The picture here of Roy Oswalt illustrates this optimal “Triple Extension” and “Separation.” Good separation from back hip to back shoulder builds torque in the core. An indication that a pitcher is developing that torque is noticeable in the twisting of the front of the jersey which is obvious in the picture of Oswalt. This is the most difficult position to master in the pitching delivery. It is a challenge to learn the muscle memory that allows the shoulders to stay back while the hips drive forward. The reason for the difficulty is that this requires a lot of core and leg strength. This is why I promote a very intense lifting program for pitchers that develops fast twitch muscle fibers and optimal core and leg strength. You will not master this position or this core torque until you are strong enough to achieve it.

Watch this video here or read my article on, “Olympic Lifting Increases Pitching Velocity” to learn more and purchase the “Ace Pitcher Handbook” to start the lifting program.

I am writing about “Violence,” the way I would write about “Power” in the pitching delivery. I use the word “Violence” to make a point. Before I attempt to make the point let’s look at the definition.

Define Violence: Violence is the exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse.

Now why would I want to use the word “Violence” to make a point about something as delicate as pitching? The same reason companies use the word “Maximum Strength” to describe something as delicate as medicine.  Jerry Sienfeld has some great comedy on this topic.

Some people aren’t satisfied with “extra”, they want “maximum”! “Gimme the maximum strength ! Give me the maximum allowable human dosage ! That’s the kind of pain I’m in!

Figure out what will kill me, and then back it off a little bit”.

Very funny stuff but their is some truth in this joke. This is what makes it a great joke. The truth is, “Figure out what will kill me, and then back it off a little bit”, this actually works in the medical field. This is why morphine is still used today.

So lets take this philosphy and use it with pitching or any sport specific event. As pitchers, let’s learn how to exert as much force to our body WITHOUT causing injury. Now, let’s be careful here because your one body is all you have. So you better educate yourself like a doctor would do in his career, before pushing your body to its limit. To educate yourself you need to use a website like this to learn everything you can about good mechanics and how to develop an athletic physique. Not until you have established an above average understanding of “Physic driven Mechanics,” and have developed optimal strength, should you push your body to the limit.  I am serious. If you push too hard, too soon, you could seriously damage yourself. I did!

The way “Violence” in your delivery will help you, is if you use it at the correct time. Science has shown, that the speed of rotation from hips to shoulders, is in direct correlation to the velocity of the pitch. This means if you have good “Separation” in your hips to shoulders at front foot strike, then adding more violence to the rotation of these two pivots will increase your velocity. This video of Edison Volquez illustrates this point.

You can see the “Violence” in his delivery. He is pushing his body to its limits to achieve his maximum velocity. The longevity of his career rides in his mechanics. Does he have good enough mecahnics to prevent his wear and tear from exceeding his recovery rate between pitching appearances.

This is the name of the game in Pro ball. You may not realize this at the level you are now, so this is why I am giving you this information. If you want to play pro ball one day you need to start learning as much as you can about your body. My advice to you is, you must first train your body to handle this stress before you subject it to this stress. Also, remember drugs will always tempt you because of their healing powers but in the long term your body will last longer if you learn to do it naturally.

Definition of throwing:

Definition of pulling: the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you; “the pull up the hill had him breathing harder”

What definition best describes what a Major League Pitcher does on the mound?

Yes, it is correct to state that the definition of throwing is the more conventional answer but as someone who played professional baseball, when I was pitching my hardest, it felt more like a pull. The definition of pulling uses the word force and the illustration of breathing harder. This is my experience of power pitching. These two definitions best describe the difference between average velocity and top velocity. Look at one of my favorite pitchers Felix Hernandez and you will see it looks more like he is pulling than throwing as the definition states as throwing with the arm and wrist.

The key point of the “Pull Perspective” is the amount of weight you are pulling. The more the better. If you are pulling a lot of weight you will not be doing this with just the arm. Your body will need to recruit the core and legs to handle the bulk of the work load. Therefore your hips will need to drive towards the plate first, while holding the throwing arm back with the shoulder, until your core and legs have given you all they got. Then the back shoulder will fire through and release the ball. This picture of Greg Maddux illustrates holding the shoulder back while the hips drive to the target. This component is called “Separation.”

The best way to implement this “Pull Perspective” into your own delivery is by visualizing that you are not holding onto the ball but instead a towel or resistance tubing. You could actually do this. I have a few drills in the AcePitcher Handbook that perform this action. The towel or tubing is connected to a sled or a person standing towards second base. You can also visualize a harness around your hips with tubing secured towards second base. Now, perform your delivery following each of the AcePitcher Components.

In the picture of Felix Hernandez above and Tim Lincecum below this is where you want to finish the drill. This position is the point of the drill. By visualizing the pull you should find this position more naturally than if you where just throwing the ball like usual. If you notice his arm is way behind his head, back arched and hips under his belly with landing leg supporting all the weight. The upper body is flexed and ready to release the energy or power into the ball.

The reason for implementing the “Pull Perspective” is to prevent the arm from leading the body. If you find that your arm is drifting in front of your chest before your shoulders have committed to the plate then you are not recruiting your core and legs to handle the work load and generate Top Velocity. This is common in young pitchers. This is what most coaches call throwing with all your arm.

The “Pull Perspective” is actually what it states, it is only a perspective. A way of looking at the act of pitching differently. It is important that you look at pitching differently because conventional thinking continues to fail us as pitchers. This is why a microscopic amount of pitchers make it to Major League Baseball. So this perspective is my little gift to you.