Hip to Shoulder Separation

Hip to shoulder separation is one of the tougher pieces of the mechanics for young athletes to grasp the concept of. It is an important part of the mechanics for creating velocity. Some coaches and researchers estimate that hip to shoulder separation creates 80% of velocity of a throw. Hip to shoulder separation is best explained by the video attached to this blog post and the picture at the bottom of the page.

I do not know if hip to shoulder separation creates 80% of velocity, but I know it can improve velocity. Just think about all the stories you've heard of like Jamarcus Russell being able to throw the football 70 yards on one knee. Although hip to separation is not as important for throwing a football with maximum velocity, but it does help. The other famous story is about Craig Kimbrel the dominate MLB closer that throws in the high 90s. The story is that Kimbrel broke his foot the summer before heading into his freshmen year at a junior college. At the time he was throwing high 80s, but since he could not stand up and throw he had to throw from his knees. Kimbrel says that he got to the point were he could throw the baseball a full football field from his knees. When he got healthy he came back throwing mid 90s. I do not think its a coincidence at all. Kimbrel was quoted saying breaking his foot was one of the best things that happened to him. However, I would not recommend trying to throw 100 yards on your knees because that might be a little tough on the spine.

Hip to shoulder separation is a part of your mechanics that can not be thought about while throwing. The best way to increase HTSS is by doing drills and improving mobility. See video attached to this blog post to see drills and mobility work.