Ready to see a little league pitcher compared to a 107 MPH pitcher and Bryce Harper?

I sure hope so because I’m going to reveal the #1 mistake most young pitchers make…And this (popular) lower-body mistake kills velocity and adds un-needed stress the arm.

By now, you’ve heard me stress the importance of hips-And I’m sure you know it’s entirely possible to increase your velocity and power at the plate, right now, just by learning to use more of your lower body.

Here’s what you need to know…

The area I see most young players struggling with is the hips…To be a little more specific, I refer to this area as the center mass, it’s the area between the belly button and the top of the thigh.

Enough of that, here’s what you’re going to see.

Inside this post, I’m going to compare a 10 year old pitcher to Bryce Harper and Lance McCullers, two guys that really know how to use the hips.

Tell me what you see.

First up is Lance McCullers, this guy was clocked at 100 mph…..at 17 years old.

This is Bryce Harper around 18 years old,  he hit a ball 503 ft. as a 16 year old.

If you’re not familiar with McCullers, you will be.  He was a 1st round pick of the Astros this past summer.

By now everyone knows Bryce Harper.  He’s the starting OF for the Washington Nationals.

So here’s what we’ve got. Two guys that generate extreme (insert technical word or phrase), and lot’s of power too. Watch how similar these guys are to each other.

Both guys are really good examples of how to use the lower body. Watch it again and focus on the center mass, it’s the top of the thigh to the belly button.

Amazing!  Now most of the time, you are going to see younger pitchers struggle with this.  Let’s take a look at one of more common issues I see with younger guys.  Going to compare him to McCullers.

Let’s make a quick comparison. Watch the video a couple of times if you need to.

1. McCullers gets the hips moving forward before anything else. They move forward before he reaches the top of his lift. I call this creating “early momentum”. The young pitcher on the left does not.

2. McCullers has front leg/hip closed off (can’t see top of thigh, shoestrings,sole of foot) as he moves forward. This promotes a faster stride speed. The young pitcher immediately begins opening his hips.

Common Cues for keeping front hip closed:  Can’t see top of thigh, hide the shoestrings, show the sole of the foot as you move forward.  If they work for you great, if not find one that helps YOU.

3. McCullers is able to “project” his hips forward,I hesitate to use the word “push”. Projects just sounds cooler and describes it better in my opinion. The young pitcher has already began to open and once that happens, the hips are no longer the driving force.

5. As McCullers begins to land you will see his back knee being the aggressor.  Most young pitchers open their hips front to back.

Here’s what I mean. Your back hip should be your power hip, so to speak. It’s the dominant hip, the front hip is no gimp, let’s just say it should be actively passive. It’s job is to stay closed until the back hip tells it to open, back to front.

With many younger pitcher you see them being front hip dominant.

Watch this video to see what I’m talking about:

Front hip dominate is my way of saying that he rotates the hips by opening the front hip first. A lot of times you will see kids step open, or swing open. When this happens, I’m betting that the back foot is “staked” to the ground. Swinging open or stepping open is the only way to “get” the hips open for those guys.

6. Once they land, McCullers hips have opened and he’s ready to throw. The younger pitcher’s back hip begins to turn after landing.

7. McCuller’s front leg firms up at landing and you will see the upper body rotate around the leg. It’s his support system, a firm foundation for the upper body. It allows him to transfer the energy from the lower body to the arm. Much more on that at a later post.

The younger pitcher never get’s his lower body in a position to throw. His front leg opens too early and forces his to foot/hips to land “open”.

Personally, I watch the videos backward and start at landing. By watching the landing, it will give you a pretty good idea of the what the hips are trying to do or have already done.

If you would like to discover the fastest way humanly possible to effectively use your lower-half… Check out The Core Velocity Belt.  

P.S: Here’s just a few secrets contained inside The Core Velocity Belt System…

• How to eliminate the “inverted W” without ever discussing the arm action and why Ice Skaters would never have an inverted W!

• How to “Feel” what its like to rotate your hips like a tornado in a doorway and why your legs could be considered a Fed Ex Delivery truck driver- because they have one and only one, very important job!

• How to sky-rocket your velocity and why you’re velocity program should model an Olympic track and field program….best part is- it doesn’t require weighted balls, just the secret patent I have waiting for you!

• Why you should never change your mechanics, and how to embrace Peer Pressure to be a positive influence on your pitching mechanics and rapidly increasing velocity!

It’s why these guys use it every single day to develop their young pitchers…

1. The #1 pitching staff in America, and yes, they all throw 94 MPH and above…. The pitching staff at Vanderbilt University!
2. The #1 high school team in America- The Barbe High School Bucs of Lake Charles LA.
3. Plus….5 MLB pitchers that you’ve seen the last few nights on ESPN!

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