RAC Performance

Monday Mechanics Minute: Chin up - If you pull your head down at ball release, this often reflects a current or previous strength deficiency that your body is trying to adjust for. What you really need to do is keep your chin up with eyes level. This keeps your energy going towards the target. It also recruits back extension to flexion in the proper sequence to help propel the ball harder with less stress on the arm.

Monday Mechanics Minute: Glove towards 3rd (RHP) - If you are struggling with over-rotating, as you separate your hands try taking your glove hand towards the 3rd base dugout (1st base for LHP). This can help delay shoulder rotation and keep you from flying open too soon. It can also improve your torque (hip/shoulder separation) adding velocity to your pitch! Give it a try.

Monday Mechanics Minute: Opposite & Equal (Elbow Angles) - After doing literally hundreds of 3D motion captures, what was noticed about elite throwers is their elbow angles match at footstrike. We call this being equal and opposite at footstrike. It’s like walking on a tightrope - you want your arms balanced. This prevents you from over-rotating and keeps your momentum going towards the target. If your elbow angles don’t match, adjust your glove side to mirror your throwing side at footstrike. NEVER adjust your throwing arm to match your glove side.

Monday Mechanics Minute: Pitching Posture - There is no single correct set posture for all pitchers. There IS a correct posture for each pitcher, however. Your posture (hip-to-spine relationship) is determined by your delivery. Pay attention to your head and body when you start your delivery. If you move your head up or down as you begin to move forward, then you need to adjust your set posture to match that. This will get rid of unnecessary body movement at the start of your delivery and keep you on a line towards the target.

Monday Mechanics Minute: Hip Forward Fast - When starting your delivery it is important to get that front hip moving FORWARD FAST towards the target. It does the following things: Generates more forward momentum Creates better ground reaction force at footstrike (to send more energy up the chain) Keeps your center of gravity on line towards the target Increases your stride length... Your release point will be farther out front And NO SLIDE STEP. Be sure to USE YOUR LEG LIFT! You’ll see an increase in velocity with less effort and less strain on your arm. See more

Monday Mechanics Minute: Chin Up - If you constantly pull your heads down at ball release, this usually indicates a current or prior strength weakness that your body is trying to adjust for. What you really should be doing is keeping your chin up with eyes level. This keeps your energy heading towards the target. It also recruits back extension and flexion in the proper sequence allowing you to throw harder without adding stress to the arm.

Monday Mechanics Minute: Glove towards 3rd - For a RHP, if you are struggling with over-rotating, when you separate your hands try taking your glove towards the 3rd base dugout (1st base for LHP). This will often help delay shoulder rotation and keep you from flying open too soon. It also can improve your torso torque adding velocity to your pitch. Give it a try!

Monday Mechanics Minute: Elbow Angles (at footstrike) - After doing literally hundreds of 3D motion captures, what we’ve noticed about the elite throwers is that their elbow angles match at footstrike. We call this being equal and opposite. At footstrike it’s like walking on a tightrope - you want your arms balanced. This will help send your momentum directly towards the target. If your elbow angles don’t match, adjust your glove side elbow to match your throwing arm elbow. DON’T adjust your throwing arm angle!

Monday Mechanics Minute: Pitching Posture - There is no one correct set posture for all pitchers. Your hip/spine relationship (posture) is determined by your own delivery. Some need to start their delivery in a more upright posture. Others need to be more bent over. To determine your correct starting posture, watch what your body does when you start your delivery. If you move your head up or down prior to moving forward you need to adjust your posture accordingly.

Monday Mechanics Minute: Narrow or Wide Stance? - We’ve found that using a narrower stance helps guys with their timing to the plate vs a wide set position. When guys come set too wide, they tend to rock back before going forward towards the plate. This causes timing to slow down and direction to the plate to vary from pitch to pitch. Even if they are able to move forward right away, they create less momentum due to the shorter distance from set position to footstrike. Try narrowing your stance at set position and taking your body directly towards home and you’ll feel the difference in energy and velocity coming out of your hand.