The Problems with Changing your Arm Path

If you define the pitching delivery in the two phases as labeled here in this article called, How to Throw Hard and even Harder, you will learn that when the arm is starting to apply the force to the ball which happens after external rotation of the throwing arm, the arm path is moving in a straight line towards the target. This means that when conventional wisdom says you should have a short arm path in the beginning of the delivery and a long arm path at the end, this changing of the arm path actually has no effect on the velocity of the ball. What this is doing is making a mechanical change to your delivery which is the why your velocity is changing.

If you look in Professional Baseball you find all different styles of arm path and no relationship with velocity. This is because velocity is based around stride speed or power and the relationship between the rotational pivots which are the hips and shoulders. Being that the arm is connected to the shoulders, it does have some control of the shoulder pivot but ultimately the shoulders are in control. Based on the 3X Mechanics velocity is mainly influenced by the relationship of the hips to shoulders at front foot strike. The arm path can go almost anywhere it wants, as long as the shoulders are closed while the hips are open at front foot strike. You could pitch like Tim Lincecum and put the arm down behind your back during your stride, or like Zach Outman who looks like he is stretching his throwing arm while he is striding, either arm path will have an effect on velocity if their other mechanics do not change.

The lesson learned here is never focus on arm path, it does not control the legs, core or shoulders and it will more than likely have a negative effect on your pitching velocity. If you want to learn good mechanics to increase pitching velocity then stay away from conventional wisdom and learn to implement the 3X mechanics which you can see here in this pitching 101 video.

For proper pronation to occur in the throwing arm at release the pitcher must extend the arm to release. The improper release of the throwing arm which would prevent proper pronation would be to pull the arm down to release. I find this to be a major misconception in the conventional wisdom of the game. Physics proves that during the velocity phase of the throwing arm, the pivot or elbow, must remain stationary until after release. This means the elbow must extend to release to prevent the elbow from moving down during the throw. This not only supports velocity but protects the elbow from resisting high amounts of deceleration forces. Extending the elbow to release also protects the rotator cuff during the deceleration of the arm. This will allow more of the back muscles to get involved during the deceleration phase.

Pitching Pain and Injury Solutions

Dr. Mike Marshal built his entire coaching career around proper pronation of the throwing arm. He even went as far as to develop and entire approach to pitching based around this throwing arm pronation. This is because he ended his Major League career with a UCL tear before the famous “Tommy John” surgery. I believe Dr. Marshall went to far with this discover of proper pronation by turning it into a style of pitching. I do believe his pitchers who use this style or approach to pitching are protecting their elbows from injury but their velocity is taking a beating in return. Using the 3X Approach to Pitching proper prontation will occur because the 3X Mechanics trains the body to finish first and the arm to extend and finish last. The picture of me here illustrates the 3X approach to proper pronation. These mechanics will increase velocity and protect the elbow and shoulder from extreme abuse.

I highly recommend replacing the baseball in the 3X Velocity System throwing drills with a football, if you are having issues with finishing with proper pronation. This is because you can not throw a spiral, with the nose down, with a football, if you do not finish with proper pronation.

Off speed pitches can also cause improper pronation because the wrist is usually rotating the opposite way at release during these pitches. This combined with the misconception of pulling down to release would compound the impact on the elbow and make a pitcher more vulnerable to elbow injury. It first starts with elbow pain and then it progresses into an injury. This is exactly how my arm began to breakdown. I had poor pronation along with an addictive curveball because it was unhittable. After 6 shots of cortisone in my elbow and rotator cuff surgery at 18, I never threw that damn thing again. I have even tried throwing it today and I can still feel the old wound from the many years of improper pronation. This is why I recommend less aggressive breaking balls for pitchers. A good fastball will get you a lot farther in your career than a good breaking ball!

What is the best way to use the glove side to increase shoulder and pitch speed?

Before I go into answering this question please understand that there is several critical mechanical components that occur before the glove side even comes into play during the pitching delivery. It is essential when learning velocity focused pitching mechanics that you master all of these critical components before front foot strike which is when the glove side takes action. You can learn all of these mechanical components in the 3X Pitching Velocity Program.

When the glove side is ready to serve its purpose, it must immediately spring into action and become an effective fulcrum for the shoulders to launch. This means it must tuck tightly under the glove arm and shoulder. The tuck should be enough for the chest to push forward while the glove arm bicep is fully contracted like when curling weight. Do not let the glove drop or the elbow to swing out towards the dugout. The elbow must stick into the obliques of the core. By tucking the glove side up and under the arm and keeping it tight with the chest pushing forward this will set a strong fulcrum for the shoulders to efficiently accelerate around. Remember the purpose of the tuck is to create a stable fulcrum or pivot, NOT to assist the throwing arm during the launch. Using the glove side to assist the throwing arm during the throw will cause instability in the pivot point, slowing down the speed of the shoulders and could also cause arm drag which can lead to elbow and shoulder injury.

The best way to learn the glove side is to watch the glove side of hard throwers in slow motion.

There are two forces that add velocity to a pitch:

Momentum

Rotational Torque

For momentum to effectively transfer to the ball, the pitcher must use all rotational pivots in order from the bottom up.  The hips must rotate before the shoulders and the shoulders before the arm internally rotates. For this to happen effectively these pivots must be free to rotate completely. Notice the picture of Tim Lincecum at the bottom of the page (Tim Lincecum is a phenom because of his size and ability to reach his top velocity continuously.)  Notice in the picture his weight is slightly leaning to his left. This would be like tilting an open door backwards so the open door slams closed due to gravitational forces. This gravitational pull is helping to create full range of motion in Tim Lincecum’s hips and shoulders at front foot strike. If he or the door was tilted the opposite way then these gravitational forces would work against his momentum by decreasing full range of motion in his rotational pivots. Using the force of gravity to increase the range of motion in your hips and shoulders will have a significant effect on your velocity. This is a big reason why Tim Lincecum can throw so hard for his size. He is working with the forces of nature to generate his power.

If you study the animated image here of Tim pitching you can see clearly the effective transfer of momentum through his rotational pivots. Watch his front leg land and his back hip rotate all the way around as his back leg triple extends. From here the momentum moves into the core because his front leg has stabilized  and his weight is being held back because his back shoulder is waiting for his hips to open to the target. This forces the core to tighten because the hips are rotating before the shoulders. His core looks like a rag being rung out or a rubber band being twisted at this point in the delivery. After this tightening of the core the momentum travels up into the shoulders. This torque pulls the back shoulder around and he sets the fulcrum, for the rotating shoulders, with his glove hand over his front leg.  The front leg continues to stabilize as his weight begins to shift over his front knee allowing the momentum to transfer into the final pivot. This is the shoulder pivot or the rotator cuff. Notice that when his trunk is fully forward, his arm is completely externally rotated. Now the arm fires like a rubber band and begins to rotate forward as also all the momentum from the body jumps into the ball like a passenger riding in a car and hitting a brick wall at 100 mph.

What Tim Lincecum continues to teach us is how to pitch with the entire body and that the arm is only along for the ride. This is exactly why little guys can throw so hard and old pitchers can still compete. Tim Lincecum uses gravity to aid momentum and his momentum to build torque in all of his rotational pivots. He also fires those pivots in the perfect order at the perfect time for effective momentum transfer. Everytime Tim Lincecum pitches, you should be watching because it is a lesson in Top Velocity.

Scap Loading Issues

The problem with coaching Scap Loading is that it can promote the infamous inverted W.  The inverted W is the mechanical flaw linked to many rotator cuff and UCL injuries in professional baseball. This is when the elbows fly above the shoulders during the stride and before the shoulders fire towards the target. Scap Loading can lead to this issue because Scap Loading is the throwing of the elbows behind the back during the stride. Throwing the elbows behind the back or above the shoulders is both considered putting the shoulders and elbows in what the Physical Therapy world calls the “Red Zone.” This is a vulnerable position for the arms to be in during an explosive movement like pitching.

If you have ever watched a Major League Pitcher in slow motion you will most always find the pitcher putting his elbows behind his back or maybe even above his shoulders. It would be impossible for a Major League Pitcher to throw a 90+mph fastball without Scap Loading. This is almost proof that Scap Loading is a reaction to the stride. In my experience coaching myself and coaching pitchers is that slower strides create more Scap Loading. This is why I do not coach Scap Loading. The only time I coach a voluntary action to load the scapular is when a pitcher has such a quick stride that he is having a hard time preventing the shoulders from opening early. This is when I coach the pitcher to only load the scapular of the throwing shoulder. This will sometimes help the pitcher hold the throwing shoulder back into front foot strike to promote more hip to shoulder separation.

I really believe most pitcher coaches fail when they coach velocity through the upper kinetic chain like when coaching Scap Loading. Velocity comes from the body movements through force production of the lower half first and then the conversion of these body movements and power into the upper kinetic chain. This means you will benefit more from coaching the force production in the lower half. This means Scap Loading is a failed approach to coaching hip to shoulder separation because hip to shoulder separation is a product of an action of an explosive lower half movement creating a reaction in the inactive upper half at front foot strike. Voluntarily Scap Loading the shoulders during the stride to promote hip to shoulder separation will take the focus away from the lower half speed and also activate the shoulders before hip to shoulder separation occurs at front foot strike.

3X Pitching

This approach, I have defined here, is the 3X approach to pitching. If you are a bit confused then start with this video to learn the entire 3X approach to pitching. This is the approach to pitching velocity that is behind the ever popular 3X Pitching Velocity program.

I have written about this component in just about every article on pitch velocity. I will once again define this into more detail. I am doing this because of how important it is to master the pitching component of “Separation.”

The picture here of Felix Hernandez pretty much says it all. You can see the “Separation” from his hips to shoulders. It is like he is a towel being rung out to dry. Tim Lincecum calls this tightening his “Rubber Band.” The “Rubber Band” being his core. To understand core torque and its effectiveness, you must understand how torque is generated in a 90 MPH pitcher.

When throwing a pitch, we rely on the rotation of three pivots. The hip pivot, collar pivot and the shoulder pivot. If we remove torque in one of these pivots then the other two are forced to handle more torque to keep the same velocity, which leads to poor velocity and injury. The most common loss of torque in young pitchers is because of poor “Separation.” To understand why this happens, let’s take a look at each pivot.

The Hip pivot builds torque just when the front foot lands and the back leg “Triple Extends.” View animation. This is the first pivot to build torque and it is important to achieve full range of motion in this pivot. If the hip pivot does not open completely to the target when the front foot lands, then you are not building maximum torque. The most effective way to build torque is with momentum. Without momentum, the torque is created with only a rotational force. A good example would be the old saying, “Squish the bug.” This would be turning the hip pivot instead of using the driving force from the legs and the fall, to build the torque. Using momentum to build torque is much more effective for generating top velocity.

In between the hip pivot and the next pivot I will discuss, this is the moment “Separation” must occur. If  “Separation” of the hips and shoulders DO NOT occur then the pivots are moving together. This combines the pivots into one pivot and the pitcher losses the opportunity to build core torque. This is because, when “Separation” occurs, the hip pivot and the collar pivot stay separate. The core is now stuck in the middle and forced to tighten or stretch like a towel or rubber band. Once again notice the picture of Felix Hernandez above with hip to shoulder  “Separation.”

The next pivot in the chain of building maximum torque would be the Collar pivot. The collar pivot occurs after “Separation,” or “Scap Loading.” If the collarbone or shoulders would have traveled with the hips, then this pivot would have built zero torque. This is like removing the back two tires from a race car. This is so important to velocity and longevity that it is surprising how very few young pitchers know about its importance. If the collarbone or shoulders stay back, while the hips open to the target, then the spine or core builds torque. Every vertebra of the spine begins to tighten like a towel being rung out. This is just like those little model race cars you had as a kid. The ones that you press to the floor and role back slowly on its wheels to wind the engine. There is a little rubber band like engine within the car that is building torque and when you let it go, BAM, it takes off. This is the same concept behind the pitching component “Separation.” This is why this component is so effective in generating top velocity. Adding more torque here means adding less torque to the last pivot. Which is the Shoulder Pivot.

The shoulder pivot is the most common and most familiar pivot. It is the pivot of the shoulder joint. When the arm externally rotates backwards this is building torque. The reason this pivot is so familiar to the average pitcher is because it is the easiest to use. This is only because it is used all of the time. It opens bottles, doors, used with a screw driver and any other house hold tools. It is very important to a persons quality of life. The problem is the shoulder pivot or joint is designed with a very delicate and intricate system of muscles. This is because it is the only multidirectional joint in the body. The key to top velocity and a long career is preventing this pivot from handling most of the torque. This pivot should mainly be used to guide the pitch to the target.

To visually understand how to  build torque in all three pivots is a lot easier than actually performing the task. The reason is because we are dealing with three pivots. For each pivot to build torque and then to use that torque to generate velocity, takes as much timing as physical strength and coordination. Learning this timing can take an entire career. This is why it is important to continuously analyze your pitching mechaincs to make sure you are building maximum torque within the first two pivots and using that torque to generate top velocity in the 3rd and final pivot.

It is very important to remember the keystone to this entire system of pivots is “Separation.” Master this component and the rest will come naturally. Best of luck!

Remember you are bound by nothing. You have the ability to throw 90+ mph. Doctors told me I would not be able to and I proved them wrong. These tips will help you do the same.

Tips for Improving Pitching Velocity

1. Change speeds.

This should always be your first step in developing velocity because there is no risk involved. This creates an illusion of velocity. By changing the speed of your pitches this will throw the hitter’s timing off and can make a 70 mph fastball look like a 90 mph fastball. Pitchers like Trevor Hoffman have made long major league careers off of this one tip. He is a master of the fastball change up combination. Use this tip for immediate effect while you work on the other velocity tips.

2. Pitch from the ground up.

We all make the mistake at a very young age, that to throw a baseball only takes the arm to perform the task. Then as we grow bigger and move up levels in the game, we find ourselves continuing to only use our shoulders and arms to throw the ball. This is a major problem. This is why we still have an incredible amount of shoulder injuries in the game. You must change your perspective. You must teach your body to recruit bigger muscle groups when you demand more velocity from your delivery. This begins in learning to pitch from the ground up. Velocity comes from forces added to the ball. These forces come from momentum in your lift leg and your push off the ground. You then must learn to transfer these forces into the ball. This can be learned through the Ace Pitcher 6 Components of Pitching. View the Handbook with these components at the bottom.

This video talks more about the throwing mistakes we make at a young age.

3. Loading your weight back until launch.

Timing and efficiency of weight transfer, during delivery, is the essence of velocity. This is where velocity lives. Most young pitchers do not load at all. Once they lift their leg they fall towards the target. This causes poor velocity and arm injury. Read my article “Lift for Show, Load for Doe” to understand “The Load” position.

4. Building Core Torque.

The most important component of velocity, is building majority torque in the core. The core is the area from just above the knees to just below the chest. This area contains the strongest muscles in your body. So it makes sense that you should use this part of the body to generate velocity. If the core is not mainly used to build torque, then the shoulder and elbow will be forced to hold the torque needed to generate velocity. To learn more about “Separation” or the importance of building core torque, read the article “Pitching Torque and the 3 pivots” and also watch this video.

5. Create more Elastic Energy.

Once you have built core torque and your weight is still back, rotate and thrust your chest forward while your arm externally rotates behind your head. This stretching of the stomach and shoulder is creating elastic energy in your body. The more relaxed you are, the more elastic energy can be created. To learn more about this read the article, “Pitch Velocity = Elastic energy.”

6. Momentum transfer.

What is the benefit of creating momentum when you can not control or transfer the momentum to the ball? The problem with coaching someone on how to generate more momentum when pitching is that they have no idea how to control it and they get worse before they get better. This is why proper momentum transfer is essential for good velocity. If you leave any momentum in your body, then you have left some velocity behind. The Ace Pitcher component of “Stabilization” describes how this momentum transfer must occur.

7. Early elbow extension and Internal Rotation.

Most throwers believe that if they pull their arms down at release then this will generate more velocity. The opposite is true. High velocity pitchers release the ball earlier than low velocity pitchers after external rotation of the throwing arm. Which happens after momentum transfer when their chest is out over their toes and their arms are externally rotated. This means after your body has done its job you must release the ball as quickly as possible by allowing your elbow to extend up and away from your head. You must also begin internally rotating your arm, as soon as your elbow extends, so you can release the pitch with your thumb pronated down. This will protect your arm during the deceleration phase. Read the article “Pulling down is slowing down” to learn more.

8. Refuel your ATP.

ATP is the main source of energy for all muscle contraction. There are several chemical reactions that take place to produce ATP. When a muscle is used, a chemical reaction breaks down ATP to produce energy. There is only enough ATP stored in the muscle cell for two or three slow twitch contractions, or one burst of power from a fast twitch contraction. More ATP must be created.

To understand rest between throwing a pitch, first you must understand what happens during the delivery of the pitch. Initially your muscles use ATP to power the contractions but the levels of ATP available are limited. The cells have a very limited ability to replenish ATP during the activity before having to switch to other methods to fuel the activity.

Fortunately, your body can replenish ATP when you are resting. About 50% or half of the depleted ATP is replaced after one minute of total rest. Almost all of the ATP that the body can replenish (just over 95%) is restored after about three minutes of rest. I know pitchers can not wait that long between pitches, but the longer you can wait, the better opportunity to develope more velocity.

9. Fast Twitch Muscle Fiber.

A proper strength and conditioning regime like the Ace Pitcher Handbook, is based around developing fast twitch muscle fiber. This is important for velocity, because when adding a little more velocity to a pitch, you must recruit more muscle fiber within your muscular system to make this happen. We have already talked about where that muscle fiber should come from, now you need to learn how to develop more muscle fiber in the correct places of your system. Spending most of your time in the weight room sitting on cushioned machines, isn’t the answer. Start with the “Beginner Pitching Workout” and then you can move to the “Fusion System” in the Ace Pitcher Handbook at the bottom.

10. Speed your recovery.

By speeding your recovery time between starts or appearances you are making sure you never enter a game at less than 100% recovery. If your system is completely rebuilt and replenished, this is a better chance you will have the ability to generate top velocity. This is why it is important to keep a strict routine of a good strength training and conditioning program, along with a balanced alkaline based diet. You need to learn about alkaline based foods. These are green vegetables and more, which help restore the PH levels in your system. When your system becomes very acidic, you do not recovery as quickly. Diet is extremely important to recovery. Read this article on “Pitching Nutrition and Supplements” and start eating more alkaline foods from this chart.

Bonus tip: Lay off your arm.

Stop wearing your arm out. It takes enough abuse on the mound. You need to make sure your strength training program isolates the core and legs more than the shoulders and arms. If your arm is constantly sore and tired, it is because you use it to much. Try changing habits, like brushing your teeth with your non-pitching arm and do not arm wrestle your roommates with your pitching arm. Take care of yourself and it will take care of you.

I understand each one of these pitching velocity tips did not go into much detail. The purpose of this article was to give you some guidance for developing efficient and effective velocity, without sacrificing the body in return. If you would like more detail on any one of these tips, then sign up for the FREE newsletter up top and start reading the articles. If you are really serious about pitching then purchase the Ace Pitcher Handbook to take control of your career. Best of luck!

Tips and Articles on Pitching in Baseball

3 Keys to Pitching Velocity

Triple Extension – 3X Pitching

The Phenomenon of Speed Mechanics!

The Pitching Key to Torque is in the “Tilt”

The Secrets behind throwing hard!

Comparison of High Velocity and Low Velocity Pitch Deliveries

“Loading” is when the pitcher holds his weight back over his back leg, while his front side continues building momentum towards the target. This is why strong legs and core, produce powerful pitching. Look at Eric Gagne in this picture. He is squatting on his back leg, waiting for the perfect time to fire his hips and then his shoulders.

A component of velocity is produced when torque is generated in the two rotational pivots. The rotation of the hips, to the rotation of the shoulders. Tim Lincecum calls this the “Rubber Band.” Think of your core as the “Rubber Band.” Rotating the shoulder and hip pivot separate from each other would tighten the “Rubber Band.” This sounds a lot easier than it actually is to perform. This is why a small amount of athletes can throw a baseball over 90 mph.

The importance of the “Load” is that it holds the weight back until the first pivot, the hips, are ready to build maximum torque. Triple extension in the back leg drives the momentum into front foot strike, forcing the hips to pivot. Then “Separation,” or “Scap Loading” must occur to build torque in the core. There is that word again “Loading”. Notice the pitcher here in this position. His hip rotation is now complete. It has built maximum torque. You can see this in the tightening of his “Rubber Band.” Notice his shirt is stretching like a rubber band would. Now, all that is left to do, is to fire the last pivot, the shoulders forward and then stabilize. Stabilization allows the momentum generated from the body to transfer to the ball.

If the pitcher didn’t “Load” his weight back, as his front side continued to build momentum and set the first pivot of the hips, then top velocity could never be achieved. It would also put more stress on the rotator cuff, because the torque would build more in the shoulders than the core.

The “Load” is also just as important for hitters to develop power. Notice this picture of A-Rod in the “Load” position. The difference is hitters are more compact because they have to defend the strike zone. Therefore, a hitter cannot have a long stride like a pitcher. This brings up another good point. A good stride is considered to be the length of your body height. The “Load” position also increases your stride. So when you here a Coach yell out that you need to stride out more, then you will understand that this means you are not “Loading.” The importance of the “Stride” is that it moves you closer to the plate, shortening the distance the ball must travel, which increases velocity and a good “Stride” gives you more time to build momentum.

In conclusion, a good “Load” position is more valuable for a pitcher than a high lift leg. It generates as much or more momentum but is critical in generating optimal hip to shoulder separation. Here is a gallery of more pitchers in the “Load” position. View gallery here.

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.

What I learned of the mechanics of throwing is that we put too much torque on the arm when we are growing up in the game (watch my 5 components of pitching for more on this). It takes the best ball players in the game less time to learn how to develop torque in the core of the body and we average to below average ball players an injury to develop this understanding of Top Velocity.

“Top Velocity in all sports comes from momentum in the lower half leading to separation of back hip to back shoulder.”

Notice the three pictures here. These are the best throwers in their sport and what do they have in common besides the fact that they are throwing something? They all have separation of the hips and shoulders, which is giving them majority torque in the core instead of in the shoulder. This is why throwing upper 90′s in baseball looks effortless in guys like John Smoltz. When you can develop maximum torque in the core, instead of the shoulder, you will reach your Top Velocity.

This is why I have developed this site because most of you reading this are saying, “Wow, I never looked at these three sports this way and the similarities of these top athletes.”

So Why is this important?
This is important because throwing in these individual sports has been seen as a separate and unique event and not seen, until now, as something as common to all sports as running.

So what does this mean?
It means that we should be looking at what these top athletes are doing in all these sports, to help gain an edge in our sport. As I always say to my young pitchers, “First train as an athlete, then as a baseball player and finally as a pitcher.” This is the only way to reach your Top Velocity and I am here to help you. So read more of this site and post your questions on the forum. It is FREE!