Pitching Velocity Mechanics aka Speed Mechanics
January 5, 2010
The definition of velocity from the University of Princeton’s website is, “speed: distance travelled per unit time.”
To a scientist this is a “Duh” moment, but to most pitching coaches this is a “What?” moment.
There are not many pitching coaches who would agree with you if you switched the word velocity with speed when talking about pitching mechanics. Read more
Popularity: 14%
Major League Baseball is all growns up. Almost!
June 22, 2009
Greg Bishop for the NY Times wrote an article, “When Radar Gun Hits 100 M.P.H., There’s More Than Meets the Eye.” View the link to the article below and read my response.
It feels like us online pitching guru’s are being let out of our caves into the new world when the main stream media starts to ring our bells. Reading this article I also wondered if Topvelocity.net is being plagiarized but who really cares. I am just glad that Major League Baseball (MLB) is growing up. The article quotes Rick Peterson, the founder of 3P Sports, who has worked with Dr. James Andrews for years on the bio mechanics of pitching. He is the first guy within the MLB to take a different approach to pitching than the conventional wisdom that hasn’t changed for decades. Read more
Popularity: 15%
Pitch Accuracy and the Front Side
March 22, 2009
Most of the articles on this site pertain to pure velocity but what is the value of Top Velocity when the pitcher can not locate his pitch? Zero is the answer. There is no value in Velocity that doesn’t end in a strike. I have witnessed many hard throwing pitchers or should I say throwers in my career who could not hit “the broad side of a barn.” These guys never made it anywhere because of this major problem of poor accuracy. The problem with coaching accuracy is that most pitching coaches over do it. They create pitchers who look like they should be throwing darts instead of fastballs. This is why I focus on velocity first and then I teach my pitchers how to control it. Read more
Popularity: 28%
The Major Misconception of Pitching
January 30, 2009
Pitching is a very complex sequence of movements that involve building torque and force to generate velocity. So many things happening during a blink of the eye within the pitching delivery. What is even harder than pitching, is explaining this stuff. This is why every coach has his own interpretation. This is also why science wins over conventional wisdom. If you can prove it scientifically then conventional wisdom is forced to listen. If you eliminated ever coach in baseball who could not explain pitching scientifically you would have about 2% of them left to coach the position. This is why so many misconceptions plague baseball today, especially pitching. Read more
Popularity: 36%
Increase Pitching Velocity
January 28, 2009
I get this question just about everyday, “How do I increase Pitching Velocity?” The problem is we all want more velocity but the majority of use do not know where it comes from and therefore are not willing to work for it. It is like that old saying by Joe Frasier – “Everyone wants to go to Heaven but Nobody wants to Die.!”
Velocity is Speed! By saying, “I want to increase my velocity” is no different than saying,” I want to increase my 60 yard dash time” or “I want to increase my vertical jump.” If you want to throw harder you need to learn to move faster. Every professional ball player I have played with or had the opportunity to watch had some hidden explosive power within them. Read more
Popularity: 4%
How a BAD Pitching Coach Can Ruin a GOOD Pitcher
January 18, 2009
Ultimately your pitching Coach is your boss. If you piss him off, there is a good chance you may be out of a job. The problem is if he is a BAD pitching coach, he could jeopardize your career. It has happened many times before. The key is to keep the Coach happy, while you find the best support you can, to help influence your career.
What makes a BAD pitching Coach?
Someone who has no experience in playing the position at the top levels of the game, or someone who has no certified education of how to coach the position. Read more
Popularity: 35%
Just Say NO to Long Distance Running
January 8, 2009
If your Coach or Trainer has you running for longer than five minutes at a SLOW pace then you are training to be just that…………………………………. SLOW! Muscles have a mixture of two basic types of fibers, fast twitch and slow twitch. Fast-twitch fibers are capable of developing greater forces and contracting faster and have greater anaerobic capacity. Anaerobic means exercise without the use of oxygen as an energy source; short bursts of vigorous exercise. Sprinting is an anaerobic exercise. In contrast, slow-twitch fibers develop force slowly, can maintain contractions longer and have higher aerobic capacity. Aerobic means exercise in which energy needed is supplied by oxygen inspired and is required for sustained periods of vigorous exercise with a continually high pulse rate. Long distance running is an aerobic exercise. Read more
Popularity: 26%
Scap Loading and the Back Side to Pitching
December 31, 2008
If you haven’t learned about “Scap Loading” then you are not tapping into your velocity potential. If you are not pinching your Scapular before committing your shoulders to the target, then you are losing a lot of velocity. If you have read some of my articles on this site you have heard this before. Greg Maddux in this picture is a perfect example of tightening the rubber band. He is building torque in his core by driving his hips open to the target, while he is pinching his shoulder blades together. This is the Ace Pitcher 3rd Component of Pitching. Here are some more photos of Pitchers performing this component. To put this into more detail we must look closer at the mechanics of Greg Maddux.
Greg Maddux is a Pitcher who is 40+ years of age, who is not a hard thrower anymore but he can still hit 90 if he desires. Most people would credit his name in the game of baseball to one of the craftiest pitchers ever. I would credit his name to one of the most efficient mechanics to play the game. This is why he is pitching into his 40′s. What has saved his arm, is the fact that he puts less abuse on it than the average pitcher. How he does this is by building momentum and using that momentum to build maximum torque in all his rotational pivots . He also keeps his arm in the safe zone his entire delivery. It sounds simple, be it takes incredible muscle coordination. Read more
Popularity: 28%
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