Nov 25, 2002

Early last season I was working with a young pitcher who had learned pretty good mechanics and had a nice smooth delivery - but couldn't break 60 mph.

 

I told her father that she was lacking the "explosion" that starts at 12 o'clock, when the ball is at it's highest point.

 

When he asked me "how do you learn to explode?" I had to answer "I don't know" - and that has been bugging me ever since. So I've since spent some time analysing how to develop and teach this "explosion".

 

You hear a lot of people saying things like "it's all in the wrist snap" or the "legs" or "hips". While the legs and hips are getting close, they're not what drives the explosion.

 

The most important motion by far is the rotation of the shoulder, followed by the elbow whip. If you take away those movements, there isn't much the other body parts will be able to do.

 

But the shoulder needs help from the rest of the body to maximize this motion. The entire body explodes - not just the shoulder.

 

The secret to power is in the group of muscles known as the "core". The core is the area of the body that connects the thorax (chest) to the pelvis.

 

The core group of muscles are the first ones that react when the explosion begins, just prior to the front foot landing.

 

The core muscles, or abdomen, is what wrenches your torso thus magnifying the speed that your shoulder can generate.

 

This week's secret:

 

"explode from the core"

 

The best way to teach these muscles to explode is to fiercely exhale.

 

You've probably heard pitchers who grunt or make some kind of noise as they release the ball. That's not a bad idea.

 

Develop your own way to grunt, huff, puff, scream, or otherwise exhale in coordination with your explosion.

 

You should inhale as you begin your windup, and then hold your breath for a split second before exhaling as your front foot lands.

 

The best exercises for the core muscles are squats and crunches.

 

Next week's topic:

 

"Mechanics"