How the Hips Compare in Pitching and Hitting
One of our students recently asked us a great question: why is it that in pitching we emphasize the hips moving in a linear fashion and the hand getting through first, but in hitting the hips rotate through and the hands lag behind? Watch today’s video for an explanation.
I’m going to clarify for fitness professionals and biomechanically-enthusiastic coaches: Coach Phil is NOT saying there is no rotational movement of the lower/upper torso in windmill pitching. If that was the case, a righthanded pitcher would finish with their chest and navel pointed toward the third base dugout. However, emphasizing rotational movement from the hips/lower torso following stride-foot contact IS detrimental to mechanics, causing the front-side to fly open (similar flaw to frontside mechanics in batting, golf and baseball pitching) which causes the throwing arm to veer from it’s optimal runway, which I should mention will put more stress on the elbow and shoulder, specifically the medial (inside) side of the elbow, anterior shoulder (biceps+tendon) and shoulder labrum, DURING the delivery phase.