturday. He threw the entire variety of pitches, except the screwball. I was disappointed in that. We had a week of severe rain, so he did not get in his normal routine. But, he felt pretty good and strong. His fastballs were all great. He did not have much velocity, but they could not hit them. His sinkers were great and his sliders were unhittable. His curves were in the dirt to begin, but then he got them in the strike zone. The batters looked foolish. He was pitching off of a sorry mound. There were no signs. He simply motioned with his glove what pitch was coming. The batters were well aware, and still could not hit him. He finally started trying to hit there bats, to give them some work. They still did not hit him. I would say he is close to being back. Marshall mechanics looked great. Just needs more velocity, and I am sure that will happen when he gets fully out of regression. BTW, there was a kid throwing after my son with traditional mechanics, who threw very hard, much harder than my son was throwing in his session. He was crushed by the batters. My son was throwing without effort. The guy really wanted to know what my son was doing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you know, my baseball pitchers: 01. release their pitches closer to home plate, such that baseball batters see slower arm speeds than when our pitchers arrive at home plate, 02. we hide our pitching hand behind our body, such that baseball batters have to wait until our pitches are on their way to try to recognize what pitch we threw and 03. because our ten pitches have different movements at different speeds, baseball batters cannot correctly guess the movement, speed or location of our pitches. With these three obstacles, even with lower release velocity, baseball batters have no chance. I am happy to hear that your son is again bringing his magic to the baseball pitching mound. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 349. Upon further examination, my daughters discomfort appears to originate at two places. One is the humoral head of the pronator teres, which I suspect stems from her pronating her throws. The second, which is more concerning, stems from the Biceps Brachi, very near the elbow joint. I suspect she is fighting the forearm fly out as I have seen her forearm outside of vertical on many throws. She complained of lack of strength in her gripping anything tightly, and the discomfort was painful to her. Could she be flying out with forearm and then pronating, which would account for both origins of discomfort? We continue to work on wrong foot slingshots, and keeping the forearm inside vertical, with torque fastball motion, tilting her head slightly, with straight line force. I told her to take it easy with the throwing, but continue to perform the drills and exercises with 5lb wrist weights. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I suspect that what you think if discomfort in your daughter's bicep brachii muscle is actually her brachialis muscle. Your analysis is correct. She is using her pitching upper arm to pull her pitching forearm forward and, then, she is pronating her forearm. My Pickoff with Step Slingshot drill was supposed to teach her how to drive her pitching hand straight forward without any upper arm action. I suspect that, rather than point her throwing forearm at home plate with her throwing hand pointing at second base, she moves her throwing hand close to her head and 'flares' her throwing upper arm, such that she pointed her elbow to her throwing arm side. This will cause a 'loop' in her forearm action that continues into 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 350. If you don't mind me asking, where will you be during that time? Would it still be possible to train at your facility during that time? I am even wondering about before you are away. If I could still come down there and learn from you, would that be possible. My agent is searching for teams for me, even independent teams, but I am thinking that I might want to wait until next year, when I have completed your program, to start pitching competitively again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Saturday, May 27, 2006, everybody has to leave the apartments at my Pitching Research/Training Center. I will spend a few days repairing the damage inside and outside the apartments and to any of my baseball training area. After that, I will take at least three vacation trips. The only way that I would consider permitting someone to live in an apartment would be if that person was going to live in that apartment until the following fourth Saturday in May, 2007. Therefore, if you wanted to get down here as soon as possible, transfer to the University of South Florida and train every day from now until the, then we could talk. When I see that you are ready to benefit from pitching competitively, I would recommend that you pitch independent league baseball. Until then, you need to get much stronger and much more skilled. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 351. You wrote, "I have my Grant's Atlas of Anatomy opened to the dissections of the shoulder joint. What soft tissue are you talking about?" Supraspinatus/Biceps/Subacromial Bursa are usually the problem areas. Subacrominal decompression/acromioplasti? There is impingement! Do many people over use the term? YES! You wrote, "There is no such thing as over-pronation. The Radius bone rotates toward the Ulna bone. When they touch, it cannot rotate any farther." This is true, but along with pronation internal rotation @ the shoulder can occur. I'm not saying pronation is bad! One muscle you always seem to forget is anconeus! Dual stabilizer. You wrote, "I see where you have dropped your terminal extension argument. Does that mean that you now understand how pronating the pitching forearm protects the olecranon fossa?" I never said pronation was bad. I said "over pronation" or pronation + GH internal rotation could cause shoulder complications. A pitcher doesn't need terminal extension, that's why after a TJ Sx some athlete's never regain terminal extension and throw just fine. You throw with around 18° of flexion. You wrote, "During the acceleration phase of baseball pitching, the Scapula serves as the foundation against which the pitching arm operates. The critical joint action is Shoulder Girdle Abduction. This action requires the Serratus Anterior muscle. How is this a problem? During the deceleration phase of baseball pitching, the Scapula moves back toward the vertebral column. The critical joint action is Shoulder Girdle Adduction. This action requires the Rhomboid Major and Minor muscles. How is this a problem?" That can be the problem, when these muscles don't have the proper neuromuscular control or muscular endurance. This throws off the normal glenohumeral 3-1 rhythm. As these muscles fatigue elbow drops putting more stress @ the joint line = UCL. You wrote, "What programs do you have that helps facilitate neuromuscular activity and muscular endurance for baseball pitching? What do you think neuromuscular activity is? What do you think muscular endurance is? How do your programs increase neuromuscular activity for baseball pitching? How do your programs increase muscular endurance for baseball pitching?" I use a lot of manual ther Ex and proprioception based ther ex. Upperbody stable and unstable surfaces to be able to reproduce functional activity ie. Pronation, arm slot. Also, upperbody plyo's and rapid response ther. activity. As far as muscular endurance goes, I like to superset motions. Ie. SL ER with CC followed by manual ER with TB. Pitching is repetitive and corrective ther. Ex should be as well. You wrote, "How do you define 'neural tension'? Why do you think baseball pitchers need to address 'neural tension'?" Simply tension on a nerve - This is something only trained medical professionals should teach. You can stretch muscle tissue all day, but what if it's a neuro issue? Nerves need to glide to achieve full ROM and ROM is need to pitch. You wrote, "What do you think makes up the 'posterior cuff'? What do you think makes up the 'posterior capsule'? What do you think makes the 'posterior cuff/capsule tight? When you say, 'posterior cuff/capsule tightness,' are you talking about how far baseball pitchers can outwardly rotate their abducted Humerus bone during their pitching motion? What limits the ability of baseball pitchers to outwardly rotate their shoulder joint? Can you name the muscles that, during the baseball pitching motion, outwardly rotate the shoulder joint? Can you name the muscles that, during the baseball pitching motion, inwardly rotate the shoulder joint?" To clear up some of your confusion with post cap tightness with regards to pitching lookup Dr. Craig Morgan and GIRD. Basically, a pitcher will gain ER lose IR and you should still have 180° of motion. Do you address Post capsule tightness in your program? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. You are absolutely correct, the Synovial Capsule that includes the Subscapularis bursa and the Synovial sheath of the Biceps Brachii does sit between the head of the Humerus bone and the underside of the Acromial Process. Now, to compress the Synovial Capsule against the underside of the Acromial Process, athletes have to abduct their Humerus bone above a line that is parallel with the underside of the Acromial Process. What muscles abduct the Humerus bone? 02. Forearm joint pronation occurs between the Radius bone and the Ulna bone. How does this action have anything to do with the Humerus bone? But, I am glad that you now agree that forearm joint pronation is good. Now, I have to convince you that shoulder joint inward rotation is also good. 03. If you read Chapter Fifteen of my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book, you will see that I have not forgotten about the Anconeus muscle. The Anconeus muscle attaches to lateral surfaces of the olecranon process of the Ulna bone and to posterior surfaces of the lateral epicondyle of the Humerus bone. Therefore, it is an elbow joint muscle. That is, it moves the Ulna bone relative to the Humerus bone. When the Anconeus muscle contracts, it moves the posterior surfaces of the olecranon process and the lateral epicondyle closer together. Therefore, the Anconeus muscle extends the elbow joint. During the forearm acceleration phase of my pitching motion, the Anconeus muscle extends the pitching elbow joint. Muscles contract, ligaments stabilize. 04. Baseball pitchers lose the extension range of motion in their pitching elbow because the 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' injurious flaw inherent in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instruction Video, I show how this happens and provide X-rays that show they lose of over thirty degrees in the extension range of motion in the pitching elbow. However, just because baseball pitchers can pitch with the loss of the extension range of motion in their pitching elbow does not mean that they can throw just fine. They are permanently deformed and disabled. That they lose those extension degrees means that they cannot apply force over as great a distance as they should. That translates to the loss of release velocity. The Serratus Anterior muscle abducts the Scapula bone, it has no influence on the Humerus bone. The Rhomboid Major and Minor muscles adduct the Scapula bone, it has no influence on the Humerus bone. When baseball pitchers do not get their pitching upper arm up to the line that is parallel with the shoulder line relates to the muscles that abduct the Humerus bone. What muscles abduct the Humerus bone? That baseball pitchers do not get their pitching upper arm up to the line that is parallel with the shoulder line does not place any stress on the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. The 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce' injurious flaw in the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion unnecessarily stresses the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. 05. One of the two critical concepts in Physiology of Exercise is Specificity of Training. The only way that athletes perfect their motor unit contraction and relaxation sequences is by perfectly performing their skills. There is nothing in the training room that will help them do this. In 1908, Edmund Jacobson explained the cause of the 'startle reflex.' With electromyographic research over the next seventy years, he researched how to teach and learn neuromuscular tension control. Since 1967, Dr. Jacobson and I have been friends and I have all his research materials and have taught Neuromuscular Tension Control classes. I know what the 'tension signal' is and how to teach persons how to recognize and control it. I doubt that 'only trained medical professional should teach', whatever you think this something is. Muscle fibers are finite length tissues that do not lengthen without tearing. That is, there is not such thing as stretching muscle tissue. Motor nerves also do not stretch, i.e., lengthen. 06. The Teres Major and Latissimus Dorsi muscles inwardly rotate the abducted Humerus bone. Therefore, they limit the outward rotation range of motion of the shoulder joint. The Teres Minor muscle outwardly rotates the abducted Humerus bone. Therefore, it limits the inward rotation range of motion of the shoulder joint. 07. Because my baseball pitchers do not have 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' they do not have to use the tiny Teres Minor muscle to decelerate their pitching arm as it moves across the front of their body and downward to slap the glove side of their rib cage. Therefore, my baseball pitchers never have any tightness in the back of their pitching shoulder. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 352. I have come across several Internet postings of pitchers who are complaining of Triceps pain. Given that my understanding is that the role of the Triceps is (primarily at least) to extend the elbow, and elbow extension happens automatically due to Pitching Forearm Flyout, I am at a loss to understand how (or even if) Triceps injuries could be related to pitching. As a result, I was wondering if you knew of any reason why someone who used the traditional pitching motion would experience pain related to the Triceps muscle. Could it be related to the body’s trying to counteract Pitching Forearm Flyout (and/or stabilize the shoulder joint)? See this quote from Gray’s Anatomy: “The Triceps brachii is the great extensor muscle of the forearm, and is the direct antagonist of the Biceps brachii and Brachialis. When the arm is extended, the long head of the muscle may assist the Teres major and Latissimus dorsi in drawing the humerus backward and in adducting it to the thorax. The long head supports the under part of the shoulder-joint.” http://education.yahoo.com/reference/gray/subjects/subject?id=124 http://education.yahoo.com/reference/gray/illustrations/figure?id=412 Could the pain they are experiencing be unrelated to pitching (and instead related to something like lifting weights)? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, because of 'Pitching Forearm Flyout,' baseball pitchers cannot contract their Triceps Brachii muscle. Therefore, they cannot have pain in their Triceps Brachii muscle. However, they can confuse pain in their olecranon fossa with pain in their Triceps Brachii muscle. These 'traditional' baseball pitchers are supinating the releases of their pitches and slamming their olecranon process into its fossa. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 353. I thank you for your fast reply to my questions about the football throw and the medical terminologies. You said you'd send me your 2006 DVD when it's completed, I can't wait to get it and play it with some of the kids I'm helping. You stated 'to help pay for the video, just pay what I could when I receive it', and that shows what an outstanding and exceptional person you are. When you send me the 2006 DVD, please enclose the cost of the video. As I said in the previous letter I can't afford a $100 DVD, but if I know what it costs, I can send you $25 a month or so till the total cost is paid. I feel this is only fair since your work and knowledge went into making the DVD, and your willingness to help me, as far as I'm concerned is. I don't know what to say, its above words, you are the best! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I just hand addressed an envelope for you. I look forward to your critique. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 354. I am sending you a cashier's check for your video that I hope will help me understand and demonstrate your techniques 100%. I believe I have been correct but I want to verify with a visual experience. In addition, the Ortho physician that treated my son is a personal friend and I will share your information with him so he can make the appropriate diagnosis of the bone chip, movement issues etc. as you have outlined in your response which will also help him in his practice. One of the coaches on my team is an MD with a family practice. I have been discussing your information with him and I will forward your free book to him on CD in order to help and protect our players (we have 9 pitchers) and further my knowledge of the terminology. Thanks so much for your help and your commitment to helping our youth baseball players. Regardless of your belief in God, the spiritual laws that God has placed will or have caused you to receive blessings from heaven for protecting the youth through your tenacity to defeat ignorance in the world of "money ball". It is a spiritual law that comes from commitment. I will send the x-rays after they have been obtained and a DVD of the surgery that might assist in the appropriate diagnosis. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I look forward to your, your orthopedic surgeon's and your family practice doctor's critiques. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 355. If you have time, I would sure like your opinion on this article. This old guy believes that they should make pitchers throw more. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/28/sports/baseball/28chass.html?ex=1144213200&en=e3a31d754802c45e&ei=5070&emc=eta1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With every pitch that 'traditional' baseball pitchers throw, they are destroying their pitching arm. Therefore, if you have 'traditional' baseball pitchers throw more, then they will destroy their pitching arm sooner. However, if they pronate their pitching forearm before they release their pitches, they protect their pitching elbow and if they accentuate the release of their pitches, then they protect the front of their pitching shoulder. Nevertheless, while they can moderate their injurious flaws in their 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, they cannot correct their biomechanical flaws. With my pitching motion, my baseball pitchers throw a minimum of one hundred and forty-four wrist weights, iron balls, footballs and baseballs every day without any stiffness or soreness of any kind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 356. I have some questions regarding what you said: If I came down during that time that you were gone, would I be the only one working out there? Also would I be able to get a job while I am down there? I would definitely need one. How much would you charge for me to live in one of your apartments? I have contacted someone at the University of South Florida about their graduate program. Also how far away is the school from your apartments? Would I need a car or would maybe a bike suffice? The Joliet Jackhammers of the Northern League have already told my agent that they would sign me, and he is currently looking for affiliated teams for me to sign with, but I am unsure as to what I should do just yet. It would be a huge commitment for me to leave professional baseball for a year, as you know, but I do want to complete your program as soon as possible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Time is a wasting. You need to watch Jeff Sparks and my other guys throw. Then, you can judge for yourself whether spending the year training or continuing to pitch as you are is the right thing to do. While I do not know when they plan to train at my Pitching Research/Training Center, I know of at least two of my pitchers who plan to continue to train throughout the summer. The summer is not the best time to find seasonal employment in Florida. However, Saddlebrook Golf and Tennis Resort have always been good to my guys. If you were down here now, then you could talk to their Personnel Department and see what is available for the summer. I charge ten dollars a day for coaching and ten dollars a day for rent. The coaching fee is payable in advance. The rent is due the first of each month. I also require a deposit to cover damage, cleaning and absences when I am available. The University of South Florida is about twenty miles from Zephyrhills. To get to USF and Saddlebrook, you will need a car. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 357. I read in your email reply recently that "muscles do not lengthen, they tear". I've always suspected stretching could actually lead to injuries. However, it seems that flexibility lessens over time and is also affected by various forms of exercise. Every coach in America subscribes to some form of stretching and exercise program to develop bigger, better, and faster athletes and yet these finely tuned athletes seem to routinely pull something. Could you discuss your view of flexibility and how to improve it (especially in youth)? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Muscle fibers are made up of alternating horizontal bands of actin and myosin protein filaments that are held together with vertical bands of connective tissue called Z-lines. The areas between these Z-lines are called, contractile units. These are finite length tissues that do not lengthen without tearing. In 2004, the Center for Disease Control investigated the value of 'stretching.' See question 200 in my 2004 Question/Answer file. My definition of warm-up is when the metabolites that muscle fibers release as a result of contracting causes the blood vessels that serve those muscle fibers to dilate, which increases the blood flow to those muscle fibers. I designed my Pronated Swing and One Step Crow-Hops with Shakedown exercises as warm-ups for my wrist weight drills and my Bucket Twirls and Middle Fingertip Spin exercises as warm-ups for my iron ball throws. I recommend that my baseball pitchers use these exercises to increase the blood flow to these muscles as their warm-up for baseball pitching. With regard to 'flexibility,' my wrist weight and iron ball drills specifically increase the ranges of motion required for injury-free baseball pitching. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 358. Once again, thanks for replying so quickly. I didn't want you to think that I want to continue throwing using the traditional motion because I do not. How is Jeff doing? I was curious as to how his tryouts went with the teams. Is he going to play independent ball this year? Would it be possible for you to give me the phone number of the personnel department so I could see what is available before I would actually came down there? I am waiting for a reply from someone at USF to tell me more about their graduate program and if they allow transfers. Also, are you going to be around your facility at all? It seems to me that the only real reason that I would come down there would be to work with you, so I could learn from you. How much exactly would I need to give you for the coaching when I got down there? I am trying to decide if I should just train here at home using your new video, when I receive it, and go to school here at home, so I can save money by living at home. Also, I'm not sure if my car would even make it down to Florida, it's pretty old. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff is the highest skilled baseball pitcher in the world. He throws pitches that nobody else anywhere can throw. He was spectacular in the two professional baseball team tryouts he attended this year. When he throws, everybody, especially the pitching coaches from the teams, crowd around him and his catcher and watch with amazement. I assume that Tampa information (813) has the number of the Personnel Department at Saddlebrook Golf and Tennis Resort. You would have from now until the fourth Saturday in May for me to help you. Between then and the third Saturday in August, you would have my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video and whoever else trains at my facility. For two hundred and eighty days of coaching, I charge ten dollars per day payable on arrival. I have a Lifetime Partnership Agreement that details all costs. When you are serious, then I will send you a copy for you to have notarized. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 359. The evening I found a post to the ETEAMZ website by a gentleman from ASMI, along with a link to high speed video of a traditional pitcher. Apparently ASMI is now undertaking a curveball study involving youth pitcher from 8-14 years of age, and they are soliciting for youth participants. Unreal. Negligent. Stupid. I have included a couple of references for you. Mr. Chris O'Leary started another thread regarding the ASMI post. For your review I have included Chris's post and my response. I did not attempt to address each and every one of the flaws that I see. Please review my response, correct me if I am at all mistaken, and by all means post this for your readers. (I post under the screen name of Coach45.) ------------------------------------------------- Mr. O'Leary wrote: "I drilled into the link regarding the ASMI curveball study and came across this (really awesome) high speed video on the ASMI web site of a pitcher throwing a fastball. ASMI High Speed Video of Pitcher I know some people are confused by some of what I (and Coach45) talk about in terms of our problems with the traditional pitching motion, and I thought that this video might give us something to structure a conversation around. If you open the video using the QuickTime player you can view the timestamps I talk about below by clicking on WINDOW > SHOW MOVIE INFO > and looking for the value called "Current Time". That is what I am using as a timestamp. Here are a few things I noticed when looking at this video: 1. As you can see around timestamp 38:20, this pitcher takes his pitching arm side elbow well above (but only slightly behind) the level of his shoulders. I believe that this will increase the likelihood that he will experience rotator cuff problems. 2. He does a good job of getting his hips rotating ahead of his shoulders. His shoulders don't really start rotating until around timestamp 40.26, at which point his hips have probably rotated 75 or so degrees. 3. His pitching forearm flies out (elbow rapidly extends 90 degrees) as his shoulders stop turning at or around timestamp 42.26. 4. The rotation of his shoulders pretty much come to a screeching halt at or around timestamp 42.26, which means that he doesn't release the ball as close to the plate as he could have if he kept his shoulders turning throughout the entire throw. What do you see and/or have questions about?" ------------------------------------------------- The following is my response: "Hi Chris, I was a little astonished to see that ASMI would put this clip out for consumption. While the side view is interesting, for scientific purposes either a front view or overhead view is necessary to gain a greater understanding. I am likewise astonished that they would undertake this 'study' with youth pitchers. The word stupid comes to mind, among others. Let me make a disclaimer first: I am not a medical doctor and I do not have a PhD in applied anatomy or biomechanics. However, over the past 2 1/2 years I have invested well in excess of 2500 hours studying this subject. Much of what I'm going to write is common sense based on intensive investigation. You wrote: "As you can see around timestamp 38:20, this pitcher takes his pitching arm side elbow well above (but only slightly behind) the level of his shoulders. I believe that this will increase the likelihood that he will experience rotator cuff problems." At (or around) timestamp 38.20 this pitcher HAS NOT TAKEN, NOR CAN HE take the point of the elbow above a line drawn through the tips of his shoulders. What you suggest is an anatomical impossibility. I keep explaining to you that this physical action is not what injures the rotator cuff muscles nor their attachments or insertions. There's a lot to dissect here but let's confine it to a couple of things. Beginning at timestamp 40.26, mark the position of the ball on your screen and also mark the position of the throwing elbow. Frame by frame do the same thing until you reach 42.10. Notice that the ball hand 'pirouettes,' dropping downward and backward in relation to the elbow (which continues to drive toward home plate). This is the beginning of what Dr. Marshall calls reverse forearm bounce. Remember that this is all happening in a VERY short period of time. Slowly forward to timestamp 42.14/42.17. These frames approximate the end of reverse forearm bounce. At this time the upper arm is maximally outwardly rotated. Add to that the force of the ball being driven downward. Depending on the weakest anatomical link this action cumulatively damages either the front of the shoulder, the UCL, the shoulder labrum, or in some cases causes a spiral fracture of the upper arm bone. Now forward to timestamp 43.16. Note that the tricep is completely flaccid and his elbow is completely extended (hyperextended actually). This is the action that results in bone chips and bone spurs of the elbow. This pitcher used only the centrifugal force he generated to extend his arm, not the powerful tricep muscle, as his arm slings laterally away from the body. Frame 47.25 approximates the time this pitcher concludes his 'follow-through'. Look at the directional pull of his lat. It's pretty obvious that the lat is in no position to help decelerate his shoulder. This 'follow-through' action, pulling the arm laterally across the body, is what damages the rear of the shoulder. As an aside, roll slowly through frames 44.16-46.22. You will notice how he hyperextends his left knee. This is similar to the action that, in my opinion, put Randy Johnson on the DL a year ago. Likewise, what do you think this is doing to his left hip? Each and every one of the actions I describe above are individual facets of why pitchers are getting hurt. In the end this one clip doesn't show lateral displacement of the ball, which leads to other flaws, which leads to other injuries and magnifies the ones already written about. These injuries are not a question of overuse. The mechanic itself is causing the injuries. Every one of these specific actions (and others) is what Dr. Marshall is teaching pitchers to avoid. Parents, it's time to wake up. Coach45" ------------------------------------------------- As always I look forward to hearing from you. I greatly appreciate the time and energy you have spent helping me understand more and more about this whole business. Please greet my son for me. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While I have not reviewed this particular video, it sounds as though your analysis is correct. At this time, with the shipping date for my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video so close, to further discuss why we have to get rid of the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, I prefer to wait until everybody, including Dr. Glenn Fleisig, Dr. James Andrews and the rest of the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) team, has the opportunity to watch the Injurious Flaws section of my video. For ASMI to ask eight to fourteen year old youth baseball pitchers to throw the 'traditional' 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' Supination Curve is asking them to permanently destroy the olecranon fossa of their pitching elbow. Unfortunately, for the lawsuits that their parents should file, unless one or more of these youth baseball biological thirteen or fourteen year old pitchers snap the tip of the olecranon process off the shaft of the Ulna bone, these youngsters will not show symptoms of the damage for weeks after their injuries occur, such that ASMI can argue at trial that the lose of elbow extension range of motion in their pitching elbow is unrelated to their what they asked them to do. Please feel free to send my email to the gentleman from ASMI. Because I will have forewarned them of the danger, for them to continue with the study makes them legally liable for the damage that they will cause. If they want to compare the stresses on the baseball pitching arms as a result of the 'traditional' 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' Supination Curve and my Maxline Pronation Curve, then they can use adult volunteers. I will gladly supply examples of adult baseball pitchers who can throw my Maxline Pronation Curve. As I recently learned, I think that the St. Louis Cardinals asked ASMI to study their pitchers. Don't the Cardinals have pitchers who throw the 'traditional' 'Pitching Forearm Flyout' Supination Curve? Doesn't ASMI work with Barry Zito? Unless they want to study the damage to the growth plate of the olecranon process and to the tender, still-growing hyaline cartilage in the olecranon fossa, why do they need eight to fourteen year olds? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 360. I will look for the phone number to Saddlebrook Resort. Would I still need to work with you for 280 days since I have already started your program? I am on day 69 right now. Also, I am still waiting for an email back from USF to tell me about their program. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My guys tell me (xxx)xxx-xxxx is the general number for Saddlebrook. Yes, I need to see how you perform my Pickoff with Step Slingshots. You have to show me that you understand how to: 01. drive your pitching hand straight forward without using your pitching upper arm to pull your pitching forearm forward, 02. pull your glove hand straight backward and 03. stand tall, rotate and lean back through release. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 361. What do you think about pitching a 16 years old kid in the first 2 innings of a game and then bringing that same kid back into the game for the last to innings to pitch and the temperature would be in the mid 70s? This would be for a 7 inning game. If he threw lightly on the side during innings 3, 4, and 5, would that make this idea work? I look at this as a similar situation as when a starting pitcher's team has a long offensive inning. I have taught all of the pitchers on our team your pronation screwball. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For youth baseball pitchers between thirteen and sixteen biological years old, I recommend that they only pitch one inning per game twice a week. That reason why I do not recommend that they pitch two inning per game is the additional stress that getting the muscles, ligaments and tendons 'warmed-up' for the second inning. Therefore, while I have no problems with biological sixteen year old baseball pitchers pitching twice through a line-up, or about four innings, I would not recommend that he sit around for three innings between two sets of two innings. Once the muscles, ligaments and tendons completely 'cool down,' the stress to get back to competitive intensity of already fatigued tissue is too great. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 362. You have on your website, the 280 day training program, but you also talk about a 315 day program. And you have mentioned iron ball training recoil cycles. So I am wondering is the recoil cycle what makes the 280 day program into 315? Or am I missing something? Also do you have the training recoil cycles listed anywhere on your website? If not, could you email me it? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When baseball pitchers start training with me on the third Saturday in August and finish on the fourth Saturday the following May, I have them complete my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. In that way, during June, July and the first half of August, they are ready to put into use what they have learned. When these baseball pitchers return on the third Saturday in August, I have them complete my fifteen pound wrist weight, eight pound iron ball and twenty pound wrist weight Recoil Interval Training Cycles. In that way, during June, July and the first half of August, they are again ready to put into use what they have learned. Thereafter, during their off-seasons, they complete my ten pound iron ball, twenty-five pound wrist weight, twelve pound iron ball, thirty pound wrist weight and fifteen pound iron ball Recoil Interval-Training Cycles. After that, every off-season they repeat my fifteen pound iron ball and thirty pound wrist weight Recoil Interval-Training Cycles. With their continuous level of fitness and continuous improvements in their motor skill abilities, my baseball pitchers will be able to perform at their highest levels well into their forties. Before I would allow anybody to start my Recoil Interval-Training Cycles, I would need to personally evaluate their pitching motion. We are talking about training baseball pitchers far more rigorously than anybody, except me personally, has ever done before. Therefore, I have not included my Recoil Interval-Training Cycles in my list of training programs. These programs account for why, rather than credit me with what I achieved as a major league baseball pitcher, I am ignored as a physical freak. In reality, I simply understood how to achieve the maximum benefits from training as hard as I could every day from 1967 through 1981. Now, with these training programs and what I have learned in the past twenty-five years, all baseball pitchers who train as hard as I did can do accomplish than I did. Actually, they will not only be able to pitch as much as I did without any stiffness or soreness, they will also have more high-quality pitches than I knew how to throw. Imagine the game of baseball where baseball pitchers are never injured and always able to pitch at their best with every type of pitch they need to get all types of batters out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 363. Once again, thanks for getting back to me so soon. Every time I read another of your emails, I feel like I am continuing to learn. Do your players who train with you, also workout their lower body or do any kind of working out with weights at all? Or is the training program sufficient for the whole body? I received an email back from USF; they only accept 6 credits for transfer, so that may be out for the time being. I am wondering; would you consider me coming down say in June, after I have finished substitute teaching to make some money, and working with you until I finished the initial program and then recoil interval training cycles? And if I could prove to you that I was completing your program correctly, then I would not have to start all over. Also, if it was not possible that I come down to work with you, would you consider sending me the recoil interval training cycles so I could complete them when I finish with your 280-day program?? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program is all the weight training that baseball pitchers need. I am not available from the fourth Saturday in May until the third Saturday in August. Even if you had completed my entire 280-Day program, when you start training with me, I would still start you with my Pickoff with Step body action; Slingshot glove and pitching arm actions drill. How rapidly I advance you to my Wrong Foot body action; Loaded Slingshot glove and pitching arm action drill would depend on how well you performed my Pickoff with Step Slingshot drill. I designed my Recoil Interval-Training Cycles for advanced weight training for those baseball pitchers I personally train. I need to oversee their workouts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 364. My son's cast comes off Monday (14 year old), and we'll restart the first 60 day program as per your instructions (assuming the doctor pronounces him ok for that). I had asked a question about taping the wrist weights, and you said it was detailed in the new video. Since that's not quite ready would you mind describing the technique, so we don't have to wait? One other thing; we've pulled him off the HS baseball team, since his arm probably won't be game ready until the end of the season, and I'm afraid of the coach's methods, too much too soon. We will try to play legion ball in the summer instead. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We wrap cloth duct tape around the entire length of the wrist weights, wrap the wrist weighs around their fists and again wrap cloth duct tape around the wrist weights. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 365. My 15 yr old son’s freshman high-school baseball season is nearly over and I’m anxious to begin working him out with your methods for next year. Due to the fact that he’s been indoctrinated with the ‘traditional pitching’ advice since he was 10 (there’s no shortage of pitching coaches in this area), I’m sure that it is going to take us a while to put your teachings into practice. While I anxiously await the availability of the 2006 video (and wish I could get my hands on the 2004 version just as a primer), I wondered if you had any former students here that could help us grasp the basics? While I’m a believer and a convert to what you advocate, I’m also apparently one of those individuals who can’t seem to grasp the intricacies of what your teaching without actually seeing it demonstrated. I was hoping to make it to your facility in Florida to watch, but time and money seem to be preventing that at the moment. In the meantime, I’m not willing to ‘try’ to teach him anything without completely understanding your concepts. Quite frankly, I’ve done enough damage already with what I’ve espoused and subjected him to and feel horribly about it. I also wanted to mention that from what I’ve gathered from reading the Q & A files from your website, I have been able to share with him some of what I understand of your straight-line hitting techniques. He has already begun to experience some success with it; however, we have a long way to go before it mentally replaces what I have mistakenly taught him in the past. I hope at some point that you will expound on your techniques more fully and put this into a visual form as well. One last thing, my son’s also anxious to play quarterback again this next football season and I saw where you mentioned that you worked with Sonny Jorgenson on his throwing motion a few years ago. I would like to teach him the proper way to throw a football as well. What do you recommend? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I do not have anybody in your area I could recommend to help you. We are working hard on getting DVD copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video ready to ship. Please give me a little more time. I rehabilitated Fran Tarkenton, Brian Sipe and Bill Kilmer. I hope that I never said Sonny Jorgenson. Basically, I taught them how to drive their throwing hand straight forward and pronate their throwing forearm. As with baseball pitching, the major injurious flaw in the football throwing motion occurs when they use their throwing upper arm to pull their throwing forearm forward. That generates the horizontal centripetal force that slings their throwing forearm laterally away from their body to their throwing arm side. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 366. As I attempt to understand your teachings, I wondered if there are any examples of these mechanics represented, at least in part, by any of the current professional or Division I pitchers. This is not meant as question of validation, just that I’m looking for some examples in which to pattern after until your video becomes available. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No, their pitching coaches would never allow it. How else can they protect their paychecks? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 367. You wrote, "Without powerful latissimus dorsi II muscles to decelerate pitching arms, pitchers cannot powerfully accelerate pitches. Eight percent of the population do not have latissimus dorsi II muscle attachments to scapulas’ inferior angles. To diagnose whether persons have latissimus dorsi II muscles, have them place the back of their hands on their hips and forwardly move their elbows together. If scapulas’ inferior angles backwardly protrude dramatically, then they do not have this muscle." Does this apply to children? Is this why some people simply can't throw hard no matter how they try? When pronating the forearm does the elbow move slightly upwards when releasing the ball? I read somewhere on here about having pitchers try to release the ball below their elbow. Is this a good thing for players to try and visualize? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01. This applies to baseball pitchers of all ages. 02. Many biological factors contribute to release velocity. For example, percent of fast-twitch muscle fibers in the pitching muscles and where the pitching muscles attach to their bones. However, the inability of depress the Scapula bone does decrease the ability of baseball pitchers to decelerate the pitching arm after release, which decreases their ability to accelerate their pitches. 03. Yes, when my baseball pitchers drive their pitching forearm inside of their pitching elbow straight toward home plate, as a result of their powerful pitching forearm pronation, their pitching elbow moves upward. The force of the pitching hand driving the baseball straight forward at a slight downward angle causes the elbow end of the pitching forearm to move slightly upward. 04. No, but it is a good thing for baseball pitching coaches to recognize. As I have said many, many times, baseball pitching coaches must not watch the baseball, they must watch what the pitching arms of their pitchers do after they release the baseball. One valuable clue that their pitchers applied force correctly is when their pitching elbow moves slightly upward. Another valuable clue is the size of the 'pronation circle' that their pitching forearm transcribes after release. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 368. It has been a while since we spoke. You may not remember me. I coach High School. I have a pitcher that throws hard for High School; 92+ mph on average fastball. He has had some elbow pain. He points to the area outside the elbow; his ulnar collateral ligament. He recently had an MRI done with the following diagnosis: 1) Proximal ulna and olecranon osseous contusion. 2) Mild MCL/Common Flexor tendon complex sprain. 3) Mild Anconeus/Tricep Muscle Strain. 4) Mild osseous contusion, lateral epicondyle. 5) Small joint effusion. 6) Minimal olecranon bursitis. Since you are the only person I know of with a high regard for injury prevention to pitchers, I need your opinion on what may have caused the issues in the MRI? Was it just throwing or a poor mechanic or timing issue. He does throw with acceleration? Are these issues related to throwing breaking balls or too many of them? I usually see tenderness on the inside part of the elbow with curveballs, but I need your advice. He's now on pure rest of the arm this week, and will try and throw light next week. I really would like any info you can give me as to a possible cause? This guy is a high draft prospect with sometimes 30-40 scouts coming to watch him pitch. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the anatomical position, where athletes hold their arms up in front of them with their thumbs pointing outward, the outside of the elbow joint is between the lateral epicondyle of the Humerus bone and the rotating head of the Radius bone. The radial collateral ligament holds the head of the Radius bone to the lateral epicondyle of the Humerus bone. 01. Proximal ulna and olecranon osseous contusion. This tells us that this young man has 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' He is slamming the olecranon process of his pitching elbow into its fossa. 02. Mild MCL/Common Flexor tendon complex sprain. MCL stand for Medial Collateral Ligament, which is the Ulnar Collateral Ligament. Common Flexor tendon is the common attachments of the Humerus bone attachments of the Pronator Teres, Flexor Carpi Radialis, Palmaris Longus, Flexor Carpi Ulnaris and a slip of the Flexor Digitorum Superficialis muscles. This tells us that young man has 'Reverse Pitching Forearm Bounce.' He takes the baseball back with the palm of his pitching hand facing downward. 03. Mild Anconeus/Tricep muscle strain. They have misdiagnosed his olecranon fossa discomfort as distal Triceps Brachii. 04. Mild osseous contusion, lateral epicondyle. This tells us that this young man is supinating the release of his curve and, possibly, his fastball. That is, the head of this young man's Radius bone is rebounding back into the capitular end of his Humerus bone. 05. Small joint effusion. 06. Minimal olecranon bursitis. If this young man ever wants to have a baseball pitching career, then he needs to stop using his pitching upper arm to pull his pitching forearm forward. That means that he has to stop using the 'traditional' baseball pitching motion. After he has 'pure' rest for one week, he will lose one-quarter of the ability of these muscles to withstand the stress that caused his difficulties. This means that he will be even more likely to seriously injure himself. A better use of that week would be to start my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. I don't care about thirty to forty scouts. Professional baseball pitching coaches will only destroy his pitching arm faster. If he does not change what he is doing, then he will destroy his pitching arm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 369. Thanks very much for the detailed analysis. I will try and convince the player and parent to allow proper condition to continue this week. To further correct the flaws you have determined in his mechanics, I want to make sure I have identified the solution to each of the problems. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The solutions to his problems lie in my pitching motion and 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. If he were to start today, he would be ready to pitch in July. Therefore, if he wants to have an injury-free long baseball pitching career, he needs to then join me on the third Saturday of August for my 280-Day Adult Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program. If he does anything else, then his baseball pitching problems will get much, much worse. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 370. One of your readers wrote, "If there are any pitchers or parents from the Northeast, or anywhere else for that matter, who have any doubts about their sons attending your camp, and would like to contact me about our experiences, please do not hesitate to provide them with my name and email. I have no problem with you providing that information." Thank you for replying so quickly to my e-mails. I would love to contact this individual or others about your methods. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I understand your reluctance to believe me when I say that my pitching motion and interval-training programs will eliminate all pitching injuries, enable all baseball pitchers to become the best baseball pitcher they can be with their genetic maximum release velocity and the wide variety of high-quality pitches that he will need to succeed at their highest level. With Tom House, Dick Mills, Paul Nyman and every other baseball pitching coach wannabe out there lying to you, you naturally expect that I am also lying to you. Well, I am not like them. I am not trying to steal your money. I know what I am talking about and only tell the truth. While this gentleman is a very nice guy, neither he, nor anybody else, has the credentials that qualify him to evaluate what I teach. However, he has seen what it has done for his son. Personally, I never believe paid testimonials and understand the limited value of layman testimonials. Nevertheless, if you think his word is worth more than what I say, then here is his information. The gentleman who made that offer is Augie Tholen and his email address is atholen@us.ibm.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 371. I've noticed that you have a 2006 instructional video on your web site. I purchased your 2004 DVD. Does your previous offer still hold for your 2006 DVD, that is 25% if previously purchased a DVD or is it $100? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To get copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video out to everybody who has my 2002 and 2004 video may take me a week or two, but I am going to send a copy to everybody without charge. However, I am also going to ask everybody for donations to help me upgrade my website so that I can put my video on it so that everybody can watch it. As always, because I still consider my 2006 video a work in progress, I look forward to your critique. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 372. Twelve of us coach youth baseball. Could you give us a discount if we order twelve videos? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. I want you to request my video. Then, I want you to make eleven copies. However, it would not hurt my feelings if those eleven guys want to help defray the cost of upgrading to a larger website and putting my video on-line. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 373. Now that I know that baseball batters respond to stimuli and that baseball batting is a responder skill. What are some of the stimuli for the pitcher's initiator skills? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The only stimulus that requires baseball pitchers to pitch is when umpires order baseball pitchers to 'pitch'. Otherwise, baseball pitchers can pitch when they are ready. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 374. Nearly a month ago I sent a $100 money order to purchase a pitching instruction video for my fifteen year old grandson. I have not received any confirmation of the order or the video. How long does it usually take to process an order? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I received your request on March 12, 2006. However, because you did not include your email address, I could not email you that I had received it. I will receive my first shipment of DVDs today. As soon as I can, I will put your video in the mail. On my website, I made it clear to everybody that I did not have DVD and VHS copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. Therefore, I asked everybody to wait until I announced that I had those copies to send in their requests. In the past, I was not in control with how quickly people received my video. Now, I am. Therefore, I will have videos in the mail the next business day after I receive the requests. Because, as always, I consider this video a work in progress, I look forward to your critique. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 375. I am writing to you on the recommendation of Augie Tholen whose son, Kurt is a student at you school. My 16 years old son is in tremendous physical condition. He is a varsity catcher who uses competitive swimming in the off season to keep himself in shape. He happened to qualify for the state finals in the breast stroke which took place the night before baseball practice was to begin. As he dove from the starting block, he failed to properly lock his elbows and when he hit the water; his right arm was pulled back high above his head and his right shoulder subluxated almost to the point of total dislocation. He has since been unable to do anything with his arm above his head. As his right arm is his throwing arm, he's been relegated from starting catcher to pinch hitter. We did have an MRI performed of which we will get the results tomorrow morning. Providing we are dealing with nothing more than stretched ligaments, is there any advice you can provide to perhaps speed up his recovery period? It is needed to be said that I AM NOT one of those parents who thinks his kid is the next Johnny Bench. I see 2 more high school years for him and PERHAPS a shot in a division II school. He lacks the physical stature that seems to be a requirement for potential mobility into the upper echelons, so to speak. (He's 5'9", 160 lbs with a chiseled physique). Any advice you may be able to offer would be much valued and appreciated. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am five feet eight and one-half inches tall and, when I graduated high school, I weighed one hundred and fifty-five pounds. You never know what is in the heart of athletes. He should be doing my 120-Day High School Baseball Pitchers Interval-Training Program for my Torque Fastball. Time's a wasting. Every day he does nothing will require another day and one-half to overcome the bone, ligament, tendon and muscle atrophy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 376. I'm looking forward to obtaining your 2006 video. I have both of the others and have followed you since the beginning. Can you please send me a copy at the same address listed below? Thank you for your continued efforts to improve the act of pitching. Also, what would you recommend for tendonitis rehab? I'm pretty sure it is in the supra and infraspinatus. External rotation is difficult. It's been four months now and not much better. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It may take me a couple of weeks, but I will send your copy to that address. When baseball pitchers have difficulty with the external rotation of their Humerus bone, it is usually their Teres Minor muscle. 'Traditional' baseball pitchers injure their Teres Minor muscle when they try to decelerate their pitching arm after 'Pitching Forearm Flyout.' To not injure their Teres Minor muscle, baseball pitchers need to drive their pitching hand straight toward home plate. They have to stop actively reverse rotating their hips and shoulders, such that they take their pitching elbow several feet laterally behind their body. I designed my Pickoff with Step body action; Slingshot glove and pitching arm action drill to teach baseball pitchers how to properly use their glove and pitching arms. You need to strap on ten pound wrist weights and practice this drill. You have wasted four months. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 377. How much would I need to send you so that you could send me the 10 and 12 lb lead balls? Also, would it need to be a cashier's check like the video? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For me to ship you a ten pound lead ball costs me thirty-five dollars. For me to ship you a twelve pound lead ball costs me forty-two dollars. I prefer money orders. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 378. You wrote, "I understand your reluctance to believe me when I say that my pitching motion and interval-training programs will eliminate all pitching injuries, enable all baseball pitchers to become the best baseball pitcher they can be with their genetic maximum release velocity and the wide variety of high-quality pitches that he will need to succeed at their highest level. With Tom House, Dick Mills, Paul Nyman and every other baseball pitching coach wannabe out there lying to you, you naturally expect that I am also lying to you. Well, I am not like them. I am not trying to steal your money. I know what I am talking about and only tell the truth. While this gentleman is a very nice guy, neither he, nor anybody else, has the credentials that qualify him to evaluate what I teach. However, he has seen what it has done for his son. Personally, I never believe paid testimonials and understand the limited value of layman testimonials. Nevertheless, if you think his word is worth more than what I say, then here is his information. The gentleman who made that offer is Augie Tholen and his email address is atholen@us.ibm.com." My question to Mr.Tholen (we have spoken) and anyone else who has experience with your method is; "How do you believe you would have reacted to a coach recommending changing to Dr. Marshall's throwing method before your child was injured?" It has taken me some time to get a reasonable understanding of what you teach and more important its value over the traditional method of throwing. It is amazing what one can learn through your web site and a human anatomy book. I am trying to get your information into the younger level of players before they get injured. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would gladly give you my answer to that question. If you have never heard of any 'traditional' baseball pitchers injuring their pitching arm, then I would ignore someone who recommended that they change how their son pitches. However, if I were aware of the hundreds of thousands of career-ending injuries to the pitching arms of baseball pitchers over the past one hundred and thirty years of major league baseball, then I would investigate a pitching motion that guarantees no pitching injuries. No 'traditional' baseball pitching coach will ever volunteer that what he is teaching your son will destroy his pitching arm, but if you look for the surgical scar on his pitching arm or casually ask questions about pitching injuries, you might get him to talk about the dozens of pitching injuries that he has personally witnessed during his pitching career. To protect their paychecks, they have to keep their dirty secrets about the 'traditional' pitching motion. In my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video, I expose those secrets. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 379. I am so excited to see that you have completed your new instructional DVD. I can't wait to get a copy. I sent a picture of my son to you last May and you so kindly replied with the analysis that I feared and shortly after I purchased the 2004 Video last June. (You posted your reply in 2005 Q# 302). My 13 year old son and I watched it a few times and in September (after baseball season was over) we started doing the training. We must have watched the video quite a few times because some of your "terms" started to get used around the house. We learned "pronation" and "biological male" and "medial epicondyle" etc. This is great stuff! As we trained with the footballs out in the driveway, my wife would call out, "All right you biological males, stop pronating and get in here for supper!" So as you can see, Dr. Mike has been a big hit at our house. We started the training and did the first 2 60-day routines before it got too cold outside. Now we are hooked. My son has been able to do the Maxline and pronation curve releases very well, but has not really gotten the hang of the torque fastball. It does not move very much and often moves toward the pitching arm side just like the maxline. Perhaps we can pick out our errors when we watch the new DVD. In February this year, his team had their first indoor workouts and my son's new delivery caused a quite a stir. The biggest comment is, "Can you do that?," as in step straight towards the plate. We are looking forward to the new season and learning more from your new DVD. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I put you copy of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video in the mail yesterday. Please let me know when it arrives. As always, I look forward to your critique. In general, when my baseball pitchers drive their Torque Fastball to the pitching arm side of home plate, it means that, rather than driving their baseball toward the glove side of home plate while their forwardly rotate their hips and shoulders, they are waiting until after they rotate their hips and shoulders and driving their pitching arm toward the pitching arm side of home plate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 380. I'm excited to see that your new video has finally been released and I want to order it. However, on the website, you mention that the price for new purchasers is $100. For those of us who have bought the previous two videos, is there a different price? The price is less important to me than getting the transaction right the first time. My son and I have been talking about this video for the last year. Thanks, as always for all your hard work. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It may take me a couple of weeks, but I will send a copy of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video to everybody with my 2002 and/or 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video without charge. However, because I want to put all eleven sections of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video on my website for those youngsters unable to pay, I am asking for donations to help pay the considerably increased costs. I look forward to your critique. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 381. I can't wait to see your video. I've heard great things about some of the things you're doing. You might remember around a month ago I emailed you to find out if I could come down for a week as a instructional trip. Hopefully when you're ready I can come down, my parents live in Dunedin so I could probably stay with them. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We love visitors. You can come whenever you want and you can stay as long as you want. However, the fourth Friday in May is the last day of this year's session. I am taking the summer off. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 382. My 15 year old daughter is a varsity softball pitcher and she is experiencing swollen, puffy hands in the cold weather. This is particularly a problem with her pitching hand which she cannot keep in a glove. We are trying to find out what is causing this and I wanted to know if you have heard this complaint before. All her blood tests are coming back normal and she is not experiencing pain. The swelling goes down when her hand is warm again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interstitial tissue swelling occurs when the blood flow through that area slows. Therefore, the blood flow through your daughter's hands slows during cold weather, but not when her hands are warm. In an attempt to keep the core temperature of the body at normal levels, the initial reaction of blood vessels to cold is to vasoconstrict. Vasoconstriction means that the opening in these blood vessels becomes more narrow. However, after a short time, the tissue that these blood vessels serve becomes oxygen starved and these blood vessels vasodilate. Vasodilation means that the opening in these blood vessels becomes more wide. This reactive hyperemic response usually takes from two to ten minutes to occur. Therefore, like when athletic trainers put ice on sprained ankles, after a couple of minutes, the affected area sends its 'we are not getting oxygen and we will die without it' stimulus to the brain for vasodilatation to occur, it is momentarily uncomfortable, she needs to keep her hands exposed and flexing her fingers until the vasodilatation response occurs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 383. I will send you a money order for $ 77 for the ten and twelve pound lead balls as soon as possible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My bad. I quoted what I had to pay for these lead balls. To ship them to you, I will have to pay someone to box them and ship them. While I am not sure what they charge for a box, for packing these balls in the box and for shipping twenty-two pounds to where you live, I suggest that you send me a money order for one hundred dollars. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 384. I am excited to see that your 2006 Instructional Video is now available. I am anxious to see it. I do, however, have a couple of questions: (1) Is it available in VHS format or DVD or both? (2) Does the seventy-five percent discount apply to those who purchased the 2004 video? I'm certainly not trying to negotiate a deal here. The visual information of your previous video alone was invaluable. I'm just wanting to send the proper amount of money. Thank you for the work you're doing. I look forward to the opportunity to use the new video. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At this time, I only have DVD copies. However, if you want a VHS copy, I am sure that my video guy can make them. My records show that you requested my 2002 video in April 2004. That means that I will send you my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video without charge. However, to help me expand to a much larger website that will enable me to put my video on my website for free for all to watch, I will accept donations from my friends. Therefore, whatever amount of money you send will not only be proper, I will be greatly appreciate it. I love the people of Amarillo. They year that I spent with them as Associate Professor and Head Baseball Coach at West Texas A&M in Canyon, TX was one of the best in my life. They are the most independent, helpful people I have ever met. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 385. I will continue to write to you about my son's progress if you like. If not, please say so. You are a busy guy, and I do not wish to bother. Also, please do not feel you need to reply if short on time. Not too much competition in this Senior League, at least this first team. He started the game, and is still deep in regression. Not much speed at all. He was very effective with Maxline and Torque FB, and the slider. Slider unhittable. A few good Marshall pronation curves, but most were too short. He got the win; going three innings. Four K's, one hit, four BB's. The first two innings they got nothing. The last inning, he was throwing almost all sinkers, just working on the pitch. Most were too low, but great movement. In that last inning, he loaded the bases on walks with two outs, just working on the sinker. Then, he threw three straight sliders to the last batter for a K. Funny guy. At one point, I believe the last inning, his ring and pinkie fingers locked up. He had to manually straighten them out, and take a second for them to relax. I told him what you said about competitive pitching while in regression. Of course, you know his level of stubbornness. Head like marble. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I love your sons almost as much and you and their mother do. Of course, I will always want to hear how they are doing. When he comes out of regression and gets more release velocity, his Maxline Pronation Curve will be just right. What better proof that his muscles remain in regression than for his finger flexor muscles to cramp. I prefer that my baseball pitchers wait until all pitching muscles remain flaccid after workouts before they pitch competitively. At least this time, he stopped after three innings. Umpires love to watch quality pitching. This guy recognized something special was happening and he liked being a part of it. I received the same response when I pitched. Umpires knew that they were seeing pitches that nobody else could throw. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 386. I just saw that your 2006 video is now available. In case you don't have a list of people to send the new video too, I thought I'd send this as a reminder to send a copy to me. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On January 14, 2005, you requested my 2004 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. Because I have to respond to my new friends who do not have any of my videos first, it may take me a couple of weeks, but I will get your copy of my 2006 video to you without charge as soon as I can. However, because, to put my video on my website for those less financially fortunate to see, I need to move to a larger website, I will accept donations to help with the increased costs. At present, I have a two hundred megabyte website. My 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video is eight and one-half gigabytes long. Therefore, while I plan to learn how to do all the work myself, the increased costs are considerable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 387. After having come over to Zephyrhills to talk with you and watch your crew pitch, I feel like a kid in a candy store. Your words to my son, telling him to pronate every throw for the rest of his life, has had an amazing affect. He is throwing harder and with much more confidence, and with very little discomfort. At your suggestion, we have limited his pitching to 2 innings a week, with an occasional 3rd inning if he has few throws. We have been experimenting with your windup method and have found, that even with the limited knowledge gleaned from our visit to your facility, his accuracy has improved greatly. I will put a $100 check in the mail tomorrow, now that I see the link is up on the 2006 DVD. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, I would like to come back and watch again. A baseball coach at a local high school and former Olympic pitcher would like to come with me. He is as intrigued as I am about your method. Keep up the great work even though it might be just one convert at a time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I believe that I said one inning per game twice a week. At one person at a time, I will need to live far longer that I believe possible. If I could only figure out a way to get every baseball pitching coach in the world to come en mass to Zephyrhills, FL. How about, it's free and you will stop destroying pitching arms? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 388. My son is 13 and he pitches. His elbow gets sore on the top side not the so called pitchers elbow but on the top side just past the center of the elbow towards the outside. He also plays shortstop when he's not pitching and it doesn't bother him then. He plays football and basketball as well so he doesn't throw all year. He throws pretty hard for his age and I don't want him to hurt himself. It seems to go away later in the year. He is smart enough to tell the coach when it bothers him and he comes out of the game. Do you have any ideas what we might do? Can I order your video now? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discomfort on the lateral epicondyle side of the pitching elbow indicates the articulation between the Capitular end of the Humerus bone and the Head of the Radius bone. The growth plate for the Capitular end of the Humerus bone matures at biological thirteen years old. The growth plate for the head of the Radius bone matures at biological sixteen years old. Unlike the Ulna bone, the Radius bone does not have a solid ligamentous attachment to the Humerus bone. Instead, the Annular Ligament suspends the head of the Radius bone a short distance from the Humerus bone. This permits the head of the Radius bone to freely pronate and supinate, that is, rotate toward and away from the Ulna bone. Unfortunately, during baseball pitching, it also permits the head of the Radius bone to move away from the Humerus bone, such that, during the deceleration phase, the head of the Humerus bone rebounds back and collides with the Capitular end of the Humerus bone. As a result, youth baseball pitchers can damage the head of their Humerus bone and/or the Capitular end of their Humerus bone. To name a few problems; the head of their Radius bone can enlarge, bone chips from the Capitular end of their Humerus bone can enter the joint and bone spurs can develop on the Capitular end of their Humerus bone. Until he is biologically sixteen years old, I recommend that he only pitches for two consecutive months per year. Until your son is biologically thirteen years old, I recommend that he does not pitch competitively. Between when he biologically thirteen years old and biologically sixteen years old, I recommend that he only pitches one inning twice a week. Youth baseball pitching is not harmless fun. I have DVD copies of my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video ready to ship. The 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video file on the home page of my website explains how you can request a copy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 389. I'm a 46 year old ex-baseball player with a shoulder that just recently disintegrated. I played in the minor leagues years ago and continue to follow the game with a passion bordering on fanatic. For the last 14 years I've worked as an associate scout with a major league team. Until recently, my shoulder had never had any problems. Since April 8th of 2005, I've had 4 major surgeries on my right shoulder and have been told in no uncertain terms, that I would never throw with my right arm again. Unfortunately, my next operation will probably entail a complete shoulder replacement. A younger brother practices Sports Medicine. Together with my brother and my orthopedic surgeon we've tried to identify why shoulders are "coming apart". I recognize that, at 46 years of age, I shouldn't be trying to throw 90 mph anymore. My concern is with all of the younger players I've watched over the years and the prevalence of shoulder, elbow and arm injuries. I would absolutely relish the opportunity to speak with you sometime. I've known of your work for years and couldn't agree more that something needs to change in our approach to developing throwing motions. I'm at a crossroads in my own life and I'm just not ready to give up on my own shoulder but more importantly, I'd like to know where we're heading with todays training regimes and how to avoid the mistakes of the past. Again, I don't know how but I love to "pick your brain". I do appreciate your time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You did not say whether you injured the front or back of your pitching shoulder. If you injured the front of your shoulder, then you were taking your pitching upper arm behind your acromial line, striding closed and using your pitching upper arm to pull your pitching forearm forward. If you injured the back of your shoulder, then you reverse rotated your hips, shoulders and pitching upper arm well beyond the line between home plate at second base, such that to return your pitching forearm to the pitching arm side of your body, you had to apply force to the pitching arm side of your body. Therefore, you threw your pitching forearm laterally away from your body. As a result, to decelerate your pitching arm as it moved downward and across the front of your body, you had to use the tiny Teres Minor muscle. Most of my brain is in my Coaching Baseball Pitchers book, my Question/Answers files and my 2006 Baseball Pitching Instructional Video. If after you learn all that, then you are more than welcome to continue to email me with your questions and/or come to Zephyrhills, FL and visit with me from 9:00 to 11:00AM every day between the third Saturday in August until the fourth Saturday the following May. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 390. It looks like you want to keep it cold. Your analogy is if you sprain an ankle, it swells, then you ice it to make the swelling decrease. --------------------------------------------- |