Quote:
Originally Posted by JollyElm
I can't believe Walter Johnson didn't have ridiculously serious arm injuries/issues that ended his career. As this video shows, he basically has no follow through as he hurls the ball sidearm with incredible force and then abruptly comes to a stop, almost standing completely straight up. Holy cow. How did that pitching approach NOT mess him up??
|
Darren,
I played quite a bit of baseball in my younger years, including a little time on the mound. I discovered, as a teenager, that my throwing arm was strong but woefully inaccurate. I also noticed that my shoulder took the majority of the punishment from my efforts.
I switched to a sidearm delivery. The accuracy improved dramatically and the pain went (and stayed) away. And, just after releasing the ball, the purposeful forward momentum of my arm came to a halt. It looks much more abrupt than it feels though. After the release, I just let my arm go limp...nothing to it.
At my age (42) the prospect of playing anything other than an infield position for a local softball team would be out of reach for me. However, I can still whip the ball to first...sidearm, of course...with decent velocity and no pain.
My point is this. WaJo's easy sidearm delivery puts much less stress on the old soup bone than you might think.
Best regards,
Eric