http://tinyurl.com/6j3auo Sunday, 29 June 2008 By Alex Eisenberg I was recently asked about Micha Owings, specifically why he doesn’t throw for a higher velocity. One of the first things I noticed was an inefficiency in his mechanics. I’ve said before that a pitcher (or hitter for that matter) can have all the necessary components of a powerful swing or all the necessary components to produce velocity, but without being efficient with your body, you still aren't going to produce power or a high velocity. You can have the fastest tempo, the most aggressive step over move into foot plant, and the biggest scap load, but none of that matters if the pitcher isn’t efficient in their delivery. So we look at Owings and the first thing we notice is he has a decent enough tempo and a step over move to kick start an aggressive hip rotation, and he does load his arm horizontally. But see if you can detect the inefficiency in his overall delivery that limits this fastball to the velocity of 89 mph: If you didn't catch the inefficiency, see if this graphic can help: What you see here is the hips rotating aggressively forward and the torso coming along with it. But notice the arm's position as this is happening: it is still rising up into a ready to throw position. Ideally, when the torso is uncoiled forward, the arm should be brought with it, but in Owings' case, he loses out on the rotational forces that come with an aggressive hip rotation because his arm doesn't move forward with the torso. How does Owings add more velocity? The first question to be asked is if Owings should adjust his mechanics at all. He has gotten pretty far throwing the way he has, so it is a risky proposition to make changes when he may not need it. If he were to decide on making adjustments, the first thing he could do is delay that hip rotation. He enables his hip rotation with an early step-over move. By letting his front leg stride further forward and then employing that step-over move, he could give his arm enough time to get into its proper position. Perhaps he could break his hands later; by breaking the hands later he would force his arm to speed up in an effort to keep up with his body. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, adjustments are much easier said than done. The player needs to be comfortable with any changes being made and even then, the player has the athleticism and coordination to make the needed adjustments. Good thing for Owings that he has the athleticism to make any adjustments necessary. --

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