TopVelocity.net» Videos

What it takes to gain velocity.

Brent Pourciau — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:56:44 +0000

If 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:

Efficient and effective pitching mechanics.

Total body weight training along with speed and agility training.

Proper nutritional diet and supplementation.

Balanced training regime to allow for proper muscular and mental recovery.

I understand this news can be overwhelming and a buzz killer but if gaining velocity was easy and could come in a pill form, everyone would be doing it and then 90 plus mph would become average. If you want to be extraordinary then you must live to be extraordinary. Listed below are some links to get you on the right track, to developing that velocity, that you are so determined to obtain in such a short period of time.

Velocity enhancement links:

10 Legitimate Tips to Pitching Velocity

Triple Extension – 3X Pitching

Ace Pitcher Handbook :: Fusion System and the 6 Components to Pitching Velocity

Baseball Video Store :: Ace Pitcher Power Pitching video

Beginner Total Body training program

Velocity Drill :: The Sled

More to come…..

Separation and Triple Extension

Brent Pourciau — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:37:27 +0000

This videos covers the importance of “Separation” which builds core torque, increases velocity and takes stress off of the arm. Brent Pourciau also talks about how “Triple Extension” and the “Load” position is the key to generating optimal “Separation.

The Pitching Windup or Stretch

Brent Pourciau — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 17:38:47 +0000

The 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.

Pitchers that prefer the windup over the stretch, when acceptable, usually say the reason is because they feel more comfortable in the windup. If this is the case for you or your pitchers then this is fine. The only problem is if there is a significant difference between the pitchers delivery when in the windup as opposed to the stretch. There should be no difference once the lift leg hip begins towards the target. Notice the video of John Smoltz below. His two deliveries are seamless between his windup and stretch.

I recommend pitching in the stretch more often because you will throw your most important pitches there. If you are more comfortable in the windup then this is usually because you throw more practice pitches in the windup. If this is the case, then I recommend throwing your bullpens in the stretch the majority of the time. This will also help you when you have runners on base. When runners are on base you must do your best to help your catcher to hold the runners on by being as quick as possible during your delivery. This means you may need to slide step. The problem is if you are a pitcher who likes to throw in the windup with a big leg lift, when in the stretch and slide stepping you lose velocity. The key to not losing velocity in the slide step is focusing on the “Load” position. This position is when your hips are driving towards the target and you are squatting hard on your back leg. If you work hard to build momentum in the “Load” position, you can build as much momentum as you do with a high leg lift. Read my article on “Lift for Show, Load for Doe” to understand more about the “Load.”

I also recommend, when in the stretch, to start with more of your weight already over your back leg. Have your feet almost shoulder width apart and your lift leg hip ready to fire to the target. This will help you get your lower half moving even faster to the target which will allow you to build maximum momentum along with optimal speed to hold base runners on.

It is important to remember that whatever you do to your delivery in the windup or stretch they must match each other once the hips begin moving towards the plate. If this does not occur then it will be very hard to stay consistent mechanically through the entire game. This will have a big effect on your balls to strikes ratio.

Coach Hatch Instructional Videos

Brent Pourciau — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:06:07 +0000

View Coach Hatch’s Instructional Videos of the Olympic Lifts.

Coach Gayle Hatch

Brent Pourciau — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:34:29 +0000

The USA men’s weightlifting head coach at the 2004 Olympic Games, Hatch was inducted into the USA Strength and Conditioning Coaches Hall of Fame’s inaugural 14-member class in August 2003, along with Baton Rouge’s Alvin Roy; and the USA Olympic Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame in April 2002. He received the NFL Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society “President’s Award” for his role in developing the profession at the 2005 NFL Combine. Hatch served as meet director of the 2000 USA Olympic Trials. In 2007-08, Hatch worked at LSU as basketball strength and conditioning coach after his program helped the 2006 Tigers reach the Final Four.

The Baton Rouge, LA resident has won 12 national Coach of the Year honors from USA Weightlifting. He has coached 43 national champion lifters who set numerous American and junior American records. Among his best-known athletes are 1984 USA Olympian Tommy Calandro and 1988 and 1992 USA Olympian Bret Brian. He has had athletes named to more than 50 USA teams competing internationally. Hatch also has helped shape the careers of several notable strength coaches in the college and professional sports ranks. LSU’s head strength coach, Tommy Moffitt, and Tennessee’s head strength coach, Johnny Long, both attribute their recent national football championships in part to the Hatch strength program. Hatch was a dynamic basketball player for Northwestern State in 1960-62 who was drafted to play professionally. While at Northwestern, Hatch led the Demons in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage before he was chosen by the Chicago Majors of the American Basketball League, forerunner of the American Basketball Association which eventually merged with the NBA. Hatch set a school record in his senior year by shooting 57.7 percent in 1961-62, a mark that ranks 10th in school history some 40 years later. Hatch established a school mark for scoring with 18 field goals made in a game against a 21-4 Kentucky Wesleyan team, missing only three shots in an amazing performance. He was elected to the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. He is in six Halls of Fame, also included in the Catholic HS, Northwestern State athletic, Northwestern State alumni halls, and material on him was included in the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian when it opened in 2005.

Coach Gayle Hatch and Matt Bruce Olympic Lifting Instructional Videos.

View Coach Hatch’s Louisiana Hall of Fame induction video.

Please allow 10 seconds for the video to start playing.

View the Coach Hatch Broadband Video Channel

The Major Misconception of Pitching

Brent Pourciau — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:51:42 +0000

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.

The major misconception of pitching, that continues to ruin arms, is the belief that velocity comes mainly from the arm. Stop thinking with your arm! This will cause so many problems mechanically and physically your career will eventually come to a halt. You need to beat it into your head everyday that your legs and core throw the ball and the arm follows and guides the pitch. When starting your delivery on the mound your first step should NOT be lift leg so I can break my hands and get my arm moving fast.Ã‚Â This is pitching with all your arm. This is only recruiting your arm to handle the workload of the pitch. You must learn to recruit from the major muscle groups in the legs and core, to handle the workload of the pitch. In return this will generate so much more velocity and save your arm from absorbing all of the stress.

Pitching from the bottom or ground up is visualizing your lift leg as a log you are about to role down the hill or mound. Pick it up, feel its weight, hold back your upper body and throw the log down the hill leading with your butt to the target. It is extremely important that you load your weight back while the front leg moves to the target. Notice the picture above of Gagne in this “Load” position. Notice his weight is back, his back leg is sitting and his lift leg is moving to the target. This is the essence of bottom up pitching. Now notice the young man in the picture to the right of Gagne. He is almost at the same moment in the delivery but he is in a different position. His weight is forward, his arm is up and his stride is short. The difference between the two pictures is, once Gagne’s foot lands he can then transfer all the weight that he is loading in the back leg into the pitch. The young man has no weight loaded and is forced to only whip his arm to generate any velocity. The young man is pitching from the top down and he will be one of Dr. Andrews next patience if he does not make the adjustment.

Another sign of pitching from the top down is driving your glove hand to the target. This will also throw your weight forward preventing the “Load.” If you are a pitcher who pitches from the top down then thank God you read this article. You know need to understand what you are doing to cause this and learn to pitch from the bottom up. If you can make this adjustment, you will not only save your career as a pitcher, but you will increase your velocity by about 10-15 mph.Ã‚Â The problem is this adjustment isn’t easy!Ã‚Â It will not happen over night or within the year. It is a long process of changing muscle memory that you developed when you were very young. This means you will need a coach or video analysis to make this adjustment. You will also need to understand how to finish your delivery from the “Load” position and most important you must work on this adjustment everyday.

Please do not let this article discourage you. You have been given a gift with this knowledge. Most pitchers in high school and even college do not understand this consciously or subconsciously. Therefore this will put you ahead of the game.

Pitcher’s it is time to Start Juicing!

Brent Pourciau — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:42:48 +0000

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?

The reason we need 5-6 servings of vegetables a day is because the natural whole food vitamins and minerals are essential to all of our muscular functions as an athlete. It is also essential to muscle recovery. Read my article on Pitching Nutrition and Supplements to learn more on this topic.

Here is a product that offers you 5-6 servings of vegetables in a pill form.

www.StartJuicingNow.com

If you would like more information on a nutrition product please post your request in the comments below and I will do some research for you.

What you need to know about the shoulder.

Brent Pourciau — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:33:05 +0000

This article is for every athlete out there. I am an athlete, who overcame a career ending rotator cuff tear in college, to pitch again and make it to minor league ball. I was told, I would never pitch as hard as I did before the tear. I topped out at 94 mph my last season for the San Diego Surf Dawgs, over eight years later. That was more than 8 mph from before surgery. It was a long road and I am here today, to teach you everything you need to know on how to prevent this from happening to you.

To prevent or overcome shoulder surgery starts here with this diagram.

You must learn these small muscle. These muscle are your career. They are here to internally and externally rotate your arm. The most important information to remember about these muscles are that they can only handle around 5 pounds of pressure each. The deltoids take over if the pressure exceeds this amount. So this means, all we need is 3 to 5 pounds to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles. Anything more will prevent you from isolating them properly, for development.

The most important muscle of the rotator cuff, for throwers, is the supraspinatous. This muscle lives under the acromion tip of the clavicle. This is the end of the collar bone. This muscle takes a lot of abuse, when the elbow is above the shoulder. This is because it is being impinged by the acrominon tip. If your arm is internally rotated to far forward, when you pull your arm back to throw, this can cause the supraspinatous to “pop” or “grind” under the acrominon. Over time, this can tear the muscle. To prevent this impingement, you must learn good throwing mechanics and how to build joint integrity. You can not do one without the other, to prevent an injury.

You can learn the correct mechanics to prevent injury from the Ace Pitcher Instructional Videos. To build joint integrity, you need two 3 or 5 pound weights to get started. All of the exercise you will need are listed in the AcePitcher Handbook. You can then stream the instructional videos on how to perform the exercises on this site.

The first sign of poor joint integrity is posture. If you are someone who slouches over when sitting or standing, this could be a sign of poor shoulder joint integrity. Another sign is when the ball of the shoulder socket is protruding forward past the chest and the shoulder blade is sticking out like a wing. This means that the anterior muscles are stronger than the posterior muscles. This is the definition of poor joint integrity. This will lead to a shoulder injury.

Common pain that is a sign of an impingement is usually referred pain from the supraspinatous. Most of the pain from the cuff is referred pain. Referred pain means pain that originates in one part of the body, but is felt in another part of the body. If you feel pain on the outside of your arm, between the bicep and tricep muscles, just below the mid deltoid, then this is an impingement. Don’t be alarmed, it isn’t a tear. The supraspinatous is probably inflamed. This can be remedied with ice. You should only ice your arm for 15-20 minutes on and 15-20 minutes off. You can repeat the process but anymore than 15-20 minutes on, can cause nerve damage. Always finish with ice. Never finish with heat. Heat inflames the muscle tissue, and when the tissue is inflamed, it isn’t healing. It is also not a good idea to ice an arm just after pitching. It is best to flush the system. This is when you do some good sprints, to get your heart beating, so you can get your blood pumping. This will help flush the breakdown of waste from pitching out of your arm. Then you can ice. Also never ice your Ulnar nerve. You can also take anti inflammatories, recommended by your Doctor. This is a symptom you can pitch through, but remember when the supraspinatous is inflamed, this will cause more wear and tear on the cuff. So try hard to take care of it ASAP.

The sign of a rotator cuff tear is very obvious. You have considerable loss in movement in your arm, with serious pain. If the supraspinatous is torn, which is the most common tear for throwers, you will not be able to turn your hand thumb down and raise it straight out in front of your body. This is because this movement requires a lot of work from the supraspinatous. If this is the case I am sure you have already seen a Doctor and unfortunately you need surgery. This was my case. It is a hard reality to face. Especially when you are 18, like I was. There was one moment that got me thinking positive and it was a saying I saw on a wall just after the Doctor diagnosed the tear. “Where there is a Will, there is a Way.” Ever six months the body regenerates itself. This means ever muscle has grown new tissue from the inside out. Like your skin. If you can get yourself on the right track, you can start over again and this is exactly what it will feel like. You are starting over at this point and you may not get another chance. It is a tough road but laced with so many rewards. If you are someone who is post surgery and needs a little boost to get back to the game you love, then please contact me and I will get you on the right track.

In conclusion, your rotator cuff is your life support as a pitcher. It is like a par of tires that you can never change on your race car. It is vital that you learn how to take care of it, if you want to play well into your twenties and beyond. I hope this article gets you going and please contact me with any questions or post them in the discussion board.

The biggest mistakes young pitchers make?

Brent Pourciau — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:11:05 +0000

I hate to be so pessimistic but the reality is the younger generations are lazy and not held up to the standards of the past generations. Our society today is a lot more open to excepting mediocrecy than hard work and achievement. The only reason competition continues to improve is because of the global infiltration of baseball. The game is now full of Latino’s, Asians and Europeans. I am writing this article to hopefully motivate the younger generations of America to wake up and get moving. Here is one of my favorite quotes. You should read this every morning.

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows that it must out run the slowest gazelle or it will starve.

It does not matter whether you are a lion or gazelle. When the sun comes up you had better be running.”

One of the biggest mistakes young pitchers make is not educating themselves. They usually do not like to read, especially for more than a few seconds, so I will list the rest of the steps in an ordered list to try and beat their short attention spans.

Biggest mistakes young pitchers make:

1. They DO NOT exercise their brain like their body.
They know nothing about pitching mechanics, joint integrity and nutrition. They leave it up to their parents or coaches.

2.Ã‚Â They DO NOT stand up for success.
They follow the leader. If everyone is slacking, then they are slacking.

3. They DO NOT keep the BIG Picture.
Life has a time limit. Do not miss your window of opportunity.

4. They DO NOT establish routine or disciplines in their young lives.
They do whatever feels good or whatever everyone else is doing.

5. They DO NOT warm-up before playing or practicing.
They show up for practice or a game just before it starts.

6. They DO NOT take care of their arm or body after a pitching performance.
They go home and take a hot shower and eat a bad meal.

7. They DO NOT make adjustments when things are not working.
They just get frustrated and continue to beat their head against the wall.

8. They DO NOT stay after practice to improve their mechanics or run some extra sprints.
They can’t wait to run home and get on the phone or play video games.

9. They DO NOT take the blame for their mistakes.
Everything is someone else’s fault.

10. They DO NOT thank their Coaches and Parents for supporting their careers.
They act like it is just their job to do this for them.

11. They DO NOT push their limits.
They think being average and lazy is cooler than being good and dedicated.

12. They DO NOT listen to their bodies.
They continue to play when their arm is saying, “Stop!”

13. They DO NOT eat, sleep and breathe baseball.
Baseball is just something they do after school.

14. They DO NOT spend more time playing ball than playing with the TV or computer.
They have poor hip rotation because their body has adjusted to sitting down, instead of running around.

15. They DO NOT eat healthy foods.
They are addicted to fast food and soft drinks.

16. They DO NOT understand that to be a good pitcher you must be an exceptional athlete.

If you are a younger pitcher and reading this, I hope that you do not make most of these mistakes. If you do, I hope that this motivates you to make a life change. Even if you make some of these mistakes I hope you are motivated to make a life change. If you have read this far, this is confidence that you maybe just making that life change at this very moment. Please use this site to guide you during this transformation. Don’t forget the quote above.

Baseball Pitching Workout – Beginner

Brent Pourciau — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:54:31 +0000

This is an excellent beginner workout. It focuses on training the body as a single unit. All these lifts support the development of Fast Twitch Muscle Fibers which will make you more explosive as an athlete. This workout was developed for pitchers but recommend for all positions. When starting this beginner program for the first time, make sure you keep your lifting weight down. Use the bar to start and once you gain confidence in your lifts, you can begin to add weight and use the percentages listed. Select the images below the workout of the lifts to view the instructional video. You can also view the Coach Gayle Hatch instructional videos here: Coach Hatch Videos to learn the lifts. Coach Gayle Hatch is a legend in the sports training world. He is most know as the 2004 USA Olympic Lifting Coach and was just named the World Coach for 2009. Some of the lifts do not have instructional videos. Search the web for exercises that would fill the role.

This is only a beginner training program. It does not included any joint integrity training, medicine ball training or anaerobic conditioning. To learn a more advanced training program, which includes everything you need to know to increase your athletic performance as a pitcher or position player, check out the Ace Pitcher Handbook. It is highly recommended!

Monday
Bar warm-up
Hang clean	5×60%	5×65%	5×65%	5×70%
Front Squat	10×60%	8×65%	6×70%
RDL	5×25%	5×25%	5×25%
Core Routine

Tuesday
Shoulder Routine
3 board bench or Push Ups	10×60%	10×65%	8X70%	8×70%
Pull-up	10x	10x	10x	10x
Forearm Routine

Thursday
Bar warm-up
Power Clean	5×60%	5×62%	5×65%	3×70%
Pavel Squat/Towel Ham Slide	8x	8x	8x	8x
Core Routine

Friday
Shoulder Routine
Stability Ball Dumb Bell Bench	10×60%	10×65%	8×70%	8×70%
Low Row	10x	10x	10x	10x
Forearm Routine

Hang Clean

Title: Hang Clean
Runtime: 2:27
Views: 679

Title: Dynamic Warm Up
Runtime: 5:28
Views: 1,379

Title: Pavel Squat/Towel Ham Slide
Runtime: 1:26
Views: 683

Title: Power Clean
Runtime: 1:32
Views: 1,276

Title: Barbell Warm-Up - Top Velocity Pitching Workouts
Runtime: 2:05
Views: 2,647

Title: 3 Board Bench Press - Top Velocity Pitching Workouts
Runtime: 0:57
Views: 1,020

Title: Front Squat - Top Velocity Pitching Workouts
Runtime: 1:30
Views: 397

Title: RDL - Top Velocity Pitching Workouts
Runtime: 1:19
Views: 3,321

Title: Fat Grip Pullup
Runtime: 0:56
Views: 471

Title: Low Row - TopVelocity.net
Runtime: 1:35
Views: 386

Title: Core Routine - TopVelocity.net
Runtime: 1:11
Views: 688

Title: Stability Ball Dumb Bell Bench
Runtime: 1:08
Views: 389

TopVelocity.net» Videos

What it takes to gain velocity.

Velocity enhancement links:

10 Legitimate Tips to Pitching Velocity

Triple Extension – 3X Pitching

Ace Pitcher Handbook :: Fusion System and the 6 Components to Pitching Velocity

Baseball Video Store :: Ace Pitcher Power Pitching video

Beginner Total Body training program

Velocity Drill :: The Sled

Related articles:

Separation and Triple Extension

Related articles:

The Pitching Windup or Stretch

Related articles:

Coach Hatch Instructional Videos

View Coach Hatch’s Instructional Videos of the Olympic Lifts.

Related articles:

Coach Gayle Hatch

Coach Gayle Hatch and Matt Bruce Olympic Lifting Instructional Videos.

View Coach Hatch’s Louisiana Hall of Fame induction video.

View the Coach Hatch Broadband Video Channel

Related articles:

The Major Misconception of Pitching

Related articles:

Pitcher’s it is time to Start Juicing!

Related articles:

What you need to know about the shoulder.

Related articles:

The biggest mistakes young pitchers make?

Biggest mistakes young pitchers make:

Related articles:

Baseball Pitching Workout – Beginner

Related articles: