What Controls Baseball Pitching Velocity Production? Fixing A Minor League Pitcher
Most baseball parents, coaches and pitchers do not understand what controls baseball pitching velocity production.
I had a 6'5" 225 minor league pitcher stop by after the season on his way home.
His velocity during the season was 88-91 and topped out at 92 mph.
He had a good season overall but inconsistent. Occasional lapses of control. Before coming he sent me pitching mechanics videotape and it was quickly apparent what his pitching mechanics problem was.
Besides some pitching mechanics rhythm problems just getting going, the timing of getting off his back leg was too slow and upon landing he lacked control of his front leg and hip. The cause—poor core strength.
His Dad was concerned that he would continue without any help and next season be no better off. At the professional minor league level, you have to look at your situation carefully because you are competing with 50 other minor league pitchers in your organization to make it to the big leagues. You can't afford "hit or miss."
By the way, all high school pitchers are also competing with thousands of other top high school pitchers for a set number of scholarships and a set number of places on each pitching staff. That ought to be a motivator—a good reason to do more than than what most other pitchers will do during the offseason.
Most minor leaguers will not start throwing until January from the recommendation of the orgranization. I set up a schedule for this guy and he will begin throwing in November twice a week and will start his conditioning when he gets home. I reminded him that he cannot afford to wait because of those 50 other pitchers. You've got to get a jump on your competition.
This guy could not be "generally" any stronger but his lack of core strength and stability was the cause of his not only his lack of better pitching velocity power production but also better control. His tight hips and weak glutes also caused pitching power production problems.
When baseball pitchers cannot control their landing position then compensations have to be made. That causes control problems and undoubtedly more arm stress over time.
This minor league pitcher is a superb athlete and that is why he is able to make the adjustments. But over time that can lead to injury.
After my wife Ginny and I did an assessment of his pitching conditioning strengths and weaknesses and his flexibility we also looked at his minor league pitching conditioning program which they gave him to take home. We were both surprised how good it was. In fact it was excellent. Only a few dumbbell exercises for upper body. The rest was all core strength and explosive expercises. And for high school and college pitchers…there was no recommendation to go into the weight room.
For a baseball pitcher core strength determines your starting ability, your posture, how you are able to control your upper and lower body as you move toward landing, your ability to land and stabilize, then accelerate and powerfully rotate and flex your trunk.
You cannot get that in the weight room. Or by strapping on a weighted vest or throwing weighted baseballs.
Professional baseball is slowly getting it because they are hiring strength coaches who are educated in the value of functional strength and understand that it is not about general strength but about core strength, explosiveness and flexibility.
This minor league pitcher was having rhythm/timing problems so we worked with what his hands were doing. He was keeping his hands in the center of his chest from start through his pivot and then when his leg was coming down he looked very uncomfortable. He was kind of rushing to hand break because he just was not comfortable.
So I had him lift his hands up near the top of his head and finally what felt comfortable for him was to actually take his hands over his head which he had never tried before. But he liked that so he stayed with it. It worked for him. And it helped time everything up.
Bottom line that many parents need to understand is many times the higher level that your son moves to there is no assurance he will get better baseball pitching instruction.
A lot of baseball pitching conditioning programs at the college level are run by football strength training coaches who of course have little understanding of functional strength for baseball pitchers. They like "bigger and stronger"—which also unfortunately produces a pitcher who usually ends up slower. And when pitchers slow downthey lose explosive power so their pitching velocity can actually go down.
The idea of this post is to make sure you understand the importance of core strength and stability. Pitching mechanics will only take you so far.
If baseball pitchers have core strength issues then eventually they will have to make compensations that can reduce pitching velocity power production and add stress to the pitching arm.
If you have questions on any phase of pitching—mechanics, strength and conditioning, mental training, strategy send those questions to dickmills@gmail.com and I will answer them here.
If you want an explosive body and explosive mechanics you need to get my Free Report at www.pitching.nexcess.net. We won't waste your time. We show you what works and what has been proven to work. I show you a comparison between two high school pitchers and a major league pitcher who throws mid to upper nineties. Find out why you do not have "explosive mechanics" that produce more velocity.
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