Hey Scott:

I hope you do not mind if I stick my two cents worth in. here goes

As Brent is, I am a real stickler for good mechanics/fundamentals.

Bad body positions, bad beginnings/starts create bad finishes.

                                                  "THE PITCHERS BODY IN MOTION"

 It is a must for pitchers to first establish and to maintain good body balance  throughout the total pitching movement, by beginning with making sure that the head all (10 pounds of it) is "basically" centered between the shoulders, hips and feet, there will be certain times when this will momentarily change especially during the drive from the rubber when the body will momentarily revert into an "L" shape position as the hips are in their lead position before the stride foot follows,"check video clip of "Trevor Bauer." and during the"mouse trap" movement which is the upper body's forward and down ward belly button down "L" shape  positional movement as the upper half travels to and through the release point on to it's nice flat back fielding position, which is the final body sequence and body momentum build up etc. transferred from the ground and up through the body into the arm and out through the finger tips. Check and compare Brads balance position and movement, leg lift position, toe pointed position and positional movement step by step from the rubber to front foot touch down with Chapmans and also go over Brent's analysis step by step, listen carefully to every word he says, do not miss a thing. what I do is start backwards from the very last controlled body position and reverse the whole pitching movement step by step back, get every step into proper position as you go back. I like to take video on a regular basis times 2-3 times per week to make sure I immediately notice any changes, you never know when there will be changes, also I do not like to use video clips just for teaching purposes, get some other players in your clips as they are practicing and let them all view themselves, just sit back and let them converse and you may find that each one of them will come up with some very positive remarks about having to make some adjustments of their own, ask them if they notice the need to make some adjustments, talk to them about their good aspects."Never" substitute flat ground throwing for mound throwing, the mound is a pitchers home base.

 Get into a good dynamic moving, stretching routine.

I am a stickler on my pitchers executing two very constructive bull pens per. week with a catcher sitting in, even with batters standing in on both sides of the plate. setting them up in blocks, w/number of pitches in each block determined/divided up into each block by the total number of pitches basically thrown during each game concentrating on control and command of each of the four areas out of the middle of the plate, say six pitches in succession in each area of the strike zone. if you only throw a maximum of say, 35-40 pitches during bull pens then the body will most likely break down at 35-40 pitches during a game. "Please note" that this kind of a constructive bull pen schedule is time consuming due to the fact that one does not throw bull pens at or near the same speed that is executed during games. acquiring control and command of the fast ball and the straight change will basically bring any other pitches one has into control, the release point on every pitch is in very close proximity to each to each other so get the fast ball first under great control then follow with the straight change then all other pitches will be easier to get under control. Mike Roberts, coach of the championship team in the Cape Cod league last season basically had his pitchers work on and throwing fast balls and change ups, Mike said that his pitchers experienced great arms all season and went back to college ball with great feeling arms

What is so great about this site is that Brent so unselfishly divulges an enormous amount of intricate pitching info and assistance plus, to all who would like to expand their pitching horizons and there is not one bit of it that is old conventional and opinionated. what the most interesting aspect to me is the very important fact that how the pitchers moving body should work in difference as to how the pitchers moving body naturally works is laid out in very explicit detail, and should be most important to every parent, player, coach and everyone else who is connected to aspiring pitchers in any way shape or form, I make this statement due to the fact that there is an enormous, unnecessary number of chronic sore arms and surgeries within every level of baseball from the major league level through their minor systems, into college, high schools even into our youth players as young as believe or not 10 years old, some experts claim the baseball world is in a near epidemic of these elbow and shoulder problems.

The simple reason that every single person involved particularly with aspiring pitchers of any age is the simple fact that learning, understanding and learning how teach aspiring pitchers what Brent brings to the table in particular about how the pitching body in motion should work would be a big, big step towards at least curtailing/shelving the possibility of acquiring chronic sore arms and surgeries.

Best of luck.

Nuff said.

Don Ervin

kom_ervin@yahoo.com