Comparison of High Velocity and Low Velocity Pitch Deliveries

June 18, 2009

Baseball ResearchStodden 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

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What it takes to gain velocity.

June 17, 2009

plategroupIf you haven’t figured it out yet, velocity doesn’t come in a pill. Sorry to bust your bubble but it takes a lot of hard and smart work to develop it. If you are looking to gain 4-5 mph on your fastball then you must work to improve in all facets of pitching. These facets include: Read more

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Take this Pill and throw 90mph!

June 17, 2009

pill

Why waste your time and money on pitching coaches and strength and conditioning when you can get all the velocity you want in a pill?

Do you want to know what it is like to throw 90 plus mph?

Do you want to dominate every batter you face?

Do you want to get drafted in the top round and sign for millions?

Then you do not have to wait any longer? All your dreams will come true in this one pill. Velocity is the latest in medical advancements in the world of genetic therapy. This pill will genetically remodel your body to throw a baseball 90 plus miles per hour. Once you take this pill you will feel a burning sensation in your arm and after 33 seconds your next pitch will exceed 90 mph. Read more

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What is Momentum Pitching?

June 14, 2009

tim_movingThe online world of pitching experts have been throwing around the buzz word “Momentum pitching” recently. This isn’t anything new unless you are up to date on the breakthroughs of pitching science. Pitchers have been trying to find better ways to generate more momentum in their deliveries for years but what is changing is the science behind this matter.

During the prime of the likes of Nolan Ryan, the popular way of generating more momentum back then was the “Stand Tall and Fall” style developed by Nolan Ryan and his pitching coach Tom House, who may have coined the term. This proceeded the popular style of “Drop and Drive” used by the great Tom Seaver. These two styles of pitching are still used today. What is changing is pitching mechanics are evolving from an art form into the world of science. Read more

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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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2009 MLB Tryout camp schedule

April 30, 2009

mlbMajor League Scouting Bureau: 2009 Tryout camp schedule

Tryout camps are open for all players over 16 years of age. There is no fee. Registration will be done 30 minutes prior to start of camp. All players must bring their own equipment. IMPORTANT: Each player must sign a liability waiver to participate. If player is under age 21, a parent or legal guardian must also sign the waiver. A waiver can be obtained in advance at mlb.com or at tryout camp registration. Tryouts subject to change.

Note: Please read the FAQ if you have any questions. Read more

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The Pitching Windup or Stretch

March 8, 2009

pitching from the stretch or wind upThe windup is almost scared to the game of baseball but it really has no purpose besides a kind of placebo effect on the mental state of the pitcher. The windup represents the old style of pitching from back in the day when the pitchers would use the windup to get their arms moving faster like in the video clip here of Dizzy Dean. Now that we have learned that doing this is destructive to pitching velocity, the windup has become just an extra step to throwing in the stretch. Read more

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The Hip Slide to Pitching Velocity

February 12, 2009

lincecumsuperslow240x180.gifThe biggest problem I find in young pitchers is that they have poor separation in hips to shoulders. There are many articles on this site covering the pitching component “Separation.” It is so important because having separation from your back hip to back shoulder before the shoulders rotate to the plate, is critical for velocity and the health of your arm. What “Separation” does is it builds core torque. It puts more torque in the big muscle groups of the core, instead of mainly in the small muscle groups of the shoulder. Read more

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Bad Mechanics is a sign of Muscular Weakness

February 10, 2009

texasAbove average coordination is a sign of fast twitch muscle strength. Fast twitch motor neurons recruit more muscle fibers. This means more control of the body and also more explosive power. The biggest problem for a pitching coach, when working with a pitcher who does not have good hip rotation or who does not load and build a full body stride, is that this is the result of poor core and leg strength and no mechanical drill will fix this problem. Drills only help pitchers who are having a hard time changing flawed muscle memory. It doesn’t help pitchers who have good muscle memory but poor muscle strength. This is why we have weight rooms. This is why any coach who tells you that weight lifting will NOT help you as a pitcher is clueless and is wasting your time and maybe even your money. A good strength and conditioning program that incorporates Olympic lifts, plyometric training and an intense speed training program is estiental to developing good pitching mechanics. Good athletes make good pitchers. Read more

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Pitcher’s it is time to Start Juicing!

January 20, 2009

After my almost career ending rotator cuff injury, I decided to devote myself to understanding the body so I could somehow find a way back to the game I love. What I learned was I had bad mechanics as a young pitcher. I also learned that I did not train enough or when I trained it was completely wrong. I also learned that my diet was that of a dog and not a diet of a high performance athlete. It is important, as athletes, that we eat the balanced diet we have been told about all of our lives. We avoid listening to these words of wisdom because we eat what we want to eat. The reality is most young athletes have not faced a career ending injury. If someone was to tell you that you could avoid any serious injury in sports and prolong your career as an athlete, if you eat 5-6 servings of vegetables a day, would you do it? Read more

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