The Spin on Speed
By Dr. John Bagonzi

Dr. John A. Bagonzi is a former pitcher in the Boston Red Sox organization, current director of the Championship Pitching Camp, and author of The Act of Pitching, published by Pitching Professor Publications.

Hurling fastballs is an art form.  Here's how to paint a picture for your pitchers.

In baseball pitching circles, a blazing fastball is the goal of almost every young hurler. It's the gold standard for the successful pitcher, and it's what separates prospects from pretenders when professional and college scouts are scrutinizing the wares of potential luminaries.

There is a misconception, however, that having a great fastball is always a genetically endowed phenomenon. Having spent a lifetime in pursuit of pitching excellence, I'm totally convinced a fastball can be taught. Some concessions need to be made, of course. A 71-mph fastball may never become a 90-mph fastball, but surely it could get over 80 mph.

There are several techniques and factors that go into improving the fastball (see "the Power of Eight," further down the page). In this article I will focus on three of them: balance, rotation, and the off arm.

Balance

In many sports, balance is integral to high performance. In baseball, and particularly in pitching, balance is probably more connected to consistent success over a long period of time than most other factors.  Performers such as Roger Clemens, Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Don Sutton and Warren Spahn - current or likely Hall of Famers who have been outstanding performers over lengthy careers--have always exhibited great balance in their pitching mechanics.

Just what is balance?  It is the ability to unite the forces of acceleration to achieve the utmost propulsion in pitching, and then to unite the forces of deceleration when the body is recoiling from its pitch.  Many pitchers may have appropriate balance at the beginning of their mechanics, but the failure to maintain it can lead to improper deceleration and consequently a mediocre or even a very poor ending to what might potentially have been a great pitch.

Good mechanics are key to good balance, as they almost always go hand in hand.  The union of powerful rotating forces (hips and shoulders) at the proper time, with balance, leads to the explosive surge of power that signifies the fastball.

Key aspects of balance are:

• Emphasizing the balls of the feet.
• Keeping the landing foot slightly closed.
• Keeping the lead knee over the ball of the landing foot.
• Keeping the chest over the lead knee.
• Keeping the shoulder buried with pitching hand in bucket. (For example, have an imaginary or real bucket on the outside of the landing foot).
• Touching down the back foot on the ball of the foot.

Probably the best way to work with your players on achieving balance is to break down the pitching motion into steps and evaluate each step to see where balance problems may start.

• Take a full stride with the lead leg.
• Have the front foot slightly closed.
• Assume a power position with the pitching arm - this involves raising the hand above the head and raising the elbow even with or higher than the pitching shoulder.
• The front or lead elbow should be pointing toward the target with the glove hand inverted so that the palm is downward.
• The front shoulder should be pointed at the target with the head and chin coming over the front shoulder.
• The back foot is against the pitching rubber or plate. (This is often the most important point of balance.)
• The pitcher should thrust off the back foot and reach for the release point (an imaginary spot in front of pitcher and below hat level), accelerating the hand while giving a smooth rotation to the ball as it is released.
• The arm should follow a natural arc and the hand should end up on the outside of the lead knee and come to rest approximately seven to eight inches below the knee.  The pitching shoulder at this time should be pointing directly at the target.  The energy of the rotating hips and shoulders should be transmitted to the arm and ultimately to the fingertips.

As the weight of the transfer is absorbed by the front leg and foot, proper balance is supremely critical to achieving a powerful pitch.  Once the pitch is released, the force of deceleration comes into play and must be absorbed by the pitcher's body.

Rotation

Perhaps the greatest identifiable element in a high-quality fastball is "tight" rotation. By "tight," I mean fast rotation--the number of turns it makes in a given distance. It has nothing to do with the tightness of the grip; in fact, it is better to have a loose grip. Great rotation is largely a measure of the mind. It is the desire of the hurler to impart a large amount of spin to the baseball.

Most people can improve rotation by doing certain things correctly.  These include understanding: grips, pressure points, angle of release, and hand and wrist speed.

Grips: There are two basic alignments of the baseball for fastball grips: a) across the seams (wide); and b) along the seams (narrow). If we allow that the baseball seams presents themselves in a "horseshoe" configuration, we can use that concept to identify various grips related to the two aforementioned basics. They would be:

1. Horseshoe right--wide

2. Horseshoe left--wide

3. Horseshoe down--narrow

4. Horseshoe up--two seams--narrow

5. Horseshoe up--one seam--narrow

6. Horseshoe down--no seams--narrow

Any one or more of these variations can enhance the rotation of the ball, not only in amount but also in direction, and the effect will vary from pitcher to pitcher.  This is due to anatomical difference in: a) hand structure; b) length of fingers; c) length of thumb; d) span of thumb to other fingers; and e) fleshiness of hand.  These differences can enhance or detract from pressure points that can allow maximum rotation and correct direction of rotation.  The key is to have each pitcher find the combination that yields the best result.

Pressure Points: Keeping too much of the middle finger on the ball too long at the time of release can cause a "cut fastball." Unless this is a carefully controlled "cutter," it most likely detracts from the action of the ball. It weakens the "kick" and causes it to fade generally into the batter's "sweet zone." A true cutter is a special pitch with a lot of possibility to it, but a weak cutter robs the pitcher of zip on the ball. For these reasons, the index finger's focus should be the one of emphasis and pressure. This can be done in the following way:

1. Apply pressure with the index finger and slightly raise the first joint.

2. Bring the index finger to eleven o'clock for a right--handed thrower; to one o'clock for a left--handed thrower.

3. Squeeze the inside of the ball slightly.

4. Move pitching fingers to the inside of the ball: to the left for a right hander; to the right for a left hander.

The type of rotation desired is one to seven (1/7) for a righty and 11 to five (11/5) for a lefty. This is arrived at by considering the ball to be a clock where the top is 12 and the bottom is six (6). A pure 12-to-six rotation results in a fast pitch, but quite straight. Compromising the central rotation with a little veer to the right or left gives the fast ball its character.

Angle of Release:  The angle of release often affects the veer of a fastball. Assuming a right-hand thrower, if the hand and wrist are turned to the right and a three-quarters arm delivery is utilized, the ball will tail away. If a two-to-eight (2/8) rotation is arrived at, the fastball may sink, which is a very effective pitch. For sheer velocity, overhand or three--quarter overhand probably works best.

Hand and Wrist Speed:  Enhancing hand and wrist speed is critical to getting great rotation. Here is a good drill for it.

1. Place glove palm up on elbow of throwing arm.

2. Raise elbow to shoulder height.

3. Place ball in hand with correct grip.

4. Arrange fingertips so that correct spin is approached (1/7 for righties, 11/5 for lefties).

5. Load the wrist by cocking the hand (this is done by bringing the hand backward so that back of the hand is parallel to the ground).

6. Bring forearm and hand rapidly forward (the player should be throwing to a partner 15 to 20 feet away and aiming for his chest) to impart as much tight spin as possible.

7. A slight "burn" should occur on fingertips if done well--a loose grip should ensure this.

8. Do not allow the elbow to drop or an undesirable "pushing" effect will happen.

9. A clawing effect should be emphasized.

10. Repeat until it becomes a comfortable exercise.

A telltale mark of a fastball with a lot of rotation is an audible whir.  Good fastballs can be heard as they travel through the air.  When the ball appears to retain its velocity or even speed up as it comes into the catcher's mitt, then one knows the fastball has arrived.

Off Arm

As one explores the advantages of having good technique in pitching mechanics, and the beneficial aspects of integrating rotating forces at critical moments into a powerful pitch, one should be careful not to overlook the function of the "off arm," also sometimes called the lead arm, glove arm, front arm, etc.

While it cannot be said definitively what actual percent this arm contributes to the velocity of a pitch, it can be said with a substantial amount of certainty that it assists the pitching arm in acceleration, thus adding to the "freeing up" of the fastball.  In addition, it helps stabilize the rotating forces (hips and shoulders) and also increases the stability of balance that is so essential to effective performance.

The significance of the off arm takes place as the pitching hand approaches the ear and the thumb comes to the front: the elbow is high and leading, and the arm, forearm, and wrist are rapidly accelerating.  The glove side at this time should be in a position to "cover the box" (glove in line with pitching hand) and then forcefully moving the "wheel" (shoulder girdle) and turning over the glove, palm upward with the elbow acting as a piston and "punching" an imaginary person standing behind with the elbow.  The glove can come to rest on the hip, up under the armpit, or swing free in the back (as long as it is in a straight line).

Power pitchers as well as control pitchers (and they certainly can go together) compact this piston-like movement so that it doesn't "fly" and therefore impede mechanical dexterity or balance.  This balance is integral to being "on top," and throwing a strong pitch.  This compactness is strongly recommended because lateral movement on the part of the off arm seems to cause mechanical problems and eventually control problems.

In the anatomy of a fastball, a unison of force and balance is the ultimate guideline to a powerful pitch and the establishment of an absolute control of the "launch phase" mechanics.

Getting the chest over the knee, the knee over the ball of the front foot, and the face over the front foot are musts, but the motion also should be artistic enough so that the pitcher is supremely comfortable.  The off arm is especially integral to the artistic performance and the mechanical dexterity that emanates when good solid balance is maintained throughout the pitch.

It's important to understand that four parts of the body are utilized in executing a pitch.  They are:

• The throwing arm
• The back or push-off leg
• The front or lifting leg
• The off arm

It's vital to give the off arm its due, as it ensures the freeing of the throwing arm, harmonizing the hips and shoulders in unison (turning of the "captain's wheel") and creating balance at the time of maximum force. The culmination of the arc of the off arm eventually continues in assisting the forces of deceleration (this occurs after the pitch is released).

Take the time to analyze the action of the off arm and to teach your pitchers to effectively and efficiently use the "glove side."  This will improve their mechanics and lead to longer, more successful careers.

The Power of Eight

The eight most important components of technique to pitching a perfect fastball:

1.  Amount of rotation

2.  Type of rotation

3.  Arm speed (to include wrist speed)

4.  Overload training

5.  Launch of phase excellence

6.  Mechanical dexterity and rhythm

7.  Essence of balance

8.  The off arm

 The supreme fastball generally has the following eight characteristics:

1.  High Velocity (mph)

2.  Veer or movement (tail)

3.  Character (POP!)

4.  Action (in the strike zone)

5.  High degree of rotation

6.  Location

7.  Delivered without stress

8.  Deception