YBE 124: Understanding Pitching Tightness & Flexibility with Dr. Chris McKenzie

When we help our kids learn to pitch, how much does tightness and flexibility play in the kids' ability to pick up what we teach? Dr. Chris McKenzie, a board-certified sports & orthopedic physical therapist, discusses these issues in Part 2 of a three-part interview. Plus Rob answers the Question of the Week about whether the catcher position wastes an athletic kid's talents and degrades his knees and athleticism.

In this 47-minute episode, you'll learn:

• whether kids should actively try to straighten out their stride leg during their pitching delivery
• how to equip your home gym
• what is the value of watching YouTube workout videos
• what is stride hip internal rotation
• what is flexibility
• how we can help our kids be more flexible
• what creates velocity
• how tightness occurs
• whether tightness can be felt by players or observed by coaches
• how Chris feels about yoga
• why pain can be caused by something going wrong elsewhere in the body
• what Chris's BASE-3 system is and how it can help diagnose body movement problems
• what helps youth pitchers with repeatability
• whether Chris looks at pitching mechanics
• why rest by itself is not enough for "Little Leaguer's Elbow"
• troubleshooting Fictitious Pitcher #1: is lack of follow-through a mechanics or movement problem?
• troubleshooting Fictitious Pitcher #2: is a sagging throwing elbow a mechanics or movement problem?
• troubleshooting Fictitious Pitcher #3: is a lack of throwing hard when pitching a mental, mechanics or movement problem?
• troubleshooting Fictitious Pitcher #4: is a pitcher trying to aim his pitches having a mental or movement problem?

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

• free copy of Unleash Your Pitching Velocity book by Dr. Chris McKenzie
• support Youth Baseball Edge and help keep it going

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