Comparison of High Velocity and Low Velocity Pitch Deliveries
June 18, 2009
Stodden DF, Fleisig GS, McLean SP, Lyman SL, Andrews JR. Relationship of pelvis and upper torso kinematics to pitched baseball velocity. Journal of Applied Biomechanics 17(2):164-172, 2001.
Matsuo T, Escamilla RF, Fleisig GS, Barrentine SW, Andrews JF. Comparison of kinematic and temporal parameters between different pitch velocity groups. Journal of Applied Biomechanics 17(1): 1-13, 2001.
Stodden, DF, Fleisig, GS, McLean, SP, Andrews, JR. Relationship of Biomechanical Factors to Basebal Pitching Velocity: Within Pitcher Variation. Journal of Applied Biomechanics 21(1): 44-56, 2005 Read more
Popularity: 9%
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: 43%
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: 33%
Pitching Torque and the 3 pivots.
December 16, 2008
The most important component of pitching is “Separation.” This is what builds torque mainly in the core instead of the arm. This component will not only increase velocity but save a pitchers shoulder. Most high school and college pitchers have poor “Separation.” This component is also called “Scap Loading.” “Scap” for scapula. This terminology is significant because during “Separation” the pitcher is pinching his scapula’s together to hold the shoulders back.
I have written about this component in just about every article on pitch velocity. I will once again define this into more detail. I am doing this because of how important it is to master the pitching component of “Separation.”
The picture here of Felix Hernandez pretty much says it all. You can see the “Separation” from his hips to shoulders. It is like he is a towel being rung out to dry. Tim Lincecum calls this tightening his “Rubber Band.” The “Rubber Band” being his core. To understand core torque and its effectiveness, you must understand how torque is generated in a 90 MPH pitcher. Read more
Popularity: 63%
Lift for Show, Load for Doe!
November 22, 2008
Ok, the leg lift isn’t only for “Show.” There is a lot of momentum that can be generated by the leg lift which transfers into velocity. The question is, “How come pitchers who have big leg lift’s in the wind up, when pitching in the stretch, have a lower leg lift but still throw the same velocity?” The answer is called the “Load.”
“Loading” is when the pitcher holds his weight back over his back leg, while his front side continues building momentum towards the target. This is why strong legs and core, produce powerful pitching. Look at Eric Gagne in this picture. He is squatting on his back leg, waiting for the perfect time to fire his hips and then his shoulders. Read more
Popularity: 50%
Violence and the Pitching Delivery
November 18, 2008
I don’t mean to mislead you with the title. Some of you may have expected the first sentence to be, “Study proves that Pitchers are more prone to violent behavior.” This may be true for athletes but this isn’t what I am writing about in this article.
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Popularity: 26%
“Salsa” and the Latin Pitcher
October 1, 2008
When I think of the Latin culture, I think of their food and their life style. When I say “Salsa,” I am not talking about food, I am talking about dance. I have had maybe two “Salsa” lessons in my life and it was my wife’s idea. When I think about it, I am so glad I had the experience because it has helped me as a pitcher.
Salsa definition:
A mixture of up tempo Latin styles of music. The salsa is not an actual style of Latin music; it is a style of dance. One that has become increasingly popular over time. Up beat Latin patterns and beats played together create a salsa style groove.
When you take a lesson or watch it on the hit show “Dancing with the Stars,” you will see that “Salsa” is all about the hips moving the body. Observe the video. Read more
Popularity: 19%
The Principle of Specificity and Sport
August 24, 2008
by Chad Englehart
Introduction
Specificity of Training principle is one of the most utilized training principles used by exercise professionals today. (Kramer et al., 2002) discussed the principle of training specificity and explained that the training responses elicited by a given exercise mode are directly related to the physiological elements involved with coping with the specific exercise stress. What this means is that if an athlete’s want to perform better at a particular event or skill they must train specifically for that particular skill. For example, if an athlete wants to become stronger one must lift heavy weights and if an athlete wants to jump higher one must jump. As a strength and conditioning Read more
Popularity: 35%
Sprint Mechanics and the 40 yard Dash
August 24, 2008
by Chad Englehart
As a strength and conditioning professional one of the most prevalent questions we are asked is “Can I get my 40 yard faster and how fast can I be?†This question is easy to answer, for starters everyone can get faster because speed can be taught and how fast can an athlete become really depends on their genetic makeup. According to Brent McFarlane (1987) sprinting speed can be learnt through motor educability, he goes on to explain that the skills and techniques of sprinting must be rehearsed and perfected at slow speeds and then transferred to sprints at maximal velocity. Most of us know the definition of Read more
Popularity: 34%
What is Top Velocity?
June 20, 2008
Living most of my past life as a baseball pitcher, the pivotal moment in my pitching career was overcoming career ending shoulder surgery. It changed my life and I was never the same. I spent the next five years after this major event trying everything I could to get back to the game I loved. It was the hardest thing I would ever do. I am now dealing with my addictions to over training and I am full of Top Velocity education. Read more
Popularity: 20%
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