Most Common Pitching Flaws Survey

Looking to create a presentation on the most commonly seen pitching flaws. Reply with a list of the most common flaws you have encountered. Duplicate flaws are ok as this will give an idea of how often each occur. Feel free to describe in detail.

Look forward to a good thread.

 

Stride too short and not leading with the front hip. Alot of kids lead with the front shoulder and thus loose all the drive from their lower body and are what I call all arm.

 

Stride length , imo, should be the result not the objective.

 

Throwing Too Many "Hanging Curve Balls"!

 

Arm dragging
Flying open
Throwing across your body
Front foot landing stiff legged
After release of ball, back leg does not "pop up"
While driving towards the plate, back foot does not drag
While releasing, glove hand down

These are just a few that come to mind

 

In my opinion, these are the most common flaws I see in pitchers. These flaws rob them of performance, ability to make clutch pitches and contribute to injury.

1. Low utilization of the lower body (short stride, no attack the plate effort from the lower half leading to too much attack the plate effort from the upper half)

2. Opening up too soon and sacrificing the whip the arm gets from a well-timed upper body release and powerful, explosive rotation

3. Too much emphasis on velocity. Successful pitching is about locating pitches and changing speeds...making the hitter swing at the pitcher's pitch, not timing an overcooked attempt at a blazing fastball that is left up and over the plate and driven hard somewhere. That's the pitch the hitter wants. Greg Maddux said all truly GREAT pitchers can spot the low and away fastball consistently....when they do, they usually win. On the off day, when they are less successful doing it, they will surely be at risk.

4. Telegraphing pitches. An undeveloped pitcher will tip off his alternate pitches as he is focused on the grip and hoping for a result and forgets that the delivery is key to keeping the hitter off balance.

5. Here's a big one. Loss of mental toughness/emotional control. The same circumstance that drives tears (crying) for younger pitchers drives overstated frustration and exaggerated negative body language for older pitchers. The mind controls everything a pitcher draws upon for that next pitch (and that's alot) and when 75% of the mind is saying "the umpire is an idiot" or "I wish I wasn't here" or "Jimmy's the worst shortstop...he's killing me", then the pitcher has no chance to execute that next pitch. Ever notice when the pitcher starts showing negative body language he seems to give up the big gap shot with runners scoring? It's not coincidence.

6. No follow through. Stand up straight and jerk that arm as hard as you can....painful.

7. Poor management of baserunners. Pitching is about more than throwing to the plate. Pitchers with good ERA's and winning records can trace some of their success to how they deal with baserunners and how they defend and backup throws.

8. Location. This is a mental flaw, not a mechanical flaw. Just notice when ESPN shows highlights, most every home run is hit off a pitch up and over the plate. Pitchers have to understand and care about locating every pitch. Locating is about hitting a spot, but it's also about where you miss when you don't hit the spot.

9. Inadequate preparation. Pitchers have to be devoted to their craft. Too many younger ones say they want it, but they are lazy and rely on their youthful athleticism to be successful. As they mature the hitters get better and by the time they realize they have to work at this thing, the train has already left the station for many. Pitchers that don't have a dedicated throwing program (year round, with a rest period) are not developing the muscle groups that will make them successful....injury is lurking, waiting for that overcooked effort or long outing.

10. Predictability. When pitchers (their catchers and pitch-calling coaches) fall into a pattern on what's coming when, then success is compromised. Master the change-up, so you can throw it on that 3-2 count and enjoy the rewards....but don't throw it on every 3-2 count, or you will be PREDICTABLE. But before you can enjoy those rewards you must be able to throw the change-up consistently for strikes (devotion, practice and preparation). A coach I know said, "some pitchers look at a 3-2 count as pressure to throw a strike, while others look at it as an opportunity for creativity"