Pitching questions have been streaming in for Elite Baseball Training Head Instructor Travis Kerber’s Ask.fm account which you can access here.  Kerber will be in Dallas, Texas, for the ABCA January 2-5 at the Elite Baseball Training booth doing video analysis on pitchers.  All you need to do to get your video analyzed is stop by our booth with your video on a portable drive.
 
Should 12 year olds be throwing breaking balls?
 
12 year olds should NOT be throwing breaking balls. The bones in the elbow do not finish hardening until about 14-15 years of age and putting undo stress on the arm can damage the bone and or the ligaments around them that stabilize them. It’s not worth striking out a few extra kids at 12 to harm your long-term future in the sport. Learn to throw a good fastball and change-up, and then learn to command them around the zone.
 
 
How do you teach the proper timing of opening the hips into foot plant?
 
Timing varies depending on several factors including height, stride length, tempo, and muscular strength. Essentially by landing you want the rear leg to have rotated internally against the rear hip as far as possible. This allows the hip to turn without acceleration. Some pitchers unload their rear leg earlier in the stride and some later. Again it will depend on individual factors.
 
 
Whats more stressful on the arm, curve or slider? (For a highschool pitcher)
 
The stress is similar, but essentially what it comes down to is how your body delivers the arm. Most pitchers alter their sequence either intentionally or unintentially. This usually leads to arm drag around the body, which increases stress because the arm disconnects from the body’s whip.
 
We look forward to answering more of your questions in the coming weeks.

Tags: Ask.FM, Travis Kerber