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Technical Details

  • Variable Type: Discrete Metric
  • Data Type: Boolean
  • Units: True/False
  • Column Name: arm_drag
  • Aggregation: rate
  • Precision: 0
  • Optimal Direction: Lower is better
  • Unknown Value: -1
  • Measurement: Elbow height relative to wrist at foot contact

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Description

Arm drag is a binary indicator that flags late arm motion during the pitch. It occurs when the elbow is positioned above the wrist at foot contact, indicating delayed arm acceleration.

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Use Cases

  • Timing of arm position
  • Mechanics evaluation

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Corrective Drills

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1. Connection Ball Drill

Place a small foam ball (or rolled-up sock) between the throwing elbow and the ribcage. Go through a slow-motion pitch focusing on breaking the hands early enough that the ball stays in place through the stride phase. Dropping the ball signals that the arm is staying back too long relative to lower-body movement. Perform 15–20 repetitions. Search YouTube: baseball pitching connection ball drill arm drag

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2. Rocker Drill

Start in a balanced stance, rock the weight back (as in a normal windup), and break the hands early — driving the throwing arm up and back in sync with the lower-body stride. The goal is to have the wrist above the elbow by the time the front foot lands. Perform 20 repetitions, focusing on earlier hand separation. Search YouTube: baseball pitching rocker drill arm timing

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3. Hip-Load to Arm-Path Sync Drill

From a balanced one-leg stance, deliberately initiate the arm path (hands break and arm swings back) at the same moment as the hip starts driving toward the plate. Exaggerating the early arm trigger teaches the body that the arm should be “loaded and ready” well before foot contact. Throw at 50–60% effort into a net for 3 sets of 8–10 reps. Search YouTube: baseball pitching hip load arm sync drill late arm fix