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.

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. 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. The problem is this adjustment isn’t easy! 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.

If you are a tall and skinny freak who throws 90+mph then stop reading and have a great career. If you are like most of us, average in size and believe you have the potential to throw a lot harder without causing injury, then you must begin to learn what the strength and conditioning world has discovered.

The strength and conditioning profession has proven that pitching is an anaerobic exercise. An exercise that does not involve oxidation. The systems involved in creating energy for pitching, during the anaerobic exercise, are phosphagen and glycolysis systems. This is the use of creatine phosphate and sugars to make ATP (energy). What this means is, if a pitcher trains these systems in the off season then the muscles will develop more fast twitch muscle fibers to support the anaerobic exercise. More fast twitch muscle fibers means you have a higher capacity and storage of ATP. You also have the ability to recruit more muscle fibers, to add to the intensity of the workload. More muscle fiber recruitment creates more muscle strength during exercise. This increased muscle fiber recruitment during exercise causes more damage in the muscle during fatigue and in return promotes more testosterone to be released in the muscles to heal the damage tissue. This will build more muscle mass for future damage control. These side effects of high intensity anaerobic training, without a doubt, will lead to an increase in velocity. This is why pitchers who get bigger, stronger, faster, throw harder. When I say bigger, I do not exactly mean larger muscles like a body builder. I am talking about muscles that are more dense. A good example would be a light weight Olympic lifter. They look like little kids and can lift like machines.

I have dedicated this website to the secrets of velocity. They are velocity secrets because conventional wisdom doesn’t want you to know. Conventional wisdom sees pitching more as an art, instead of a science. If you have the desire to take it to the next level of pitching, you are going to have to overcome the old school techniques of coaching this position. You must learn the science of strength and conditioning for athletes. You must understand that if you need the most out of your body, you must learn what that is and what does it take. The first step in this process is questioning conventional wisdom and learning the science in everything you do. The next step is training fast twitch muscle fiber in the off season and maintaining the gains into the season. It isn’t an easy task but done correctly, it will mean the difference from a college career to a professional career.

I recommend the Ace Pitcher Handbook as an excellent off-season and in-season program that will promote fast twitch muscle fiber development.

Nutrition and supplementation for athletes should be based on whole foods.

“If you put into your body what you where made to eat, then you will get out of your body what you where made to do.”

If you are someone who has no clue about nutrition, you eat fast food all day long and you are considering an illegal supplement, this is crazy. You are playing Russian roulette with your life. If you have the desire to be a high performance Athlete/Pitcher, you need to learn as much as you can about nutrition and your body. This article should help get you started.

After I tore my rotator cuff and Doctors told me I didn’t have enough eligibility in college to recover from this injury, I read something that lifted my spirits. Ever six months your body replenishes itself, just like the rings on a tree your muscles are replenishing themselves from the inside out. The same with your skin. This doesn’t mean that your body will reconnect a tear from bone to muscle but a Doctor can. Basically what this means is you always have the opportunity to get on the path to good health. The edge you are looking for is between your ears. Educate yourself on your body and nutrition and you will put yourself in an elite group of athletes.

Good nutrition starts with an alkaline based diet. It is simple; your body’s health rides on its PH levels. If your PH levels are balanced, your blood is feeding oxygen to its cells. If your body’s PH levels are too acidic, then your body isn’t feeding its cells. We must nurture our body’s on the cellular level. This is the building blocks of our health and career. Most pitchers have no idea how to nurture the body on the cellular level. This is where you can get an edge.

To prevent your body from becoming too acidic you must understand what causes this acidity. It is mainly food and stress. Here is a chart that lists the alkaline and acidic foods. Learn this chart and start eating more foods on the alkaline side. This diet doesn’t mean you should avoid foods on the acid side, it only means you should eat more alkaline foods to prevent your body from becoming acidic. So for every acid food you eat, add 3 alkaline foods. Keep your meals simple and raw if possible. Raw green vegetables are a good foundation to building an alkaline dominate diet.

Ok, so you would like to know why you should eat these green vegetables! This is the deal. Keeping your body more alkaline allows for quicker recovery. Pitching is very stressful to the body. It uses a lot of energy and develops a lot of waste from that energy. The waste is mainly acid. It begins to eat at your muscles, tendons and the rest of your body. If the acid is not flushed out, it is stored in your tissue to continue causing problems. This is why pitchers experience serious soreness after a long game of pitching. The only way of flushing the acidity is by restoring your body’s PH levels to a more neutral balance. This means eating alkaline foods. The quicker you can restore your PH levels after a performance, the quicker you recover. This will increase pitching velocity, because the faster your body rebuilds, the faster your body grows. This is why steroids are so effective. The hormone testosterone heals the body. More of it heals the body faster. When the body heals faster, it has the potential to grow quicker. The problem with testosterone coming from outside of your body is your body will become dependent on the source. This means when you stop giving it steroids, your body could also stop producing testosterone. So let’s do this the natural way with an alkaline diet.

Supplements

There are only four supplements that I recommend for Athletes/Pitchers. This is mainly because all the others are a waste of money. Believe me I have tried most of them. The most important supplement that Athletes/Pitchers cannot do without is a multivitamin. I recommend a whole foods multivitamin. Synthetic vitamins are weak. Whole food vitamins found at health food stores are what you need.

Juice Plus

My next recommendation is Alkaline Water. There is no better way to restore your PH levels post workout or game than with water. Not only this but most good alkaline water machines can produce water that transforms the water into a higher concentration of oxygen micro-clusters. This not only hydrates you many times more but when taken with your supplements you assimilate more of the supplement into your system. If you really want an edge in this game and on life then contact me for more info on the Alkaline water machines.

The next supplement I would recommend is protein based. You can get protein from many sources. The best is white meat. If you feel you are not getting enough protein from your diet then I would recommend an amino acid supplement as well. You need at least 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight. All you need to do is buy an amino acid supplement and take the recommended dosage. Make sure you cycle it on and off. This means, take the recommended dosage for a month or two then take a few weeks off from it. Brewers yeast is also a good amino acid supplement. This is a whole foods product full of vitamins, minerals and all the essential amino acids.

The last supplement I recommend is Omega-3. Our body’s can not produce Omega in our system. A balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 is critical for brain function and reducing inflammation. Inflammation is a problem for most athletes. To prevent anti-inflammatory abuse with drugs like advil, aleve and others, you must have a balanced diet of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids. The average diet has a lot more Omega-6 than Omega-3. Omega-6 comes from animal fats and it promotes inflammation in the body. Omega-3 is found in fish oils, some nuts and vegatables. The easiest way to get this into your system is with a Omega-3 supplement. You can find this in most grocery stores or drug stores. Make sure it is cholesterol free and mercury free.  Take it everyday.

In conclusion, it is important that you learn about what you are putting in your mouth and feeding your body with. Read labels on products and stay away from processed foods. Eat everything that comes from the ground and your body will stay on the path to good health and recovery. If you just learn a basic understand of a good diet and follow it, you will be shock how your athletic performance improves.

What you need to do first in your young career is focus one becoming an exceptional athlete. Scouts are looking for players who are talented athletes with little wear and tear. This is true with any recruiters out there. They do not want damaged goods. So the less time spent on the mound, at a young age, and the more time spent improving your athletic performance, the better. Play every position if possible and if you get to varsity baseball in high school and you want to just focus on pitching, then I would so, “OK, Do it!”

This doesn’t mean you should NOT practice pitching mechanics before high school. Start learning proper pitching mechanics as young as possible because proper pitching mechanics mean proper throwing mechanics. Proper throwing mechanics also produce proper hitting mechanics. This is because a Coach who knows how to train proper mechanics, understands how to train the athlete and not just a pitcher or hitter. This is also why I encourage young athletes to play as many sports as possible, without them overlapping. This is because, once again, we must train the athlete and not just one specific talent.

To prove this, just look at Professional sports. Pro sports are full of multi-sport athletes. Greg Maddux is a great golfer, along with John Smoltz, Roger Clemens, Ken Griffy Jr. Cal Ripken loved to play a lot of basketball in the off season. Tom Glavine was drafted in the NHL back in 1984. Michael Jordan retired from basketball to play minor league baseball. Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders and Brian Jordan, to name a few, played at the same time for the MLB and the NFL . The list goes on and on.

So, stop trying to fit yourself in the perfect mold of a pitcher at 14. Focus on your competitive edge and learn everything you can about the sport and all the positions. I always tell my pitchers, “Train the athlete first and then you can train the pitcher.”

“Loading” is when the pitcher holds his weight back over his back leg, while his front side continues building momentum towards the target. This is why strong legs and core, produce powerful pitching. Look at Eric Gagne in this picture. He is squatting on his back leg, waiting for the perfect time to fire his hips and then his shoulders.

A component of velocity is produced when torque is generated in the two rotational pivots. The rotation of the hips, to the rotation of the shoulders. Tim Lincecum calls this the “Rubber Band.” Think of your core as the “Rubber Band.” Rotating the shoulder and hip pivot separate from each other would tighten the “Rubber Band.” This sounds a lot easier than it actually is to perform. This is why a small amount of athletes can throw a baseball over 90 mph.

The importance of the “Load” is that it holds the weight back until the first pivot, the hips, are ready to build maximum torque. Triple extension in the back leg drives the momentum into front foot strike, forcing the hips to pivot. Then “Separation,” or “Scap Loading” must occur to build torque in the core. There is that word again “Loading”. Notice the pitcher here in this position. His hip rotation is now complete. It has built maximum torque. You can see this in the tightening of his “Rubber Band.” Notice his shirt is stretching like a rubber band would. Now, all that is left to do, is to fire the last pivot, the shoulders forward and then stabilize. Stabilization allows the momentum generated from the body to transfer to the ball.

If the pitcher didn’t “Load” his weight back, as his front side continued to build momentum and set the first pivot of the hips, then top velocity could never be achieved. It would also put more stress on the rotator cuff, because the torque would build more in the shoulders than the core.

The “Load” is also just as important for hitters to develop power. Notice this picture of A-Rod in the “Load” position. The difference is hitters are more compact because they have to defend the strike zone. Therefore, a hitter cannot have a long stride like a pitcher. This brings up another good point. A good stride is considered to be the length of your body height. The “Load” position also increases your stride. So when you here a Coach yell out that you need to stride out more, then you will understand that this means you are not “Loading.” The importance of the “Stride” is that it moves you closer to the plate, shortening the distance the ball must travel, which increases velocity and a good “Stride” gives you more time to build momentum.

In conclusion, a good “Load” position is more valuable for a pitcher than a high lift leg. It generates as much or more momentum but is critical in generating optimal hip to shoulder separation. Here is a gallery of more pitchers in the “Load” position. View gallery here.

These videos below are property of youtube.com.

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Pitching Perfection - Greg Maddux

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2:55

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95,199

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Johan Santana

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Webb pitching 004 5-8-08

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Brandon Webb bullpen

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Roy Halladay warms up in bullpen

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Roy Oswalt - Astros

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Jason Scmidt Simulated Game Pitching

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Tim Lincecum Warm-Ups II

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2008-09-19 A's Game (9) Mariners SP Félix Hernández

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Lester pitching vs. St. Louis

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A.J. Burnett

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AJ Burnett Warmup VS. Ottawa Lynx

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Scott Kazmir

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Scott Kazmir

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David Price - Day 1

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2008-08-09 Giants Game Dodgers Practice Clayton Kershaw

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Clayton Kershaw's First ML Strikeout 05/25/08

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Schilling throwing

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Jake Peavy throws in bullpen

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Greg Maddux throwing in the bullpen before game June 1st

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View videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/brentpourciau#grid/user/AF6CE786EBB427E2

THE ACE PITCHER HANDBOOK

ADD 5 – 10 MPH TO YOUR FASTBALL IN 16 WEEKS OR LESS . . .

DON’T LISTEN TO THE HATERS. YOU WILL THROW HARDER..A LOT HARDER.

I GUARANTEE IT!

This program is proven to add 5-10 MPH on your Fastball.The Ace Pitcher Handbook is THE training guide to the brand new – cutting edge 3X PITCHING approach to velocity enhancement!

“This handbook includes all of the valuable information that I collected, discovered and used to overcome shoulder surgery, pitch in professional baseball and top out at 94 MPH after doctors told me I would never pitch again.”

The Problem: Conventional Wisdom

Conventional wisdom are beliefs that are widely accepted but may not always produce the desired results. There are pitching coaches all over this country who have different levels of experience, from the pro levels to no experience at all. The problem is not their experience but the information they are teaching you.

Coaches who use conventional wisdom to coach pitching mechanics cause more problems than good. Arm injuries have gone up 700% in the past 10 years. The majority of high school and college pitchers have poor leg and core strength, along with poor mechanics. Here are some common coaching tips of conventional wisdom which may be the reason you are not getting better or staying healthy.

Common Coaching Tips of Conventional Wisdom:

• “Get on Top of the ball.”
• “Finish out front.”
• “Bend your back.”
• “Break your hands later.”
• “Elbows to the sky.”
• “Lift your leg high.”
• “Pull down to release.”
• “Get your elbow up early.”
• “Point your Glove”
• and my favorite, when all else fails, “Just Through Strikes!”

The Truth: The Pitching Mechanics that you have been taught along with your training program is making you WORSE!

If the above conventional wisdom phrases are all too common to you then you have been the victim of conventional wisdom. This is why you have average to below average velocity. This is why you may experience chronic arm soreness or have had an arm injury. This approach to pitching will not make you better. It could most likely end your pitching career short of you reaching your goals.

The Solution: The Ace Pitcher Handbook.

I was in the same position you were in my career. The problem was, I was having arm surgery and doctors where telling me my career was over. What I learned was that conventional wisdom had failed me along with all of my previous coaches. I knew like you that I needed answers and I needed them fast.

This is when I discover and developed 3X Pitching and the Ace Pitcher Handbook. Without this information my career would have ended at this point in my life. With this information and the training programs, my career was saved. It helped me not only reach my velocity goal of 94 MPH but it helped me play minor league baseball.

How would it feel to be above 90MPH?

To get there, you must move away from conventional wisdom and the coaches who teach it and open yourself up to the latest scientific information that has revolutionized sports and sport performance. You also need to be willing to look into other sports for answers and not just baseball. This is the approach I took when I discovered and developed the Ace Pitcher Handbook. This is also a similar approach that the legendary Jim “The Rookie” Morris took when he overcame 9 arm surgeries to throw 99mph and play Major League Baseball. Listen to the interview I had with Jim here:

Jim “The Rookie” Morris Pitching Secrets Interview

Enter The 21st Century Solution to Velocity:

Introducing the Ace Pitcher Handbook

Do you want to throw 90+MPH?

Do you want to intimidate hitters with your fastball?

Do you want to make scouts notice you?

Then the Ace Pitcher Handbook is the velocity training manual that you need!

The Ace Pitcher Handbook has over 10 years of experience and knowledge of what it takes to increase the level of your game to that of a professional athlete. This handbook focuses on Velocity because Velocity is what gets your foot in the door. It is the single component that all scouts use to assess the value of a pitcher.

Why waste your time buying anything else to increase your performance than a handbook that has all of the answers and the programs listed in the manual are what I used to beat all of the odds? If you are someone who loves the game but needs some more juice in your fastball then you must purchase this book.

What is Included in the Ace Pitcher Handbook?

1. 3X Velocity Mechanics.
2. 3X Velocity System developed by Brent Pourciau (This workout is a 16 Week Cycle and trains the pitcher to develop the motor coordination of the 3X Mechanics).
3. Pitching Guidelines.
4. Fusion Strength and Conditioning system developed by Brent Pourciau and Chad Englehart the strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Redskins. (This workout is an 8 Week Cycle and isolates Fast Twitch Muscle fibers for developing a Bigger, Stronger, Faster pitcher).
5. Nutritional Guidelines (What supplements pitchers should be taking).
6. A FREE promo code to all the 3X Velocity System and the Fusion System Instructional Videos for learning the programs at www.BaseballVideoStore.com.

Why should you purchase the Ace Pitcher Handbook?

1. You have a short window in your career to prove yourself and this handbook will give you an edge that your competitors will not have.
2. You will gain 5-10 mph on your fastball if you complete the entire handbook with all of its training programs and drills.
3. You are paying for over ten years of knowledge, developed by a professional pitcher who overcame a career ending shoulder surgery as a freshman in college to play minor league ball and top out at 94 mph, for only $49.99.
4. This handbook will give you an understanding of pitching that most coaches do not have.
5. This handbook will turn you into a pitcher that every coach wants and every hitter hates.

If that isn’t enough to convince you then I will give you my personal phone number here in my home town in Louisiana 985-377-9249. Call me anytime with any question!

You Don’t Have to Take My Word for it!

Supporters of the Ace Pitcher Handbook

Testimonials

What if Daniel would have settled or been satisfied with never making his high school baseball team because of his poor velocity? He would have spent the rest of his life wondering…what if! Instead he committed to 3X Pitching with the Ace Pitcher Handbook and gained an amazing 10mph in 6 months. This is what got him the opportunity to show his skills in Prague, which earned him a very expensive athletic scholarship to a well respected college.

Josh was concerned about his chance to play high school baseball when he first started the program, better yet he never thought he would be playing college baseball one day. When his fastball increased over 10mph with 3X Pitching many doors flew open for him, and he is still reaping the benefits of the velocity gains today. This program gave him the boost that he needed to not only become the Ace Pitcher on his high school team, but it got him a scholarship to play college baseball, even before going into his senior year.

More Testimonials:

“If I would have never found your program, baseball would still be a social event for me. In one year with the Ace Pitcher Handbook my velocity increased over 10mph. I am now signing a full scholarship to play in college.” – Josh Favaloro

“When I started your program I wanted to quiet half way through it but I stuck in there and the benefits have been more than I could ask for. I went from 72-86mph in one year. I was cut from my high school team every year before your program and after your program I was offered a scholarship to play in college. I couldn’t have done it without this program.” -Daniel Pitfield

“Thanks for all you do Brent. I’ve gone from 68-70 MPH to 85-88 MPH in about ten months and I couldn’t have done it without you. I really appreciate it and hope I can repay you someday. Thanks!” – Drew Clement

“Brian hit 90 for the first time in late April. The drills must be working.” - Bob B

“I hit 90! Couldn’t have done it without the fusion system and the velocity drills.” – Bryce Stowell

“90, 91, 92 and still climbing. This program kicked my butt but it works.” - Stephen Labue

“the ace pitcher handbook is a really good guide, IF you already know what yur doing. it shows you the way to use more rotation with your hips and eliminates the all-arm throws that screw up young pitchers arms.i used it, im 14 and my fastball got 23 mph faster withing 8 weeks. it now tops off at 85 mph!” – John @ Yahoo Answers

“But What If the Ace Pitcher Handbook Doesn’t Work For Me?”

Then It’s ALL FREE.

I KNOW that the Ace Pitcher Handbook works – This is because it worked for me in my career and has and currently is working for hundreds today in their careers. I continue to see the results.

But I also understand that buying something on the Internet or not knowing me personally might still leave you skeptical and to be honest, I get it.. I really do.

So, to make this the most no-brainer, risk-free opportunity possible for you, here’s what I’m willing to do: for each and every customer who orders I’m going to extend our Iron-Clad, 60-Day Money Back, Satisfaction Guarantee:

If you follow the Ace Pitcher Handbook exactly as outlined in the materials and components, and don’t find your velocity increasing then just contact us and we’ll refund your money. It’s that simple.

We stand by our program as the most effective, most cutting-edge velocity enhancement program on the planet, and if it doesn’t yield those results for you when followed, you get your money back. No questions asked, no hassle, no hoops to jump through, just a prompt and courteous refund.