- Feb 7, 2013
- 3,188
- 48
I just wanted to share my review of Hillhouse's pitching DVDs and hear input from others on their experience with the videos and/or experiences with Bill. First off, I am a big fan of Bill's method of teaching pitching and his contribution to the sport is impressive. I recently purchased his latest two DVDs: The "Pitches" and "Tricks of the Trade" and previously own : "Building the Foundation..." and "The Road to the Rise ball" DVDs. With that said, I wanted to write an objective review.
What's Taught
Bill is very consistent with his method and message, keep it simple. Don't over-complicate the pitching process. For example, he doesn't want the student to do any unnecessary movements in the start of their delivery (no hands over head).
He also doesn't like a bunch of different drills that don't replicate the full pitching motion.
He preaches absolutes in pitching vs. stylistic.
He likes the greatest separation (depth on the rubber) between the pivot foot and stride foot for maximum momentum at push off.
During the stride, the pitcher needs to get fully open whereas the catcher only sees the front shoulder.
During the arm circle, at 12:00 the bicep brushes the head and at 6:00 the forearm brushes the belly.
You want to pitch through the hip, not around the hip. Left and right issues are mechanical issues, up and down issues are timing.
You only need three pitches: Drop ball, Change-up, and Rise ball. The reason is you want to change planes by working vertically, not horizontally. If you want to add a "sideways" pitch than use a Cutter with more pressure on the index finger.
With the ball behind you on the downswing, the ball is pointed to 3rd base and the fingers to the sky.
Arm Whip / Arm Snap is key with arm, wrist, and fingers all creating the whip. He wants to finish somewhere across the body (not forced into the hello elbow).
One of his favorite drills is to pitch the ball into your own glove. Helps fix a lot of mechanical issues.
The Peel Drop is your fastball but you throw it at the back hip (release early), not front hip (more on this below).
The Flip Change is his favorite type of c/u since it looks just like every other pitch and you can throw it hard, don't slow down the arm circle though. You want it to finish across the body so it moves both down and away because of the side spin.
How It's Taught
Bill's very first DVD was probably his best in the way the information is presented. He demonstrates more, has diagrams/graphics, overall just more professionally prepared IMO. The Road to the Riseball is good but in general, his DVDs don't really show him or his students actually pitching full motion.
The Pitches DVD and Tricks of the Trade were helpful and reinforced the mechanics that should be utilized on the three main pitches he teaches and trouble-shooting areas. These two DVDs were almost exclusively shot at one time and location and they are very no frills. All close-up of Bill standing in one spot showing primarily arm circle mechanics and drills. I don't think you see him or any other pitcher actually throw a pitch?
Areas for Improvement
Overall, I think this collection of pitching DVDs is a must have. With that said here are some observations and comments for areas of improvement:
It would be very helpful to see Bill or someone else on these 4 DVDs actually throw a pitch to a catcher whereas the viewer could see the full mechanics and spin, movement of the ball. I know there are a couple of pitching video clips on Bill's website but they really should be on the DVDs, don't you think?
The latest 2 DVDs have 3 or 4 product commercials throughout. I understand why they are there ($$) but they are very distracting, you watch the video for 10mins, and then a commercial, rinse and repeat.
The more recent DVDs feel like they were made in 1 day. Very no frills, no graphics to reinforce the key concepts, no visuals other than Bill standing in front of you, etc.. Bill has a wealth of knowledge and a focus on the production value would make these DVDs much more valuable and rich in content for the viewer.
Lastly, a few items I have a hard time reconciling from what is presented by other experts on this site:
Bill advocates ball pointed at 3rd base and fingers to the sky when coming down the circle. When I point my fingers to the sky, the palm and ball of my hand is pointed to the sky not 3rd base? It would seem, having read much of BMs posts on Internal Rotation, that at 9:00 you would want the palm facing the sky not 3rd base? This way you will maximize the rotation of the arm (generating more velocity and spin to the pitch) as its come down the arm circle into release?
Some experts on this site disagree that the "horizontal" pitches don't have much value and that pitchers should learn how to throw curves, drop curves, screwballs since they can be effective even in college and beyond (for example, Keilani Ricketts's drop curve). Only learning the key 3 pitches might be too restrictive?
The Drop Ball is released at the back hip, no other changes in mechanics necessary? All things being equal, if the only difference between throwing the fastball and drop ball is the ball is released at the back hip to get more spin and movement, the pitcher would be throwing the ball into the dirt in front of home plate. I would love to see slo-mo video of Bill throwing a fastball and drop ball. My gut feeling is that there a slight differences (i.e. the angle of the pitch at release) that also contribute getting good spin and drop on the drop ball.
In summary, I think Bill is an outstanding pitching coach. While I feel the DVDs have some very good information and insights, I came away from the last 3 videos wanting something more technical information and in depth review of the pitching motion.
What's Taught
Bill is very consistent with his method and message, keep it simple. Don't over-complicate the pitching process. For example, he doesn't want the student to do any unnecessary movements in the start of their delivery (no hands over head).
He also doesn't like a bunch of different drills that don't replicate the full pitching motion.
He preaches absolutes in pitching vs. stylistic.
He likes the greatest separation (depth on the rubber) between the pivot foot and stride foot for maximum momentum at push off.
During the stride, the pitcher needs to get fully open whereas the catcher only sees the front shoulder.
During the arm circle, at 12:00 the bicep brushes the head and at 6:00 the forearm brushes the belly.
You want to pitch through the hip, not around the hip. Left and right issues are mechanical issues, up and down issues are timing.
You only need three pitches: Drop ball, Change-up, and Rise ball. The reason is you want to change planes by working vertically, not horizontally. If you want to add a "sideways" pitch than use a Cutter with more pressure on the index finger.
With the ball behind you on the downswing, the ball is pointed to 3rd base and the fingers to the sky.
Arm Whip / Arm Snap is key with arm, wrist, and fingers all creating the whip. He wants to finish somewhere across the body (not forced into the hello elbow).
One of his favorite drills is to pitch the ball into your own glove. Helps fix a lot of mechanical issues.
The Peel Drop is your fastball but you throw it at the back hip (release early), not front hip (more on this below).
The Flip Change is his favorite type of c/u since it looks just like every other pitch and you can throw it hard, don't slow down the arm circle though. You want it to finish across the body so it moves both down and away because of the side spin.
How It's Taught
Bill's very first DVD was probably his best in the way the information is presented. He demonstrates more, has diagrams/graphics, overall just more professionally prepared IMO. The Road to the Riseball is good but in general, his DVDs don't really show him or his students actually pitching full motion.
The Pitches DVD and Tricks of the Trade were helpful and reinforced the mechanics that should be utilized on the three main pitches he teaches and trouble-shooting areas. These two DVDs were almost exclusively shot at one time and location and they are very no frills. All close-up of Bill standing in one spot showing primarily arm circle mechanics and drills. I don't think you see him or any other pitcher actually throw a pitch?
Areas for Improvement
Overall, I think this collection of pitching DVDs is a must have. With that said here are some observations and comments for areas of improvement:
It would be very helpful to see Bill or someone else on these 4 DVDs actually throw a pitch to a catcher whereas the viewer could see the full mechanics and spin, movement of the ball. I know there are a couple of pitching video clips on Bill's website but they really should be on the DVDs, don't you think?
The latest 2 DVDs have 3 or 4 product commercials throughout. I understand why they are there ($$) but they are very distracting, you watch the video for 10mins, and then a commercial, rinse and repeat.
The more recent DVDs feel like they were made in 1 day. Very no frills, no graphics to reinforce the key concepts, no visuals other than Bill standing in front of you, etc.. Bill has a wealth of knowledge and a focus on the production value would make these DVDs much more valuable and rich in content for the viewer.
Lastly, a few items I have a hard time reconciling from what is presented by other experts on this site:
Bill advocates ball pointed at 3rd base and fingers to the sky when coming down the circle. When I point my fingers to the sky, the palm and ball of my hand is pointed to the sky not 3rd base? It would seem, having read much of BMs posts on Internal Rotation, that at 9:00 you would want the palm facing the sky not 3rd base? This way you will maximize the rotation of the arm (generating more velocity and spin to the pitch) as its come down the arm circle into release?
Some experts on this site disagree that the "horizontal" pitches don't have much value and that pitchers should learn how to throw curves, drop curves, screwballs since they can be effective even in college and beyond (for example, Keilani Ricketts's drop curve). Only learning the key 3 pitches might be too restrictive?
The Drop Ball is released at the back hip, no other changes in mechanics necessary? All things being equal, if the only difference between throwing the fastball and drop ball is the ball is released at the back hip to get more spin and movement, the pitcher would be throwing the ball into the dirt in front of home plate. I would love to see slo-mo video of Bill throwing a fastball and drop ball. My gut feeling is that there a slight differences (i.e. the angle of the pitch at release) that also contribute getting good spin and drop on the drop ball.
In summary, I think Bill is an outstanding pitching coach. While I feel the DVDs have some very good information and insights, I came away from the last 3 videos wanting something more technical information and in depth review of the pitching motion.
