Pitching at your top velocity is a very intense movement that is performed on average about 75-100 pitches a game, not including practice. Most pitchers lose a lot of muscle mass or weight in-season which not only effects their recovery but their overall performance. If you can prevent losing your lean muscle mass, that you worked so hard to build up in the off-season when in-season, then you will give yourself a major edge over the competition.

I trained with Dan Miceli, who is a 14 year Major League relief pitcher, after my rotator cuff surgery. He was a big lifter and would go into spring training about 35 pounds overweight. This was all muscle mass from his off-season training. He said that the coaches would give him a hard time about his size during spring training and he would always tell them to just give him a few months and it would all be gone again. He was right!

It is a challenge for college and especially professional pitchers to keep up their lean muscle mass in-season which is also why steroids became such a problem in the game. This is why every pitcher must be on a daily protein program to promote more lean muscle mass which will promote faster recovery between appearances. A good protein program is not just eating meat and drinking milk, it is a lot more high tech than that these days. It evolves supplementing your diet with a combination of proteins to give your body everything it needs to do its job well which is throw blazing fastballs!

What is Protein?

Protein is the combination of essential and non-essential amino acids. Non-essential amino acids can be made by the body but the essential amino acids must be delivered through the diet. The ingestion of animals is the biggest source of protein but can be found in almost all food sources. When the protein is digested by the body it uses enzymes to break the proteins down into the amino acid chains. Once the protein has been digested into amino acids it can now be absorbed into the body and used for many purposes like fuel, blood clotting, fluid balance, production of hormones and enzymes, vision, and cell repair. It is most effectively used to rebuild the body and should not be used as much to fuel the body. It is used to fuel the body when there is a lack of glucose in the blood or there is two much protein in the body. This means you need to take your protein with carbs and you must not take to much.

Proof that Protein is Beneficial for the Pitcher

A study done by Fern et. al (1991) showed that greater gains in body mass occur over four weeks of heavy weight training when young men consumed 3.3 versus 1.3 grams if protein per kilogram of body mass. In addition a study done by Meredith et al. (1992) found that a daily dietary supplement containing 23 grams of protein combined with weight training can enhance muscle mass gains relative to similar subjects who trained with out the supplement. Both of the studies show support for the belief that increased protein in the diet can help increase muscle mass, but it should be noted that these effects were found with a combination of intake and training. These two studies further indicated that a protein intake of about 1.7 – 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, when combined with weight training will enhance muscle development compared with similar training with an intake of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (5.) However, it is important to note that there is little good evidence that the very high protein intakes (more than 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day) typically consumed by strength athletes are beneficial. Moreover, it is possible to obtain this quantity of protein without special supplementation assuming a mixed diet containing sufficient energy is consumed.
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/Protein.htm

How to Promote Post Pitching Recovery with Protein?

You should follow this daily cycle of protein for 2 months on and then 2 weeks off. I also recommend stacking this protein with a balanced diet, extra carbs and a lot of water. Complex carbs and water are just as important to promoting post pitching recovery.

1. Take a Whey protein or the Natural Pro Complex above first thing in the morning.
2. Take a Whey protein or the Natural Pro Complex above within 30 minutes to an hour post workout, training or pitching.
3. Take a Caseine Protein (in the pic here) just before going to bed at night.

The Difference Between the Proteins

Whey Protein – Is a fast absorbing protein that quickly soaks into the body. This is is perfect for the day when you are continually taking in protein sources.

Caseine Protein – This is a slow absorbing protein that takes time to break down and provides small amounts of protein over a long period of time. This is perfect for the night when you are a sleep and not eating.

Complex Protein -  This is a combination of proteins from sources like; whey, egg and predigested amino acids. This is a more effective way to feed the body what it needs.

Don’t screw around with your career. A good daily nutrition will make or break your pitching career!

Efficient and effective pitching mechanics.

An explosive fast twitch focused total body.

Proper nutrition and supplementation.

A healthy mental approach and faith in something greater than yourself.

I understand this news can be overwhelming and a buzz killer but if gaining velocity was easy and could come in a pill form then everyone would be doing it and 90 plus mph would become average. If you want to be extraordinary then you must live to be extraordinary. Listed below are some links to get you on the right track to developing velocity, that you are so determined to obtain, in such a short period of time.

Velocity enhancement links:

10 Legitimate Tips to Pitching Velocity

Triple Extension – 3X Pitching

Ace Pitcher Handbook :: Fusion System and the 6 Components to Pitching Velocity

Baseball Video Store :: Ace Pitcher Power Pitching video

Beginner Total Body training program

Velocity Drill :: The Sled

More to come…..

Why waste your time and money on pitching coaches and strength and conditioning when you can get all the velocity you want in a pill?

Do you want to know what it is like to throw 90 plus mph?

Do you want to dominate every batter you face?

Do you want to get drafted in the top round and sign for millions?

Then you do not have to wait any longer? All your dreams will come true in this one pill. Velocity is the latest in medical advancements in the world of genetic therapy. This pill will genetically remodel your body to throw a baseball 90 plus miles per hour. Once you take this pill you will feel a burning sensation in your arm and after 33 seconds your next pitch will exceed 90 mph.

Yes you will have an above average major league fastball in only 33 seconds!

You are probably thinking to yourself, “There must be a catch here?” There is a catch and the catch is that the effects of the pill will wear off within 24 hours. So you must continue to take the pills to keep your new found 90 plus mph velocity. Other side effects listed below.

Velocity was developed in Japan and first released into the baseball world over a year ago in Hiroshima, Japan. It has now just reached the shores of America and is being sold here today for only $299.99 for a pack of 30 pills.

Don’t just take our word for it. This is what they are saying in Japan!

I use Velocity and it make me throw hard. Like Tim Lincecum on Giants. Velocity has change my life and I am now being looked at by Major League Teams! Thank you Velocity!

Testimony by Kenshin Kawakami

Side effects include:
Diarrhea; dizziness; flushing; headache; heartburn; mild, temporary vision changes (eg, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, blue/green color tint to vision); stuffy nose; upset stomach; more to come….

Salsa definition:

A mixture of up tempo Latin styles of music. The salsa is not an actual style of Latin music; it is a style of dance. One that has become increasingly popular over time. Up beat Latin patterns and beats played together create a salsa style groove.

When you take a lesson or watch it on the hit show “Dancing with the Stars,” you will see that “Salsa” is all about the hips moving the body. Observe the video.

So how can this help you as a pitcher? Well, pitching velocity we know comes from momentum and the proper use of the hips. Up to this point in my articles, I have not talked much about the hips, except for the purpose of “Separation.” Which is the most important component. This is separation in the back hip and the back shoulder. The reason for this is to develop majority torque in the core. Read my article on “How to Develop Top Velcotiy?” to learn more about “Separation.”

The other purpose of the hips is what Tim Lincecum’s father calls, “Tightening the rubber band.” This means to build maximum torque in the hips, we must tighten them up just before the shoulders fire. This is where “Salsa” comes in. In “Salsa” the dancer kicks his feet with a kind of scissor step. It is like a gymnast on a balance beam. The feet are extended out, but if they were together, the feet would be touching each other. This makes it easier for the dancers body to swivel the hips back and forth; giving the dancer that groovy style of “Salsa.” So apply this to pitching. When your front foot lands make sure it is landing on the balance beam or a little across the body. This way it will allow the hips to close completely and tighten. If the leg lands open and off the balance beam, then it will be harder for the hips to close and it will decrease the hips range of motion.

I recommend that you stand up from the computer now, try out what I am telling you and see for yourself. When your landing foot is NOT landing on the balance beam and it is in an open stance, your hips do not have a lot of freedom or range of motion. Get in this position and try to swivel your hips. Now, if the front leg lands closed perfectly on the balance beam, then this will give your hips all of their potential range of motion and the ability to completely close off. Try this as well and feel how your hips have more range of motion to swivel and it is easier to close them off. In return, this is increasing our velocity because we are building more torque in the core when we can completely tighten our hips closed, after “Separation.”

So this is my theory. Maybe these Latin Pitchers have better hip action because of their Latin culture. Look at these hard throwing Latin Pitcher’s hips and you will see that they have a lot of “Salsa” in their delivery.

This is a video of Felix Hernandez pitching. You will see in his first pitch how closed his landing leg lands and how tight his hips get. Could this be his secret to his 100 MPH fastball? I will leave that up to you to answer.

In my article Olympic Lifting Increases Pitching Velocity, I use Newton’s second law to prove why Olympic Lifting will increase your velocity. If you have not read this article, please do. I will now illustrate how aerodynamics can help us as pitchers to understand how to develop our top velocity.

Think of velocity as a jet, like the picture here. The red line illustrates the aerodynamics of the machine. If you notice the jet has the same amount of weight on the left side of the line as the right. This means it is symmetrical. Also see the line as the quickest distance between two points. If the jet stays on that straight line, it will get to its final destination faster than if it strayed off the line, on its way to the end.

The definition of Aerodynamics is the study of the forces of air, acting on objects in motion, relative to air. This would mean that if there is a drag on the left side of the jet, then not only will the jet slow down, but it will be forced to stray off the straight line. This will decrease velocity to the jet in two ways: the first way is by decreasing the force applied by the engines with the drag effect, and the second way is by forcing the jet to travel outside of the straight line in a more curved direction.

“I am sure you are wondering how this applies to pitching, but this is the quantum leap you must make here.”

I will use these pictures of Felix Hernandez to help you with this leap. Felix has one of the hardest fastballs in the game and you will now see one reason why.

I have added the red line to show you the same information as with the fighter jet. Notice how the weight distribution on both sides of the red line, in all three pictures, is almost evenly distributed like the aerodynamics of the jet. This is what keeps Felix’s body moving forward on his “Point of Balance.” If his weight distribution was more on the right side than the other, he would loss considerable velocity. This is because his arm would create drag on his body and he would need to over compensate by pulling his arm across his body, to keep his body moving forward. This would force him, like the jet, to stray off the straight line path and the drag would decrease the force that he created in his lower half when driving off the mound.

This doesn’t mean you must throw over the top. What it means is you must keep your weight evenly distributed over your “Point of Balance.” So, if you throw sidearm, you need to distribute your weight more over the outside part of your landing foot, using your hips to shift the weight and not your shoulders.

The key here is what you see Felix and all the hard throwers doing. This is using their hips to control their “center of gravity” while balancing all of their weight over their landing leg. This is the reason why pitcher’s must have very strong legs and core strength to throw hard.

The best way to find your “Point of Balance” is with a photograph. Draw a line from your belt buckle to your landing leg toes. With this line you should see your weight evenly distributed on both sides of the line.

My advice to you is take two pitches as far as you can. You will see the best pitchers in the game taking two pitches through high school, college and even low A minor league ball. I know this may be upsetting to you but don’t take it negatively. When you see the improvements you will make as a pitcher when you focus on your fastball and one offspeed pitch you will be pumped.

Where should you go from here?

Start with reading my articles on velocity because these articles are teaching you the perfect delivery for your fastball. There is also a mental leap involved here. The reason a lot of young guys throw many pitches is because they do not have the confidence in their fastball. You must gain this confidence. I didn’t say find this confidence, I said you must gain it. So, set your sights on an explosive fastball and you will earn it. Your mental training starts with visualizing this goal. I want you to see yourself dominating with your fastball. See yourself throwing with perfect mechanics that you read about on this site or watched in the AcePitcher instructional videos. Using these visualizations along with reading and watching the material here you will with no doubt gain a top level fastball. We are here to support you.