The Towel Drill - Ruins Mechanics And Increases Elbow Injuries

[KingQuickscoping]

The main purpose of the towel drill when i was taught was to follow through when pitching.

[JMBCbaseball]

Funny I've Played Major league Baseball and have coached for a major league organization and have been involved with baseball for over 20years and every organization out there uses and will continue to use the towel drill in their pitchers workouts. With the millions of dollars of investments this organizations are making to players every year don't you think that if the towel drill causes injuries they would know and stop the use of them?

[ThumperOne]

Ahh... I just watched a coach from the U of Virginia who uses the towel drill and he says they haven't had a pitching injury in 16 years...

[whiskey69er]

theres a bit of a difference working with college level conditioned athletes and pro with this technique than having 8 or 9 yr olds start off doing this.

I think that is where some different logics can differ.

I would certainly not and do not work these types of drills on young little league developing kids because of the odvious core strength conditioning differences of kids to the fully grown kids....thats where I totally agree with Mr Mills and what I believe is mainly his point.

[whiskey69er]

Little kids need to have solid foundations of the basic mechanics and techniques to preserve their arms until they are able to effectively start strength conditioning at a heavier level when more fully grown.

otherwise its pretty odvious most if not all will not last long enough to have a serious shot in the long run.

.

[whiskey69er]

@ThumperOne even at H.S and College level, I would think twice before using drills that add un-natural stress to the pitching arm motion considering how easily a simple pre-mature injury can make or break a possible rewarding career.

Im interested to know just how many strong Major League pitching careers have developed out of the U of Virginia or have even been serious candidates ??

[ajlepisto]

Seems to work fine for Jeremy Affeldt, and he does it every day.

[tonywilliams04]

I think you're way off base here. The way I understand it the towel drill is intended for stride length. What you're talking about has to be instructors not knowing what they're doing. I watch big league coaches use this drill all the time

[fuzznacht]

When you swing your supposed to throw your hands anyway meaning that you will HAVE to let go of the towel. 

[TheBaseballdoc]

I tend to agree with DM on this. I think towel drills and some others are developed in places like the northeast, where instructors search for some new indoor activities to keep indoor business flowing in the winter months, and then progress from there, mainly carried on by ego. Either way, any time a drill does not exactly mimic the ultimate throwing motion, by default you are setting up erroneous neuro-physiologic pathways (bad habits), body and arm position at release point being a major one.

[noahmcdx]

Don't blame the drill, blame the dipshit instructing the drill.

[noahmcdx]

dude you are a dipshit. Nothing in this video had any logic to it. It sounds like you've never thrown a ball in your life. And if you have, you've never paid attention to any film, done any research, or studied anything about biomechanics or kinesiology.

[MotionMan1977]

It ruined Mark Prior's career

[number4stud]

mr.mills i agree with what u r saying but what i do with my pitchers is we work out throw then we will go to some towel drills but i dont concintrat on hitting a chair or bucket because i think that is what mess u up i just do the towel drill so they can memorize there mechanics

[number4stud]

mr.mills i agree with what u r saying but what i do with my pitchers is we work out throw then we will go to some towel drills but i dont concintrat on hitting a chair or bucket because i think that is what mess u up i just do the towel drill so they can memorize there mechanics

[bcollege10]

The value of the towel drill is to condition muscles and to memorize movement. The towel extension Mr. Mills emphasizes as incorrect can be properly adjusted by keeping the shoulders and hips in alignment. You are not putting a pitcher at risk by using a 3 oz towel to memorize movement. Show the science not opinion.

[leftyDM]

No other throwing sport, tennis, golf or bowling uses an implement (towel) so unlike what is used to emulate a skilled action whose feel is so important to improvement. A towel does not feel like a baseball. Are baseballs not released and is not the release point in pitching a vitally important element for a successful pitch? The towel drill offers an action so unlike pitching it's value can only be detrimental. Dick Mills

[sscalf31]

the video makes an assumption that is incorrect. The drill may be used for follow through not "Extension" if done correctly this is a great drill. Unfortunately most coaches just like the one in this video do not do it correctly and have the wrong goal. Doing any drill will cause elbow problem. It is not the drill.

[MrSpooftheman]

I wish i would've watched this a few weeks ago before my coach made me do this at practice. Now i have serious elbow pain whenever i throw a baseball. I'm only 16 years old playing varsity ball for my high school. I used to do Dick Mills' program with my brother who is now playing D1 ball for college. It is a really good program that i recommend anyone doing. But now I'm probably out for the rest of the season thanks to the good ol' towel drill...

[capsule23]

Me thinks you should look into differential learning and motor learning.

Towel drill might not be good for kids learning how to pitch, but once you have learned the skill of pitching neurologically, it is a great idea to use variations of training to improve your skill. I could write an essay about it if you like, but I would rather not... just look into the stuff yourself.

One thing I will say is though, and this is just common sense here.. What do you think would cause a healthier arm...

[capsule23]

throwing EXACTLY the same way you would in a game over and over again like you say? (over-stressed much?)... OOORRRRR saving your arm by throwing at different angles, distances, speeds, weather conditions, etc...? By doing this you are NOT creating a faulty movement pattern... you ARE creating NEW patterns related to the act of pitching by creating soooo many more neural networks from which your body can adapt to, thus making it easier to pitch in ANY environment more efficiently. Just a thought

[basepadz]

Yes, if you do the towel drill wrong, it will hurt your mechanics. But the select baseball team i play for shows to us than in order for the towel to hit the bucket, we must extend our legs, not our arms.

[JAMESMOOREBASEBALL]

@SimpleStuff31 I am sorry to hear you feel that way about

Tom House. Let's not forget that Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson are his disciples also, and they turned out to be pretty good pitchers. As to injuries, there is a video of the U of Virginia pitching coach who teaches the towel drill and he claims to not have had a single injury in 16 years at his program as of 2008. He gives credit to Tom House. Unlike you, I'd trust Tom with a nuclear trigger when it comes to pitching instruction.

[marshalloo22]

I agree with you on the drill thing.The only one I do is the towel drill but all the other drills are useless.esp the ones on your knee

[marshalloo22]

I found that the towel drill helped me not lean back and pull my head off the ball.i would do about 10-20 before i got loose.Got ot from the rangers pitchung coach in the AZ fall league

[TechN9neStrangeMusi1]

tom house is one of the best trusted coaches out there i went to a camp he was and instruster at and paid near 2,000 dollors im pretty sure he knows what he is doing rather then some guy on you tube

[SimpleStuff31]

@TechN9neStrangeMusi1 tom house taught mark prior his mechanics, priors mechanics are awful, i wouldnt trust house with a butter knife.

[wogdoggy]

@TechN9neStrangeMusi1

I guess you have no idea who lefty is..he has every bit the "credentials" as tom house.2k? get your money back

[mjs1594]

its supposed to get muscle memory of arm extension. Obviously when you go to pitch, your not going to throw like this, but its good for muscle memory

[cfl990]

@mjs1594 Why the hell would you want muscle memory of what you are not going to be doing this comment makes absolutely no sense.

[soonersfan96]

@cfl990  exactly

[SoftballSNJ]

@mjs1594

Yah I always figured the towel drill was for throwing mechanics, I don't see how it can increase velocity, imo a loud towel snap is always gonna sound like a lo0ud towel snap.

[BaseballFarm]

"I would take a lot of what Mills says with a tremendous grain of salt. He completely revamped the nature of his pitching approaching a few years ago, insisting that he'd had the benefit of new scientific principles"

[soxlosenow]

The Towel drill ruined Mark Prior.

[BrentSmith3]

ok first of all my pitching coach was taught by Sandy Cofax and just watching this shit i saw numerous errors like being squre first... hell no u want to say closed as long as you possibly can that way u wont fly oppen which most young pitchers do. Second if u release the ball way where u had it u loose velocity and movement. You deffinatly want to release the ball out in front of you becuase its a shorter distance to the plate which = higher speed. but imma stop cuz i cant explain everything

[RJCTProductions]

@BrentSmith3

I completely agree. u release the ball infront of ur face, thats where u get the most break. Releasing the ball high can cause flat breaking balls, hanging the breaking ball, and when throwing a fastball there, a high pitch. and i doubt many pitchers would like any of that.

[leftyDM]

The towel drill is done incorrectly by almost every pitcher I see including instructors and coaches who teach it.

What could be its value when a consistent release point in pitching is an action that requires specific training using a baseball that is released. Why would you teach an action that never occurs in pitching?

The intentions of the drill may be good...but the practice will not transfer to real pitching and thus will only waste valuable training time.

Dick Mills

[yankeefan312]

you are a blithering fool. The towel drill is probably the most effective drill around. Where the towel snaps is not where the ball is released, but where the wrist is snapped to gain extra velocity. Also, you cant throw balls everyday, or you will never be able to throw another baseball again. It is an extremely effective way to practice on a rainy day, or in the winter.

[sh4rpsh0t33]

@yankeefan312 Yeah I think it does help with mechanics but at the same time I know exercises less stressful than the towel drill that also cause injury.

[RAWRAMPAGERANDY]

@yankeefan312 you have no idea of what youre talking about. the towel drill is probably the stupidest drill around. did it all throughout high school, thats why i sucked and was always injured when recruiters came to see me. arm action drills are the reason why so many high school kids will never reach their full potential, theyre too busy thinking about arm action instead of generating momentum towards the plate. you are the blithering fool!!

[yankeefan312]

well, the towel drill is probably the most effective drill around, besides throwing live, as long as you pay attention to the more fine parts of your mechanics. That is the point of the drill, no to work on arm action.

[leftyDM]

Does the towel drill position your throwing arm at full extension? Yes. Does getting to full extension with the throwing arm cause elbow problems...even possibly torn ligaments? Yes.

Whatever time is wasted on the towel drill could much better be used toward improviment by pitching from the mound and working on your delivery...not just your arm.

Dick Mills

[Gilb604]

Dick, is there any other way to get my video analysis from you without paying over $200?

[gzimm32]

I believe in examining opinions that don't agree with one's own in an attempt to evaluate if one is on the right side of the fence, so I was eager to see what you had to say on this topic. While I agree that lengthening the stride can increase extension, I don't believe that all pitchers are actually releasing where you are suggesting. I may need to go through more of your videos, but personally I believe creating extension with good wrist snap actually serves to reduce elbow injuries.

[noahmcdx]

@leftyDM that is not true. A full extension of the arm does not cause elbow problems. Elbow injuries come from overuse, unhealthy arms, pronation of the wrist, and head movement. The towel drill teaches you to keep your head still, reach towards the target, follow your hand toward your opposite hip, and increase your stride length. Every foot in stride length equates to 3 mph faster to the batter's eye.

[espana17]

I pitch in a D1 college and your doing the towel drill wrong. Everything you said players do wrong when executing the drill is exactly that WRONG. In other words, if done correctly this drill teaches you to stay level and explode at the last minute. Generating great torque.

[coldude2012]

instead of a towel we use our hat and hit a chair in front of us

[ChrisIIXC]

Funny how he complains about how you'll forget to generate torque, to get further. While you seem to get further if you do exactly that right.

[slapdick22212]

i like the towel drill

[drhawkin]

Mr. Mills focuses on problems that could be created by exaggarating the drill. The drill is an effective way for a pitcher to be taught to follow through. Drills such as this are a great way to break down the individual components of the pitching motion to train young pitchers.

[leftyDM]

Keep in mind that when a ball is released the throwing arm does not go to full extension otherwise every pitcher would have injured their elbow. With the towel drill the throwing arm does go to full extension thus adding undue stress to the throwing elbow...making the towel drill a very bad idea. Dick Mills

[noahmcdx]

@leftyDM Your elbow hyper-extends after every pitch if you throw a ball 85 mph+. So I'd assume that means your arm fully extends. I forgot to mention above, weak shoulders, and unbalanced tricep-bicep ratios hurt elbows as well. A strong backside, strong legs, strong triceps, strong biceps, and strong shoulders are necessary to accelerate and decelerate your arm. If you can't decelerate your arm efficiently, or you have bad mechanics or timing, then you'll hurt your elbow.

[curreribaseball]

Actually the towel drill sucks. It teaches pitchers to rush to the plate AWFUL The only good part about the drill is, it teaches better extention at the expence of rushing AWFUL DRILL Pitching GURU signing off

[Prh537]

The towel drill is pointless

[EndoBirdd]

Tom House is a moron. He changes his philosophy every year only to promote books and make $. His number 1 prospect, Mark Prior was said to have flawless mechanics and look where he's at!!! But seriously, towel drill is fine for the main reason that there is no stress on the elbow b/c there is no resistence. You should be able to do as many as you want and shouldn't feel a thing. That is if your mechanics are sound and you are healthy at the time.

[steveaga1]

Roger Clemens is a cheater and a steroid user. Maybe we should have a video showing how to inject? Seriously....everybody is an expert. It's just a drill but there are many drills that do more harm than good.

[hpgiants43]

yeah i agree... tell roger clemens that though

[wcbombers21]

Tom House would have something to say to you!

[kbeard811]

I agree that most drills need to be done at game-like speed, intensities, and mechanics..however I do believe that you are trying to create a mind-body conection with movements while doing towle drills(just doing towel drills is not a good training slolution..they are a once in a while activity)How are they hurrting arms? if you want to get better extension then you need to increase range of motion and keep flex in your trunk longer..if you have dynamic balance it will take care of stride length

[dominikkeul]

should you be completely square(finished rotation) before you bend forward past vertical? I thought you should bend before the release. Is that wrong?

[heatrockhurler]

well said

[leftyDM]

Pitching mechanics are using the body to get the energy to the arm as late as possible. How does practicing something you never do while pitching...help your pitching. Does a towel feel like a ball. Don't you release a ball but hold onto a towel? How could that help a pitcher? There is actually more strain on the arm since the arm is what is emphasized. Throwing a ball is not stressful if you are using the body properly.

Towel drills are causing elbow problems.

Dick Mills

[sry22312]

Actually, the point of the towel drills if you know what you are doing, is to work on mechanics... Not to increase speed or extension... By not worrying about the ball before warm ups, you are able to use proper uperbody and lowerbody motions without any strain on the arm, as there shouldn't be a full snap through initially... After a year without towels before warmups, and hearing this, thinking I need to be more concearned with a ball... I needed Tommy John Surgery

[snmgtx1]

this guy knows what he's talking about listen to him