If you take a look at the 3X Pitching Profiles, which are measurements of speeds and distances of some of the best pitcher’s mechanics in the game, you will discover that most of these pitchers have either above average 3X into hip to shoulder separation or below average hip to shoulder separation with above average 2X. To truly understand what is going on here and how this effects velocity, it is important we first understand the relationship of 3X to 2X and hip rotation.

3X to 2X and Hip Rotation

Triple extension (3X) – Is the extension of the drive leg knee, ankle and hip flexor and it will usually extended in that order. The 3X approach to pitching teaches us that achieving 3X before front foot strike will create hip rotation just at or just after front foot strike. It will also promote more explosive hip rotation which leads to optimal hip to shoulder separation. This hip rotation is occurring because when the drive leg achieves 3X, it pushes the hip flexor of the back hip forward before front foot strike. This will just open the hips a little, so when the front leg lands and stabilizes, the hips slam completely open towards the target. If the pitcher does not open the hips through 3X before front foot strike, hip rotation will happen late, reducing hip to shoulder separation.

Double Extension (2X) – This is the extension of the knee and ankle of the front leg at front foot strike into pitch release. The 3X approach to pitching also teaches us that achieving 2X before pitch release is critical to support hip to shoulder separation and it will transfer more energy or power into the ball increasing velocity. Taking 2X even farther into hyper-extension will force the hips to completely open towards the target. We know the more open the hips are towards the target at release, the more front leg extension will occur which will put more power and energy into the ball, increasing pitching velocity.

How 3X and 2X together Promote High Pitching Velocities

The best way to understand the relationship of 3X to 2X, is using the car crash analogy, which I have used a few times on this site. 3X would be the high performance car heading towards an immovable brick wall (2X). The passenger (test dummy) in the car is the ball. We do not know the effect of 3X to 2X until the car hits the wall. The farther the passenger flies out of the car, the more effective 3X to 2X worked together.

Just like when pitching, 3X is our acceleration system and 2X is our breaking system. If we increase 3X then 2X must support it to increase pitching velocity and vice versus. They work hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.

On the elite level, when a pitcher is working to break 90mph, the relationship of 3X to 2X becomes even more important. In the case of Brandon Morrow (see 3X Pitching Profile) he has an above average 3X with a below average 2X and he is a 95+mph pitcher. In the case of Justin Verlander (see 3X Pitching Profile) he has a below average 3X with an above average 2X and he is a 95+mph pitcher. The diamond in the rough here is that both these pitchers have an above average relationship between 3X to 2X. This is why they throw in the upper 90′s.

Let’s look at these pitchers and their 3X to 2X relationship, so we can learn how to improve our relationship of 3X to 2X. Brandon Morrow has one of the best 3X moves in the game but he has a below average 2X move to support it. If you watch his front leg stabilization in slow motion you will see that it never flexes or moves after front foot strike, it is stabilizing and supporting his explosive 3X, like the immovable brick wall in the car crash analogy. This is allowing all that power from 3X to slam the hips open into his stabilized but not extended front leg, like in the car crash analogy. If he had a weaker 3X, with his below average 2X, he would lose velocity but if he had an explosive 2X like Justin Verlander, to go with his explosive 3X, then what would happen? This would change the car crash analogy. The brick wall would now be replaced with another car moving towards the original car at the same speed. Let’s replace these cars with bumper cars so the impact is greater. Now what would happen to the passenger in the original car? He would project himself even farther out of the car at impact. So you can see how powerful 3X and 2X can be if they work together. You can also see how if you increase one and decrease the other, at the same rate, then you haven’t effected velocity but if you increase one without decreasing the other then you increase velocity. 3X to 2X go hand in hand, so you must understand their relationship before you can effectively use them to increase velocity.

How to implement 2X before Pitch Release

The key to implementing 2X into your delivery is through both the motor coordination training of the component through drills and strength and conditioning. Let’s look at them separately.

Motor Training 2X – When using drills like the Med Ball or Target throws in the 3X Pitching Velocity program you want to work to keep the front leg knee behind your heal when in these drills. This will allow you to more easily achieve 2X. Once the front leg knee pushes out over the front foot it becomes too difficult to achieve 2X. These drills will help you develop the motor coordination around 2X because when you are in these drills, you are positioned with your hips open to the target at start. 2X will not occur if your hips are closed towards the target. This is why it is difficult to practice 2X within your entire pitching delivery. If you are not opening your hips at front foot strike then it will be almost impossible to achieve 2X before pitch release. This is why I recommend using the drills in the 3X Pitching Velocity Program to train this 2X motor skill.

Strength and Conditioning 2X – This is important to support 2X because for a pitcher to achieve 2X before pitch release, he must have strong quads and flexible hamstrings to complete this movement. If a pitcher is able to get the hips open at front foot strike but does not have the strength to fire the quads against the force of the landing leg hitting the ground and his hamstrings are not strong and flexible enough to support this extension and forward trunk tilt movement then the pitcher will never achieve this velocity component. The 3X Pitching Velocity program uses heavy load training to develop the quad power along with lifts like the RDL’s to develop the hamstring flexibility.

The Science behind 2X to 3X

If you need more science to support this information in this article then please study more about the physics of impulse and momentum. You can actually put together the math that supports this 3X to 2X relationship.

Here are also the studies that support these pitching components.

NPA Velocity Study conducted 2005-2006

http://www.nationalpitching.ne…..UV_NPA.pdf

“The results from our study indicate that just about 80% of a pitcher’s real velocity comes from the torque of hip and shoulder
separation”

ASMI – Comparison of High Velocity and Low Velocity Pitch Deliveries

http://www.asmi.org/asmiweb/re…..itches.htm

“Compared to the low ball velocity group, the higher ball velocity pitchers demonstrated less lead knee flexion velocity after front foot contact and greater lead knee extension velocity at the time of ball release. Extending the lead knee in this manner may provide stabilization allowing better energy transfer from the trunk to the throwing arm, and could be a critical factor in pitch velocity.

More open pelvis angle at the time of ball release (REL) also correlated with increased pitch velocity increased.”

Photo by Dani Christensen

In the case of all power pitchers or athletes, to prevent wasting precious time when learning a power movement like pitching at high velocities, it is important to understand that strength or power development must come before the power motor skills of the power pitching mechanics. Attempting to train the power motor skills before the pitcher has the strength or power to move through them efficiently and effectively, is not just a total waste of time but it also can end ones pitching career.

The Detrimental Effects of Motor Skill Training Over Power Training in Pitching

There are many coaches, parents and athletes in the pitching world that believe pitching mechanics are more important than strength and power development. The truth of the matter is that this perspective may work for the elite athlete but NOT for the young pitcher. If a young pitcher is coached with this perspective, it could possible end his career. The reason for this claim can best be supported with the analogy of the crawling baby.

Why the Baby Crawls Before it Walks

The baby must first learn to crawl before it walks because it does not have the core and leg strength to push off of the ground when standing upright so it can practice the motor coordination of walking. Until it develops this core and leg strength all it is capable of doing is moving itself over the floor by pushing and pulling at the ground with what strength it has in its core, legs and arms. An act of moving on one’s hands and knees or dragging one’s body along the ground is defined as the Crawl. Even if the baby was able to understand and train the movements of walking upright on two feet, it still could not perform the skill because it lacks the core and leg strength to hold itself up during the movement. Crawling or standing up right overtime develops the babies core and leg strength which gives it the strength to train the motor coordination around the skill of walking.

This analogy is the reason behind the old expression, “Crawl before you walk!” The problem is most young pitchers want to “Run before they Walk” and some even want to “Sprint before they Crawl.” The reason this could end a pitchers career is because trying to walk before you crawl could frustrate the young pitcher to the point of giving up. Think of the baby taking his first steps without any help. The baby starts by using the furniture to pick itself up and then attempts take its first steps alone. This is the day that the baby will learn about real pain. Not only the pain of their face hitting the floor but the emotional pain of not accomplishing the goal of walking. If the baby continued to try and walk this way, without any support, the consistent beating of their face on the floor and the consistent emotional feeling of failure could force them to regress back to the crawl. This regression is the human spirit giving up in the face of failure and in the case of the pitcher this could be enough to change ones career.

If the coach, parent or pitcher could understand that it is easier and even possible to develop the motor coordination around power pitching mechanics, like the 3X Pitching mechanics, if strength and power development comes first then the game of baseball today would have less injury, more competition and better pitching education in all levels of the game. The problem is until this understanding of “Crawl before you Walk,” when it comes to developing the power pitcher, makes its way into the conventional wisdom of the game, there is going to be a lot of young pitchers, those even on this site, who are going to continue to beat their heads against the floor.

How the Brain Works During Game Time

Before we go into these 3X Pitching mechanics triggers let’s take a look at how our brain works best during game time. During game time the brain is overwhelmed with responsibility from keeping track of the count to holding runners on base. Overloading the brain with a ton of mechanic positions and adjustments can be detrimental to a pitchers performance. The key is to keep the amount of information the brain has to process to a minimum. This is why a good pre-game routine to help reduce this stress is so important. This article does not cover a full pre-game routine but it will support it with some key 3X Pitching mechanics triggers to simplify the process of keeping the pitchers mechanics on target during the game.

These 4 triggers listed below should be used within your inner dialog during game time. This means these are commands for your inner voice before every pitch. If you do not have an inner voice then just say these 3X pitching triggers out loud. Don’t worry, you will not be the first pitcher who likes to talk to himself!

4 Key 3X Pitching Triggers for Game Time

1. Knee to Hip – This is a great place to start. This simple trigger should tell your body to move your drive leg knee forward during your leg lift until it is in a linear position with your front hip. This will help you hit the perfect “Load” position with these simple words.
2. Accelerate – This will immediately follow the first trigger and it should tell your body to start moving and work to hit your peak speed before front foot strike. This will support triple extension before front foot strike along with building optimal stride power.
3. Separate – This will follow the previous trigger and notice that these last three triggers rhythm which makes it easy to say them quickly because you will also be moving through these triggers and mechanics very quickly. When you say separate, you are telling your body at front foot strike to feel your hips slam open, as it separates your hips from shoulders, building optimal core torque.
4. Pronate – Moving into this trigger from the last skips some important components, the reason we skip them is because they happen so quickly that you will not be able to influence them during game time as easily as the 4 triggers here. If you can focus on separation into pronation, then there is a good chance that you have implemented the components in between correctly and are reaching your top velocity. I believe good pronation of the throwing arm at release will only occur if you have good external rotation and forward trunk tilt which are the critical components that occur between this trigger and the last one.

If these 4 3X Pitching Triggers for game time do not work for you then make sure that you keep your triggers simple. The goal here is to help your body mechanically at game time without overloading itself with too much information for it to process under stress.

All of these 3X Pitching Triggers come from the 3X Pitching Velocity program. It is a requirement to have completed this program before these trigger will work for you. I would bet you your money back that if you complete the 16 week 3X Pitching Velocity program that these pitching triggers will be the key to your success this season. Best of luck!

Before I remedy you and save your pitching career, we need to understand first why this is a problem. Unfortunately, there has been zero studies to date on this so called, “Red Flag.” This means it is all in just theory that your pitching career is over, so you really should not loss much sleep over this but it is an important subject so let’s fix the problem.

Why the Inverted W is a Red Flag in the Pitching Delivery?

To prove this all you need to do is stand up and throw your elbows way up above your shoulders, like you are trying to scratch your ears with your elbows. Do you feel the pain? If not, do this a hundred times a day until you do!

This should easliy prove to you why this is not good for the shoulders and elbows. This simple exercise to understand the threat of this mechanical flaw here is enough to take this subject personally for you from theory into reality. If you are a pitcher with this issue then you do need to drop everything and correct it, before moving on. If this isn’t enough proof that this problem can make you prone to injury then just study the careers of Mark Prior, Kerry Woods, Anthony Reyes and many more with this mechanical flaw.

You can also learn from the medical field that throwing the arm above the shoulder or even behind the back, puts the shoulders and elbows in a vulnerable positions. Some physical therapist call this the “Red Zone.” This is the area that the shoulders and elbows are most at risk. This “Red Zone” would be the inverted W or L position.

The Pitchers Cure to the Inverted W and L

I discovered this cure after I had developed the 3X Drive Drills in the 3X Pitching Velocity Program. These drills train the pitcher to move quickly and effectively through a series of pitching drives. What I found was that slow pitchers who struggled with moving quick enough through the series of drives, would throw their elbows high above their shoulders to help assist their poor leg power. I call it “Flapping.” They look like chickens trying to take flight. I then noticed the more they improved their drive power or speed through the drill, the lower they threw their elbows up. This is when I determined that the inverted W or L is a power or speed issue. It will cause a timing issue but it is the main result of poor drive power.

If you study the pitchers mechanics who have evidence of the inverted W or L you will also find that their strides are slow. This means the pitchers cure for this serious mechanical problem is increasing stride speed or power. The 3X Drive Drills in the 3X Pitching Velocity Program have proven to be the perfect remedy!

It isn’t enough to only increase stride speed or power in your pitching delivery to cure the inverted W or L. The pitcher must have developed good stride mechanics like in the 3X Pitching program for the increased stride speed to effect the arm motion. To learn more about this revolutionary approach to pitching velocity checkout this video called, “Pitching 101.”

High Pitching Velocity and Foot Sync

The reason synchronizing the feet before front foot strike is important is because it helps trigger hip rotation. The opening of the front foot will start the rotation of the hips during the stride. If the front foot opens early during the stride then hip rotation will start early. This will limit power production while also slowing hip rotation after front foot strike.

This is why it is important to trigger hip rotation just before front foot strike. Opening the hips just before front foot strike will promote more explosive hip rotation because the hip is forced to open faster due to the short amount of time it has to open before landing. It is also critical to understand that the front foot triggers the hip rotation but the back foot is what is driving the power of the hip rotation. This is why the feet must work together to create explosive hip rotation just before front foot strike.

Notice the animated clips here of Trevor Bauer and Aroldis Chapman. It is a close up of their feet moving together during the pitching delivery. What you see is the drive leg foot kicking the ankle through to complete triple extension just as the front foot is opening for landing. This synchronization of the feet is critical for power production, a good stride length and ultimately explosive hip rotation.

How to Synchronize the Feet During the Pitching Delivery?

The key to synchronizing the feet during the stride is in the “Load” position. This is the position where the pitcher is set up for launch, the clip here of Trevor Bauer starts in this position. The force vector (ankle to knee) is in a linear position and the lift leg is following the lead of the front hip. Most pitchers who open up the front foot early or who do not have a good drive leg ankle kick have a poor “Load.” The poor “Load” is mainly the result of a late linear force vector. The earlier the pitcher can line up the force vector into a linear position, the faster the pitcher is moving through the stride and the more distance the pitcher is covering in the stride. All that is left to do at this point is to throw open the front foot as you also fire the drive leg foot to extend just before front foot strike. Here is an animated clip of  Trevor Bauer moving from this “Load” position into front foot strike perfectly. Notice how his feet movements come before his hip rotation at front foot strike. There is several drills in the 3X pre and in-season program to train the motor coordination around these components.

It is important to note that if  Trevor Bauer  would have not aligned his force vector so linear early in his stride or lead so effectively with his front hip then he would have opened his front foot early and reduced his power production and explosive hip rotation that occurs just at front foot strike. This would seriously reduce his pitching velocity while also putting more work and stress on his arm.

Let’s face it, throwing the ball at your top velocity is risky but so is returning punts in the NFL. If we are going to enhance our ability while promoting a long and healthy career, we must understand how our bodies work and how to prevent injury. The American Sports Medicine Institute has already informed the public that pitching injuries spawn from three main factors; Overuse, Poor Physical Fitness and Poor Mechanics. To take this information further, I will list here the top 10 pitching secrets to prevent injury in order from the most significant to the least but still significant.

Pitching injury prevention secrets

1. More Hip to Shoulder Separation – This is not only a major pitching velocity secret but it is also a major injury prevention secret. You know it is a good tip when it will increase both velocity and prevent injury. It will prevent injury because it allows the arm to stay relaxed while the body builds the power instead of the arm working to build the power. Optimal hip to shoulder separation will put the throwing arm behind the ball through release. If the pitcher has poor hip to shoulder separation then his arm will get out front early, preventing proper pronation. This is also critical for good deceleration which promotes arm health.
2. Increase Your Stride Distance and Power – I would bet that pitchers who have longer strides, have less arm issues than pitchers with shorter strides, but I have no research to back this up. I am making this claim strictly from my experience playing, coaching and analyzing this game through my career. The theory is that a short stride will prevent the pitcher from building more stride power which will force the arm to generate most of the velocity. This will then lead to more wear and tear on the arm and then eventually an injury. Increasing your stride distance is the first step towards injury prevention. The next step is increasing your stride power.
3. Do Not Swing Your Arm - The arm should never swing out of the glove, especially behind the back or way above the shoulder before the shoulders fire towards the target. This is what leads to the infamous inverted W or in laymen’s terms the M. It puts the arm in what is called the “Red Zone,” this is the zone where the shoulder and elbow are most vulnerable because there is more torque being applied to the joints based on the positioning. To prevent over abusing the arm, we must train it to follow the body and not lead the way. The revolutionary approach to pitching velocity called 3X Pitching has proven that when the arm starts the delivery, the body takes a back seat which reduces velocity and leads to injury. This swinging of the arm is a sign that the arm is taking control and in return, most of the stress.
4. Do Not Pull Down to Release – It feels strong when your arm is firing towards release and you start pulling down on your forearm to force your arm through its final path to the target. This pulling down of the forearm makes it feel like the ball is screaming out of your fingers tips. This may increase velocity but it comes with a big price. The price is the effects of overworking the forearm muscles. These are small muscles that when they fatigue, the body losses the fine motor skills of the hand which will effect your pitch grips. Most important, it will put more wear and tear in your elbow. This pulling down of the arm is not a component of hard throwers. It is what pitchers do when they are struggling with transferring stride power into core torque and then the velocity of the ball. Instead of pulling down to release, work on more hip to shoulder separation and good forearm pronation.
5. Build Joint Integrity Weekly – Just like eating, taking a shower or brushing your teeth, if you want to pitch at your top velocity through a long career then you must perform rotator cuff exercises to strengthen your cuff two times per week. You would be surprised the amount of pitchers who never do this. Post rotator cuff surgery, if I miss a few weeks of joint integrity training while in-season, my shoulder stability begins to fail. It is amazing how quickly I can loss this stability and strength. This loss of stability overtime will definitely lead to injury. For a complete rotator cuff program check out the 3X Pitching Velocity program.
6. Develop More Core and Leg Strength -  If you have weak legs and core then where will your body get its power? The shoulders and arms. I have worked with pitchers who are so weak in their core and legs that when they try to increase their stride distance, their arms start flapping like a bird trying to take flight. If you look at some of the biggest legs of pitchers in Major League Baseball you will find a ton of healthy, hard throwing pitchers. Nolan Ryan is probably the best example of this in my lifetime. He stayed in the upper 90′s even into his 40′s. He has tree trunks for legs and he never had a serious pitching injury.
7. Quality Throws over Quantity – If you want to “strengthen your arm” do it with your strength and conditioning program, like in the 3X pitching Velocity program. Do not do it with your throwing program. Your throwing program should be used to improve your mechanics with drills and a low volume of throws, like in the 3X Pitching Velocity Program. Do not use your throwing program as your strength and conditioning program, this will only lead to overuse and abuse of your shoulder and elbow. This is why I do not support extreme long tossing.
8. Avoid Machine Lifting – Machine weight training is terrible for athletes. It promotes pattern overload and will make a pitcher more vulnerable to injury. This is the case because when using machines for lifting weights, like with a press movement, the machines forces the pitcher to take the same path of movement every single rep. When using free weights, the pattern of movement is always different. There is a mechanism in the body to prevent the overload of one muscle or muscle group which will prevent over fatigue of a single muscle or muscle group. By changing the path of movement, the body uses different muscles or muscle groups to share in the work load. When a muscle is fatigued and the reps continue, other muscles take over to over compensate for the malfunction. In the shoulder, this will change the efficiency of the movement and force the shoulder to rotate off axis. This has been proven to lead to serious joint injury.
9. Eat like a Pro – If you do not give your body the building blocks to a healthy pitcher, in its diet, then how is it going to maintain itself as a healthy pitcher? This is the most neglected secret of injury prevention. Most athletes and especially pitchers believe they can eat whatever they want whenever they want. This is complete ignorance. If you can take the time to learn the basics of a healthy diet and how to feed your body what it needs then you are at least giving your body the chance to stay healthy.
10. 10 Hours of Quality Sleep Daily – If you are not sleeping at least 10 hours when training or pitching then you are not giving your body what it needs to repair itself. If you can follow secrets 1-9 then this last pitching injury prevention secret will work wonders for your career. A quality nights sleep can mean the difference between a great days performance and a good days performance. Losing sleep overtime prevents the body from fully recovering and rebuilding which eventually leads to injury.

Head Position Through 3X Mechanics

This is the full list of the 3X Mechanics which is included in the 3X Pitching Programs. The 3X Pitching Programs include a full detailed description of every one of these components. These descriptions will only include the head positioning.

1. Lift Leg Momentum – This component begins the delivery and the head position should be over the belt buckle. When what we call the “First Move” occurs, the head must stay tucked and behind the belt buckle.
2. The “Load” Position – This is the component of the 3X Mechanics which is just before the launch phase of the delivery when power production occurs. The head again must be behind the belt buckle in this position. It also must be balanced over the shoulders. This means it is not hanging over the chest. Pitchers like Tim Lincecum like to even “Tilt” their heads back over their butt in this position.
3. 3X and Separation – This is the foundation of 3X Pitching and it is the toughest component to implement effectively into your delivery. Every single power pitcher uses it and the 3X Pitching Velocity program will train you to master it. The head during this position must be tucked hard behind the belt buckle and balanced again over the shoulders. If the head flies out of this position during this launch phase then power production is limited. If the chin begins to push forward past the belt buckle during this component this is fine unless it reduces the implementation of the following component.
4. Chest Thrust External Rotation – This is the first component in the 3X mechanics that is almost eliminated completely from the delivery when the head has been out of position most of the delivery. This means the easiest way to implement this 3X component more effectively is by working on the head position through the entire delivery.  When I see my pitchers not implementing this component, I always start with the head position from the previous components. The head position for this component is tucked  but this is the first time that the head can push out with the torso in front of the belt buckle. The key is to continue to tuck the chin like you are trying to keep it behind the belt buckle but the force of the upper kinetic chain is to great.
5. Elbow Extension – This component emphasizes the importance of NOT pulling down your arm to release. The head position does not change from the previous component.
6. Stabilization – This may be shocking to those who are not familiar with the revolutionary pitching mechanics called 3X Pitching but yes the head never moves out of the tucked position. As you continue to stabilize your front leg, you must continue to stabilize your head position and not let it relax until ball release.

The head position is so critical through all of the 3X mechanics because once the head throws itself forward, it will always bring the arm with it. I suggest you try this to fully understand the effect. Stand up with your feet shoulder width apart. Tuck your glove arm and lift your throwing elbow above the shoulder. Now let your arm externally rotate behind your head while tucking your chin into your throat. From this position quickly and aggressively throw your head forward out over your toes and down. Notice how your arm follows your head.

The reason this head movement will kill pitching velocity is because velocity comes when the body has built power before the arm begins to throw the pitch. The earlier the arm throws the ball in the delivery then less power has been produced and converted into the velocity of the ball.

The 3X Pitching Mechanics are proven power pitching mechanics that will increase pitching velocity and prevent injury. To learn more, check out this revolutionary program here that has been sweeping the country.

Vertical Jump Test

A pitchers “Sweet Spot” is best understand when related to a vertical jump. You can try this test as you read this article. First start with your feet shoulder width apart then try to jump as high as you can without bending or flexing your knees. Once you have tried this a few times then start again with your feet shoulder width apart and your butt on the floor, if possible. This means you are in a full squat position. Now try to jump as high as you can. After you have done this a few times then start again in the same position but this time drop your butt to a position that is in between the two. This means your knees are not locked and your butt is not all the way down to the floor. Try to find your “Sweet Spot” when you perform the next jump. This “Sweet Spot” is a position that you feel you can quickly move out of with as much flexion as possible.

Now that you have performed all three jumps, you should have a good understand of how effective finding your “Sweet Spot” is in your overall power production, based on how high you were able to jump.

Find Your Pitching “Sweet Spot”

Just like in the vertical jump test, you need to find your same “Sweet Spot” when in your pitching “Load” position. The deference with pitching is that it is a linear explosive movement instead of a vertical explosive movement, like with the jump. This means your “Sweet Spot” is more than just having good power production through optimal drive leg flexion. It is critical that you have aligned your force vector into a linear position during this “Load” position to help keep your body moving forward and accelerating towards the target. If you are late with aligning your force vector then this could slow down your stride speed and reduce power production.

The aligning of your force vector, as you build flexion in your drive leg, helps create more of a forward load as you build flexion. If the force vector stays vertical as you move into your “Load” position then you are not moving forward and your stride speed is now slowing down. Notice the clip of Brandon Morrow above, he is aligning his force vector while he is building flexion and moving into his “Load” position. He is obviously hitting his “Sweet Spot” here because before his explosive triple extension, he has developed good flexion in his drive leg and his force vector is in line with his front hip. This, along with his explosive leg power, is why Brandon has one of the most powerful strides in the game.

If you are struggling with finding your “Sweet Spot” in your “Load” position then you more than likely are dealing with a strength and/or power issue. If you have poor leg strength, you will find that building flexion in your drive leg can be a challenge. If you have average to above average leg strength but you are struggling with accelerating through your “Load” position then you are dealing with an explosive speed or power issue. The 3X Pitching Velocity program is one of the only Velocity programs on the market that use both the throwing program and the strength and conditioning program together to enhance your “Sweet Spot” and increase velocity. This means the Fusion system which is the strength and conditioning program, is developing not only leg strength but leg power and the 3X Velocity system or throwing program, is helping you program the new muscle development to move through the 3X mechanics. This is the only way you are going to find and enhance your pitching “Sweet Spot” and drastically increase your pitching velocity.

Pitching in the big leagues is a dream. Preparing to pitch in the big leagues is a nightmare” – Nolan Ryan

This is a quote from one of the greatest pitchers of all time, telling you that to work towards your goals and dreams, in this game, is a nightmare. This means if you do not prepare for this nightmare then you will more than likely never meet your goals or dreams.

The Mental Bullets to Pitching Velocity

The 3X Pitching Velocity program is not the work ethic, it is the workout. This means, it is the nightmare, not the dream. It was developed to launch you towards your dreams.

PLEASE STOP HERE AND READ THIS TOP LINE AGAIN. Most pitchers, who find this site, get the 3X program and believe that somehow this program is going to be the dream. They then become disappointed when they learn it is actually the nightmare to the dream. I will be the first to tell you, you will never find the dream in a program or anything else you can purchase. So stop searching for it. It doesn’t exist! You have to earn it. This is what makes it a dream. If you could purchase the dream then it would cease to exist as a dream. You have to have the nightmare to get to the dream. This is called life! You need to accept this and then make the decision to either live your life chasing your dreams or actually capturing them. If you just want to chase them then keep surfing the web but if you want to actually capture your dreams then here are the bullets to prepare yourself for the nightmare or the 3X Pitching Velocity program.

If you can make a vow to live strictly by these bullet points here, for the next 16 weeks of the 3X program and then look back to this moment of your life, you will not even recognize the person you are today. This is what it takes to capture your dreams.

• Let yourself out of your comfort zone!
• Don’t be afraid to learn new things!
• Push your limits!
• Take the time necessary to achieve your goals!
• Work on your weaknesses as much as your strengths!
• Don’t go on vacations!
• Don’t give yourself rewards until you reach your goals!
• Never let yourself get comfortable!
• Don’t cut corners, ever!
• Do one more set or rep, always!
• Let your body rest and recovery!
• Do it, but don’t over do it!
• Shoot for the stars!
• See yourself living the dream!
• Motivate yourself everyday!
• Love the grind!
• Never quit!
• Listen to your body!
• Have faith in something greater than you!
• Battle yourself and win!
• Live, breathe, eat, sleep, drink, think, do, baseball!

Now I want you to say these statement below out loud, if you can.

There are no free lunches, ever!

There are no short cuts to your dreams, ever!

There are no exceptions to the rules, ever!

Quiting is not and option!

I also want you to ask yourself, if this was a do or die situation then what would you do? This always reminds me of a great song by Tim McGraw called, “Live like you were dying.” This is ironic because the song is about his father Tug McGraw (see picture above), who was a Major League Pitcher, who died of a brain tumor. It is a great song, you need to read the lyics!

Just like in a marriage, you need to celebrate a very significant moment in your life, as a moment that is forever going to be looked on as a milestone. You need to state your vows like these bullet points above and never break them, or you will divorce yourself from your dreams, forever. If you are willing to take your pitching career as serious as your marriage to a life long relationship with a significant other, then just imagine what you could do with your career. You just actually might live the dream of a professional or Major League Pitcher, one day!

The reality is, not until you get to professional baseball will ball movement start to become an important factor and at this level you will actually have coaches who will coach this with pitch grips. I really believe that changing mechanics to enhance ball movement is not a healthy approach for a pitcher. A great example was John Smoltz, at the end of his career the Atlanta, Braves made him a closer and also dropped his arm angle to a side arm position, so he could get a more natural run on the ball. This was effective at first, then he was put on the DL with bone spurs in his elbow. I believe he cut his career short when he made this mechanical adjustment for ball movement.

In my career, I never met a scout at any level who said all they are looking for is a pitcher who can throw strikes and has natural run on the ball. During my last recruiting visit, for one of the pitchers I have been working with, the first thing the coach asked was, how hard does he throw. He then told us that he wasn’t interested in anyone that was mid 80′s or less. We were expecting this and this pitcher did well and was offered a great scholarship because of his velocity.

The Road to Pitching Velocity

The best road that a young pitcher can take, in his career, is the road towards his top velocity. This means your main focus your entire career is to develop and maintain a high velocity fastball. Ever other pitch should work to complement the fastball. If a young pitcher will take this road and never go off path, his chances of making it to the top level, is a lot greater. For example, I was watching an MLB game this past season and the announcer pulled some stats on Bartolo Colon. He said that Colon averages 85% fastballs each game. Here is a veteran pitcher in Major League Baseball, he has made it to the top level and he is still throwing fastballs 85% of the time. So if you are a young pitcher playing high school baseball and you are throwing 45% or 65% fastballs then what are the chances you will be a Bartolo Colon or a hard thrower one day? Not good! Oh, by the way, the MLB only drafts hard throwers!

If you decide to go down the road to pitching velocity then you must make time for an off-season. You need an off-season to start a velocity program like the 3X Pitching Velocity program, if you want to increase velocity. Trying to use an off-season program to increase velocity in-season will have little effect. This is why increasing velocity can be such a big challenge, you not only have to work hard through the program but you also have to make at least a 16 week commitment, 5 days a week, 2-3 hours a day. So stop going from in-season to in-season and take the time to develop a high velocity fastball in the off-season.

Location, Location, Location

Before you even start thinking about movement, after you have established a good fastball, you  must master pitch location first. This means learn to place your dominate fastball on the corners of the plate. Your fastball can work as an off-speed pitch just by moving it inside and outside of the strike-zone. An inside fastball on the hands of a batter adds 5 mph in perceived velocity to the hitters eye. An outside fastball is just the opposite. This means just throwing the ball inside and outside to the hitter, will throw his timing off and you haven’t even changed your pitch. If you can master painting the corners with your dominate fastball then you could possibly take this strategy all the way to pro ball. Just imagine what scouts will think when they have a kid throwing upper 80′s or low 90′s and all he needs is his fastball to dominate the game. This is a major plus for all scouts!

Now comes the Movement

You don’t have to throw “Side Arm” or “Submarine” to have ball movement. Greg Maddux was the master at ball movement and he did it with an almost over the top release point. The key to his ball movement was pitch grips. Once you have established your fastball and you are throwing it 85% of the time or more, inside and outside, then now you can start to work with ball movement. This doesn’t mean everyone must have the same arm slot. I believe your bone and muscular structure will establish your natural arm slot. All it means is your ball movement must come from your pitch grips. Pitch grips should be a simple process of finger placement and wrist release point. The rest is up to you to spend the time working with the feeling of the pitch, until you can get some good movement out of it.

I highly recommend that you do not spend much time at all with ball movement, until you are heading way done the road to pitching velocity. If you are a young pitcher and you are getting hit around a lot in travel ball or high school baseball then make time for an off-season and develop a fastball.