Pitchers with similar characteristics

• Staying Closed showing the back part of the shoulder and back pocket as well as front leg closed.
• Back Leg Load looking like they are sitting in a chair with the back leg deep and driving and the butt down low.
• Thumb Down to rotate and close off the shoulder.
• Deep Front Leg which is a very deep lunge at foot strike.
• Back Leg Unloaded and Straight which is called Triple Extension by turning the back foot over explosively and firing the back hip toward the plate.
• Shoulder Separation, the ever elusive shoulder separation is the primary difference between high velo throws and low velo throws.
• Glove Tuck so they don't leak energy and apply un-needed stress on the throwing arm. The throwing arm will almost mirror what the glove arm does but on the other side.
• Table Top Finish to absorb energy in the legs and body and not in the arm.

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Staying Closed, Thumb Down, Back Leg Load / Sitting in Chair

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Deep Front Leg, Back Leg Unloading, Back Foot Turn Over / Triple Extension, Shoulder Separation

You can see the hips are toward the plate and the shoulders are almost 90 degrees facing the base (1st or 3rd).

Chapmans is 6'5" and still gets deep and long into the front leg, but if you look at Oswalt and Licecum they are 5' 11" and 5'9" and their front leg is farther and deeper than the others.

To get an idea of the shoulder separation and what is happening in the core, look at the jersey stretching near the belt and follow the lines up toward the throwing arm, and imagine that stretching as core muscles.

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Glove Tuck and Table Top Finish

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High School Pitcher

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Summary

Pitching is all about the engine (legs), transmission (core), and braking system (back and hamstrings). Pitchers create load with the back leg, unload the back leg with explosive foot turn over into triple extension creating quick hip rotation, front leg is a deep lunge at foot strike, shoulder separation occurs because of core strength, and a clean table top finish requires the front leg to go from a deep lunge to a straight leg using the hamstring for stability. If you are not using your engine, transmission, and braking system you are generating and absorbing energy in the arm, elbow and shoulder, which leads to arm problems. There is a saying in pitching "The arm just comes along for the ride."