Why Pitchers should ICE their arms?

May 9, 2009

1173222910_9462Dick Mills just wrote an article about how Pitchers are causing more damage than good when icing their arms. He said that He did some research that proves that icing the pitchers arm does not help the arm recover but actually slows down the recovery process. I just wonder where he got his research because he does not tell us. After reading his quote below it sounds like he got it from Dr Seuss. Read more

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The Major Misconception of Pitching

January 30, 2009

pitching_typesPitching 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

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How a BAD Pitching Coach Can Ruin a GOOD Pitcher

January 18, 2009

coach1Ultimately 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

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Pitching Torque and the 3 pivots.

December 16, 2008

PhotographerThe 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

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Pitching Velocity keys found in a car crash!

December 7, 2008

I am sure you are asking, “What does a car crash teach us about pitching velocity?” It actually teaches us pitchers everything we need to know, to truly understand, how pitchers generate top velocity. The reason for the correlation of the pitching delivery to the car crash, is the car crash analogy really helps us visualize the complex dynamics of momentum transfer. The reason for the complexity is because of the speed of the event. The moment in the delivery when momentum transfers into the ball to start its propulsion to the target, is as long as a split second. The problem is analyzing this event for educational purposes takes a lot longer. So this is where the car crash analogy will help us. Read more

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The Importance of Pitching Video Analysis

December 3, 2008

Having your Pitching video analyzed by someone who understands Physics Driven Velocity Mechanics is critical in moving up levels of the game. The effectiveness of this process is the visual aspect. We are mainly visual learners. We can watch someone perform an action and then almost repeat it perfectly. This proves that we learn information so much faster visually. In any baseball career time is of the essence. All of us retired ball players, wish we knew what we learned many years after the end of our careers, when we were actually playing the game. This is because it took longer to learn this stuff than the window of opportunity we where given. Read more

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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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Wired Pitching Science

October 15, 2008

Wired is a magazine that covers the latest technology and science being developed everyday. This is a short but excellent reference that supports the Top Velocity physics driven throwing mechanics.

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2002/04/51691

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Separation, the Safe Zone and the Power Curve

October 11, 2008

I just read Chris Oleary’s article on the “Safe Zone.”

http://chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Pitching/PitcherInjuryAnalysisProject/Patterns.html

It is always nice to find unconventional thinking when it comes to pitching instruction. I recommend you read his article. I was forced in my early career to overcome a serious shoulder injury, because I wasn’t taught this important piece of information. Ever sense my almost career ending injury, I have been coaching this theory, but never referred to it as the “Safe Zone.” I will now!

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Resisted Sprints and Effects on Kinematics and Sprint Speed

August 24, 2008

by Chad Englehart

Speed Training

Implied in any linear speed discussion with a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, is the concept of resisted speed training strategies. Some professionals consider resisted speed training as the most efficient sprint training technique on the planet, while other consider it not as effective because of a biomechanical stand point. Different resisted speed strategies include, towing, uphill sprints, sand sprints, and weighted sprints. Tahachnik (1992) explained that towing of weighted devices such as sleds and tires is the most common method of providing towing resistance for the enhancement of sprint performance, although the use of parachutes has also Read more

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