Dr. Jobe FW, Dr. Tibone JE, Dr. Perry J, Dr. Moynes D performed a case study called An EMG Analysis Of The Pitching Shoulder. This study is the proof that the accelerator muscles in the arm do not fire when the arm is moving forward. Which means the arm muscles do not activate to generate the velocity of the pitch. Here is a summary of the study.

Five male subjects’ throwing and pitching motions were analyzed by dynamic electromyography and high speed photography. Electrodes inserted into the deltoid and rotator cuff muscles attempted to define muscle activation patterns during the throwing and pitching cycle. The wind-up or preparation (Stage I) had no consistent pattern. Cocking (Stage II) had a sequential muscle activation pattern of first deltoid activity, followed by the S.I.T. muscles and finally by the subscapularis muscle. Acceleration (Stage III) had a lack of muscle activity, even though the arm was accelerating forward in space. Follow-through (Stage IV) was the most active stage with all the muscles firing intensely. The muscle patterns observed during the cycle were largely characteristic of attempts to decelerate the arm.

So if the accelerator muscles of the arm are not activated when the arm is moving forward then what is actually happening? The answer is elastic energy!

First, what is elastic energy? The best way to understand elastic energy is a rubber band. When you stretch a rubber band it builds elastic energy and this is the energy that launches it off of your finger if you are shooting it at someone. A rubber band is very similar to a muscle. If you stretch a muscle like a rubber band it also builds elastic energy. This is proven to be more effective in generating speed and velocity than just contracting the muscle for the same effect. The science behind this discover is called the Stretch Shortening Cycle(SSC). The definition as found on Wikipedia is, A stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) can be defined as an active stretch (eccentric contraction) of a muscle followed by an immediate shortening (concentric contraction) of that same muscle. This means, if you can stretch your accelerator muscles to initiate a contraction then you potentially can generate more velocity in your fastball than just contracting the same muscles.

There is no better visual representation of elastic energy and the SSC than Hideo Nomo. This stretching for pitchers must occur after front foot strike when the shoulders begin to open and the arm is still cocked back. After front foot strike you must allow your momentum to thrust your chest forward while your arm is stretching back. This is where the SSC happens in the delivery. Now, before you stop reading this article and take off outside to try it out, you must understand more about how this SSC works. To understand this perspective and training approach even more I will reference an article from the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. You can read the article HERE.

The title of the article is Stretch-Shortening Drills for the Upper Extremities: Theory and Clinical Application. It was writen by, Kevin E. Wilk, PT’, Michael 1. Voight, MEd, PT, ATC, SCS2, Michael A. Keirns, MA,, PT, ATC, SCS3, Vern Cambetta, MA4, lames R. Andrews, MD5, Charles 1. Dillman, PhD6.

The article starts by explaining that the SSC is only effective if the eccentric contraction is of short range and explosive.

The muscle’s ability to use the stored elastic energy is affected by time, magnitude of stretch, and velocity of stretch. Increased force generation during the concentric contraction is most effective when the preceding eccentric contraction is of short range and is performed quickly without delay.

Research does support that the faster a muscle is loaded eccentrically, the greater the concentric force produced.

This is important to understand because when you first feel the results of the improved SSC in your own delivery you are going to want more. This means you are going to try and stretch it out more like Nomo in the pic above. This will only work against you because as the quote states above the SSC is only effective if it happens quickly and by increasing the range of motion this could potentially slow down the explosiveness of the stretch and shortening cycle. I do believe when learning something new it is better to over exaggerate. You will learn how to use the SSC quicker, if you overstretch this position, so you can feel the creation of more elastic energy. Later you can work on its efficiency and explosiveness.

As with all good information there comes the catch. There is one mechanism in the body that will limit your potential to generating more elastic energy and it is called the golgi tendon. This tendon is located at the insertion of skeletal muscle fibers. This tendon is there to shut off the firing of the muscle if the tension becomes to damaging to the muscle fiber.

Since the golgi tendon organ serves as a protective mechanism limiting the amount of force produced within a muscle, its stimulation threshold becomes the limiting factor. Desensitization of the golgi tendon organ may be possible, thereby raising the level of inhibition and, ultimately, allowing increased force production with greater loads applied to the musculoskeletal system.

I believe that this desensitization of the golgi tendon occurs when your limits are pushed during training. This is another reason for performing a good strength and conditioning program that is sport specific and built around the SSC.

The implementation of the stretch-shortening program begins initially with the development of an adequate strength and physical condition base. The development of a greater strength base results in greater force generation as a result of both the increased cross-sectional area of the muscle and the resultant elastic component. In order to produce optimal strength gains, a structured plan must be instituted to prevent potential over-use injuries.

It has been the authors’ clinical observation that patients performing stretch-shortening exercise drills have accelerated muscular performance gains compared with individuals who have not trained in this fashion.

The most significant contraindication to an intense stretch-shortening exercise program is non involvement in a weight training program.

This last quote from the article states the importance of a weight training program to not only increase the benefit of training with the SSC but that it is crucial to your health. This should be a wake up call to pitching coaches who preach against weight training for velocity.

If you are sold on the mechanical and training approach of the Stretch Shortening Cycle then I would recommend you purchase the 3X Pitching Velocity program. The 3X program has a full medicine ball and strength training program that not only helps you develop more elastic energy in your delivery but it has a strength and conditioning program that supports it. Purchase it today and start gaining velocity with the SSC!

There are two forces that add velocity to a pitch:

Momentum

Rotational Torque

For momentum to effectively transfer to the ball, the pitcher must use all rotational pivots in order from the bottom up.  The hips must rotate before the shoulders and the shoulders before the arm internally rotates. For this to happen effectively these pivots must be free to rotate completely. Notice the picture of Tim Lincecum at the bottom of the page (Tim Lincecum is a phenom because of his size and ability to reach his top velocity continuously.)  Notice in the picture his weight is slightly leaning to his left. This would be like tilting an open door backwards so the open door slams closed due to gravitational forces. This gravitational pull is helping to create full range of motion in Tim Lincecum’s hips and shoulders at front foot strike. If he or the door was tilted the opposite way then these gravitational forces would work against his momentum by decreasing full range of motion in his rotational pivots. Using the force of gravity to increase the range of motion in your hips and shoulders will have a significant effect on your velocity. This is a big reason why Tim Lincecum can throw so hard for his size. He is working with the forces of nature to generate his power.

If you study the animated image here of Tim pitching you can see clearly the effective transfer of momentum through his rotational pivots. Watch his front leg land and his back hip rotate all the way around as his back leg triple extends. From here the momentum moves into the core because his front leg has stabilized  and his weight is being held back because his back shoulder is waiting for his hips to open to the target. This forces the core to tighten because the hips are rotating before the shoulders. His core looks like a rag being rung out or a rubber band being twisted at this point in the delivery. After this tightening of the core the momentum travels up into the shoulders. This torque pulls the back shoulder around and he sets the fulcrum, for the rotating shoulders, with his glove hand over his front leg.  The front leg continues to stabilize as his weight begins to shift over his front knee allowing the momentum to transfer into the final pivot. This is the shoulder pivot or the rotator cuff. Notice that when his trunk is fully forward, his arm is completely externally rotated. Now the arm fires like a rubber band and begins to rotate forward as also all the momentum from the body jumps into the ball like a passenger riding in a car and hitting a brick wall at 100 mph.

What Tim Lincecum continues to teach us is how to pitch with the entire body and that the arm is only along for the ride. This is exactly why little guys can throw so hard and old pitchers can still compete. Tim Lincecum uses gravity to aid momentum and his momentum to build torque in all of his rotational pivots. He also fires those pivots in the perfect order at the perfect time for effective momentum transfer. Everytime Tim Lincecum pitches, you should be watching because it is a lesson in Top Velocity.

Scap Loading Issues

The problem with coaching Scap Loading is that it can promote the infamous inverted W.  The inverted W is the mechanical flaw linked to many rotator cuff and UCL injuries in professional baseball. This is when the elbows fly above the shoulders during the stride and before the shoulders fire towards the target. Scap Loading can lead to this issue because Scap Loading is the throwing of the elbows behind the back during the stride. Throwing the elbows behind the back or above the shoulders is both considered putting the shoulders and elbows in what the Physical Therapy world calls the “Red Zone.” This is a vulnerable position for the arms to be in during an explosive movement like pitching.

If you have ever watched a Major League Pitcher in slow motion you will most always find the pitcher putting his elbows behind his back or maybe even above his shoulders. It would be impossible for a Major League Pitcher to throw a 90+mph fastball without Scap Loading. This is almost proof that Scap Loading is a reaction to the stride. In my experience coaching myself and coaching pitchers is that slower strides create more Scap Loading. This is why I do not coach Scap Loading. The only time I coach a voluntary action to load the scapular is when a pitcher has such a quick stride that he is having a hard time preventing the shoulders from opening early. This is when I coach the pitcher to only load the scapular of the throwing shoulder. This will sometimes help the pitcher hold the throwing shoulder back into front foot strike to promote more hip to shoulder separation.

I really believe most pitcher coaches fail when they coach velocity through the upper kinetic chain like when coaching Scap Loading. Velocity comes from the body movements through force production of the lower half first and then the conversion of these body movements and power into the upper kinetic chain. This means you will benefit more from coaching the force production in the lower half. This means Scap Loading is a failed approach to coaching hip to shoulder separation because hip to shoulder separation is a product of an action of an explosive lower half movement creating a reaction in the inactive upper half at front foot strike. Voluntarily Scap Loading the shoulders during the stride to promote hip to shoulder separation will take the focus away from the lower half speed and also activate the shoulders before hip to shoulder separation occurs at front foot strike.

3X Pitching

This approach, I have defined here, is the 3X approach to pitching. If you are a bit confused then start with this video to learn the entire 3X approach to pitching. This is the approach to pitching velocity that is behind the ever popular 3X Pitching Velocity program.

I have written about this component in just about every article on pitch velocity. I will once again define this into more detail. I am doing this because of how important it is to master the pitching component of “Separation.”

The picture here of Felix Hernandez pretty much says it all. You can see the “Separation” from his hips to shoulders. It is like he is a towel being rung out to dry. Tim Lincecum calls this tightening his “Rubber Band.” The “Rubber Band” being his core. To understand core torque and its effectiveness, you must understand how torque is generated in a 90 MPH pitcher.

When throwing a pitch, we rely on the rotation of three pivots. The hip pivot, collar pivot and the shoulder pivot. If we remove torque in one of these pivots then the other two are forced to handle more torque to keep the same velocity, which leads to poor velocity and injury. The most common loss of torque in young pitchers is because of poor “Separation.” To understand why this happens, let’s take a look at each pivot.

The Hip pivot builds torque just when the front foot lands and the back leg “Triple Extends.” View animation. This is the first pivot to build torque and it is important to achieve full range of motion in this pivot. If the hip pivot does not open completely to the target when the front foot lands, then you are not building maximum torque. The most effective way to build torque is with momentum. Without momentum, the torque is created with only a rotational force. A good example would be the old saying, “Squish the bug.” This would be turning the hip pivot instead of using the driving force from the legs and the fall, to build the torque. Using momentum to build torque is much more effective for generating top velocity.

In between the hip pivot and the next pivot I will discuss, this is the moment “Separation” must occur. If  “Separation” of the hips and shoulders DO NOT occur then the pivots are moving together. This combines the pivots into one pivot and the pitcher losses the opportunity to build core torque. This is because, when “Separation” occurs, the hip pivot and the collar pivot stay separate. The core is now stuck in the middle and forced to tighten or stretch like a towel or rubber band. Once again notice the picture of Felix Hernandez above with hip to shoulder  “Separation.”

The next pivot in the chain of building maximum torque would be the Collar pivot. The collar pivot occurs after “Separation,” or “Scap Loading.” If the collarbone or shoulders would have traveled with the hips, then this pivot would have built zero torque. This is like removing the back two tires from a race car. This is so important to velocity and longevity that it is surprising how very few young pitchers know about its importance. If the collarbone or shoulders stay back, while the hips open to the target, then the spine or core builds torque. Every vertebra of the spine begins to tighten like a towel being rung out. This is just like those little model race cars you had as a kid. The ones that you press to the floor and role back slowly on its wheels to wind the engine. There is a little rubber band like engine within the car that is building torque and when you let it go, BAM, it takes off. This is the same concept behind the pitching component “Separation.” This is why this component is so effective in generating top velocity. Adding more torque here means adding less torque to the last pivot. Which is the Shoulder Pivot.

The shoulder pivot is the most common and most familiar pivot. It is the pivot of the shoulder joint. When the arm externally rotates backwards this is building torque. The reason this pivot is so familiar to the average pitcher is because it is the easiest to use. This is only because it is used all of the time. It opens bottles, doors, used with a screw driver and any other house hold tools. It is very important to a persons quality of life. The problem is the shoulder pivot or joint is designed with a very delicate and intricate system of muscles. This is because it is the only multidirectional joint in the body. The key to top velocity and a long career is preventing this pivot from handling most of the torque. This pivot should mainly be used to guide the pitch to the target.

To visually understand how to  build torque in all three pivots is a lot easier than actually performing the task. The reason is because we are dealing with three pivots. For each pivot to build torque and then to use that torque to generate velocity, takes as much timing as physical strength and coordination. Learning this timing can take an entire career. This is why it is important to continuously analyze your pitching mechaincs to make sure you are building maximum torque within the first two pivots and using that torque to generate top velocity in the 3rd and final pivot.

It is very important to remember the keystone to this entire system of pivots is “Separation.” Master this component and the rest will come naturally. Best of luck!

“Loading” is when the pitcher holds his weight back over his back leg, while his front side continues building momentum towards the target. This is why strong legs and core, produce powerful pitching. Look at Eric Gagne in this picture. He is squatting on his back leg, waiting for the perfect time to fire his hips and then his shoulders.

A component of velocity is produced when torque is generated in the two rotational pivots. The rotation of the hips, to the rotation of the shoulders. Tim Lincecum calls this the “Rubber Band.” Think of your core as the “Rubber Band.” Rotating the shoulder and hip pivot separate from each other would tighten the “Rubber Band.” This sounds a lot easier than it actually is to perform. This is why a small amount of athletes can throw a baseball over 90 mph.

The importance of the “Load” is that it holds the weight back until the first pivot, the hips, are ready to build maximum torque. Triple extension in the back leg drives the momentum into front foot strike, forcing the hips to pivot. Then “Separation,” or “Scap Loading” must occur to build torque in the core. There is that word again “Loading”. Notice the pitcher here in this position. His hip rotation is now complete. It has built maximum torque. You can see this in the tightening of his “Rubber Band.” Notice his shirt is stretching like a rubber band would. Now, all that is left to do, is to fire the last pivot, the shoulders forward and then stabilize. Stabilization allows the momentum generated from the body to transfer to the ball.

If the pitcher didn’t “Load” his weight back, as his front side continued to build momentum and set the first pivot of the hips, then top velocity could never be achieved. It would also put more stress on the rotator cuff, because the torque would build more in the shoulders than the core.

The “Load” is also just as important for hitters to develop power. Notice this picture of A-Rod in the “Load” position. The difference is hitters are more compact because they have to defend the strike zone. Therefore, a hitter cannot have a long stride like a pitcher. This brings up another good point. A good stride is considered to be the length of your body height. The “Load” position also increases your stride. So when you here a Coach yell out that you need to stride out more, then you will understand that this means you are not “Loading.” The importance of the “Stride” is that it moves you closer to the plate, shortening the distance the ball must travel, which increases velocity and a good “Stride” gives you more time to build momentum.

In conclusion, a good “Load” position is more valuable for a pitcher than a high lift leg. It generates as much or more momentum but is critical in generating optimal hip to shoulder separation. Here is a gallery of more pitchers in the “Load” position. View gallery here.

Salsa definition:

A mixture of up tempo Latin styles of music. The salsa is not an actual style of Latin music; it is a style of dance. One that has become increasingly popular over time. Up beat Latin patterns and beats played together create a salsa style groove.

When you take a lesson or watch it on the hit show “Dancing with the Stars,” you will see that “Salsa” is all about the hips moving the body. Observe the video.

So how can this help you as a pitcher? Well, pitching velocity we know comes from momentum and the proper use of the hips. Up to this point in my articles, I have not talked much about the hips, except for the purpose of “Separation.” Which is the most important component. This is separation in the back hip and the back shoulder. The reason for this is to develop majority torque in the core. Read my article on “How to Develop Top Velcotiy?” to learn more about “Separation.”

The other purpose of the hips is what Tim Lincecum’s father calls, “Tightening the rubber band.” This means to build maximum torque in the hips, we must tighten them up just before the shoulders fire. This is where “Salsa” comes in. In “Salsa” the dancer kicks his feet with a kind of scissor step. It is like a gymnast on a balance beam. The feet are extended out, but if they were together, the feet would be touching each other. This makes it easier for the dancers body to swivel the hips back and forth; giving the dancer that groovy style of “Salsa.” So apply this to pitching. When your front foot lands make sure it is landing on the balance beam or a little across the body. This way it will allow the hips to close completely and tighten. If the leg lands open and off the balance beam, then it will be harder for the hips to close and it will decrease the hips range of motion.

I recommend that you stand up from the computer now, try out what I am telling you and see for yourself. When your landing foot is NOT landing on the balance beam and it is in an open stance, your hips do not have a lot of freedom or range of motion. Get in this position and try to swivel your hips. Now, if the front leg lands closed perfectly on the balance beam, then this will give your hips all of their potential range of motion and the ability to completely close off. Try this as well and feel how your hips have more range of motion to swivel and it is easier to close them off. In return, this is increasing our velocity because we are building more torque in the core when we can completely tighten our hips closed, after “Separation.”

So this is my theory. Maybe these Latin Pitchers have better hip action because of their Latin culture. Look at these hard throwing Latin Pitcher’s hips and you will see that they have a lot of “Salsa” in their delivery.

This is a video of Felix Hernandez pitching. You will see in his first pitch how closed his landing leg lands and how tight his hips get. Could this be his secret to his 100 MPH fastball? I will leave that up to you to answer.