There is much to say about how awesome of a pitcher Justin Verlander really is. His stats are incredible and so were his no hit game this year, not to mention his first no-hitter in 2007. Justin is a true power pitcher. I was watching an interview with him today, a reporter asked how fast his fastest pitch was; he said once the radar gun showed 103 but he thought it could be a bit off; 101 was his final answer. What’s even more incredible than his stats and pitching velocity is his ability to throw the ball with proper pitching mechanics. His mechanics will allow Justin to pitch in the Major Leagues for a very long time.
Here is a video of Justin Verlander pitching mechanics
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbVQc2gYjFQ-A&w=320&h=240]
There is much to point out here because his mechanics are close to flawless, but on this particular video I just want to point out how smooth he is pitching from the windup. Take a look at how much control (balance) Justin has when he takes a side step into his leg lift. His shoulders don’t sway side to side. This way he maintains his balance throughout the entire delivery. If he were to sway his shoulders side to side or back and forth he would be hard pressed to find good balance throughout his leg lift making it harder to lead with his hips toward home plate.
Too many young pitchers I see think that the old style rocking back and forth or side to side gives them power from the windup. Not true! You only wind up loosing your balance which in turn slows you down. This isn’t a style contest; it’s all about balance into a “controlled” leg lift. Remember, all momentum to home plate, any movement away from that direction may place undue stress on your throwing arm and make it more difficult to stay consistent throwing strikes.
If you want to throw faster and have pin point control of all of your pitches, get your own copy of our pitching mechanics/Teaching Pitchers DVD .
