An interview with Darren Balsley, pitching coach for the San Diego Padres, was written up in the local newspaper. There were several important questions asked by reporters that had good answers but left much to be desired.
For example, when asked what advice he would give to a boy who wants to pitch in Little League, his answer was “…learn to throw the fastball…throw strikes. Hit spots. Create a good, smooth delivery…take pressure off the arm.” I don’t think anyone would have problems with his answers as they are “right on” and could help guide a youngster.
However, and this is the most important factor, shouldn’t the main concern in Little League be learning how to pitch, i.e. how to throw the ball well? It is easy to say that the youngster should “create a good, smooth delivery” but how is this done? Why is this aspect, which is so critical to a youngsters’ progress almost always omitted?
From my experiences it is because few coaches know how to do this. In essence, they do not understand the mechanics of throwing which in turn, does not allow them to teach correct throwing. This lack of uderstanding also prevents them from correctly and fully analyzing pitch form in real time or from video clips.
Do not take this as a putdown of coaches as most of them still do a creditable job in many other areas. That they lack knowledge of throwing mechanics is understandable since they were never taught this themselves. In addition, there is nothing in the popular or baseball literature that details what a correct and effective throwing pattern should be or how it should be taught.
Because of this we take it for granted or assume that the youngster will develop his own throwing style and hopefully get some good pointers along the way as he develops this skill. Since this is a multiyear process the pitcher will most likely be exposed to several if not many, coaches. Hopefully, the advice that they receive over the years will not be contradictory.
To emphasize this point of uderstanding or knowing what is involved in pitching, I have yet to see a pitching or other baseball coach, explain on paper or in a video exactly and fullly what is involved in throwing a ball. They most often cannot describe in detail the sequence of events that take place or should take place or how they are best learned and developed.
If this is common knowledge as some coaches keep telling me, why is there nothing in print? This is something that is not learned by osmosis nor is passed down from one generation of coaches to another. The science of pitching has come a long way over the last 50 years but very little has been passed on to the coaches.
Most of the remaining questions in the interview that were asked by the reporters related to pitch count. For example, “Are pitch counts an exact science?” “Is there a numerical range on the pitch count? Do pitch counts also factor in with relief pitchers?” Again, these are timely and important questions and were well answered.
However, if memory serves me correctly, the pitch count came into existence in an attempt to not overwork the pitchers and to help prevent injury. But yet, not a single question was related to how effective the pitch count was in preventing injury. From the number of injuries that typically occur to pitchers every season, I highly doubt that the pitch count has had any effect on prevention of injuries.
It appears that most injuries are still due to mechanical (technical) errors in pitching, poor physical conditioning, non-specific strength development and the “babying” of pitchers. (see my previous blog, “Are pitchers being babied?”) . Most often pitchers are not capable of maintaining minimum levels of pitching specific fitness which in turn negatively affects the technical aspects of the throw.
This interview is a classic example of most interviews conducted with coaches and athletes. They touch on the peripheral aspects but do not look at the heart of the subject. When we begin thinking and talking in terms of developing athletic talent and how we can truly improve the athlete’s ability to perform well on the mound, perhaps we will then look more closely at the more important aspects. For related information, see Build a Better Athlete and Sports: Is It All B.S.?