Transcription
Hi guys, and welcome back to a new series here on YouTube.
In this series, I am going to pick a really common mechanical issue that we get messages or written about a lot, asking how to fix it. I'm going to talk about them, go over what can cause it, and then show you guys my favorite way to fix that mechanical problem.
So, this is the mechanics series. Before I get into it, I just want to remind you guys that every pitcher is different. Every pitcher has her own mechanical issues, little things that work for her and not necessarily for another pitcher. Pitching is such a personalized experience.
If you want to analyze your pitcher's mechanics and get personal recommendations and analyses from me, make sure you check out the Fast Pitch Power Plus app. I can give you a full detailed video analysis of your pitcher, drills that come right from me to help you work on those mechanical issues and help you reach your potential.
In this first mechanics video, I would say probably the number one biggest issue that we get from followers is they always ask how to make the transition from Hello elbow or just a very stiff, pushy motion to whip or internal rotation. Quite honestly, that is one of the hardest things that pitchers deal with.
It's very difficult to go from such a stiff, tense motion that can create a lot of pain and a lot of issues to a loose, relaxed, whippy feeling. Essentially, the feeling of relaxedness can be really difficult for a lot of pitchers to feel.
So, what I'm going to show you today actually involves one of my favorite pitching tools, and that is a plyo ball. This is a plyo ball. This is our fast pitch plyo ball. It's essentially a squishy, sand-filled ball that weighs about one pound, and just that little bit of extra weight can really help a pitcher feel that relaxed motion.
First, let's talk about why it's always best to transition your pitcher from Hello elbow to internal rotation. If you've been around a while, you know that Hello elbow is basically what is still, unfortunately, widely taught out there. It's essentially the pitcher being taught to open up and then snap their hand up like that in order to deliver.
For starters, it has been proven that Hello elbow has created a lot of issues as far as injuries go. Pretty much every pitcher that has converted from Hello elbow has told me that they have had, at least at one point, elbow pain, hand swelling, shoulder pain.
So, obviously, injury prevention is always number one for us, and it is just proven that Hello elbow causes a lot more injuries than internal rotation does when internal rotation is done correctly.
Hello elbow is also a push and pull motion that can create a lot of things like bicep tendinitis, but also has you release the ball in a direction that's nowhere near the target.
Whereas internal rotation really allows you to fire that hand towards your target and keep your hand on the power line in the throw zone for as long as possible for both maximum speed and command.
If you think about any athletic power movement in the world, in any sport—not just softball or baseball—any sport, think about a tennis serve, or shooting a free throw, throwing a football overhand, even swinging a bat. There are zero athletic movements that involve going from a straight arm to a bent arm like that.
Every single athletic movement involves elbow leading followed by hand extension, the same way that internal rotation involves elbow leading to hand extension.
So, if every single athletic power movement involves elbow lead and hand extension, why are we teaching young pitchers to go from a straight arm to a bent arm? We shouldn't be, is the long and the short.
Okay, so I'm going to show you one of my favorite drills to really allow your pitcher to feel that relaxed lower arm movement that is so important when it comes to internal rotation.
I call this the back and forth drill, and you can find this and tons more. We literally have an entire section dedicated solely to whip and internal rotation in the Fast Pitch Power Plus app.
So, what your pitcher is going to do for this one is a really small isolated movement, and you don't even need a glove, so it's really easy to work on by yourself as well.
You're just going to take that plyo ball, you're going to set up in a palm-up, elbow-down position as if you've already pulled that elbow down to the hip. So, we're not starting up here; we're starting down here.
Okay, and then all you're going to have that pitcher do is practice dropping that hand and just snapping it to the front hand, the glove hand. They're going to really smoothly, without stopping, go back and forth.
So, it's going to look like this: snap and relax, snap and relax. And look at the motion of my wrist and fingers—how loose and relaxed I am. I'm not doing this.
Okay, it's all about that elbow lead, that hand drop, the snap forward, and the natural relaxing of the hand. Remember that we do not force the hand to turn over.
A lot of people ask, "Well, how do you actually snap and release with internal rotation?" The elbow comes down to the hip, the hand drops, turns to the side, we snap forward off the back hip, and then as a function of being really relaxed, the hand's going to turn over by itself.
I dropped it. That might happen if you were to stand with your hands like this, palm up, and just let gravity take them down. Do you notice how my palms naturally turn over by themselves? That's because it's the position our body naturally wants to be in.
So, if you are truly relaxed, you do not have to force that hand to turn over; it will happen all by itself as a function of being relaxed.
So, your pitcher can start by simply doing this, okay? Which is a really great way to feel that relaxed feeling. And then once they've really gotten the hang of it, you can kind of have them do a couple of these and then just practice snapping to a target.
That will really help them feel that loose, relaxed whip.
So, this is probably our number one question we get: what's the best way to transition my pitcher from Hello elbow to internal rotation? This is one of my favorite ways to do it, and I promise you will not regret the transition.
Switching from Hello elbow to internal rotation. And remember, if you want a personalized pitching plan from me, make sure you check out Fast Pitch Power Plus.
I'll talk to you guys next time.