The towel drill is one of the most popular and practiced pitching drills ever. The problem is that the towel drill does not replicate the correct arm action mechanics of a pitcher when throwing a baseball. In fact, doing the towel drill can actually build in more pitching errors than not doing it.
In this video you will see two college pitchers, a high school and a youth pitcher doing the towel drill.
In fact, this video also shows a pitching instructor using the towel drill to demonstrate it to one of his college pitchers. However, the instructor is also using the towel in a manner that does not replicate the correct arm motion that pitchers should be using when throwing a baseball.
If a pitcher cannot do the towel drill in way that replicates what happens when throwing a baseball, you should question how the towel drill will create any improvement…or if it is actually building in more errors.
In the above video, you should easily be able to see why the towel drill reduces velocity and adds stress to the elbow because the arm action is incorrect and the position of the arm at ball release shows the elbow is leading the chest or trunk prior to elbow extension and ball release. That is a common pitching arm action error that must be fixed.
The elbow leading the trunk prior to elbow extension and ball release is a common error that must be corrected if the pitcher wants to maximize his velocity and reduce stress to the arm. However, the towel drill actually teaches the pitcher to build in this error to his arm action.
What is easily noticed when watching a pitcher doing the towel drill, from the back angle looking in toward the catcher, is that the throwing arm never extends out to the side of the trunk. Instead, the throwing elbow leads and pulls the forearm in close to the pitcher’s head…rather than letting the arm naturally extend out away from the trunk.
Thus the towel drill reduces the extension of the throwing arm at ball release and thus will reduce throwing velocity and add stress to the arm.
Here is another article of many that I have written about why the towel drill is ineffective and dangerous. View Article
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