Looking at Masahiro Tanaka’s pitching mechanics, one of the things that really jumps out is how well he gets his lower half into his pitching delivery. You’ll see him come out of his leg lift by leading with his hips and allowing his center to drop as he builds momentum towards home plate. And perhaps more than anything else, he’s one of the best examples I’ve seen of a pitcher staying “loaded” with his hips in his stride.
[h5]Watch how well Tanaka gets his hips into his delivery here…[/h5]
Now what you see with Tanaka is a very specific style. He gets very low and linear, and the leg kick/loaded hips is something you see a lot with Japanese pitchers. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a fan of forcing pitchers to fit a specific mold (you need to be able to find your own pitching style) but for pitchers who lack early momentum or tend to swing the hips open, they could learn a lot by studying pitcher’s like Tanaka.
[h5]See any similarities between Tanaka and another pretty good Japanese pitcher?[/h5]
[h5]Now here’s what you see a lot with young pitchers…[/h5]
Click here for more on Little League Mechanics vs. Major League Mechanics
Now understanding this concept is one thing… actually putting it into practice is another. So keep an eye out, because in my next Video Lesson, I’m going to show you some simple steps for incorporating some of these movements into your delivery.