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Advisory Board
Nolan Ryan
Randy Johnson
Cole Hamels
Mark Prior
Robb Nen
Orel Hershiser
Dave Dravecky
Bobby Valentine
Dusty Baker
John Young
Tom House
Karl Meinhardt
James Evans
Greg Rose
Robert Yang
Jim Brogan
Glenn Fleisig
Todd Durkin
Alan Blitzblau
Arnel Aguinaldo
Dr. Lewis Yocum
Dr. Rick Heitsch
Dr. James Andrews
Dr. John Conway
Dr. Hank Chambers
Dr. Todd Lanman
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In Search of the Perfect Delivery By Karl Meinhardt
National Pitching Association
The longer my time in the baseball business, the more times I hear the NPA staff asked if they have identified the 'perfect delivery.' Let's face it, the NPA has one of the most advanced systems for performing research in the business today. We can capture a pitcher's delivery in our motion analysis system and look at it from every angle possible. We identify efficiency of motion, timing of sequence and even point out precursors to injury. We compare fastball, breaking ball and off-speed deliveries for differences. We measure angles of rotation, distance of stride, angular momentum, velocity and more! But the Perfect Delivery? Hmmm…let's think about that for a moment. Better yet, let's simplify and look at something much simpler than throwing a baseball: walking. Each and every one of us has a gait, a walking style or walking mechanics if you will, that is unique to us. If you stop a moment and look around you can see that everyone walks just a little differently. For some, these mechanics are functional and seem to support their frames as they daily fight the forces of gravity. For others, it is a struggle to get up and move forward. Some walk longer in life than others, because of many factors. But have you ever seen the Perfect Walk? I'm not even sure what that is! Head up? Swinging arms? Faced forward? To be honest, I'm not sure what would make someone's gait 'perfect,' but I can tell you there are many criteria to consider and agree upon for a gate to be identified as "perfect." Let's take a step back (or forward for that matter - it makes no difference) and focus just on the 'Perfect' in "Perfect Delivery." What is perfect? Is it an aesthetic quality? Is it a quality of movement? Maybe it is a durability measure. Or when all is said and done, is 'perfect' some mathematical description of a body's movement from the mound towards home plate that minimizes any waste of energy or time? Now let's add the Delivery back into the question: What is a Perfect Delivery? This is a very difficult question to answer. A question to which I would bet that you couldn't find a consensus with even a minority of the baseball population! I bet if you asked 100 pitching coaches, parents or any other demographic, you'd get a wide variety of answers - many of them different or focused on different elements of a delivery and their outcomes. This fact alone explains a lot about why we are asked this question so often. They want someone to remove the differences of opionion and declare the definition of the Perfect Delivery. The basic problem in definitively answering the Perfect Delivery question is that the delivery is a summation of human motion and energy. The fact that it is performed by a human and not a machine immediately introduces many factors that are hard to categorize, let alone quantify. But heck, let's give it a try for the sake of conversation. What makes up any delivery at any point in time? Here's the main list. I'm sure if you dug a level or two deeper you would find even more. - Strength - core and extremity strength. Basically the body strength required to execute the delivery
- Flexibility - the integrated flexibility required to deliver the energy from the strength of the body
- Proper mechanics - repeatable efficiency of balance and timing through the motion
- Mental focus - the ability to shut out all distractions and put all mental energy into the delivery
- Nutrition - the appropriate fuel to power the body at its full potential
- Genetics - the genetic makeup to make all the above possible!
An interesting list don't you think? A lot of variables in there for sure. Strength is definitely measurable, as is flexibility. I think everyone in baseball would agree that both are necessary for even a good delivery let alone the Perfect One. Pitching mechanics is probably one of the most contested topics in the game. While everyone comes to their conclusion about what makes pitching mechanics 'proper,' the NPA has done extensive research to identify and measure the commonalities in the deliveries of some of the best to have ever pitch. This research is the basis of The NPA Critical Sequence of Events of the pitching delivery. So in our world, proper mechanics mandate that all of the seven variables of the delivery happen in the correct sequence with the correct timing.  © 2006 by National Pitching Association
Patent Pending At the 25th Annual ASMI Injuries in Baseball symposium last year a sizeable debate about proper pitching mechanics ensued after Tom House presented the NPA Pitching Mechanics Efficiency Model. Over 100 physical trainers and orthopedic surgeons had different views of pitching mechanics. Many of these attendees were very intelligent people that couldn't come to an agreement on how to throw correctly to reduce risk of injury. It is only through continued research that these viewpoints will start to converge at some point. But we all know that for the Perfect Delivery, proper mechanics are a must! Nutrition can be managed effectively with some attention to detail. We need to make sure that proper hydration has occurred and that right balance of water, protein, carbs, and sugars have been ingested throughout the day so that come time to throw, we have the fuel required to power the body through the delivery so that its strength, flexibility and mechanics are well supported. Now come the wild cards: mental focus and genetic make up. Mental focus is a tough one. We can measure someone's mental capacity and disposition, their phobias, their strengths. But when it comes to being in a situation with crowd distraction, and the 3-2 count to a big hitter at end the game, mental focus becomes a huge factor that can seal or break the deal! Everyone treats 'getting into the zone' a different way. The ability to control your mental focus is critical to the Perfect Delivery and yet, there are so many variables involved in creating and maintaining focus, that what we really hope for is that when all the other elements are lined up, that complete mental focus is attainable and sustainable. Last but not least is the genetic factor. There is SO much research going on in the area of genetics and so much money being dumped into defining and quantifying our human traits and dispositions. What makes one human able to get more oxygen out of the same breath as another? What makes one athlete able to throw 200 pitches with no fatigue and another only to throw 100? Why are some people more susceptible to contracting cancer? Many believe that the answers to these questions lie in our genetic make-up. This area of research is so super-charged that many companies are patenting specific human genes in the hopes of cornering the market on a certain ability or predisposition. In sports you can look at genetics as the 'golden ticket' or the 'great equalizer.' This would depend on whether you have genetics that support getting everything out of all the above factors or you have genetics that no matter how well you prepare, you're not going to get as much out of the tank. There have been athletes in every sport that are the former - those whose genetics enabled them to prepare more, perform more efficiently, go distances that seemed virtually impossible. Nolan Ryan, Lance Armstrong, Muhammad Ali, Michael Phelps, and others. The names are synonymous with excellence in each of their sports. So let's assume just for a second that we all agree that all the above factors are necessary to enable the apparition of the Perfect Delivery. ALL of them have to be at a level of high accessibility for the Delivery to happen. Let's say it did happen! Would we even all agree that we actually saw it? Would it be a ¾ arm slot or side arm? Over the top maybe? Or maybe, just maybe, it's more about functionality than form. The NPA Biomechanical Efficiency Model describes the pitching delivery as a sequence of critical events that must happen in a defined sequence within critical time constraints. We have identified seven 'variables' or phases of the delivery that describe the commonalities of many great deliveries. These variables must occur in the defined sequence, time, and timing. A delivery that is within the tolerances of these variables and timing constraints is efficient - meaning that it has the maximum opportunity to translate the body's balance, movement, strength, and flexibility into energy through the ball. It is a delivery that can be executed repeatedly with the minimum risk of injury. Is it a Perfect Delivery? What does it look like? The hard fact is that the Perfect Delivery will be different for each pitcher based on their genetic potential. Indeed it is much like walking - just as everyone has a gait unique to them, everyone will have a different delivery. What makes their delivery 'perfect' is that it repeatedly delivers the most energy out of their body and into the ball while reducing the risk of injury to a minimum. This is exactly why the NPA does not teach one arm slot as best, or one foot landing position as the perfect way. We however focus on balance, strength, flexibility, mechanics, and mental/emotional attitude while never discounting the genetic factors that make up each pitcher. There just is no one delivery that is perfect for everyone. If you are still waiting to see the Perfect Delivery, I'd bet you've already seen it. You just weren't sure because you didn't have enough data about the pitcher on that day. Not to worry though - now that you understand what it is, you will probably recognize more 'perfect' deliveries when you see them. Good luck!
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