[.ca] Pitching Edge-2nd Edition, The (ISBN 0736001557)

The Pitching Edge by Tom House:
House did not write this book for Little League coaches who want to help their kids. It is loaded with hyper-technical jargon that House does not explain and won't make sense to experienced players and coaches. For example, in a section on how to pitch off a mound, House states, "A pitcher must find and keep an upper body spine-to-hip relationship with a constant angle of flex in posting knee at front leg lift, stride and landing -- directing upper body into torso rotation and launch of a baseball." What? His science may be correct, but you won't benefit from this book because House does not translate the science into common sense terms that ballplayers will understand.

Pitching explained in detail:
The Pitching Edge was written by the former pitching coach of the Texas Rangers. He was innovative and sometimes controversial. This tome is comprehensive, covering the physical, training and mental aspect of being a quality pitcher. The book is not necessarily aimed at youth, but I have used the to help my under 10 year old player learn the basics. I found that some of the language in the book to be loosely used and obtuse. Therefore I doubt that a young reader would get everything the book has to offer. However, especially when used in conjunction with the companion video, this book is a great springboard for the young pitcher when guided by an adult. (See my review of the video for more detail) One qualifier is required. House does not agree that young pitchers should be restricted from throwing breaking pitches. That was against convention when the book was released 10 years ago and convention has not changed. For further reference you could check the USABaseball web site for a great positon paper. Simply add (slash)med_position_statement(dot)html to the root url to see the page. These athletes are at beginning of their pro careers and this statement is about how to get them to this state. I give my ranking about all the other items in the book exclusive of the breaking pitch advice for youth pitchers. I have not allowed my young pitcher to start throwing those types of pitches for fear of arm injury.

Great on mechanics and workouts,not so great on mental stuff:
First of all let me say that this is a great book, and most likely the best on the market on pitching. Mechanics are described expertly by Tom House who shows in great detail where which body part has to be in space and time. He also lets you know which parts of the pitching motion you don't have to waste time on, since they will be done correctly automatically if you do the crucial things right. You have to be ready to accept change. Tom House teaches for example that the glove hand shouldn't be pulled towards the body to initiate rotation of the upper body. The workouts given and the part of the book on physical conditioning in general are excellent. However, I found that the book was pretty superficial on the mental aspect of pitching. 2-3 page chapters go over various aspects swiftly and without great depth. Clearly Tom House's specialty are the movements, posture, and dynamics of a Pitcher, where his expertise is based on computer analysis.

Good for older readers:
I wish this book was around when I was pitching in high school and college. It would have helped me in countless ways (better fundamentals, skill work, and specific exercises for pitchers). Now I'm 44 and pitching in an over 40 league! If you are in high school or older I highly recommend this book. Dad, it would be good for you to read and then use it to teach a younger baseball player. If you are a high school or college coach, you OWE it to your kids to read this and help them. Good Luck.

Absolutely essential reading:
This is absolutely essential reading. This book represents a new generation of thinking about sporting biomechanics that is scientifically based. Although some of the old pearls of wisdom based on intuition have been confirmed to some degree, too many past teachings handed down by word of mouth seem like old wives' tales. In fact things such the glove arm driving down are worse than old wives' tales because they can lead to excessive stress on the pitching arm, and so will lead to injury. From now on the critical pitcher will demand that any hypothesis about pitching mechanics be scientifically proven to be safe and sound rather than uncritically swollowing any old snake oil that could lead to a devastating career ending injury. It should be bourne in mind that the language used is also scientifically exacting such that many younger readers may encounter difficulty. A glossary of terms such as "supination" and "pronation" needs to be provided in a future edition. This is really serious reading for the serious player and coach to be read again and again.