The problem with over coaching front foot strike is that all of the power production that must occur before front foot strike is forgotten. This will develop an accurate pitcher but if the pitcher struggles with power issues then he will be a low velocity accurate pitcher with a higher chance of having arm problems. Unfortunately, this is not going to get him to the next level.

The key to coaching front foot strike is to first coach the power stride before you move into front foot strike. If the pitcher has done his job and conquered his power issues and has developed an explosive stride then front foot strike becomes critical in converting this power into torque.

How to Convert Stride Power to Torque at Front Foot Strike?

This understanding of stride power converting to core torque through front foot strike was developed here at TopVelocity.net first. This is the foundation of 3X Pitching. Before 3X Pitching was developed here, no other source had defined why harder throwers use longer faster strides to throw harder. The only source to come close to this discovery was the National Pitching Association in their 2005-2006 Velocity Study where they proved that more hip to shoulder separation creates more throwing velocity. The study acknowledges the importance of the stride power but does not define the conversion of this power into hip to shoulder separation and then into the velocity of the ball.

The Holy Grail to Power Pitching

This description of how power from the stride converts to hip to shoulder separation is the Holy Grail of the power pitcher. The better you are at converting stride power to core torque at front foot strike, the better your velocity and precision, therefore the more dominate you are as a pitcher.

This conversion occurs more efficiently and effectively when triple extension (3X) is achieved before front foot strike. This means the ankle, knee and hip flexor are all fully extended, in an explosive manner, before front foot strike occurs. This not only builds stride power but it also opens the hips to the target before the front foot lands. When the front foot lands it stabilizes and converts the 3X power, using ground reaction forces, back up the landing leg into the front hip. 3X power and stabilization of the front leg at front foot strike creates explosive hip rotation. If the shoulders stay in-line with the target during the stride then this explosive hip rotation will move the hips away from the shoulders before the shoulders have time to react and launch. This separation of the hips to shoulders creates torque in the core which multiples the force and launches the shoulders in the same direction towards the target. This process continues to activate and multiple force up the upper kinetic chain, until the ball is released.

How Placement of the Front Foot can Effect Velocity and Precission?

Notice the picture here of Tim Lincecum. He is not landing on a straight line towards the target (see original foot position). This is because for his front leg to stabilize and promote optimal hip rotation at front foot strike, his front foot must land on his center of gravity. If his foot had landed in a straight line towards his target then he would not have established good balance at front foot strike which good balance leads to good stabilization. He would also not have allowed his hips the opportunity to open completely towards the target. The front foot landing on line with his center of gravity is both critical for power conversion and complete hip rotation.

Tim Lincecum is not the only pitcher to do this in his delivery. Notice the other examples on this page of power pitchers landing with their center of gravity not always on a straight line.

* Important Notice *

Just because you land inside the straight line towards the target with your landing leg foot doesn’t mean that you are landing with your center of gravity. The only way to check this is using video analysis and filming the front side of your delivery.

You should only make these adjustments with your front foot strike once you have developed good stride power and distance using the 3X Pitching Velocity program and you have determined your center of gravity at front foot strike. Making these adjustments before developing good stride power and distance and achieving optimal hip to shoulder separation at front foot strike will be putting the cart before the horse and the result may only be accuracy without velocity.

This Pitching Velocity Quick Tip will cover the pros and cons of throwing the football. Throwing a football can promote arm health, specifically in the throwing elbow. This is because the football forces the athlete to have good wrist pronation at release. This is critical for velocity and protecting the eblow. The problem is you must learn how to throw the football correctly to benefit from this important pitching component. If you only throw the football the way most athletes throw a football then it could have a negative effect on your pitching. Watch this video to learn more!

Some coaches may prohibit you from bringing a football to practice. I always got in trouble for this because it would always turn into a football game. Make sure the you check with your coach before bringing it on the baseball field. If you coach protests this then use the football on your own.

The football can be a great tool for a pitcher but only if you have a good understanding of how to use the football as a pitching aid. You can get some drills with then football for pitchers in the Beginner Guide to 3X Pitching which is now a part of the 3X Pitching Velocity program.

I went to dinner with some of the pitchers, parents and a coach from this May 3X Pitching Velocity Camp and the consensus is that they want to learn more about triple extension pitching. Mainly, the parents were concerned that their boys were not truly understanding it after a full day of hardcore athletic conditioning. I then asked the question, “Do you mean they are not understanding it mentally or physically?” They said mentally and then I said, “The concept of 3X only really needs to be understood mentally by the coaches of 3X, not the players.” Of course it is great that 3X can be understood by the athlete but it is not necessary. 3X must be conditioned when it comes to the athlete. If triple extension is going to continue to make a name for itself in pitching and continue to benefit those who use it, it must be conditioned and not only just understood. This means if a coach is going to teach a pitcher the benefits of 3X, he must know how to use drills, exercises and lifts to train this key component.

A good rule of thumb is that athletes will always benefit more from muscle memory than cognitive memory. The reason for this is called Attention Mechanics. This is the study of reality. Not to get too deep into this philosophy but basically it has to do with how natural athletes play the game. Natural athletes play the game in reality. This means they are using muscle memory or the central nervous system to control their movements. The non “Natural” athlete moves in between muscle memory and cognitive memory. The problem is cognitive memory is outside of reality. Here is an example: if you are driving a car and you want to make a right turn. You would subconsciously take the right turn when it becomes available. To do this you are using programmed muscle memory. You would not tell yourself, “OK, John, now grab the steering wheel with both hands at 12 and 3 o’clock and pull down with your right hand when the right car bumper is 3 feet from the right hand curb.” This would be using cognitive memory and it would more than likely cause an accident. If you are going to become a natural athlete then you must condition yourself to move in an explosive manner with only your central nervous system. This means if you do not do this already, then you need to condition yourself to do so and the ability to cognitively understand the mechanics to do this, is not as important has using the drills, exercise and lifts to develop the muscle memory.

All this means is that once you believe that the 3X Pitching Velocity Program is the best program for you then you must commit yourself to it and get started. If you are wasting your time trying to cognitively justify the effectiveness of the program then there isn’t enough time in your career to find the answers you are looking for. Basically your career is passing you by while you are contemplating your success. This is why most “Natural” athletes have a strong faith in a higher power or themselves. They know they do not have enough time to figure this stuff out, so they are relying on their morals and rolling the dice. This takes either a strong intuition, a strong faith or some gigantic BALLS! The key word here is COMMITMENT! You will never know the outcome without knowing the commitment. So stop wasting your time trying to find the perfect program that is going to make you the greatest athlete ever and pick the one that makes sense and start kicking some ass because baseball doesn’t get easier, you just learn to work harder!

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What is in the 3X Pitching eBOOK?

3X Pitching (A Revolutionary Approach to Pitching Velocity) Outline

1. 3X Pitching Mechanics
2. The Power of 3X
3. 3X Torque
4. 3X Precision
5. The Timing Factor
6. Countless 3X Pro Examples
7. 3X Training
   
8. Speed Mechanics
9. 3X and Long Toss
10. 3X Strength and Speed Ratios
11. 3X Recovery
12. 3X Mindset

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In all of the case studies performed by some of the top institutions in the baseball world, they have shown that the key to velocity occurs early in the delivery. Specifically during the stride and at front foot strike. If you look at the hardest throwers in the game, they all have the longest strides, fastest stride speeds, and more hip to shoulder separation at front foot strike. The secret to implementing what they are doing into your delivery, and increasing your own velocity, is called 3X. You will not learn this revolutionary approach to pitching anywhere else but HERE. DO NOT HESITATE TO PURCHASE THIS EBOOK. IT COST LESS THAN BUYING A CHEAP BASEBALL GLOVE AND IT WILL TRANSFORM YOU FROM THE AVERAGE PITCHER, TO THE ELITE PITCHER.

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I would recommend that whomever is doing the chart, should also bring a radar gun if you have one. They should also record your velocity on every pitch as well. This is  a good indication of when a pitcher is getting tired. This is because you will notice a significant drop in velocity at this point. It is also important to see the difference in velocity between your fastball and off speed pitches. If the difference is very small then this is a good indication of how well the pitcher will perform on that day. A small difference in pitch velocity will make it easier for hitters to adjust to your pitches.

It is very common in college and pro ball for the team to chart statistics, but in high school and under, you do not see this a lot. If you are a pitcher and having a hard time finding someone to chart your pitches then I would recommend that you first ask your friends and family who like to go to your games or find one of the team moms who always goes to the game and then ask her. You will be glad you did!

Below is a chart for recording pitch counts and more and also a chart for recording velocity. Select the chart to download the pdf file. You can then print out the pdf file.

These charts are FREE to download and use. If you post these charts on your site, I would ask that you put a link back to this page as the source ( www.TopVelocity.net ).

Download FREE Pitching Charts Below

Baseball Pitching Charts

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Side effects include:
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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.

Instead of hearing terms like “Stand Tall and Fall” or “Drop and Drive,” we are now hearing terms like “Core Torque,” “Triple Extension” or “Scap Loading.” What we are learning is the more science we can put into pitching, the more benchmarks we have to help pitchers make their improvements. If pitching mechanics are only seen as an art form, then they are based on opinion, which has been the case for some time now. When pitching mechanics are seen as a science then through analysis pitching mechanics must meet certain benchmarks to be labeled efficient and effective.

What we have learned from these two styles, “Stand Tall and Fall” and “Drop and Drive,” is more momentum equals more velocity. What we know today is that digital science has proven that momentum is only effective if it transfers from the lower half to the upper half of the body before it can move into the ball at release. This is the importance of “Separation.” “Separation” is when the front leg lands and the back leg is extended, the back hip is around and the back shoulder and body weight is still back. Notice the picture of Tim Lincecum above in this position. You can develop all the momentum in the world with a Nolan Ryan leg lift or a Tim Lincecum jump off the mound but if you do not let that momentum travel up your body into the ball with proper “Separation” then this means you will be stuck with just your arm to generate the velocity of the pitch.

I like to use the analogy of a moving car. Imagine a car traveling at 100 mph. The drivers side door is closed but it isn’t closed all the way. All of a sudden the driver slams on the brakes and stops the car in its tracks. What would happen to the door? It would fly open because once the momentum of the car is stopped by the brakes, the momentum moves into anything that is not secured down. The door was not secured down, so it picked up the momentum and flew open. This is exactly how momentum must travel through a pitchers body. To transition from the moving car analogy into the delivery of a pitcher we could say the car is the legs and core of the pitcher and the door is the shoulders and arms. Once the pitcher puts on the brakes with his front leg during front foot strike and the shoulders are closed with weight back, then the momentum will travel into the shoulders and arms driving them open towards the front knee. If the front leg continues to stabilize, the momentum will jump into the ball once the shoulders and arms cannot travel any farther.

This analogy makes it sound simple but it is not because there is a sequence of rotational pivots that must rotate perfectly in order for the ball to reach your potential velocity. To learn more about these pivots read Pitching-torque-and-the-3-pivots. It is also a major feat to train your muscles to move your “car” at speeds that cannot be seen by the human eye but I believe it is possible and so should you. Purchase the Ace Pitcher Handbook for a complete training program to help you grow bigger, stronger, faster.

This question can stir up a big argument but there is only one answer. The arm does not generate the velocity. It only guides the pitch. Therefore the arm must follow the body and does not come into play until the body has done its job.

I have been in many arguments about this issue. I have listened to coaches tell their pitchers that if they want to throw harder they need to speed up their arms. My question is how will speeding up your arm increase your velocity? This doesn’t make much sense because if you arm leads your body, it must leave the body behind. If you leave the body behind then it is up to the small muscles of the arm to take the entire workload of generating 90+ mph.

I think to prove my answer to the question above we must once again look at the little pitchers in the game. This is because these guys must work a lot harder to generate 90+ mph. I go once again to my favorite little man Tim Lincecum; 5’7 165 lbs. Notice the picture here of him at front foot strike. Now, where is his arm? It is hiding behind his body. YES, all you coaches out there who are coaching your pitchers to speed up there arms, it is behind his body. This means his body is driving the pitch. This means his body is generating the velocity. This means the arm is along for the ride.

The coaches who will argue my point here are the coaches who use giant pitchers like Randy Johnson as their example of pitchers who have a lot of arm action. This is true but these pitchers have more leverage on the ball than the average man. If you are 6’8 like Randy Johnson then congratulations you are in a small percentage of baseball players but if you are 6’2 and under take it easy on your arm and learn to work your body as a single unit in your delivery. When you work on generating velocity, work on pulling it from your legs and core and not your arm.

I recommend using medicine balls as often as you can. I have many throwing drills with these balls that force the pitcher to use every muscle they have to make the throw. This is how we must pitch if we want to throw and withstand 90+ mph.

The Ace Pitcher Handbook has a full medicine ball workout.

Most coaches do not coach “Separation” because it is a challenge. The only way to coach this component and to perform this component correctly you must focus on the “Hip Slide.” What I mean by “Hip Slide” is that your hips should be seen as a slide or car and when you first lift your leg to start your delivery, the slide must start down the mound. Everything else on your body must stay back while the slide is heading down the hill. Therefore the faster you can get your slide down the hill while holding everything else back, the faster your velocity. It is also just as important to velocity if the slide comes to a complete stop at front foot strike. The hips/slide must stop, so the momentum it generated, is transfered up the core, into the shoulders, into the arm and finally the ball. The reason you must focus on the hips to develop “Separation,” is because if the hips move faster than the shoulders, you will create good “Separation” naturally.

Driving your slide down the hill as fast as possible and slamming the slide into your front leg to completely stop its momentum, is your best opportunity to generate your potential top velocity. It is also just as important the distance the slide covers before it is stopped by the front foot strike. This distance is called your stride. A good stride is at least your body length. A good stride means that you had more time to generate momentum before front foot strike.

When your slide is building momentum down the mound while you are holding everything else back, which is called “Loading,” this will increase your stride length. The best way to perform this is by “Loading” hard on your back side until your back knee starts to straighten out. Once it begins to straighten, you must triple extend your back leg, to add that last push to your slide which will build more momentum and increase your stride. Read my article “Lift for Show, Load for Doe” to learn more about the “Load.”

The two greatest pitchers of our time is Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens. Their success came from their genetic make up and also their work ethics. Both of these pitchers had intense training programs. Roger Clemens was even using illegal drugs to enhance his work ethic and increase his improvements. Both of these pitchers grew bigger, stronger, faster in their careers and they both threw harder the older they got. This is because their work ethics improved their overall strength, which helped keep their flawless mechanics consistent and efficient. If they had slacked on their off-season training programs then you would have noticed a decline in their careers. This wasn’t the case and it is known today that they both where extremely hard workers.

Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens careers are proof that proper weight training and plyometric training will lead to a successful career. So why do coaches ignore this fact? Because they usually do not have first hand experience. If you want to be a high performance machine then you must train your body to become one.

Why should pitchers use a good strength and conditioning program?

1. To enhance pitching mechanical efficiency, which will lead to more consistency and increased longevity.
2. Help the body heal faster.
3. Develop fast twitch muscle fibers which have a higher capacity for explosive energy.