During the prime of the likes of Nolan Ryan, the popular way of generating more momentum back then was the “Stand Tall and Fall” style developed by Nolan Ryan and his pitching coach Tom House, who may have coined the term. This proceeded the popular style of “Drop and Drive” used by the great Tom Seaver. These two styles of pitching are still used today. What is changing is pitching mechanics are evolving from an art form into the world of science.

Instead of hearing terms like “Stand Tall and Fall” or “Drop and Drive,” we are now hearing terms like “Core Torque,” “Triple Extension” or “Scap Loading.” What we are learning is the more science we can put into pitching, the more benchmarks we have to help pitchers make their improvements. If pitching mechanics are only seen as an art form, then they are based on opinion, which has been the case for some time now. When pitching mechanics are seen as a science then through analysis pitching mechanics must meet certain benchmarks to be labeled efficient and effective.

What we have learned from these two styles, “Stand Tall and Fall” and “Drop and Drive,” is more momentum equals more velocity. What we know today is that digital science has proven that momentum is only effective if it transfers from the lower half to the upper half of the body before it can move into the ball at release. This is the importance of “Separation.” “Separation” is when the front leg lands and the back leg is extended, the back hip is around and the back shoulder and body weight is still back. Notice the picture of Tim Lincecum above in this position. You can develop all the momentum in the world with a Nolan Ryan leg lift or a Tim Lincecum jump off the mound but if you do not let that momentum travel up your body into the ball with proper “Separation” then this means you will be stuck with just your arm to generate the velocity of the pitch.

I like to use the analogy of a moving car. Imagine a car traveling at 100 mph. The drivers side door is closed but it isn’t closed all the way. All of a sudden the driver slams on the brakes and stops the car in its tracks. What would happen to the door? It would fly open because once the momentum of the car is stopped by the brakes, the momentum moves into anything that is not secured down. The door was not secured down, so it picked up the momentum and flew open. This is exactly how momentum must travel through a pitchers body. To transition from the moving car analogy into the delivery of a pitcher we could say the car is the legs and core of the pitcher and the door is the shoulders and arms. Once the pitcher puts on the brakes with his front leg during front foot strike and the shoulders are closed with weight back, then the momentum will travel into the shoulders and arms driving them open towards the front knee. If the front leg continues to stabilize, the momentum will jump into the ball once the shoulders and arms cannot travel any farther.

This analogy makes it sound simple but it is not because there is a sequence of rotational pivots that must rotate perfectly in order for the ball to reach your potential velocity. To learn more about these pivots read Pitching-torque-and-the-3-pivots. It is also a major feat to train your muscles to move your “car” at speeds that cannot be seen by the human eye but I believe it is possible and so should you. Purchase the Ace Pitcher Handbook for a complete training program to help you grow bigger, stronger, faster.

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 best way to achieve separation is with your hips. You must understand that there is a delay from your hips to shoulders. This means your hips start first and your shoulders hold and when your hips stop, your shoulders commit. Just like the picture above, you must see the component “Separation” as a split perspective. Your lower half and then your upper half. Your lower half works first, then your upper half follows. Most young pitchers do this in reverse. This will cause arm problems and poor velocity. This happens because if the upper half starts first then the lower half is left behind and has no opportunity to be used.

I recommend you take a picture of yourself during the point of “Separation” and cover up first the upper half of your body in the picture. You want to see your hips completely open to the target like the picture above. Then cover your lower body and you want to see your shoulders in line with the target like the picture above. If you do not see good separation then you need to work on getting your hips moving faster while delaying your shoulders until just before front foot strike.

Notice the picture here of Mariano Riviera. The greatest closer in the game. His hips have started his delivery and are driving towards the plate while his shoulders stay back.  His arms are relaxed and waiting for his hips and legs to reach full stride, before the shoulders are ready to fire. The shoulders must fire after the back leg has triple extended and the back hip has completely committed to the target. This is the point of Separation.

This split perspective is essential to developing good separation. You must see this as a split second delay in your lower half to upper half and the hips leading the process. This is a challenge to learn and perform well but this component alone is what separates average pitching from above average pitching. Combining good “Separation” with a total body Olympic style strength and conditioning program, equals a Top level Pitcher.

Most coaches do not coach “Separation” because it is a challenge. The only way to coach this component and to perform this component correctly you must focus on the “Hip Slide.” What I mean by “Hip Slide” is that your hips should be seen as a slide or car and when you first lift your leg to start your delivery, the slide must start down the mound. Everything else on your body must stay back while the slide is heading down the hill. Therefore the faster you can get your slide down the hill while holding everything else back, the faster your velocity. It is also just as important to velocity if the slide comes to a complete stop at front foot strike. The hips/slide must stop, so the momentum it generated, is transfered up the core, into the shoulders, into the arm and finally the ball. The reason you must focus on the hips to develop “Separation,” is because if the hips move faster than the shoulders, you will create good “Separation” naturally.

Driving your slide down the hill as fast as possible and slamming the slide into your front leg to completely stop its momentum, is your best opportunity to generate your potential top velocity. It is also just as important the distance the slide covers before it is stopped by the front foot strike. This distance is called your stride. A good stride is at least your body length. A good stride means that you had more time to generate momentum before front foot strike.

When your slide is building momentum down the mound while you are holding everything else back, which is called “Loading,” this will increase your stride length. The best way to perform this is by “Loading” hard on your back side until your back knee starts to straighten out. Once it begins to straighten, you must triple extend your back leg, to add that last push to your slide which will build more momentum and increase your stride. Read my article “Lift for Show, Load for Doe” to learn more about the “Load.”

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!

When someone tells me that working out is bad for pitching I then ask them then why is about 70% of Major League Ball Players on Steroids or Human Growth Hormone? It isn’t because they just want to look good on TV. I then ask them why was the majority of the ball players listed on the Michell Report pitchers? I always get a few stutters followed by silence.

This does make a good point so I wanted to back up this claims with the list of pitchers who are on the Mitchell Report. It definitly does make a big statement. These pitchers where suspended for using steroids or HGH.

Agusten Montero
Juan Rincen
Rafael Betancourt
Ryan Franklin
Carlos Almanzar
Felix Heredia
Yusaku Iriki
Jason Grimsley
Guillermo Mota
Juan Salas
Clay Hensley
Grant Roberts
Matt Whiteside
Nerio Rodreguez
Henry Owens
Roger Clemens
Andy Pettitte
Kevin Brown
Jason Christiansen
Brendan Donnelly
Ryan Franklin
Eric Gagne
Matt Herges
Josias Manzanillo
Kent Mercker
Bart Miadich
Denny Neagle
Jim Parque
Stephen Randolph
Mike Stanton
Ron Villone
Jeff Williams
Todd Williams
Paul Byrd
Darren Holmes
John Rocker
Scott Schoeneweis
Ismael Valdez
Steve Woodard
Daniel Naulty
Ricky Bones
Paxton Crawford
Mike Judd
Ricky Stone

Believe me this is a short list. Think of all the Pitchers who didn’t make the list who are on these performance enhancers. If you need a reference to this information here are the links to the Mitchell report and all Pitchers suspended after the report came out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_named_in_the_Mitchell_Report

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_suspended_for_performance-enhancing_drugs

I mean honestly, how could someone truly believe that strength and conditioning will not improve your velocity or speed? This is the only reason athletes take performance enhancers like steroids and HGH. Those of us in pro sports who didn’t take them where definitely tempted. We all knew that if you took human growth hormone, Deca-Durabolin, Winstrol, Sustanon, and Anadrol separately or all together before a workout, without dying, after a few months you would be throwing a lot harder. Notice I said dying. Yes, we knew it was dangerous and that is why some of us didn’t take it. Also because the league wasn’t offering us “No Namers” millions of dollars to play better.

It is just absurd to say that strength and conditioning does not increase velocity. It is even more absurd to follow that with “Only pitching mechanics improvement can do that while using mental rehearsal prior to each pitch with the intention of moving the body faster.” If your body is growing stronger, will it not have more ability to move faster? If strength and conditioning didn’t increase pitching velocity, personally I would have never played ball again after my rotator cuff surgery.

I am in NO way promoting steroid or HGH use to increase velocity. I believe this to be more destructive than helpful in the long term. This is why I recommend the 3X Pitching Velocity Program. This is the same program I used to not only make it back to baseball after a career ending rotator cuff tear but also play pro ball and top out at 94mph.

Read my article on “Olympic Lifting Increases Pitching Velocity,” to learn more about this topic.

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.

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

What should you be doing now and into the Christmas break? You should be doing everything in your power to make yourself Bigger, Stronger, Faster. I am not talking body building here. I am talking athletic performance. As much as some pitchers and critics do not want to believe, pitchers are athletes. The best pitchers in the game, are some of the best athletes in the game.

So how do you get Bigger, Stronger, Faster? With a smart program and a hard working attitude! Remember these three words come together in a package deal. They do not role separately. I didn’t say, Bigger, Stronger or just Bigger. I said Bigger, Stronger, Faster. So every workout, every sprint, every lift should be performed within a routine that is built around these three words. I recommend the Ace Pitcher Handbook, which has the Fusion system, for a great training program that focuses on these three words. I would not use the Ace Pitcher Handbook if you are looking for a quick fix before the season. This Handbook is serious stuff. For you to see the results that I had using this program, you must follow it exactly. This is because if you want to throw 90mph or speed your recovery time or overcome an injury, this will not happen overnight or by just picking up a few tips. It will only happen, if you devote yourself to this life changing event of defeating mediocrecy and embracing an extraordinary career. Look at it like you are 600 pounds and you know you need to go on a diet to lose the weight. You will not lose the weight if you decide to just eat rice cakes instead of bunny bread. You will only lose the weight, if you make a complete transformation.

I know I sound like Dr. Phil and this all sounds very dramatic but what it comes down to is the perspective of the baseball pyramid of success. Your career is based on this pyramid. If you are in high school or college, you are about in the middle of the pyramid. So if this pyramid had five floors within it, like the picture abpve, you would be on the second or third floor. Every time you make it to the next floor or next level, there is less room. This means, there is less opportunity. So if you see your career in this perspective, everything I am saying here doesn’t seem so dramatic as much as it seems like a good kick in the ass.

So ask yourself, “Have I been doing what it takes to grow Bigger, Stronger, Faster?” and if not, “What must I do with these last few months to improve my athletic performance before I start the season?” Because once the season starts, your body will not have the opportunity to grow. It will only have the ability to maintain. This is why pitchers have different training programs in-season as opposed to the off-season.

Take it from someone who has been in your position many times. If you haven’t started yet, find yourself a trainer or program that can get you what you need to improve your athletic performance in these last few months. Because when the games begin, you do not want to find yourself wishing you would have worked harder and smarter, this off-season.