I went to dinner with some of the pitchers, parents and a coach from this May 3X Pitching Velocity Camp and the consensus is that they want to learn more about triple extension pitching. Mainly, the parents were concerned that their boys were not truly understanding it after a full day of hardcore athletic conditioning. I then asked the question, “Do you mean they are not understanding it mentally or physically?” They said mentally and then I said, “The concept of 3X only really needs to be understood mentally by the coaches of 3X, not the players.” Of course it is great that 3X can be understood by the athlete but it is not necessary. 3X must be conditioned when it comes to the athlete. If triple extension is going to continue to make a name for itself in pitching and continue to benefit those who use it, it must be conditioned and not only just understood. This means if a coach is going to teach a pitcher the benefits of 3X, he must know how to use drills, exercises and lifts to train this key component.

A good rule of thumb is that athletes will always benefit more from muscle memory than cognitive memory. The reason for this is called Attention Mechanics. This is the study of reality. Not to get too deep into this philosophy but basically it has to do with how natural athletes play the game. Natural athletes play the game in reality. This means they are using muscle memory or the central nervous system to control their movements. The non “Natural” athlete moves in between muscle memory and cognitive memory. The problem is cognitive memory is outside of reality. Here is an example: if you are driving a car and you want to make a right turn. You would subconsciously take the right turn when it becomes available. To do this you are using programmed muscle memory. You would not tell yourself, “OK, John, now grab the steering wheel with both hands at 12 and 3 o’clock and pull down with your right hand when the right car bumper is 3 feet from the right hand curb.” This would be using cognitive memory and it would more than likely cause an accident. If you are going to become a natural athlete then you must condition yourself to move in an explosive manner with only your central nervous system. This means if you do not do this already, then you need to condition yourself to do so and the ability to cognitively understand the mechanics to do this, is not as important has using the drills, exercise and lifts to develop the muscle memory.

All this means is that once you believe that the 3X Pitching Velocity Program is the best program for you then you must commit yourself to it and get started. If you are wasting your time trying to cognitively justify the effectiveness of the program then there isn’t enough time in your career to find the answers you are looking for. Basically your career is passing you by while you are contemplating your success. This is why most “Natural” athletes have a strong faith in a higher power or themselves. They know they do not have enough time to figure this stuff out, so they are relying on their morals and rolling the dice. This takes either a strong intuition, a strong faith or some gigantic BALLS! The key word here is COMMITMENT! You will never know the outcome without knowing the commitment. So stop wasting your time trying to find the perfect program that is going to make you the greatest athlete ever and pick the one that makes sense and start kicking some ass because baseball doesn’t get easier, you just learn to work harder!

I do have to say that I have never used the “Speed Chains,” so I am not talking from experience. If someone would like to send me one for a complete review, I would be glad to do it. I feel that my opinion would not change much but I could be wrong. What I find to be the major concern with using the “Speed Chains” as an alternative to a complete training program, is that these exercises do not incorporate the lower kinetic chain as effectively as the upper kinetic chain. This creates muscle memory that works against total body mechanics like the 3X Pitching Velocity Mechanics. These mechanics start with ground reaction forces and then converts that power or energy into torque and then the velocity of the pitch. Based on this understanding these “Speed Chains” are not training the central nervous system to function in a ground up explosive manner. I believe that those who have purchased this gimmick, if they had a complete understand of 3X Pitching Velocity Mechanics before purchasing, would have found very little use for this product.

Those in defense of this product would probably say that it trains speed better than other training exercise because how the chains increase resistance during the explosive movement, but most case studies on velocity specificity state that heavy load training at high or low speeds are more effective because of the intent to move quickly than actually moving quickly. This is a highly debated subject and I welcome those who would like to debate it but I argue on the side of heavy load training. I believe you must first train your motor skills with quick sport specific movements but then you must finish training explosive power through heavy loads. Putting quick upper kinetic chain movements with increased low load resistance is not the better alternative. This is why I do not believe “Speed Chains” help baseball pitchers as effectively as a complete training program.

3X Timing Factor

The component before 3X occurs is the “Load” position. This is when your lift leg is coming down and your squatting on your drive leg as your hips begin to build momentum towards the target. The speed of your lower body at this position is moving at a slow pace. You are mainly working to get everything in position for triple extension. Most pitchers who do not understand the timing of triple extension would try to triple extend quickly while still in the “Load” position. This would prevent good hip to shoulder separation at front foot strike and the pitcher would leap towards his front foot landing instead of hover. To prevent premature triple extension, you must wait for your hips to be as far away from the rubber as possible with you drive leg still bent and ready to fire and your lift leg is just about to land. Notice the photo of Joba Chamberlain in this position. Now that you know when to fire your drive leg into 3X you must now understand the speed of the movement.

Remember momentum must continue to accelerate to ball release. Therefore if you accelerate two early in your delivery it will cause you to decelerate before ball release. You want the climax of your speed to hit when the ball is launching out of your hand. As for the speed of triple extension, you must start your leg drive after the “Load” position at a slow pace to make sure your drive leg and hip are moving before your back shoulder. Once you feel the separation of back hip to back shoulder begin and your core is starting to tighten then this is when you explode into full triple extension. If you do not feel the separation of hips to shoulders before you triple extend then you could easily triple extend your drive leg and your back shoulder would move along with it killing your chance of creating optimal separation. So once you feel your core tightening then it is time to fire that drive leg and push your hips to your target. Notice in the video clip of Joba here he does not accelerate his lower half and triple extend until he is coming out of the load position and his lift leg is starting to open and land. You will notice that it looks like his knee is driving down into the ground. This is the effect of the extension of the drive leg as the body is moving down hill.

Another indicator that you created good core torque is if you can hear your drive foot dragging before your shoulders and chest start towards the target. This dragging sound should happen just as your chest is thrusting forward. Notice in the video clip of Joba that his shoulders begin following the hips towards the target just after his drive foot is dragging. Most young pitchers will see in video analysis that their drive foot drag happens after their shoulders commit towards the target.

The drill below should be performed 2 – 3 days a week, for at least 3 – 4 months. The drill should also be performed after completing the “Flexibility Training” portion of the Fusion System which can be found in the Ace Pitcher Handbook. You can also find more drills in the handbook. Try to push each drill to muscle fatigue, if possible.What you will need to perform the drill is your glove and some resistance tubing. All of these products can be purchased at the Velocity Store.

The purpose of this drill is to enforce the “Separation” position. To perform this drill you need a resistance band or tubing. Connect the band to a fence or have someone hold the band behind you.

Instructions:

Start in the “Separation” position, with the band held with your throwing arm. Arm some what relaxed and close to your body. Your glove hand is turned over and you are looking down your elbow. Both your feet are facing the target which opens your hips. Finally make sure your back shoulder is all the way behind you to help build more torque in your core.

When ready, turn over and tuck your glove hand and then push your belly and chest to your front knee, allowing the band to pull your arm back behind your head. Make sure your hips are positioned under your chest. You are now in the “Pull.” Perform pic #2 from the previous drill before continuing down to pic #3 on this drill.

Continue to stabilize your landing leg, knee, hip and chest while driving your chest out over your front foot. Once your chest has hit the wall, finish the pitch with your fingers on top of the ball and your hand 6 inches in front of foot. Make sure your elbow pulls through just above your throwing shoulder.

* Remember after creating torque in your core and your shoulders have opened to the target, velocity is based on how fast you can transfer your weight to your release point. So perform this drill with explosive power.

Purchase the Ace Pitcher Handbook for more drills and to learn the 6 Components of Pitching.

The drill below should be performed 2 – 3 days a week, for at least 3 – 4 months. The drill should also be performed after completing the “Flexibility Training” portion of the Fusion System which can be found in the Ace Pitcher Handbook. You can also find more drills in the handbook. Try to push each drill to muscle fatigue, if possible.What you will need to perform the drill is your glove and some resistance tubing. All of these products can be purchased at the Velocity Store.

The purpose of this drill is to enforce the “Chest Thrust” position. To perform this drill you need a resistance band or tubing. Connect the band to a fence or have someone hold the band behind you.

Instructions:

Start in the “Chest Thrust” position, with the band held with your throwing arm resting behind you. Your chest is up and your hips are under your chest. Both of your feet facing the target in a full stride.

When ready, drive your chest out over your front foot while continuing to relax your arm. All of your weight is now on your front foot.

Once your chest hits the wall, extend your elbow above your head and out in front of your body, finishing the pitch. DO NOT ALLOW YOUR FRONT KNEE TO MOVE.

* The goal of this drill is to shift your weight as fast as possible while relaxing your arm. Velocity is based on how fast you can shift your weight and then transfer that into the ball. This is why it is important to stabilize the front leg and not let it bend.

Purchase the Ace Pitcher Handbook for more drills and to learn the 6 Components of Pitching.

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.

The two greatest pitchers of our time is Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens. Their success came from their genetic make up and also their work ethics. Both of these pitchers had intense training programs. Roger Clemens was even using illegal drugs to enhance his work ethic and increase his improvements. Both of these pitchers grew bigger, stronger, faster in their careers and they both threw harder the older they got. This is because their work ethics improved their overall strength, which helped keep their flawless mechanics consistent and efficient. If they had slacked on their off-season training programs then you would have noticed a decline in their careers. This wasn’t the case and it is known today that they both where extremely hard workers.

Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens careers are proof that proper weight training and plyometric training will lead to a successful career. So why do coaches ignore this fact? Because they usually do not have first hand experience. If you want to be a high performance machine then you must train your body to become one.

Why should pitchers use a good strength and conditioning program?

1. To enhance pitching mechanical efficiency, which will lead to more consistency and increased longevity.
2. Help the body heal faster.
3. Develop fast twitch muscle fibers which have a higher capacity for explosive energy.

The drill below should be performed 2 – 3 days a week, for at least 3 – 4 months. The drill should also be performed after completing the “Flexibility Training” portion of the Fusion System which can be found in the Ace Pitcher Handbook included in the 3X Pitching Velocity Program.  You will also find a ton more drills in the 3X programs. Try to push each drill to muscle fatigue, if possible.What you will need to perform the drill is your glove, a hiking or weight belt and some resistance bands or tubing. All of these products can be purchased here at the Equipment Store.

The purpose of this drill is to learn how to develop more momentum in your lower half through triple extension (3X) and use that momentum to build torque in the core. Connect the bands to the belt and then to a fence or preferably have someone hold the bands.

Instructions:

Start in the stretch position, with the bands held tight behind you.  Lift your leg and lead with your front hip towards the target as you drive the belt forward, as if you are pitching the ball. Remember to keep your head over your belt buckle as your hips move forward and do not let your back knee bend forward over your back toes. Now, move into the “Load” position (select “Load” to view). This will help you build more momentum.

This picture does not show a good stride because of the frame restrictions. Triple extend your drive leg before your front leg lands into a full stride with at least a 6 inch drag line in your back foot. The goal is to generate as much power as possible, without letting your shoulders commit to the target. Drive your back hip through hard, by kicking your drive leg ankle through before your front foot lands. You should work hard to get your back hip close to your front knee and your back shoulder over your back leg when finished, like in the picture.

If you are having a hard time holding your shoulders back, as you drive your hips forward, then use a broom stick to keep your shoulder back and loaded.

The goal of the drill is to train momentum by building as much power as possible through triple extension in your back leg. DO NOT let your shoulders travel with your hips. This will prevent you from using your hard earned power to build torque in your core, like in picture #2. You want to generate as much hip to shoulder separation as possible.

Most pitchers do not have any understanding of optimal core torque. If this is the case, when you hit Pic #2 it may feel awkward. Just make sure you are in the same position as the picture. This component is called “Triple extension and separation.” This drill should fatigue your hips and legs. Work Hard!

Purchase the 3X Pitching Velocity Program to add 5-10mph to your fastball with a ton more excellent drills like the Sled Drill.