show it then throw it

[Dragoncoach]

with my main goal being injury prevention. could someone explain the proper way to teach show it then throw it. does this mean as the arm/ball comes up the circle that the ball should face the catcher and thumb face 1b for a righty pitcher? then as the ball/arm circle reaches 12 the ball naturally should face 3b on the down swing?
Thanks Eric

 

[vdubya]

DC,
There may be varying descriptions of 'show it and throw it', but as I understand it it is a drill and not a full arm circle at all. The drill starts with the pitcher in a (not-quite-fully) open position with the ball hand at 12 o'clock. 'Show it' means that the ball is facing the catcher as opposed to 3b. The thumb faces the catcher too if the grip has the thumb and middle finger opposing each other. Elbow has a slight bend and the entire arm is nice and loose. See IR thread for orientation of ball between 12 and 6, but basically the palm faces the sky and not the ground at 3 o'clock. My DD raises her left foot (stepping into the throw) or at a minimum shifts her weight as she throws it, though by design I'd say it is meant more to focus on IR rather than the lower body, so we don't make a fuss over the lower half. She generally works into it with a simple weight shift and sort of progresses into a step and toe drag as things get flowing during reps. We start to incorporate more lower body when we progress to walk thru's, making sure all stays nice and fluid.

***I'm no PC so others may amend or correct me here. ***

VW

 

[BoardMember]

Perfect description VW...........FYI.......I consider 12:00 the position of the ball when it is directly OVERR the spine........Not back over or behind the shoulder socket.........

IF you then move the arm up from the 3:00 position to the 12:00 position (4), above the shoulder socket and slightly past (forward toward the plate), NOT OVER THE HEAD, with the ball position UNCHANGED, and the elbow remaining slightly flexed, you will be "showing the ball to the batter" at the top. The arm will look like a wide open "C" maintaining elbow flexion. THIS POSITION IS CRITICAL to the success of pitching mechanics IMO.

In my original description of "show it and throw it", where the drill is used from the open position, a step is approriate. I DO NOT like static feet drills. I also includ a progression to include lower body mechanics to improve lower body syncage with I/R..........

From the basic "show it, throw it" drill, progression to a position where the stride foot starts behind the pivot foot, weight is shifted back prior to the up swing "show it" phase, and then a stride/push/drive is incorporated during the "throw-it" phase of the down swing. This will insure the proper transfer timing of the stride/push/drive/throw.........

I read somewhere on here where one instructor said "thumb rotation is pitching 101"...........

I completely disagree...........Teaching "external thumb rotation" toward 3rd base on the accent up the circle and over the top is a prerequisit to teaching the "push down the circle" mechanics the ruins the natural kinematic sequence of the whipping loop........Once you intiate external rotation of the forearm via thumb rotation toward third you are setting in motion a "chain" that cannot be controled (stopped) in the full motion sequence.........The thumb will continue to externally rotation outward toward third base putting the hand on top of the ball..........The shoulder socket WILL bind......and the whipping loop is killed.........And I/R is dead........

Show it to the pitcher at the top......PULL IT DOWN..........and BUST IT OFF with I/R.............

One more thing..........IMO......Using the "thumb rotation" or the "chalkboard" analogy.........OR........."Wipe the wall with the ball" is SECOND worst training method in pitching...........

Anyone who wants to feel the negetive effects of this method should simply raise their pitching hand above their head with a bent elbow and the palm facing forward toward the catcher (see hillhouse below)...........Place your free hand on the top of, and fingers slightly to the rear side of the deltoid.......Feeling the "relaxed" muscle structure with the palm facing forward.........

Then keeping the arm raised above the head palm forward.........EXTERNALLY rotate the palm of the hand to facing toward third base.......Paying ACCUTE attention to what happens to the deltiod muscles on top of and in the rear of deltoid supporting the shoulder.........Feel the muscles turn from relaxed and fluid to tense/constricted......Creating a bind in the shoulder.........Anyone advocating turning the hand OUT either during the begining of the accent up the circle (wipe the wall) OR at the top of the circle is creating THIS EXACT tension/constriction in whipping loop.......

This is NOT to say that there is no rotation that occurs......It does........The hand/arm WILL rotate properly/naturally on it's own.......WITHOUT TEACHING "thumb rotation".........

Watch Hillhouse.........He is palm FORWARD.......Then slightly outward.........THEN back to upward........YOU CANNOT teach pitchers to make this move.......MID-SEQUENCE.........

It MUST be allowed to happen naturally..........

 

[Hillhouse]

It MUST be allowed to happen naturally..........

I would agree. Except what I would add is that far too many people teach things so this movement CANNOT happen naturally. So while you may or may not believe it can or cannot be taught, I will go to my grave saying that it can be taught not to happen by what people teach.

 

[Dragoncoach]

So basically as the ball comes up the cirlce show the catcher, as the down swing begins show 3b then the natural motion should take over.
Thanks again