Correcting Excess Shoulder Lift While Pitching
Last week I got a great question in the comments of one of my posts. I replied to the comment, but since the question addressed a problem that is EXTREMELY common among pitchers—lifting the shoulder, or allowing the shoulder to engage and control the arm circle—I decided that it would be beneficial for everyone to see my answer.
QUESTION: My 10 year old has been pitching now for about 3 years. We practice in the yard 3-4 times each week. She has started lifting her pitching shoulder when she pitches. When she does this, it throws her pitch off. What can we do to help her get back to one solid motion and not “muscle” the ball?
ANSWER: This is a tough question to answer perfectly without seeing the pitcher in question… however, it is a relatively common problem among very young pitchers who, due to varying degrees of physical immaturity, feel as though lift, an inappropriate engagement of the shoulder during the delivery phase of the pitch, is the only way to get the ball to their target.
This belief is not correct. Below I’ve embedded part of a short video from a previous post showing one of our students performing what we refer to as “forearm fire.” She is on her knees, which is a very good method for correcting certain mechanical issues—such as shoulder lifting—because it removes the distraction of the lower body. As you can see, this drill isolates the lower arm (from the elbow down) at a point approximately halfway down the back side of the arm circle. This is a great drill to employ the proper hand path necessary to generate straight line acceleration and extension down the throw zone. Movement of the hand forward with a relaxed shoulder needs to be emphasized as a 10 year old will often hear and understand your instructions, but not be able to translate what they hear into correct body movement.
It is crucial to see that the hand starts behind you in a palm up position and finishes in front of you in a palm down position with the elbow leading the lower arm to the back of the throw zone. This creates the fire/whipping action in the lower arm which will ultimately eliminate the perceived need for shoulder lift. Add a full circle with a stationary body after she appears to be getting the forearm fire drill.
I always find it useful to break the pitch down to its simpler components and use isolation drills to correct mechanical flaws. Be patient. Remember that your daughter is only 10 and as she sees older girls with greater command and velocity, she may become impatient. Keep her smiling and she will continue to develop!
Phil,
Absolutely love reading and listening to your videos and blogs!!! As a physical therapist for the past 13 years in the outpatient orthopedic setting, I would say that the position you placed this girl in is placing stress on all 3 injuries that you have described. Tall kneeling position requires excellent core stability and could aggravate an “inflammed” tissue in the low back. An athlete with a recently torn ACL would most likely not tolerate this position or tolerate placing her foot in that much plantarflexion with a broken ankle. I realize these are theoretical situations and I understand what you are trying to stay but I know how my patients read the Internet (as do I) and would hate for someone to think this is OK. Just my two cents. Please keep up the excellent work and I will continue to enjoy reading your posts!
Thanks,
John York
John:
Outstanding comment. You are correct in your understanding that the intention of my post was to correct a common mechanical pitching flaw and not to demonstrate, necessarily, proper protocols for body position when dealing with injuries. I am always very careful to direct athletes to the appropriate professional before performing any movement, whether injured or not. I believe I did say, in this post, that viewers should check with their medical professional before performing any of the drills. Perhaps my emphasis should be a bit stronger in the future. I appreciate your comments. Thanks for reading and responding.
Phil