To a scientist this is a “Duh” moment, but to most pitching coaches this is a “What?” moment.

There are not many pitching coaches who would agree with you if you switched the word velocity with speed when talking about pitching mechanics. This is because most of them do not have science degrees or are certified strength and conditioning specialist. Most of them would correlate speed with running and not throwing but in the world of science there isn’t much difference between the two.

To make my point more clear, who do you think moves faster in their sport and position, a marathon runner or a pitcher?

If you said marathon runner then welcome to TopVelocity.net. You need to download the Velocity Starter kit. If you said pitcher then I assume you have at least a beginners understanding of velocity. To make my point crystal clear, I will ask another question. If I was able to mimic Tim Lincecum of the Giants pitching mechanics perfectly, like a talented impressionist, and threw a pitch just like him but at a snails pace; would I throw as hard as him? The answer is No! I hope you just had a “Duh” moment. The answer is NO because velocity equals speed not perfect mechanics. Perfect mechanics is efficiency which supports speed by providing more focus energy to the ball.

Most everyone who plays baseball understands that to throw the ball faster we must move what is throwing the ball faster. The problem is conventional wisdom would say that this only happens with the arm and the strength and conditioning world would say you will get better results learning to move your entire body as a single unit faster. This is a “Duh” moment for me and I hope for you as well because once you learn how moving your entire body faster is so much more effective than just the arm, you will never go back to using just your arm. Not only does firing your muscles as fast as possible, through the kinetic chain of your skeletal structure, help with generating more velocity but it also distributes stress evenly through your muscular system, which prevents injury. The hard part is learning how to perform these mechanics perfectly and continuously. You can start by learning to impersonate efficient and explosive pitchers like Tim Lincecum and then using a fast twitch muscle fiber focuses strength and conditioning program like the “Fusion System” in the Ace Pitcher Handbook , to improve your speed.

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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.

His father Chris works for Boeing, which is why he produced a son with such a perfect understanding of physics driven mechanics. Tom Verducci has written the article of all articles when it comes to the revolution of the pitching delivery. Verducci writes for Sports Illustrated. In this article he expresses a better understanding of physics driven pitching mechanics than some of the best Coaches in the game. It goes to show how baseball’s ego has prevented its own evolution. MLB has been drafting young, tall and lanky pitchers for years because these pitchers can get away with more and therefore they need less coaching. The problem is their longevity is suspect. This is why Lincecum is seen as a Freak or an outsider. He doesn’t fit the mold of the MLB. The times maybe changing.

Here is a few examples from Verducci’s article illustrating the ignorance of Major League Baseball organizations along with some of Lincecum’s astounding accomplishments in the past few years.

Baltimore general manager Jim Duquette
“There was a feeling that [Lincecum] was short, not a real physical kid, and mechanically he was going to break down, that there was enough stress on his arm, elbow and shoulder. Our scouting department kind of pushed him down because of the medical aspect.”

The quickness of Lincecum’s small body is what scared off most scouts

The Giants took Lincecum at No. 10. He pitched only 13 times in the minors, allowing seven earned runs and whiffing 104 batters in 62 2/3 innings, before it became obvious to San Francisco that it had a prodigy who was wasting his time down there.

In 40 starts through Sunday, he was 16-6 with a 3.30 ERA and 264 strikeouts in 256 innings.

Lincecum’s reliability at the start of his career is historically remarkable. He is one of only seven pitchers since 1956 to throw 30 quality starts in his first 40 games.

Coach Dave Righetti, Lincecum’s current pitching coach for the Giants.
“I treat Timmy differently from most pitchers: I leave him alone.”

The article has quotes from Lincecum and his father talking about his mechanics. His quotes are almost directly out of AcePitcher.com’s 5 Components of Pitching.

“My dad and I aren’t very large guys, so it’s about efficiency and getting the most out of my body that I can,”

“Don’t open up too soon because then you lose leverage,” Tim says. “If you twist a rubber band against itself, the recoil is bigger. The more torque I can come up with, the better.”

“My dad always told me to sit down on my back leg as long as I could and push off as much as I could. I’m trying to get as much out of my body as possible. I’ve got to use my ankles, my legs, my hips, my back. . . . That’s why I’m so contorted and it looks like I’m giving it full effort when it’s not exactly full effort.”

The normal stride length for a pitcher is 77% to 87% of his height. Lincecum’s stride is 129%, or roughly 7 1/2 feet.

As for the “step-over” move near the end of his stride, Lincecum explains, “That’s from my hips. I’m getting everything toward the target, and my hips want to go. My hips can’t just go and open up. I’m trying to create torque. That’s when everything kind of explodes. My body comes, and [my arm] is just kind of along for the ride.”

One secret, he explains, is what he calls his “ankle kick,” a snapping of his right ankle as his right foot, the back foot, leaves the rubber. Lincecum comes off the rubber with such snap that, upon the ball’s release, his right foot is more than a foot in front of the rubber, shrinking the distance — and thus stealing precious time — between him and the batter.

When Lincecum speaks of “sitting down on my back leg” and his “ankle kick” he is speaking of AcePitcher.com 2 Component Triple extension. He calls this his little secret. How many coaches out there curse pushing off the rubber. Lincecum credits this to the reason for his success.

“My dad never taught me to lunge at the plate,” Tim says. “It kind of came naturally. That ankle kick that I get and the drive that I get from my back leg will make a big difference in how I get to the plate and how I pitch that day.”

Verducci paints the perfect picture of AcePitcher.com 3 Component Separation, which he calls the Loading position, when speaking of Lincecum’s success.

Here Lincecum again separates himself from most pitchers with his athleticism and timing. As he reaches the loaded position, Lincecum’s hips have just opened so that his belt buckle is facing the batter. His torso, however, has not yet begun to rotate toward the plate. The GIANTS on his home jersey is facing third base and his left shoulder remains pointed directly at the target. Only then, with his body essentially twisted against itself, does the torso fire, creating more rotational power as, at last, after this symphonic whipsaw action of his body, his arm simply “comes along for the ride.”

Most importantly Verducci mentions Lincecum’s athletic ability.

Many pitchers are poor athletes who happen to be blessed with one very specific skill. Lincecum has the body of a gymnast and can rip off a backflip or walk on his hands to prove it.

This proves my philosophy of great athletes make great pitchers. Many Coaches would also argue this with me. This is why the uneducated call Lincecum a freak instead of an elite athlete like Tiger woods and Michael Jordan.

This article made me smile so big I about split my face in half. Everything Lincecum, his father and Tom Verducci documented in this article I learned the hard way. It gives me closure in my own career when I learn that I may not have made it to the majors but I did overcome a serious rotator cuff injury to discover mechanics that would soon revolutionize the pitcher. I am glad such a good person like Tim Lincecum is caring this torch and bringing the light to Major League Baseball.

Read Tom Verducci’s article here.

View Tim Lincecum’s delivery in Slow Motion