Something as Simple as the Backswing

If you don’t understand the purpose of certain movements within a specific activity, it is easy to cause problems by trying to change them. Many people who work with pitchers have a single mindset.

This is the way I did it or, this is the way I see it, so just do it my way. Not a lot of thought goes into the “why”.
The backswing is just one of those often misunderstood components in pitching. Something so simple can cause so many headaches. The arm can swing behind the back, it can go back so high that it appears far above the shoulder, or it can cause her timing problems. So, the simple solution is to simply remove it. Is that always the best answer?
What happens when we remove it? Most of the time the pitcher will feel the need for some sort of explosive start so she begins by lifting the shoulder to try to generate momentum. Once the shoulder is taken out of its natural rotation it can be tough for most kids to return it to the correct plane. It can cause a loss of speed or it can cause shoulder to grind, creating pain just inside the shoulder blade, a warning that things are headed in a bad direction. Does this always happen? Absolutely not. Some athletes are gifted with abilities so special that they can do improper movements and still perform better than average. Could she be better? Does one pose more health risks than the other? Those are the questions.
Immediately someone will become defensive and say, “My daughter has no backswing and she does just fine”. The question is not whether a single person does okay either way, but whether certain movements should be deleted just because someone did not know how to correct them. Let’s take the example of a batter. A hitter may reach back too far, straighten the arms, or drop the bat angle as she loads to take the swing. Using the logic above, the simple answer would be to have her totally remove the load and start the bat straight out to the side, simply pushing the ball. There could be strong kids who might do that effectively, but is that ideal? We have all seen college softball players so strong that they hit homeruns on a “check swing”, but we don’t teach it.
This gets even more complicated when a guy tries to influence a female without understanding significant differences in their movement patterns, the different angles in their body, and their strengths. There are certain things we do very differently. Our entire point is that you should think more deeply. The backswing is just one of a few dozen areas in question and often the response is “no two pitchers are the same”. The challenge comes in separating style and form, knowing which is actually “window dressing” and which has significant effect on the creation and transfer of energy.
A lot of people will jump into questions like these based on experience with their daughter, three other kids, or even a few dozen pitchers over the years. We are fortunate to work with thousands of kids across our organization and to research tiny nuances that have dramatic effects.
Numbers alone do not justify good research. There are a lot of theories on every part of the pitch, but few people know how to go about conducting research because of the variables that can occur if someone is not familiar with the sequencing of the entire motion. Researching this has been a fascinating journey for our organization and the findings were very revealing.
In summary, ask questions, challenge conventional wisdom, and just because one person does something in a certain way does not mean it is the best or most healthy way for your daughter. If you have questions, email us. If you are a former college pitcher who would like to learn more about joining with us and helping change pitching across the country, check our website for the background we need.