TL;DR: “Flying open” is a pitching fault where the upper body, shoulders, and arms rotate too early during the stride phase. It kills torque, reduces velocity, hurts control, and puts extra stress on the arm. You fix it by learning to stay closed until the stride foot plants, using the seven drills listed below.
What is “flying open” called in pitching?
The fault is called “flying open,” and it happens when a pitcher’s upper body, shoulders, and arms rotate outward at the same time as the stride leg and front hip during the stride and cocking phase. Flying open is one of the most common mechanical pitching faults across all age groups and experience levels. The correct term you will hear from coaches is “flying open” or “opening up early,” and fixing it is a core part of learning proper pitching mechanics.
How do you stay closed when pitching?
You stay closed when pitching by keeping your lead elbow, shoulders, and throwing arm aligned toward the plate until your stride foot plants and gives you a stable base. Staying closed is a learned skill, not a natural tendency. Biomechanically, the upper body wants to follow the front hip and stride leg, so you must consciously train against that instinct.
Once the stride foot plants, the trunk powerfully rotates on a horizontal axis. That rotation creates angular velocity, also called torque, which is the main source of power, arm speed, and pitch velocity. When you open too early, that rotational force disappears before it can transfer to the ball.
Young high school and college pitchers need to learn how to stay closed. Experienced pitchers need to focus on it actively during every bullpen session and start. Neither group gets a pass.
| Mechanical Factor | Staying Closed (Correct) | Flying Open (Fault) |
|---|---|---|
| Upper body timing | Holds alignment until stride foot plants | Opens with stride leg and front hip |
| Torque (angular velocity) | Maximum rotational force generated | Rotational force lost early |
| Muscle sequence | Legs, hips, trunk fire in order, then arm | Sequence breaks; arm must do extra work |
| Pitch velocity | Higher; driven by large muscle groups | Lower; driven mostly by shoulder and arm |
| Control | Improved | Negatively affected |
| Arm fatigue and stress | Reduced | Increased; early fatigue likely |
| Fastball movement | More movement due to torque | Less movement |
How do you throw baseball pitches with proper mechanics?
To throw baseball pitches with proper mechanics, you need an efficient, balanced, aligned, and compact motion where the body fires in the correct sequence: legs and hips first, then trunk rotation, then the arm. The single biggest mechanical error that breaks this sequence is flying open early. When the upper body opens before the stride foot plants, the large muscles of the legs, hips, and trunk have already fired and are no longer available to create rotational forces. That forces the shoulder and arm muscles to generate most of the pitch velocity on their own, which leads to early fatigue and higher injury risk.
Proper mechanics require:
- A balanced posting position reached without swinging the foot or leg up
- A stride that goes down and out without swinging the leg around
- Leading with the front hip bone to generate lower body forces
- Landing flat-footed on a stable base with toes pointed inward slightly (10 to 15 degrees)
- Keeping the lead elbow and shoulders aligned to the plate through the stride phase
- Powerful horizontal trunk rotation after stride foot plant to create torque
Practicing on a proper surface helps reinforce these mechanics. Check out our portable pitching mounds if you need a consistent training setup away from the field.
What is a hold in baseball pitching mechanics?
In pitching mechanics, a “hold” refers to the deliberate action of holding the upper body closed during the stride and cocking phase, resisting the natural urge to let the shoulders and arms open early. This held position is what makes torque possible. The pitcher holds the lead elbow, front shoulder, and throwing arm in alignment toward the plate while the stride leg moves forward. Only after the stride foot plants does the trunk release into rotation.
This held, closed position is not natural. The body’s biomechanical tendency is to open up with the front hip. Coaches teach the hold through the Mirror and Abdominal Drill, where the pitcher consciously contracts the abdominal muscles to keep the upper body closed and can actually feel the abs tighten during the hold. Once a young pitcher masters this, you will see better control, more movement on the fastball, and improved velocity.
7 Drills to Stay Closed When Pitching
Use these seven drills in order to build the habit of staying closed from the ground up.
- Rocker-Pivot-Lift Drill: Reach a balanced posting position without swinging the foot or leg up. Close the front side fully without over-rotating.
- Down and Out Stride Drill: Drive the leg straight down and out toward the plate. Do not swing the leg or foot around and down. Keeping the leg path direct helps keep the whole body aligned to the plate.
- Lead with the Front Hip Bone: Point the front hip bone toward the target as you stride. This technique improves alignment and generates lower body forces for a longer and more powerful stride.
- Stride Drill: Focus on landing flat-footed on a stable base with toes pointing inward slightly, between 10 and 15 degrees. This gives you a solid platform for trunk rotation.
- Hand Break and Lead Arm Action Drill: Use a flexed lead elbow as a rifle sight aimed at the plate. This keeps the arms and shoulders aligned and holds the upper body closed through the stride.
- Mirror and Abdominal Drill: Perform the Down and Out Drill and Stride Drill in front of a mirror. Watch your lead elbow and front shoulder stay aligned and closed even after the front hip has opened on stride foot plant. Actively contract your abdominal muscles to hold the upper body in position. You should feel your abs tighten.
- Cocked Position Drill: Practice holding the full cocked position with the upper body closed. Remind yourself that staying closed is a learned trait, not a natural one. It must be understood, repeated, and developed consciously before it becomes automatic.
Quick Recap
- “Flying open” means the upper body, shoulders, and arms rotate too early during the stride and cocking phase.
- It is one of the most common pitching faults at every level, from youth ball through college.
- Flying open kills torque, reduces pitch velocity, hurts control, and increases stress on the shoulder and arm muscles.
- Staying closed means holding the lead elbow, shoulders, and throwing arm aligned to the plate until the stride foot plants.
- After the stride foot plants, the trunk rotates powerfully to create angular velocity (torque), which drives power and arm speed.
- Staying closed is a learned skill. You must train it deliberately with drills and mirror work.
- Once mastered, a pitcher gains better control, more fastball movement, and higher velocity with less arm fatigue.
- Seven drills help build this habit: Rocker-Pivot-Lift, Down and Out Stride, Lead with the Front Hip Bone, Stride Drill, Hand Break and Lead Arm Action, Mirror and Abdominal, and Cocked Position.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly does “flying open” mean in baseball pitching?
Flying open means the pitcher’s upper body, shoulders, and throwing arm rotate toward the plate too early, at the same time as the stride leg and front hip, instead of waiting until the stride foot plants. It breaks the proper firing sequence and reduces pitch power and accuracy.
Why does flying open hurt pitch velocity?
Flying open causes the arm to drag because the larger, stronger muscles of the legs, hips, and trunk have already fired and cannot contribute torque. Most of the pitch velocity then has to come from the smaller shoulder and arm muscles alone, which produces less speed and leads to early fatigue.
Is flying open bad for a pitcher’s arm?
Yes. When the upper body flies open early, the shoulder and arm muscles take on an outsized share of the workload. That creates unnecessary stress on the shoulder and arm, increasing the risk of early fatigue and injury over time.
How do you know if a pitcher is flying open?
Watch whether the pitcher’s lead shoulder and front elbow rotate toward home plate before the stride foot touches the ground. If they do, that is flying open. Mirror drills and video review of the pitching motion make this fault easy to spot.
At what age should a pitcher start working on staying closed?
Any pitcher old enough to work on mechanics should learn to stay closed. The source notes that young high school and college pitchers need to learn how, and experienced pitchers need to actively focus on it. The earlier a pitcher builds this habit, the better.
What muscles help a pitcher stay closed?
The abdominal muscles play a key role in holding the upper body closed during the stride. The Mirror and Abdominal Drill specifically trains pitchers to contract the abs and feel them tighten as a cue that the upper body is staying in the correct position.
What happens to a fastball when a pitcher stays closed correctly?
When a pitcher stays closed and generates full torque through trunk rotation, the fastball gains more movement and higher velocity. Better control also follows because the body is moving through the correct sequence toward the target.
About the Author
Bill Thurston spent 42 years at Amherst College in Massachusetts, where his teams won nearly 65 percent of all games played (771 to 441). He was a full-time tenured professor of physical education at Amherst and is widely respected as a teacher of baseball skills and techniques. Before coaching, Thurston played baseball at the University of Michigan and later played three years in the Detroit Tigers organization. Since 1990, he has served as the pitching consultant for the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama. Bill has conducted baseball clinics in more than 25 states and five provinces of Canada, was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1997, and served as the NCAA Baseball Rules Editor for 14 years. He is an expert on proper pitching mechanics, video analysis of the pitching motion, and prevention of arm injuries.
