Did you see this article? Little League Mechanics vs. Major League Mechanics
In it I talked about one of the big mechanical flaws you frequently see with young pitchers: Opening the hips early. Another way to think about this is “not Loading the Hips properly” in the stride.
I got a few questions from guys asking how they could address this mechanical with their pitchers. So I put together a short video (with voice-over) to give you a better idea of what loading the hips looks like, along with one of the drills I use for teaching this component.
Loading the Hips is one of my 4 Power Pitching Components:
1. Linear Momentum (early momentum)
2. Loading the Hips
3. Hip to Shoulder Separation (torque)
4. Stabilizing the Front Side (front knee, glove arm)
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[h4]Some videos to help address this mechanical flaw:[/h4]
1. Opening the hips early: Young pitchers often swing the front leg out, opening their front foot early, effectively unloading their hips. See video below (no audio):
2. Loading the hips with Fernando Rodney: Watching Fernando Rodney shows you how you can load your hips without a big leg lift (or any leg lift). Now most pitchers will struggle with a “no leg lift” delivery, but the video below show you how staying loaded and closed with the hips is more important than a big leg lift (he throws 100 MPH).
3. One of my favorite drills to help develop the feel for loading the hips:
This one sets you up in that same loaded-up hip position you see with Rodney in the video above. How high you lift your leg is up to you.
This is an excerpt from one of my videos in the Ballistic Pitching Blueprint.
For a complete system of drills to develop this Power Pitching Component and others for a more Powerful, Dynamic pitching delivery Click Here.
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photo source: Dustin Bradford/Getty Images