National Pitching Association

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Comment by Don Ervin on August 13, 2011 at 2:23pm

Hey Guy's.

Take the elbow level and fingers on top of the ball advice from Kip Gross and you cannot go wrong. Great advice.

I read and hear so many comments on every thing except the most important aspect of pitching which is how the body should work in a sequenced/chain reactive movement straight down the line, closed body position, no body rotation to front foot touch down with a stride of at least matching one's body height then hips rotate, shoulders momentarily remain closed creating hip, shoulder separation then shoulders rotate immediately thereafter creating a sequenced body chain reaction executed at the proper time in the proper sequence while bringing the shoulders, arm and ball in hand [In a mouse trap forward movement] on through from their external lay back position to the arms internal forward position to ball release and nice flat back follow through  position which allows the body to take on the brunt of the physical work instead of just the arm which in the majority of cases during a pitchers throwing movement does not happen. I just viewed a young pitcher/ thrower from Webb City, Mo. during little league play,who reached out front and twisted off and jerked his elbow area during a once too many curve ball, he immediately went to his knees in excruciating elbow pain. The little league rules on number of pitches may be ok but they also need to monitor and regulate the breaking pitch number also mostly due to the fact that these youngsters certainly are not learning how to properly execute their throws through the sequenced/chain reaction I mentioned above therefore their arms do the brunt of the physical work instead of their body's.

I certainly would like to converse with that youngster and his parents.

Enough said.

Don Ervin.

Cell #. 417-830-9137

E-mail

kom_ervin@yahoo.com

Comment by Bruce Sarte on February 22, 2011 at 9:41am

Kip has a great point for the budding submariner.... but I would take it a step further and say that the elbow must always stay above the shoulder... while it may seem counter-intuitive if you watch film of the greats like Quisenberry and Eckersley, when they are effective that elbow doesn't drop below the shoulder.  It also keeps that elbow and shoulder healthy!

Comment by Jay Mahn on December 8, 2010 at 9:20am

All of what is listed above are great tips. But to go along with all of the mechanics listed a Pitcher can still be a thrower. Location and when to adjust speed are very basic and key elements that lots of talented players never seem to take in to account. I have seen pitchers with above average speed and good mechanics and pretty good stuff get hammered and I have seen guys with great mechanics and average to below average speed make a lineup look like little leaguer's. Thus, a Lot goes into becoming an effective pitcher. I found that players with great talent who have gotten away with god given natural talent for years find it very difficult to adjust mentally to not being able to accomplish what
they once did and in a tight spot will revert because they don't have the confidence to throw the correct pitch in a given situation.. Coaching is everything here in developing talent. Watching a kid pitch,helping him reach full potential and building his confidence by giving him the knowledge to be effective is the correct and only way to teach.

Comment by Kip Gross on December 7, 2010 at 7:36pm

This might sound weird but no matter how low you go make sure your elbow stays about up about shoulder height and your hand stays on top of the ball. Although there are exceptions to the rule, this is the norm.

Comment by Steve Li on December 7, 2010 at 7:14pm

Any tips of submine pitcher

Comment by Gustavo on November 9, 2010 at 9:35am

I want to thank NPA for your advices and goodwill.
From Cuba.
Gustavo

Comment by Kevin J Wyluda on June 2, 2010 at 8:48pm

THE MAIN REASON IM THINKING OF TAKING UP PITCHING BESIDES BEING MECHANICALLY SOUND EARLIER IN THE SEASON THE NY METS PLAYED A 20 INING GAME IN ST LOUIS AND THE CARDINALS HAD TO USE POSITION PLAYERS TO PITCH AND THE METS DIDNT SCORE ONE RUN AND IM NOT 100% SURE BUT I DONT EVEN THINK THE THEY GOT A SINGLE HIT OFF THE POSITION PLAYER AND THE WERE ONLY THROWING 80MPH LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION AND CHANGING SPEED IF THE POSITION PLAYERS HELD THEM DOWN WHY CANT I

Comment by Joe Loria on April 7, 2010 at 3:15pm

Quick Fix for Pitcher's.
We have been doing some in season pitching work with the players that do off season training at our facility. We don't like to do any drastic changes during the season, but we do make adjustments from time to time that seem to get the pitcher's back on track. To get a more detailed explaination please go to www.nationalpitching.org.

1) Dragline. Line it up where it stops with the middle of the mound.
2) Timing into foot strike. 1 sec to 1.5. This is as soon as the hip engages.
3) Lift and Thrust. Get the hip going to the plate (Don't balance)
4) Head movement. Should we very little if any

Hope this helps

Comment by Dave Keine on April 5, 2010 at 2:44pm

Are there any job openings with NPA? I'm graduating college in May.

Comment by Kip Gross on February 22, 2010 at 12:52am

No question about it Tom House is one smart man and I did get the chance to see some of his teachings. Although there are a lot of pitchers out there that are not House fans he has helped tons of pitchers over his time. I wish him good luck in his teachings.

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