Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Fri Dec 21 14:07:02 2007

>>> Jack

>>> Very interesting indeed, Jack. Thank you for the video. I had thought that Bonds' (and others') body rotation "pulls" the back foot off the ground as the trunk twists back around toward the backstop, but on close inspection of the clips, I don't really see that happening. Yours is the better explanation.

Interestingly, I used to have a book, co-authored by Joe Namath, in which Joe self-analyzed his throwing motion, which he regarded to be entirely different that other pro quarterbacks' motions. Joe maintained that he powered his throw by "coiling", front shoudler tucked under his chin, then lifting the ball up to his ear with no wind up at all, then simply (but powerfully) rotating his hips and shoulders, stepping slightly to the left of his target. I remember him specifically saying that this throwing motion helped him avoid hits from d-lineman because it used almost no forward momentum, and his "spinning" follow through actually took him away from them. According to the book, Joe could crank a football 70 yards without taking a step...he'd face his target, "coil" by twising this torso/shoulders to his right, then launch by rotating hips and shoulders back, with almost literally no arm action to speak of. Joe had one of the most powerful throws ever, but was also famous for his quick release and accurate throws, and in the book he said his motion put no strain on his arm, and he'd never had a sore shoulder or elbow. (Just watching your clip---or any clip of the typical pitcher----makes my elbow hurt.) The book is littered with photos, several of which show him just before cutting loose, "coiled" into what could be called an "inward turn" if he had a bat in his hands.

I don't disagree that traditional pitching/throwing mechanics are different than hitting but Joe Willie would maintain that "rotational throwing" works well too. I coach fastpitch softball so the question doesn't come into play as far as pitching goes, but I do coach my fielders to throw "Namath" style, especially on the longer throws....I have them coil, lift the ball to their ear, and "throw" by turning their body. It works reasonably well and we don't get many sore arms.

Anyway, thanks for posting the video, it was very interesting. <<<

Hi Daw

Namath’s observations regarding his throwing does raise more interesting questions. One would need more knowledge of the two than I to say why different concepts and principles are needed for throwing a football as compared to a baseball. As I mentioned earlier, I have not studied either enough to make reliable judgements.

Jack Mankin