Teaching Full-Torque Pitching Drill

Teaching full-torque pitching drillThis drill goes through the entire throwing motion.  As the name indicates, it includes the motion in the previous drill and adds the earlier parts of the throwing motion (especially hip rotation) to have the thrower experience the entire package of throwing mechanics.

At a high level, full torque starts with the thrower in his final throwing position, “rewinds” him all the way back to the start and then presses “play” to have the thrower return to his initial pose.  It is an outstanding drill to build the proper muscle memory and practice basic throwing mechanics.

The thrower starts with feet a little more than shoulder width apart. Knees are bent. The front (non-throwing) shoulder is facing the target, with front foot facing target.  Receiver is about 15’ away.

The drill begins with the ball in the players throwing hand. The starting position I to have the player’s hand (with the ball in it) on the ground, just to the outside of the front foot. So, for a right handed thrower, the starting position has the ball in the thrower’s hand (touching the ground) just to the left of the thrower’s front foot.

From this point, the thrower works backwards to raise his upper body to the initial throwing position of having the front foot (non-throwing) shoulder facing the target, the throwing arm extended behind the player, the elbow is bent at shoulder level (same as the half torque drill).  The grip on the ball is making the peace sign away from the player (toward center field if the player were pitching).

Once the player is in the proper initial throwing position, they can now “press play” and go through the motion to actually deliver the ball to the receiver.  When complete, the thrower should wind up in the same starting position where they begin the drill (with throwing hand touching the ground just outside the front foot).

This drill is a real challenge to manage properly.  It requires a lot of motion and challenges the player to maintain core strength and balance throughout the full drill. Like the half-torque drill, the thrower should keep his eyes focused on the target throughout.

Intro Section

Pitching Drills

 

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