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.

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Before I give you these keys you need to prepare your mind for success because these keys will change how you look at pitching and velocity. More than likely the knowledge you have of pitching velocity is not getting the job done and YES you can gain knowledge from a source like TopVelocity.net which will guide you to pitching velocity that you have dreamed of reaching. Obviously, I am proud of these 3 Keys to Pitching Velocity because I am gloating but I did have to pay a heavy price for this knowledge. I had to overcome a career ending rotator cuff tear before playing pro ball, along with over ten years of searching and searching for this knowledge and abusing my body through trial and error. These 3 Keys helped me to reach my velocity goals after several doctors told me I would never pitch again. So here goes!

The 3 Keys to Pitching Velocity

1. Triple Extension
2. Optimal Hip to Shoulder Separation
3. 180 degrees of External Rotation

That is it! This list is the Holy Grail to Pitching Velocity and you now have it. I am sure you have no idea what you have, so I will take the rest of this article to explain what each one of these keys mean to you.

Triple Extension

This is the foundation of my 3X program which is apart of the Ace Pitcher Handbook and the 3X Velocity Camp Instruction Videos. Triple Extension is defined as the extension of the ankle joint, the knee joint and the hip flexor. This is the first phase of generating velocity. If performed effectively this key will increase velocity by 4-5 mph. To be performed effectively it must occur JUST BEFORE FRONT FOOT STRIKE. This is when the lift leg lands and opens to the target. If Triple Extension does not occur JUST BEFORE FRONT FOOT STRIKE then it will have a limited effect on velocity. To learn more read the article here at TopVelocity.net on 3X Pitching.

Optimal Hip to Shoulder Separation

This key to Pitching Velocity is the hardest to learn out of all the keys. It is also what separates high velocity throwers from low velocity throwers. The reason for its difficulty is that your lower half must separate from your upper half and most young pitchers do not have this coordination. Try it the next time you are throwing and you will feel how awkward it is when you first experiment with it. You can perform this component by driving your drive leg forward and at the same time cocking your throwing arm back. What this key does is build what I call core torque. Putting majority torque in your core will not only allow you to generate more velocity, it will protect your arm from injury. It will protect your arm because when you build more core torque you have a better chance of not abducting your arm into the red zone. It will generate more velocity because you are now using a big explosive muscle group to assist momentum. To learn more about this key and how to implement it into your delivery I recommend the Ace Pitcher Handbook.

180 degrees of External Rotation

This key only comes when you have mastered the two keys before this. This key component should not be implemented or worked on until you have mastered the two keys before this one. The day you are able to externally rotate your arm to 180 degrees after building optimal hip to shoulder separation, you will experience a mental high that you have never felt before. The day that ball rips out of your fingers at 90 or 95 plus, you will not look back. This key will also only occur when your arm is completely relaxed to allow these eccentric forces to take control of the ball. This is the point in the delivery that Nolan Ryan would say he would then just let it ride. No pulling the ball down to finish the pitch, only tucking your chin and thrusting your chest forward while relaxing your arm and letting your arm externally rotate. Once your arm is stretched out then all you need to do is let it fire by allowing it to internally rotate to release as quick as possible.

Like I said before this may not make much since to the pitcher who has been brain washed by conventional wisdom. So do yourself a favor if you are that guy and watch the Matrix. Yes, watch the movie the Matrix and then stop listening to the same old stuff that everyone is telling you and has been telling you on the ball field and cut through the BS. Velocity is the product of an explosive kinetic chain of events that move through the entire body and transfer efficiently and effectively into the ball. For a pitcher to reach velocities as high as 90 or 100 mph he must fire and stretch his muscles and skeletal structure to its limits without causing injury over time. If you are to reach these velocities you must push yourself to these limits and train your body to max out its potential by using everything that it has in its power. You can rely on luck or you can get down to business and learn how to implement these 3 keys of pitching velocity into your mechanics and training.

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.