CSB: Feet Are Rhythm, Hands Are Timing

A pitcher's hands are a subject that doesn't receive much attention from baseball coaches. The reason why is because many coaches do not understand the purpose of the hands. The lack of knowledge in this area has lead to many bad habits brought upon by poor coaching. Its time to get all the information out there and give the players and coaches reading this a heads up.

Your hands are your timing and balance. You will hear me say this a thousand times. It is simply that important, which is why I emphasize. Timing and balance can either be your best friend or worst nightmare as a pitcher. Either way, the hands can be honed and mastered by understanding their purpose. 

Timing. Just as the feet are our rhythm, the hands are our timing. The timing of the hands takes place from the moment they split, to the point of foot strike. The purpose of this time is to get the arm in a position to throw. Keep timing by not allowing the hands to become idle after the hand split. Any kind of stopping or hitch in the hands will disrupt timing and eliminate built up arm speed. The timing of the hands and rhythm of the lower body need to come together at foot strike. Once at foot strike, the timing of the hands is complete and concentration on core initiation should begin. In the end, the result of the pitch will not lie. If you are missing high, it is probable that your hands are too slow and can't catch up. If you are missing in the dirt, the hands have lost timing and have begun the throwing process too early.

Balance. The thought of the hands and arms being responsible for balance is a counter intuitive thought when first thinking about it. The reason why is because many people assume balance is only needed at peak leg lift. The important thing to learn here is that balance is needed throughout the delivery. When the hands begin to break (hand-split) and the momentum is initiated, the extension of the arms is what keeps pitchers balanced while going down the mound. For the hands to provide balance in this way is very natural. Think of someone on a tight rope walking with their hands out to their sides helping them balance, when one arm goes up, the other goes down. Just as in pitching, these hands need to stay symmetrical to achieve balance. 

Now that we understand how the hands help us with timing and balance, how do we practice them? The first step to working on hands is to not thinking about them. Yes thats right. Forget that the ball is in your hand and don't worry where your elbow is.

For beginners we need to start with training wheels that will help them feel the movements. Get into the stretch position with a glove and ball. The first step is to work on the hand split. Initiate the hand split by separating the hands while making the palms face the ground. The hands shouldn't move more than a 6 inches apart at this point. This movement is something that needs to be repeated thousands of times and is crucial to get the hands on the right path. It is important to have the palms face the floor because it discourages against "wandering hands" as I call them. It will also help keep the elbow either level or just below the shoulder, which is ideal. Remember, having the elbow above the shoulder at any point is bad! Notice in the picture below how Adam Wainwright and Joel Zumaya (top row) have their throwing elbows visibly above their shoulder level. There is no question to me why they have both undergone Tommy John surgery.

After the initial hand split the hand path will begin. The single most important concept of starting the hand path is to use the shoulders.   By concentrating on the shoulder to rotate the arms into position, it will be much more efficient and quicker. It isn't the hands that are moving, its the shoulders that are moving the hands. The hand path will create the bottom half of a semi circle made by the glove and ball. Eventually the circle will be completed as the shoulder rotates on top to throw. If the shoulders are being utilized correctly, it should keep the hands from dropping too far below the waist. As long as the arm stays light through this process, there should be no injury problems. 

A fun and simple way to feel the rotation of the shoulder is to play catch with the football. It is a great tool for shoulder rotation and developing a compact hand path. 

                  It is important to be aware of the red flags when working on hands as well:

1. Raised Elbow
2. Too Low/High Hand Path
3. Locking Out The Elbow
4. Stopping Hands