In the 2006 World Series, Adam Wainwright, Jeff Suppan, and Anthony Reyes of the St. Louis Cardinals were impressive on the mound using the traditional style of winding up. Many pitchers from the Far East and Latin America begin their deliveries with a bigger type of wind-up. Halladay, Lackey, Jackson, and many of the above pitchers remind us of Jim Palmer and Don Drysdale who both had superb rhythm, flow and deception.

A fluid and deceptive pitching motion is shown above by Peavy. Gripping the ball in his glove, Jeff lifts his hands and arms above the head with a relaxed movment. He pushes hard off the rubber in putting maximum energy and deception into his pitches. The Padres' brilliant right-hander makes it very difficult for hitters to follow his pitches.

Many of baseball’s most successful pitchers now begin their deliveries with a traditional wind-up. All have big motions, long arm actions, and deceptive wind-ups. Many other major league pitchers have returned to the full wind-up, giving the hips and their shoulders more freedom of movement. They believe the full wind-up is more deceptive because they can hide the ball longer. That makes it more difficult for hitters to pick it up.

In the 1956 World Series, the Yankees’ Don Larsen went to a no-windup and threw a perfect game. Following his mound gem, Larsen only used the no-windup for a short time and went back to the traditional wind-up, as pictured here. By the mid-1960s, however, an increasing number of major league pitchers had gone to the no-wind-up delivery.

Without a smooth and rhythmic wind-up, pitchers are placing undue strain on their vulnerable elbows and shoulders, and they are not hiding the ball in their deliveries. As major league teams continue to lose their high-priced pitchers with elbow and shoulder injuries, the return of the traditional wind-up will save teams millions of dollars.

College Pitchers Also Using the Traditional Style

The traditional pitching wind-up has also returned to collegiate baseball. Several pitchers in the 2007 CWS used the bigger wind-up, including Oregon State’s MVP, freshman right-hander Jorge Reyes, who brought his hands, glove and ball high above and behind his head. Reyes, pictured here, won both of his starts at Omaha and had a 2.92 ERA.

In Oregon State’s victory over UC Irvine, Daniel Turpen, a veteran right-hander on the Beavers’ CWS championship team, was opposed on the mound by freshman Christian Bergman, who also used the old style of winding up. They began their deliveries with both glove and ball above their chests, and raised them above the head.

College baseball coaches, however, appear to be slower in bringing back the traditional pitching wind-up, as I observed watching the 2009 NCAA Division I post-season and CWS finals. I am inclined to think that college and high school pitchers will soon be emulating the bigger wind-up of mound standouts at the big league level, like Halladay, Jackson, Wainwright, Hamels, Gallardo, and many others.

BPA's Survey of The Two Wind-up Styles

During the 2006 spring training, questionnaires were sent to all major league pitching coaches. Almost half of the 30 coaches I contacted responded with many positive comments and opinions. The coaches were aware that an increasing number of pitchers, including many from other countries, are using various styles of the traditional windup. They saw many hurlers in the World Baseball Classic pitching with the old time wind-up. The hands and glove come up over the head. Using the no-windup, the pitcher holds his hands in a compact position in front of the body, and he starts his delivery.

Many of the major league pitching coaches I wrote to believe there will be many more pitchers switching to a bigger and more traditional technique. They said they will be encouraging more pitchers to make the change. Back in the 1960s and ‘70s, it took awhile for the no-windup to take hold, and the return of the traditional method, likewise, will require time as well.

Serious concerns continue to be expressed by noted pitching authorities as to the shortcomings of the no-windup technique. Pitchers today are throwing too much with their arms and not enough with their entire body.

The picture here of Matt Morris is typical of modern day pitchers in which the ball and glove remain close to the body. The initial wind-up is too restricted, lacking good rhythm, momentum and deceptive actions that characterized the style of pitchers in the 1950s and '60s. They are not utilizing the rhythmic, rocking motions that can reduce the physical stress and strain on the elbow and shoulder joints.

The biggest change in pitching technique over the past three decades had been the switch from a full-wind-up with a pumping motion to a simplified and compact no-pump technique. Although it has achieved a more balance position and perhaps better control, I firmly believe today's no-windup delivery has contributed to the epidemic of pitching injuries to the elbow and shoulder joints.

Purpose of the Pitching Wind-up

The purpose of the wind-up is to move the body weight back in order to place power into the pitch. In preparing for his delivery, the pitcher must gather his weight in order to get more power into his delivery. Most of the pitchers who used the no-windup technique are not able to generate maximum power. In their effort to do so, they place undue exertion and physical stress on their pitching arm and shoulder.

How the Traditional Wind-up Is Executed

As he faces home plate, the pitcher has one heel touching the rubber. His pitching hand grips the ball in the glove in front of him. As the wind-up begins, he steps straight back a comfortable distance with the opposite leg of the throwing hand. The pitching hand and the ball are still in the glove. Stepping back, he brings both hands over his head as if he reaching for the sky, as demonstrated here by Jose Contreras of the Chicago White Sox.

A right-hand pitcher will rotate on his right foot so that his body turns right facing third base. The pivot foot stays parallel in contact with the rubber. While rotating on his pivot foot, he lifts his front leg, bending the knee at a right angle, and swinging the leg with the momentum of his rotation. The pitcher then brings his arms down. The pitching hand and ball are still in the glove. He is now in a corkscrew-like position, known as the top of the wind-up.

The pitcher releases the ball from the top of his wind-up while stepping toward home plate with his kicked leg. He drives forward with his back leg while rotating the hips. As his back leg swings forward, his feet should be close to parallel, and he is ready to field his position.