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

Popularity: 37%

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Long Toss and the Placebo Effect

January 13, 2009

2649288453_5cfffafccd_o1Long toss is praised by many and shot down by few. I have heard the likes of Alan Jaeger preaching long toss as the secret to velocity and the likes of Dick Mill’s trying to prove scientifically why you should never do it again. I have reflected on this topic for some time now. In my career, I did a lot of long toss but rarely did I notice any difference in velocity. I refuse to tell you that long toss is a waste of time but what I will do is share with you the Pros and Cons of this kind of practice. It is then up to you to make your own decision on using long toss in your training regime. Read more

Popularity: 41%

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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

Popularity: 25%

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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

Popularity: 18%

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Nolan Ryan Slow Mo

November 5, 2008

Almost a decade after his career as one of the greatest pitchers of all time, we still are curious about his gift of throwing the heat. He remained in the mid 90′s into his early 40′s. Use this slow motion video of his delivery as a visual aid to learn top velocity. Notice his build and his ability to use his body as a single unit to develop top velocity. Use the scrubber to control the video. Read more

Popularity: 34%

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The Pull Perspective

September 8, 2008

pullDefinition of throwing: the act of throwing; propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist; “the catcher made a good throw to second base”

Definition of pulling: the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you; “the pull up the hill had him breathing harder”

What definition best describes what a Major League Pitcher does on the mound?

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Popularity: 29%

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The Importance of the fastball

August 22, 2008

Having too many pitches causes too many problems. Your success as a pitcher is riding on your fastball. Ever pitch you throw should be based off your fastball. This is why a slider is effective. This is why a change up is deceiving. If you are in high school and your best pitch is a curveball, your longevity is very limited. Scouts want to see a 1-4 ratio of offspeed pitches to fastballs. They see throwing offspeed pitches like sliders and curveballs at a young age as a sign of high levels of wear and tear on the arm. This is a big mark against you. Read more

Popularity: 15%

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