Pitchers want to know if there are pitching training activities that can improve pitching velocity. Here is some information that was forwarded to me by a client. And, here is my response regarding why these two training activities will not help a pitcher improve his velocity let alone get to 90 mph. Hi Mr. Mills,…
Offseason Training for Pitchers Can Waste Valuable Time
The claims of how pitchers should train during the offseason are coming high and hard from baseball schools all around the country and from roving clinics. This will go on into the offseason. Here is one claim below that is very enticing. This philosophy is being sold all around the country in the form of…
How to Boost Velocity During the Offseason Like Tim Lincecum
Eliminating time-wasting activities such as drills, long toss, or flat ground pitching, would force all coaches and pitching instructors to educate themselves about pitching mechanics. How different would clinics be without pitching drills? I imagine drills and other irrelevant practice activities, such as long toss or flat ground pitching, take up at least 50 percent…
A Workout Emphasizing Flat Ground Pitching – Does It Make Sense?
A pitching guru, who has 100-something videos on YouTube, recently said that he recommends pitchers spend 80 percent of their pitching workout time pitching on flat ground and only 20 percent pitching from the mound. Does this make sense to anyone? It shouldn’t. His reasoning for pitching much more often on flat ground is that…
Is a Slow and Controlled Delivery Killing Your Pitching Velocity?
Many pitching instructors will tell pitchers to slow down their delivery in order to improve their mechanics. But does this make sense? If your pitching practice workout is always at a slow pace, won’t you end up moving slower and then throwing slower? A while back I worked with a former AA left-handed pitcher who…
Minor League Pitching Coach Says Today’s Instruction Is Hogwash
Brent Strom, minor league pitching coordinator of the St. Louis Cardinals, said in a recent article much of today’s pitching instruction such as reaching a balance point, slow down, pulling the glove to the hip or staying back is in his words – Hogwash! Strom and I totally agree on this one. In fact, much of…
Why Pitchers Should Workout Like Kangaroos to Boost Pitching Velocity
Do baseball coaches, strength, or speed trainers know which type of pitching workout is best for pitchers? Most clearly do not. Every “trainer” or conditioning coach needs to understand fully why pitchers need a certain type of conditioning rather than what is currently proposed, such as lots of time in the weight room to get…
Momentum Pitching: A New Ideal for Youth and Little League Pitchers
Most parents want to know how they can help their son’s build a strong foundation in pitching mechanics in order to maximize velocity and create better control while reducing the risk of arm injuries. The latest sports science research suggests that today’s pitching instruction is actually counterproductive for attaining that goal because it is creating…
Pitching Mechanics: Why Slow Movements Kill Pitching Velocity
Would you like to jump your fastball pitching velocity from 82 to 83 to 87 to 89 in one week by paying close attention to your pitching mechanics by simply videotaping and looking for some obvious mechanical faults? That happened with a college pitcher after I advised his father to videotape his son and look…
Are Baseball Coaches Encouraging Nonsensical Pitching Mechanics?
Pitching mechanics are considered the foundation of successful pitching. Efficient pitching mechanics help produce maximum pitching velocity, better control while reducing the risk of injury. I admit I pitched back in the early 1970s, long before coaches introduced activities such as pitching drills, long toss, flat ground throwing or weight training, to name a few…
How Flat Ground Pitching Reduces Pitching Skills
Most baseball coaches today advise the use of flat ground pitching helping fully developed pitchers stay injury free. So, they recommend flat ground pitching to reduce stress to the arm and body. Of course, there is no scientific evidence that flat ground pitching has any value except to enhance flat ground pitching. This could only…
Seven Faults That Kill a Little League Pitcher’s Velocity
How can a parent, coach, or instructor help a Little League pitcher improve his pitching mechanics and throwing velocity? Seven Pitching Faults that Reduce Every Little League Pitcher’s Velocity Slow movements and hesitation Short strides (stride should be 100 percent of the pitcher’s height) Not moving the body or landing in a straight line toward…
Pitching Mechanics – Does Staying Tall Make Sense?
There are many myths about pitching mechanics that coaches endorse without even thinking about why they are endorsing them. One such myth of pitching mechanics is that a pitcher should stay tall. There are several reasons why this not only does not make sense, but also is actually harmful. I know a minor league pitching…
Improving Pitching Velocity with Hip and Trunk Rotation
Is hip and trunk rotation a key component for developing more pitching velocity? No! Everybody seems to be looking for the secret to pitching velocity. If you ask most college pitchers who are still trying to find that secret, they will tell you that they have tried it all such as long toss, weighted balls,…
Six Myths that Baseball Pitching Coaches Advocate
There are many pitching myths floating around baseball today that will end up killing the pitching potential of many pitchers at all levels. These myths will prevent pitchers from reaching their potential of more pitching velocity and better control while increasing the risk of pitching arm injuries. I heard recently from a Division I baseball…
36 Important Facts About Baseball Pitching You Should Know
Here are some facts about pitching that every parent, player, and coach should know going into the off-season. The single biggest reason that more pitchers cannot improve their velocity or control is because they are wasting time on activities that have not proven to improve performance. Improving pitching velocity requires that pitchers devote sufficient time…
How to Train Pitchers to Build Pitching Velocity During the Offseason
All pitchers have the same problem, and that is time. What will they do with their time during the offseason to improve pitching velocity and control so that by spring, they will have greatly improved. If weight training was so important for improving pitching or reducing pitching arm injuries, then how did pitchers prior to…
A New Pitching Velocity Tool That is Foolish and Dangerous
Baseball coaches and pitching instructors today, more than ever, seem to continue to try to invent ideas that may sound good for improving pitching performance, but these actions may actually be counterproductive and maybe even dangerous. Or, they try to teach something that does not feel natural to the pitcher. Some actions in the pitching…