By Steve Hayward
Founder, Baseball Health Network

For years now, I’ve been hearing coaches and parents telling their kids to throw over the top, get the arm up, elbow higher, and so on.

The end result can be that a pitcher ends up being forced to throw from an unnatural arm slot.

The common myth is that it’s safer to throw over the top.

Check out these two videos that discuss finding one’s own natural arm slot.

The first video, from the MLB Network, features San Diego Padres left-hander Clayton Richard talking with former Major League All-Star Harold Reynolds. Note how Richard points out the difference between coming over the top, and throwing from (for him) a more natural arm slot in which his hand is still able to get on top of the ball.

This second video, with my Baseball Health Network partner Doug Cinnella, talks about the link between finding your natural arm slot and how it relates to throwing the fastball consistently for a strike.