Should You Chase Spin Efficiency If You Have Supination Bias?

Tread Athletics
11 Nov 202205:17
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRTyler Sombre discusses the importance of embracing supination or bicep bias in baseball pitching, emphasizing its benefits for creating elite arsenals. He argues against coaching practices that alter this natural tendency, as it can lead to decreased velocity and efficiency. Sombre highlights the success of pitchers with supination bias and advocates for utilizing seam shift and other techniques to optimize their unique force application for better pitch movement and velocity.

Takeaways
  • 🔍 The importance of understanding supination/bicept bias in baseball pitching and its impact on performance.
  • 🌟 Supination bias pitchers tend to favor slight supination at release, leading to better performance with breaking balls and cutters.
  • 📉 Observations from coaching at various levels reveal a lack of appreciation for supination bias and its benefits.
  • 🎯 Coaches often try to alter a pitcher's natural supination bias, which can negatively affect their performance.
  • 🚀 Supination bias can be a strong indicator of success, with many dominant pitchers exhibiting this trait.
  • 💡 Sean Armstrong, a tread athlete, experienced increased average velocity by embracing his supination bias.
  • 🛠️ Seam shift can be used creatively to maintain arm-side movement without forcing a change in the pitcher's natural throwing motion.
  • 📈 The benefits of supination bias include the ability to optimize velocity and maintain efficiency in pitching.
  • 🏌️‍♂️ Encouraging supination bias in pitchers can lead to the development of an elite arsenal of pitches.
  • 🚫 Avoid training pitchers out of their supination bias unless there are health or longevity concerns.
  • 🥎 Supination bias should be seen as a positive attribute that can enhance a pitcher's force application and overall pitching effectiveness.
Q & A

  • What is supination/bicept bias in baseball pitching?

    -Supination/bicept bias refers to a pitcher's natural tendency to apply force to the baseball in a manner that favors slight supination at release, which often results in a cutting action on pitches.

  • Why is supination bias important for a pitcher?

    -Supination bias is important because it allows pitchers to throw breaking balls with exceptional velocity and can lead to the development of an elite arsenal of pitches. It also helps in optimizing velocity, which is a key factor in pitch effectiveness.

  • What are some common misconceptions about supination bias in coaching?

    -A common misconception is that coaches often try to alter a pitcher's natural supination bias by encouraging them to throw a sinker or change their wrist position, which can lead to a loss of their natural pitching advantages.

  • How does altering a pitcher's wrist position affect their performance?

    -Altering a pitcher's wrist position can lead to a decrease in velocity and efficiency, as it may force the pitcher to change their natural mechanics, which can negatively impact their performance.

  • What is seam shift and how can it be utilized effectively?

    -Seam shift is the practice of adjusting the position of the laces on a baseball to manipulate the movement of the pitch. It can be used effectively to create movement to the arm side via supination without altering the pitcher's natural mechanics.

  • What happened to Sean Armstrong's velocity after adjusting his wrist position?

    -After adjusting his wrist position to throw a two-seam fastball, Sean Armstrong experienced a decrease in his average velocity, but later improved by using seam shift techniques that allowed him to maintain his supination bias.

  • What is the observed movement on Armstrong's sinker after applying seam shift?

    -The observed movement on Armstrong's sinker is about two o'clock, with the actual spin-based movement at one o'clock, after applying seam shift techniques.

  • Why should coaches not be quick to train pitchers out of their supination bias?

    -Coaches should not train pitchers out of their supination bias because it can be a powerful and beneficial natural ability that allows for a diverse arsenal of pitches and enhances velocity, which is crucial for success in pitching.

  • What are the potential health implications of a strong supination bias?

    -A strong supination bias might lead to health and longevity issues if the pitcher's biceps are overly dominant in their pitching mechanics, potentially causing strain or injury at the elbow joint.

  • How can understanding seam shift benefit pitchers with supination bias?

    -Understanding seam shift can help pitchers with supination bias to optimize their pitch movement and velocity without compromising their natural pitching mechanics, leading to improved performance and a more effective pitch arsenal.

Outlines
00:00
🏐 Understanding Supination/Bicep Bias in Baseball

This paragraph discusses the concept of supination or bicep bias in baseball pitching, emphasizing its importance and how it's often misunderstood or underappreciated in the developmental sector. The speaker, Tyler Sombre, highlights the unique advantages that supination bias offers, such as better breaking balls and the ability to cut four-seam fastballs. He critiques common coaching practices that attempt to alter a pitcher's natural supination bias, arguing that this can hinder their performance. The paragraph also touches on the benefits of allowing pitchers to maintain their supination bias, citing examples of successful pitchers who leverage this trait for enhanced velocity and pitch movement.

05:00
🎉 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In this concluding paragraph, Tyler Sombre wraps up the discussion on supination bias in baseball, reiterating the importance of not coaching pitchers out of their natural tendencies. He encourages embracing supination bias as it can lead to a powerful pitching arsenal, especially when it comes to off-speed pitches and velocity. The speaker advises against derailing a player's career by forcing them out of their optimal force application method and to appreciate the benefits of supination, particularly when it comes to pitch movement and velocity. The video ends on a positive note, hoping that the viewers found the content helpful.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Supination/Bicep Bias
Supination or bicep bias refers to the natural tendency of a pitcher to rotate their forearm outward during the throwing motion, which often results in a particular type of ball movement. In the video, it's emphasized as a beneficial trait for pitchers, especially for generating cutting fastballs and better breaking balls, rather than being seen as a flaw to be corrected.
💡Training and Evaluation
Training and evaluation are the processes of developing and assessing a pitcher's skills, particularly in relation to their throwing mechanics and pitch effectiveness. The video highlights the importance of understanding and working with a pitcher's natural supination bias rather than against it to maximize their potential.
💡Seam Shift
Seam shift is a technique used by pitchers to manipulate the ball's movement by altering the point of contact with the seams. In the context of the video, it's presented as a way to maintain arm-side movement for pitchers with supination bias without forcing them out of their natural throwing mechanics.
💡Pitching Mechanics
Pitching mechanics refer to the physical movements and actions involved in throwing a baseball. These mechanics are crucial for pitch control, velocity, and the type of ball movement generated. The video argues for an individualized approach to mechanics, especially for those with supination bias.
💡Velocity
Velocity is the speed at which a baseball travels from the pitcher's hand to the catcher's mitt. It's a critical factor in a pitcher's success, as higher velocity can make it more difficult for batters to hit the ball. The video suggests that supination bias can lead to increased velocity due to the natural way these pitchers apply force to the ball.
💡Arm-Side Run
Arm-side run refers to the lateral movement of a pitch towards the pitcher's arm side. This movement is beneficial for pitchers as it can make the ball more difficult for batters to hit, especially when they are trying to pull the ball. The video discusses how supination bias can naturally enhance arm-side run.
💡Elite Arsenal
An elite arsenal refers to a pitcher's collection of pitches that are highly effective and diverse, making it difficult for batters to predict and hit. The video argues that understanding and utilizing a pitcher's supination bias can lead to the creation of an elite arsenal.
💡Health and Longevity
Health and longevity in the context of pitching refer to the durability and sustainability of a pitcher's career without injury. The video suggests that while supination bias can be beneficial, adjustments may be necessary if it leads to health issues or negatively impacts the longevity of a pitcher's career.
💡Seam Shift Gyro
Seam shift gyro is a term used to describe the effect of altering the ball's seam contact point to create gyroscopic force, which can influence the pitch's movement. The video posits that understanding and utilizing the gyroscopic effects of seam shift can be advantageous for pitchers with supination bias.
💡Force Application
Force application in pitching refers to how a pitcher applies force to the baseball during the throwing motion. The video emphasizes that supination bias pitchers naturally favor applying force on the outside of the ball, which can enhance velocity and pitch movement.
💡Career Derailment
Career derailment refers to the disruption or premature end of a professional career, often due to injury or a change in performance. In the video, it's suggested that coaching pitchers out of their natural supination bias could lead to career derailment by altering their effective pitching mechanics.
Highlights

Tyler Sombre discusses the importance of supination/bicep bias in baseball pitching.

Supination bias allows pitchers to hold their release point and can lead to better breaking balls.

Many coaches lack understanding and appreciation for supination bias and its benefits.

Supination pitchers tend to favor slight supination at release, leading to better cutters and sliders.

Traditional coaching often tries to alter wrist position to counteract supination bias, which may not be beneficial.

Supination bias can be a strong indicator of success, with many dominant pitchers exhibiting this trait.

Altering a pitcher's natural supination bias can lead to decreased velocity and efficiency.

Sean Armstrong, a tread athlete, experienced increased velocity by embracing his supination bias.

Changing wrist position to throw a two-seam fastball can lead to inefficiency for supination pitchers.

Seam shift and creative solutions can optimize arm-side movement for supination pitchers.

Supination bias can enhance velocity and is beneficial for an pitcher's arsenal.

Health and longevity should be considered when evaluating supination bias, but it should not be coached out of a player.

Supination bias is a natural force application that should be utilized rather than discouraged.

The video aims to educate on the benefits of supination bias and its application in baseball pitching.

Understanding and utilizing supination bias can lead to more efficient and effective pitching.

Supination bias can be a powerful tool for creating elite pitching arsenals.

The video encourages embracing supination bias rather than trying to correct it.

Transcripts

Browse More Related Video

COMPARING HIGH VS. LOW SPIN RATE PITCHERS

How to identify baseball pitches

We all have implicit biases. So what can we do about it? | Dushaw Hockett | TEDxMidAtlanticSalon

Zac Gallen's Pitch Grips! #mlb

UNDERSTANDING FASTBALL SPIN AXIS

WHIP: Why This Statistic Is ✅KEY For Pitchers (and how to improve it)

Rate This

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

Thanks for rating:

Related Tags
Pitching MechanicsSupination BiasBicep BiasVelocity TrainingBaseball CoachingThrowing TechniquesSeam ShiftArm StrengthPitch DevelopmentSports Performance