Follow @TopVelocity

• Home
• Forum
• Video Analysis
• Products
  • Checkout
  • Your Account
• Ask a Question
• About Us
• Contact Us
• Equipment
• Disclaimer
  • Return and Refund Policy
  • Cancelation Policy
  • Delivery & Shipping Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap

• Baseball Articles
• Drills
• Media
• Nutrition
• Pitching Articles
• References
• Training Articles
• Velocity Quick Tips

Increase Velocity for Position Players

The 3X Pitching Velocity Program has made a big name for itself online, due to its ability to produce results for any age and at all levels of the game. The foundation of the approach to pitching is 3X or triple extension, which is a component that is mainly effective for the pitcher. 3X is what allows a pitcher to build their maximum power down the mound. With an outfielder and even an infielder, they do not have the surface of the pitching mound to deal with or do they usually have to start in a static position, like when on the rubber. This means 3X is not a component that will benefit the fielder as much as the pitcher. The two other components from the 3X approach to pitching, which will benefit the fielder, is the Force Vector and Hip to Shoulder Separation. Read more

Off-Season, Pre-Season, In-Season Pitching

What you need to know about the 3 seasons of pitching. In today’s game baseball has lost control of its seasons. Most youth and even up to the professional ranks have eliminated the off-season program all together. They spend most of their time moving from pre-season to in-season and then back again. This is a destructive path to follow if you want to move up levels of the game and have a long productive career.

Don’t get me wrong, game time spent on the mound is priceless but to much of it can become a major problem. My mother always said everything in moderation is healthier. This is the same for anything. The problem with spending to much time on the mound, during game time, and not enough time developing yourself in an off-season program is that you make yourself more susceptible to injury and you limit your ability to grow and develop. ASMI has already done the studies on how high pitch counts per game and even per season are being ignored and that this is a reason why arm injuries are so high. The lesson to be learned here is that not enough youth, high school, college and even professional pitchers are separating their seasons into a moderate divide of a growth and development program, a load building program and a maintenance and recovery program. These programs are the foundation of what I like to call the 3 season pitching system. Read more

Pitching Analysis Paralysis

If you want to pitch like an elite pitcher then it makes a whole lot of sense to try to model yourself after an elite pitcher. Kind of like when you were a kid and you looked up to some older brother or some celebrity. You might have worn the same cloths as them or listened to the same music as them because you knew the more you lived like them, the more it may be possible to understand and become them. As odd as it sounds, this isn’t a bad idea. I have to admit, I did it in my career and it worked. The problem becomes, when is it to much? Read more

How to Prevent Youth Pitching Injuries?

In an effort to help prevent youth pitching injuries the American Sports Medicine Institute has posted their Position Statement for Youth Baseball Pitchers. The three major factors which is a primary cause of most youth pitching injuries is; overuse, poor mechanics and poor physical fitness as mentioned in this statement. In my own research, I find this to be the case in all levels of the game. It is just more important at the youth level.

The Position Statement also mentions that the use of the curveball at the youth level may be an issue but no research exactly shows why. ASMI states that the problems could be that throwing a curveball enhances the effects of the three major factors of primary injury for youth pitchers. Here is a list of their recommendations for preventing injury. Read more

MLB Using Glorified Physical Therapy Instead of Explosive Strength Training

In my last interview with the legendary guru of Speed and Strength Training, from D1 Sports in Tennessee, Kurt Hester, stated that Major League Baseball is using glorified physical therapy instead of strength and conditioning. This was a shot at the lame approach to training and rehabilitating athletes in the MLB organizations. This is coming from a guy who trains some of NFL’s most explosive athletes and who was label as Gorilla Ball, when he was training the LSU tigers in the 90′s.

Kurt says that fear is a major problem with baseball players. They train the way they do because of the fear that comes from the higher levels of the game. He also says that if young baseball players trained like Major League ball players, they would never get better. The fear is that weight training, especially heavy weight training, will make you bulky and will cause injury. Kurt says the MLB’s athletic trainers are running glorified physical therapy programs and not actually training their athletes to become bigger, stronger and faster.  This is why I believe top draft picks and big salary pitcher’s like Mark Prior leave the league with a career ending injury, after only 3 years in the show, and never make it back. Read more