9:46 of video where the blogger introduces the thought that mechanics don't matter where he essentially tells us how much mechanics matter.

There is money to be made in the online world. Tech exploded in the 1990s and has really ramped up in the last decade plus. MLB and other sports turn over every rock looking for an advantage. The cost of an NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL player is pretty high and so if a team can employ 10-20 people for $150K per person to seek and implement an idea or two that helps win a game or fix or improve a player it is a cost effective matter.

Mechanics matter ... a lot. As an old geek and former manager and player, there are literally thousands of examples to cite. I will just use one that might be very difficult to measure bio-mechanically. The manner in which a pitcher grips the ball and then puts pressure on the ball with their fingers from standstill through the windup until release has a significant effect on movement. Pitching coaches, managers, and even teammates will all drop an observation at times. Trips to the mound are nearly always a brief reminder of a  mechanical issue, although sometimes the visits are merely to crack a joke and give everyone a breather. 

If I were a pitcher going to Driveline or a similar school, I would absolutely require (contractually) that all information gained be solely mine and not left for anyone else to view or share once our agreed upon sessions and collaborations were complete. Privacy still matters.

4 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

9:46 of video where the blogger introduces the thought that mechanics don't matter where he essentially tells us how much mechanics matter.

There is money to be made in the online world. Tech exploded in the 1990s and has really ramped up in the last decade plus. MLB and other sports turn over every rock looking for an advantage. The cost of an NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL player is pretty high and so if a team can employ 10-20 people for $150K per person to seek and implement an idea or two that helps win a game or fix or improve a player it is a cost effective matter.

Mechanics matter ... a lot. As an old geek and former manager and player, there are literally thousands of examples to cite. I will just use one that might be very difficult to measure bio-mechanically. The manner in which a pitcher grips the ball and then puts pressure on the ball with their fingers from standstill through the windup until release has a significant effect on movement. Pitching coaches, managers, and even teammates will all drop an observation at times. Trips to the mound are nearly always a brief reminder of a  mechanical issue, although sometimes the visits are merely to crack a joke and give everyone a breather. 

If I were a pitcher going to Driveline or a similar school, I would absolutely require (contractually) that all information gained be solely mine and not left for anyone else to view or share once our agreed upon sessions and collaborations were complete. Privacy still matters.

This seems to be the most critical point as far as pitching mechanics go.

29 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

This seems to be the most critical point as far as pitching mechanics go.

It's important, that's for sure.

Damn straight mechanics matter.  Try taking your car to a crappy one and see how you like walking.

On 12/20/2024 at 12:33 PM, tony&rodney said:

9:46 of video where the blogger introduces the thought that mechanics don't matter where he essentially tells us how much mechanics matter.

There is money to be made in the online world. Tech exploded in the 1990s and has really ramped up in the last decade plus. MLB and other sports turn over every rock looking for an advantage. The cost of an NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL player is pretty high and so if a team can employ 10-20 people for $150K per person to seek and implement an idea or two that helps win a game or fix or improve a player it is a cost effective matter.

Mechanics matter ... a lot. As an old geek and former manager and player, there are literally thousands of examples to cite. I will just use one that might be very difficult to measure bio-mechanically. The manner in which a pitcher grips the ball and then puts pressure on the ball with their fingers from standstill through the windup until release has a significant effect on movement. Pitching coaches, managers, and even teammates will all drop an observation at times. Trips to the mound are nearly always a brief reminder of a  mechanical issue, although sometimes the visits are merely to crack a joke and give everyone a breather. 

If I were a pitcher going to Driveline or a similar school, I would absolutely require (contractually) that all information gained be solely mine and not left for anyone else to view or share once our agreed upon sessions and collaborations were complete. Privacy still matters.

It’s definitely gone a long way especially since I last played college ball in the early 2000’s. Being able to maximize a players ability by improving mechanics is a way a team can capitalize on players. I had terrible mechanics which led to arm troubles that maybe could’ve been fixed in today’s game. I’m not sure how a division 2 college program in Minnesota employs data nowadays but anything more than working on grips could have helped. The biggest adjustments I made back then was foot placement. Consistently high? Shorten your landing spot. Consistently outside to a RH batter as a RH pitcher? Move your landing point to the left a hair. That was the best advice I got back then. That and finger pressure for different grips. Bullpen sessions had everything to do with these two adjustments. It helped me develop a very good curveball. Just playing with grips and pressures. Did I know the spin rate? No. But I could see which one bit harder and try to repeat that and improve upon that. It was the fun of learning how to pitch. If I could have had this data who knows. I would have loved to learn this data and work on improving. Nothing brought me as much joy in my life as watching a batter flinch at a good curveball coming at his hip and clip the inside corner. Other than a good letter high fastball that he couldn’t catch up to. Throwing mid 80’s in northern Minnesota was a true gift! Lol!  But I loved the game of learning “How” to pitch and mechanics would’ve played a huge role if I was 25 years younger.

On 12/29/2024 at 9:20 AM, FargoFanMan said:

It’s definitely gone a long way especially since I last played college ball in the early 2000’s. Being able to maximize a players ability by improving mechanics is a way a team can capitalize on players. I had terrible mechanics which led to arm troubles that maybe could’ve been fixed in today’s game. I’m not sure how a division 2 college program in Minnesota employs data nowadays but anything more than working on grips could have helped. The biggest adjustments I made back then was foot placement. Consistently high? Shorten your landing spot. Consistently outside to a RH batter as a RH pitcher? Move your landing point to the left a hair. That was the best advice I got back then. That and finger pressure for different grips. Bullpen sessions had everything to do with these two adjustments. It helped me develop a very good curveball. Just playing with grips and pressures. Did I know the spin rate? No. But I could see which one bit harder and try to repeat that and improve upon that. It was the fun of learning how to pitch. If I could have had this data who knows. I would have loved to learn this data and work on improving. Nothing brought me as much joy in my life as watching a batter flinch at a good curveball coming at his hip and clip the inside corner. Other than a good letter high fastball that he couldn’t catch up to. Throwing mid 80’s in northern Minnesota was a true gift! Lol!  But I loved the game of learning “How” to pitch and mechanics would’ve played a huge role if I was 25 years younger.

Thank you for your sharing.