The Benefits of the Windup

1. This means no one is on base, so you potentially have more time to build momentum through your stride but you can also do this in the stretch.
2. This also means, you have more time once you start your delivery, to focus up on the target. Not to say you can’t do this in the stretch either.
3. It is a more intimidating position to face the batter which will give the pitcher more confidence.

The Benefits of the Stretch

1. You will throw your most important pitches here.
2. You have a more simple delivery mechanically.
3. You can get a good foot position on the rubber.

I believe that the deciding factor, of a pitcher who would either like to use the stretch or the windup without runners on base, is the foot position issue. You can get your foot in a more comfortable and athletic position when in the stretch. This would really benefit pitchers who are playing on bad fields. You know that mound that has a crater in front of the rubber that annoys the hell out of you! Here is a velocity quick tip that covers how to effectively position your foot on the rubber.

Pitchers that prefer the windup over the stretch, when acceptable, usually say the reason is because they feel more comfortable in the windup. If this is the case for you or your pitchers then this is fine. The only problem is if there is a significant difference between the pitchers delivery when in the windup as opposed to the stretch.  There should be no difference once the lift leg hip begins towards the target. Notice the video of John Smoltz below. His two deliveries are seamless between his windup and stretch.

I recommend pitching in the stretch more often because you will throw your most important pitches there. If you are more comfortable in the windup then this is usually because you throw more practice pitches in the windup. If this is the case, then I recommend throwing your bullpens in the stretch the majority of the time. This will also help you when you have runners on base. When runners are on base you must do your best to help your catcher to hold the runners on by being as quick as possible during your delivery. This means you may need to slide step. The problem is if you are a pitcher who likes to throw in the windup with a big leg lift, when in the stretch and slide stepping, you lose velocity. The key to not losing velocity in the slide step is focusing on the “Load” position. This position is when your hips are driving towards the target and you are squatting hard on your back leg. If you work hard to build momentum in the “Load” position, you can build as much momentum as you do with a high leg lift. Read my article on “Lift for Show, Load for Doe” to understand more about the “Load.”

I also recommend, when in the stretch, to start with your head and hips just inside your drive foot.  Have your feet almost shoulder width apart and your lift leg hip ready to fire to the target. This will help you get your lower half moving even faster to the target which will allow you to build maximum momentum along with optimal speed to hold base runners on.

It is important to remember that whatever you do to your delivery in the windup or stretch they must match each other once the hips begin moving towards the plate. If this does not occur then it will be very hard to stay consistent mechanically through the entire game. This will have a big effect on your balls to strikes ratio.

I am not talking about hormone levels like body builders talk about hormone levels. I am speaking for athletes who are always looking to grow more athletic. Your hormone levels are a major component to your athletic ability, so it is essential that you learn about your Endocrine System. The chart below comes from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. This chart describes how to manipulate your hormone levels naturally to gain athletic benefits.

What this chart teaches us athletes is that performing lifts that recruit major muscle groups and as many muscle fibers as possible, will cause more muscle fiber damage overall. In return the body is forced to heal this massive  event of controlled muscle damage as quickly as possible, to prevent damage from continuing. The body then sends out and army of natural occurring anabolic hormones to heal up the damaged muscle fibers.To make sure this event doesn’t continue, the body builds more muscle fibers for future events.

The difference in training muscles without recruiting as many groups of muscle fibers per repetition, like with aerobic conditioning or light weight training, is the body dumps only a small about of testosterone and GH to heal the small amount of damage. This is why body builders are bigger and more powerful than long distance runners.

To take advantage of this new information, it is important that you train smart. Training smart is not going one extreme to the other. So DO NOT take off with this new information and start throwing on weight that you can’t handle and perform 1-2 reps a set. That is unsafe. Just like pitching everything must be controlled and you must make small adjustments for a healthy career. This information should motivate you to start working for quality lifts instead of quantity. Another important piece of advice is not to take this mentality of bigger, stronger, faster into the weight room while in season. This is an off season mentality only.

This is only a beginner training program. It does not included any joint integrity training, medicine ball training or anaerobic conditioning. To learn a more advanced training program, which includes everything you need to know to increase your athletic performance as a pitcher or position player, check out the 3X Pitching Velocity Program. It is highly recommended!

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Dick Mill’s says that science today has proven weight training does not increase your throwing velocity. I have yet to find any scientific information on this theory. I would like to ask Dick Mill’s, “Why, when I was a junior in college and training with the Olympic Lifts, after six months my velocity went from 82 to 90 MPH?” During that summer I played on a travel team, I would complete an intense workout and then rush to pitch a full game immediately after the workout. I may not recommend this to other pitchers but it sure did work for me. I then spent the last five or more years trying to figure out why this worked. This is when I wrote the article “Olympic Lifting Increases Pitching Velocity” and also this is when I coined the term “Triple Extension.”

The reason for my velocity improvements did come from the Olympic lifts. This is because, if these lifts are performed correctly, they will max out your core strength potential and promote fast twitch muscle fiber growth. There is no better way to train your core and fast twitch fiber, than with these lifts. If I go a week without performing these lifts, after my first day back I can feel the weakness first in my core. I even have serious soreness in my core the next few days. I also immediately feel more powerful on the field after the soreness goes away. I feel it when I sprint and throw. Just like when you do a lot of squats and your vertical leap goes up.

The biggest miss conception about these lifts are that they will turn you into Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is a fairy tale. The Olympic lifts build defined athletes. Just look at Matt Bruce here, a current Olympian. He is about 5’7 and 170 pounds. He can Power Clean and Jerk over 400 pounds and he looks like a boy in person.

If you are a pitcher and you are looking for these type of velocity improvements, then you need to drop everything you are doing and learn these lifts. You need to start a program like my “Fusion System.” This workout is the main part of the Ace Pitcher Handbook and was developed by my trainer Chad Engelhardt. It is called the “Fusion System” because it isn’t only about these lifts I have described. It is also about building joint integrity to handle more stress from the improved velocity and the sprint work to really define those fast twitch fibers.

So, if you currently have a program that involves you sitting in an air conditioned health club, on a cushioned seat, performing a chest press, then you better ask yourself, “How the Hell is this making me a better athlete?” It isn’t! Athletes are not made in health clubs. They are made in hot sweaty gyms and on dirty ball fields. Remember this, if you want to play with the “Big Guns,” you better train like one!

“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.

Notice pitcher’s like John Smoltz here, he has a delivery that looks effortless. This is because the explosiveness of his delivery comes at a point in time that is so fast it fools the human eye. Think of a golfer like Tiger Woods. When he swings the club back, if you blink your eyes he has already hit the ball and is following through. The same is with pitchers like John Smoltz. He throws in the upper 90′s but it sure doesn’t look like he does.

The question is, “How does this happen?” What these pitchers are doing, as they start to build momentum, is hold all of their weight back waiting for the last possible second to transfer the momentum as quick as they can. The best way for you to get a good understanding of this is with video. I hope this helps.

I hate to use a legend like Satchel Paige as a bad example but in this case he is a bad example of something he really didn’t care about. He was a magician with the ball, not a flame thrower. Notice how slowly Paige transfers his momentum all at once.

Now notice Felix Hernandez holding his weight back to the last second before letting his momentum explode to the target.

The key to performing this explosive mometum tranfer is in the lift leg and the head. When you lift your leg kick your butt towards the target, then lower the leg away from the body moving the hips back in the opposite direction.  Your weight is balanced over the “Power Pad” of your back foot. The “Power Pad” is the part of the bottom of your foot, just under the balls of your foot. As your lift leg travels down the hill and you squat on your back leg, keep your head over your back leg until your lift leg can not go any farther. Then triple extend your back leg, fire hips then shoulders.

The main focus here is transfering momentum at the last second by holding your weight back until you can’t anymore. If the mechanical directions I described here are confusing, then just use the focus of this topic and add it to your delivery as you see fit. I would take this advice with any correction to your delivery.

Introduction

Specificity of Training principle is one of the most utilized training principles used by exercise professionals today. (Kramer et al., 2002) discussed the principle of training specificity and explained that the training responses elicited by a given exercise mode are directly related to the physiological elements involved with coping with the specific exercise stress. What this means is that if an athlete wants to perform better at a particular event or skill they must train specifically for that particular skill. For example, if an athlete wants to become stronger one must lift heavy weights and if an athlete wants to jump higher one must jump. As a strength and conditioning professional one must know if the movement patterns as well as the methods of the training will lead to neuromuscular or metabolic training adaptations to their specific sport. This goes back to an important rule of coaching which is, “Know your athletes.” This is important because if a strength and speed coach wants to work on a vertical jump for a 15 year old female volleyball player and she does not have the lower body strength to handle the eccentric load of landing or she does not know how to land she could injure herself. Therefore, before training specifically to enhance particular sports movements always evaluate the athlete first.

The principle of specificity is also important for Strength and Speed coaches when designing strength and speed programs to their particular sport. The coach must know the type neuromuscular adaptations the athletes need during the particular time of the year whether; it is off-season, pre-season or in-season this is important because as a coach, one does not want to stress the neuromuscular system. Ronnie McKeefey Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for The University of South Florida believes that sport specificity goes too far when exercises that are prescribed place undue orthopedic stress on the body and are not principled based. He goes on to explain that there must be more exercise than just trying to mimic sport movements while under load (2). Specificity is important principle in all of these training modules because the exercise or training protocol must be specific to the type of action required so that the body is neuromuscular adapted to the particular demands of the type of training.

Research Finding and Specificity

As professionals coaches understand that explosive Olympic lifting and other forms of weight training will help athletes on the field however, many coaches feel that a sprint training program should also include strength specific exercises like sled sprints or weighted sprints. Young, W., Grant, D., and Pryor, J., (2001) did a study on resistance training for short sprints and maximum-speed sprints and found that the quadriceps muscles were important for short sprints and the hamstrings were more important for maximum sprinting. They go on to explain some specificity exercises for sprinting, for the short sprints 10 meter or less the exercises are sled sprints and inclined sprints both from static standing starts. The maximum speed exercise were speed bounding and weighted vest sprinting. As strength and conditioning professional these are great specific exercises to help become a faster athlete. The short sprint exercises really target the quadriceps and glutes, helps with stride frequency and helps increase the force on the motor units. The max speed exercises target the hamstrings, helps with stride length and helps increase the rate of the motor units. This is a great specificity example for speed because through this specificity training an athlete has increased the size and force of the motor unit as well as the rate at which the motor unit fires which in turn with proper mechanics should make the athlete a faster runner. Alcaraz, P., Palao, J., Elvira, J., and Linthorne, N., (2008) also did a study on resistance sprinting but they wanted to find out more specifically the effects of three different types of resisted sprint training on the kinematics of sprinting at maximum velocity. They used three types of resisted sprint training devices which were a sled, parachute, and weighted belt to compare sprinting kinematics during maximum velocity. What they found was that all three types were appropriate training for the maximum velocity phase of sprinting and only induced minor changes in the athletes running technique. These two studies are great examples on the specificity principle they show if an athlete’s wants to get faster than the athlete must sprint to become faster.

Another athletic movement that we train specifically is the vertical jump. Although as professionals one knows that resistance training and explosive training can get you stronger but if an athlete wants to jump higher than they must train using plyometrics. McClenton, L., Brown, J., Coburn, J., and Kersey, R., (2008) did a short term study on the Verti-max vs. Depth jump training and its effect on vertical performance. The verti-max is a training apparatus that uses rubber bands and a pulley system that fully loads the athlete in the low squat position, and then maintains this same level of resistance all the way to the top of the jump. The depth jump is a plyometric exercise that rapidly utilizes the stretch shortening cycle. This exercise consists on stepping off a box landing with both feet, then jumping off the ground as fast and as high as possible. During this six week study they found that the verti-max had no improvement on the vertical jump and the depth jump had significant improvement. Both are very good specific exercises but the verti-max costs nearly $2,000.00 and for the depth jump all an athlete needs is a box. The depth jump also in my opinion is a better exercise if strong enough because of the rapid eccentric movements which in turn causes a rapid concentric movement. Wagner, DR and Kocak, MS (1997) explains that the faster a muscle is stretched the greater the force production and the more powerful the muscle action; which, explains why the depth jump is a more efficient exercise when coached and performed properly.

Resistance training is one of the most important aspects to the specificity principle. There are many types of possible outcomes in resistance training; which include endurance, hypertrophy, strength, and power. As strength and conditioning professionals one must know what to train for and at what time of the year to train for the particular outcome. Behm, D. (1995) did a study on the neuromuscular implications and applications of resistance training specifically on strength and power training. This study explained that the high rate of force development achieved with ballistic contractions should serve as a template for power training; and that muscle hypertrophy is dependent upon protein degradation and synthesis, which may be enhanced through high intensity, high volume eccentric work and concentric contractions. One of the most interesting parts of this research was the part on power training. Behm believes that the high-speed training may increase the rate of force development through an increase in the firing frequency or the motor units. He goes on to explain that to guarantee high-specific adaptations in a power training program the speed of the contraction must be high and that the movement speed is not essential as long as the intent of the contraction is explosive. Saltin and Gollnick (1983) showed through their research that with endurance training, muscle fibers shift towards a slow profile thus allowing those muscles fibers to increase their endurance capacity. Staron, Malickly, Leonardi, Falkel, Hagerman, and Dudley (1990) did a study on muscle hypertrophy and fast fiber types in heavy resistance-trained women and found that heavy resistance training results in a shifting of the rarely used fast twitch B fibers to heavily used fast twitch A fibers; which, allow more fibers to be called upon to produce force for faster and more forceful explosive movements. This type of research on resistance training shows that if an athlete requires muscular endurance, strength, size or explosiveness there are specific training patterns. The strength and conditioning professional must follow the specific training protocols to ensure that the neuromuscular system is adapting to the training properly so that the athletes body can perform better in his or her sport.

Conclusion

In closing, Zatsiorsky (1995) explains that the training principle on specificity is well accepted and suggests that for training to be effective, it should be similar to the demands of the sport. Usually, the more specific the training, the better the transfer to sports performance. All though that last statement may be true, many strength and conditioning professionals including myself believe non-specific training should also take place in a training program not only to achieve a higher level of ability but for also injury prevention. Keep in mind, training first started to prevent injury and later professionals discovered that training can also improve performance. Finally, as a strength and conditioning professional one must know the performance goals of the sport which will help the professional dictate the type of training for the athlete or team; and while every possible type of sports movement cannot be simulated in the weight room, there are other non-specific sports movements and exercises that will stimulate the neuromuscular system which will help athletes when they go into competition.

References

1. Behm, D.G. Neuromuscular Implications and Applications of Resistance Training. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 9(4): 264-274. 1995.
2. Bennett, Scott. Sport Specificity: How far Do you take it? Strength and Conditioning Journal. 28(4): 29-30. 2006.
3. Eduardo Sáez Sáez, González-Badillo, Juan Jose, Izquierdo, Mike .Low and Moderate Plyometric Training Frequency Produces Greater Jumping and Sprinting Gains Compared with High Frequency. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 22(3): 715-725. 2008.
4. Kramer, JF, Morrow, A, and Leger, A. Changes in rowing ergometer, weight lighting, vertical jump and isokinetic performance in response to standard and standard plus plyometric training programs. Int J Sports Med 14: 449-454, 1983.
5. McClenton, L., Brown, Lee, Coburn, J., Kersey, R., The Effect of Short-Term VertiMax vs. Depth Jump Training on Vertical Jump Performance. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 22(2): 321-325. 2008.
6. Saltin B and Gollnic PD. Skeletal muscle adaptability: Significance for metabolism and performance. In Handbook of Physiology (eds. L. Peachy, R. Adrian, and SR Gerzer). American Physiological Society: Bethesda, MD, 555-631, 1983.
7. Staron RS, Malicky ES, Leonardi MJ, Falkel JE, Hagerman FC, and Dudley GA. Muscle hypertrophy and fast fiber type conversions in heavy resistance –trained women. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology 60, 71-79, 1990
8. Wagner, DR and Kocak, MS. A multivariate approach to assessing anaerobic power following a plyometric training program. Journal of Strength & ConditioningResearch.11: 251-255, 1997.
9. Young, Warren PhD, Benton, Dean, Pryor, John,. Resistance Training for Short Sprints and Maximum-speed Sprints. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 23(2): 7-13. 2001.
10. Zatsiorsky, V.M. Science and Practice of Strength Training. Champaign. IL: Human Kinetics, 1995.

Speed Training

Implied in any linear speed discussion with a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, is the concept of resisted speed training strategies. Some professionals consider resisted speed training as the most efficient sprint training technique on the planet, while other consider it not as effective because of a biomechanical stand point. Different resisted speed strategies include, towing, uphill sprints, sand sprints, and weighted sprints. Tahachnik (1992) explained that towing of weighted devices such as sleds and tires is the most common method of providing towing resistance for the enhancement of sprint performance, although the use of parachutes has also been documented. In fact, resisted towing can involve an athlete towing a weighted sled, tire, speed parachute, or some other device over a set distance (Faccioni 1994).

The function of resisted towing is said to improve the acceleration or drive phase of a sprint. Acceleration is integral to successful performance in the various football codes, including Australian rules, rugby union, and soccer and is potentially decisive in determining the outcome of a game (Spinks et al. 2007). It has been said that resisted towing will increase muscular force output, especially at the hip, knee, and ankle. According to researches improved strength levels allow for the production of greater force and decreased ground contact time, leading to a possible increase in stride frequency. Increased stride length may be achieved by improved utilization of elastic energy during the support stage of the sprint cycle (Spinks et al. 2007).

Regardless of the many benefits of resisted towing speed training, the most effective type of resistant speed training for overall speed and acceleration remains for the most part uncertain.

Resistant Towing

Weighted sled towing is a common resisted sprint training technique even though relatively little is known about the effects that such practice has on sprint kinematics. Lockie, R.G., A.J. Murphy, and C.D. Spinks (2003) examined twenty men, which completed a series of sprints without resistance and with loads equating to 12.6% (load1) and 32.2% (load 2) of body mass. Through their findings the participants stride length was significantly reduced by 10% with a 12.6% load and lowered 24% with a 32.2% load. Stride frequency did not change from load 1 to load 2 and only dropped by 6% between the unloaded and loaded trials. In addition, sled towing increased ground contact time, trunk lean, and hip flexion in both loads but, more of an increase happened with load 2. As for the upper body, the results showed an increase in shoulder range of motion with added resistance. The heavier load generally resulted in a greater disruption to normal acceleration kinematics compared with the lighter load. Lockie, R.G., A.J. Murphy, and C.D. Spinks concluded that a lighter load is most likely best for use in a speed training program.

Letzelter et al. (1995) studied the acute effect that different loads had on performance variables with a group of female sprinters during sled towing. The research found that a 2.5-kg load resulted in an 8% decrease in performance over 30 m, and 10 kg resulted in a 22% decrease in sprint performance. Stride length was affected to a greater degree than stride frequency by the increased resistance. As the load increased, the stride length decreased which, accounted for the decrease in velocity speed. Increased loads also caused increased upper-body lean and increased thigh angle at both the beginning and the end of the stance phase. Regrettably, Letzelter et al. did not quantify towing loads relative to body mass or provide anthropometric data on the subjects. It is therefore complicated to relate the results found to earlier recommended loading guidelines.

Spinks C.D., Murphy A.J., Spinks W.L., Lockie R.G. (2007) did a study on effects of resisted sprint training on acceleration performance and kinematics and found that an 8 week resistant speed training group significantly improves acceleration and leg power but, is no more effective than an 8 week non resistant speed training program. Although the study did not find it more effective, how can an athlete increase force production and not increase speed, maybe longer research study should take place.

Both Lockie et al., Letzelter et al. and Spink’s et al. studies concluded that the athletes stride length decreased as the load increased. Mutually, both also found that stride frequency did not change much at all with the different loads. Although this is great information neither one of the researchers put any of this to the real test, “Can towing increase speed?” They both gave great information but what coaches want to see are results. A good number of coaches by now should know that your speed is only as good as your technique but, if a greater load can increase arm speed which both researchers agreed, and arm speed accounts for 15-20% speed how can both suggest a lighter load is better for speed training, more research is needed.

Other Types of Resisted Speed Training

Supplementary, to towing there are many other types of resistant training. Some other types of resistant speed training are weighted vest, uphill running, and sand sprinting.

A study by Bosco et al. (1986) looked at the effect of increasing body weight (7 to 8%) on sprint athletes over a three-week period, training 3 to 5 sessions per week. The added resistance through weighted vests was worn from morning to evening and the athletes were tested for jumping and running on a treadmill, pre and post experiment. The jump tests included squat jumps, countermovement jump, drop jump and 15 seconds continuous jumps on a resistive platform. The squat jump improved 4.5 cm which helped the hypothesis that the increased loading would have a positive effect upon force production and running speed. Another positive effect of weight vest is that the added mass would increase the vertical force at each ground contact; which would increase the stress placed on the stretch shortening cycle (reactive strength). This would improve the muscle’s capacity to tolerate greater stretch loads, store more elastic energy, and improve power output, which may increase in stride length. Although Bosco et al (1986). brings up great and valet points about the SSC, how does he know for sure if increasing vertical force in the ground is even beneficial as far as sprinting goes. Remember, your speed is only as good as your technique.

Uphill sprinting had a study conducted by Kunz & Kaufmann (1981) on sprint kinematics maximal sprinting up a 3% incline. They found the velocity to be slower than that of level ground running (8.35m/s to 8.85m/s) and that the subjects sprint kinematics had shorter stride lengths and longer ground contact times. Kunz & Kaufmann believe that uphill sprinting will increase the stress placed on the hip extensor muscle groups as the athlete will attempt to maximize stride length, therefore increasing this component on the flat surface. They feel this training method will develop a shorter ground contact time if the athlete emphasizes fast push off to conquer the effects of the positive grade. An incline of greater than 3% would still be beneficial in developing the forceful hip extensor movements required but will be less specific in the simulation of the specific technical movements of the sprint.

Sand sprinting had little to no research on it. The little research on sand sprinting concluded that it helped increase hamstring strength as well as its flexibility due to the sands unstable surface. Oviatt and Hemba (1991) wrote an article named Sand Blast and in it, stated that “Walking in the sand, however, is almost twice as costly (energy expenditures for physical activity) as walking on firm turf. It follows that sprinting in the sand will compound energy expenditures of a 50% increase. In other words, you can get twice the cardiovascular conditioning in half the time, which, is important because body fat between muscle fibers inhibit rapid contractions of the involved muscle.

Resisted Towing and Kinematics

Steven LeBlanc and Pierre L Gervais (N/A) researched the basic kinematics of sprinting under assisted and resisted conditions as compared to free sprinting in the acceleration and top-speed phases. Free Sprint and assisted sprint kinematics will not be discussed in this section only resisted kinematics compared to sprint start will be discussed because of resisted sprints have more of an impact on acceleration. LeBlanc and Gervais completed 3 trials of resisted sprinting, and a sprint start, using 1 female and 5 male track and field athletes from the University of Alberta. Each sprint was approximately 50m in distance, the participants were also filmed. The linear kinematic measures of interest included average running speed, stride rate, stride length, and ground support time. Angular kinematic measures of interest included average trunk angle, thigh range of motion and peak velocity. The resisted sprinting condition used a parachutechute approximately 1 m2 attached to a waist belt and subjects were given a 30m acceleration zone prior to the filming area to reach top running speed. For the sprint start condition, the blocks were setup 20m prior to the filming area. They established is that there were no significant differences in any of the kinematics being tested and that RS and SS were very similar in average running speed (8.74 m/s vs. 8.76 m/s), stride length (4.03 m vs. 3.92 m), and support time (0.122 s vs. .123 s). This suggests that resisted sprinting has similar kinematics to the acceleration phase of sprinting much more than the velocity phase.

Conclusion

Resistant speed training’s research on overall effectiveness indicated that all but sand sprinting decreased stride length and had little or no change to stride frequency. Most of the research confirmed that resistant towing is very similar to the acceleration phase of a sprint which is the start. However, there is no well-built indication any of these types of resistant training are better than the other.

From a coaching stand point many professionals today prefer towing because of the trunk position having a forward lean. An athlete cannot have that much of a forward lean with any other resistant speed exercise because of gravity. Sprinting uphill may come a very close second but still one cannot accomplish the lean of that with a weighted sled. Even with the weighted vest the research indicated that the force in the ground hit vertical meaning the athletes’ ground time was too long. The reason for this may be because the athletes in the research could not handle the weight of the vest and stood up tall to not fall over; keep in mind, many coaches look at a sprint as just a controlled fall. Sand sprinting is also a great resistant speed exercise but, there just is not enough research and data on this type of resistant exercise to put it at the top.

Resistant towing had the majority of the research in all the resistant training modalities but, all had the same conclusions decreased stride length and had little or no change to stride frequency and increased muscular force output, especially at the hip, knee, and ankle. In fact, Mero (1998) found a high correlation between force production in the start and in the velocity phase of the sprint. This indicates a high level of fast force production in top sprinters and reaffirms the importance of strength during the acceleration phase of sprinting which, one can get through resisted speed training.

In the future, there needs to be more research with resistant speed training. For instance, the Spinks (2007) study indicated that there was not significant increase in sprint performance comparing resisted sprint training and non resistant sprint training but, did they take sprint technique or start technique in consideration. As mentioned previous if an athlete can increase ground force through resisted towing as Spinks (2007) mentioned, how can the athlete not become faster with the proper coaching on the technique of sprinting. That is what wrong with the research, there is a lot of research but very little coaching in the research.

Issues in research for resistant speed training should compare different types of resistant training with proper speed technique coaching and see how they compare to overall speed improvement and kinematics. The reason kinematics is still important is because again an athletes’ speed is only as good as their technique. It is great to know from all this research what is happening biomechanically or muscularly but, the important outcome to all is which will help make you faster in the shortest amount of time. Coaches and athletes want to know the best modalities of resistant speed training and how they compare to each other, more importantly how they compare to overall speed improvement.

References

1. Bosco, C., Rusko, H., and Hirvonen, J. (1986). The effect of extra-load conditioning on muscle performance in athletes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 18(4), 415-419.
2. Faccioni, A., (1993) Resisted and assisted methods for speed development. Part 2. Strength & Conditioning Coach. 1(3), 7-10
3. Gervais, P., LeBlanc, J. S. (N/A). Biomechanical analysis of assisted and resisted sprinting. Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 1-4.
4. Kunz, H., Kaufmann, D.A. (1981) Biomechanics of hill sprinting. Track Technique. (82), 2603-2605.
5. Letzelter, M., Sauerwein, G., and Burger, R. (1995). Resistance runs in speed development. Modern Athlete and Coach. (33), 7–12.
6. Lockie, R.G., A.J. Murphy and C.D. Spinks. (2003). Effects of resisted sled towing on sprint kinematics in field sport athletes. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 17(4), 760-767.
7. Mero, A. (1988). Force-time characteristics and running velocity of male sprinters during the acceleration phase of sprinting. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 59(2), 94-98.
8. Oviatt, R. and Hemba, G. (1991). Oregon State: Sandblasting through the PAC. National Strength & Conditioning Association Journal. 13(4), 40-46.
9. Spinks C.D., Murphy A.J., Spinks W.L., Lockie R.G. (2007). The effects of resisted sprint training on acceleration performance and kinematics in soccer, rugby union, and Australian football players. The Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research. 21 (1), 77-85.
10. Tabachnik, B. (1992). The speed chute. National Strength & Conditioning Association Journal. 14(4), 75- 80.

The start of a 40 yard dash is first based on the athlete’s explosive power to help get them from a static position out into the drive phase of the sprint. Many coaches today have their athletes start in a 3 point stance athlete stands with front foot 2-6 inches from line depending on the athletes size and back foot 2-4 inches from front foot with toes facing forward. The athletes front knee should be bent nearly at 90 degrees and back leg around 120 degrees with hips slightly above knees, back flat and chin tucked. The left arm is bent at 90 degrees at the hip if the left leg is in front, and the right arm is on the line with thumb pointing towards your left foot and index finger point to the right. The athlete’s right shoulder is directly over the right hand with the athlete’s weight leaning forward.

Once the athlete has left the static position the athlete is now in the acceleration or drive phase. Michael Gough (2006), defines the acceleration phase from the initial movement of ground contact until the athlete reaches top end speed. A powerful triple extension of the hip, knee, and ankle joints is important for maximum power development off the start. Forward body lean is critical during the acceleration phase with the shoulders always over the hips. Most coaches want the athlete driving out in a 35 to 45 degree angle with elbows at 90 degrees and driving their heel over their knee with foot dorsiflexed and foot striking under hips. In fact, research by Weyand, Sternlight, Bellizzi and Wright (2000) indicated that the force applied at ground contact is the most important determinant of running speed. Ken Jakalski (2008) states in his article that the dorsiflexion of the ankle is the “magic bullet” of the sprint cycle. He explains this of the dorsiflexed ankle because it puts a stretch on the gastrocnemius, soleus and achilles complex which contributes to knee flexion and hip flexion. He goes on to explain that if the athletes does not dorsiflex the ankle, the gastrocnemius soleus and achilles complex cannot help out as a leg flexor. If the gastrocnemius cannot assist in this process, another muscle group will, which are the hamstrings. Hamstrings should not serve a primary role as knee flexors they are hip extenders, not knee flexors. If the hamstrings are called upon to assist in knee flexion, they will be less effective in carrying out their primary responsibility.

The next phase of the forty yard dash is maximal velocity. This takes place for the last 12.66 yards. Michael Young (2007) of the USA Military Academy and Human Performace Consulting explains there are three primary goals of maximal velocity sprinting: preservation of stability, minimizing braking forces and maximization of vertical propulsive forces. Preservation of stability is the body’s ability to stay in perfect posture for the sprint because when stability is disrupted the loss of elasticity occurs. This stability relates to the athletes core for the most part, think of a squat an athlete holds their breath on the way down to support their back and keep their spine protected. The next goal is to minimize braking forcing which is any force that act in the opposite direction of the desired movement. The primary cause of excessive braking forces is making ground contact too far out in front of the athlete’s center of mass. This can go back to the stability goal because if an athlete has good stability the athlete is less likely to lean back or stand strait up which tends to disrupt the foot strike under the hips. The last goal is maximization of vertical propulsive forces which is the distance traveled in the air before ground contact. Vertical propulsive forces help the athlete with a more effective ground contact position and an increase in negative foot speed which when the foot is moving backwards at ground contact with respect with body moving forward; which, in turn helps the athlete accelerate through the line. Another benefit to the maximization of vertical propulsive is an increase in leg stiffness which is the ability of the legs to act like a spring during contact. Actually, Bret, Dufour, Messonnier and Lacour did study on leg strength and stiffness as ability factors in 100 meter sprints and found that leg stiffness is critically important to maximal velocity sprinting and the maintenance of momentum developed during the acceleration period of a sprint.

Throughout this paper one can see that there are many detailed mechanics through a 40 yard sprint. In a recap we know how to start, we know during the drive phase the athletes elbows are firing past the hips to the shoulders at 90 degrees, the heels are driving up over the knee, the shoulders are in advance of the hips and the athlete is making ground contact beneath the athletes hips which helps drive the athlete forward. During max velocity phase the athlete is doing everything that is in the drive phase except now we are trying to aim for more of a vertical propulsive movement. There is many other factors that go into sprinting for instance breathing, power and strength but for the purpose of this paper I am just explaining the mechanics of a sprint.

Now, that sprint mechanics are understood, what are some improper mechanics that athletes usually do and how can they be fixed. For starters many young athletes have problems with mechanics and it starts with their posture. Most young athletes have tight hips, glutes, hamstrings and gastrocnemius, soleus and achilles complex, internally rotated shoulders and an everted foot due to sitting in class all day. Think about if these kids are in flexion all day and that is what their body knows. So, how can these athletes improve their posture and the answer is through corrective exercises. Pete Egoscue suggests in his book Pain Free to do arm circles for internally rotated shoulders, and many other great corrective exercises for the hips, glutes, hamstrings and gastrocnemius, soleus and achilles complex. But, the most important corrective exercise when it comes to sprinting is foot circles. If an athlete has a foot that is everting and supinating the athlete may lose up to 2/3 or more of surface area and all important assistance of the knee and hip and their associated musculature (48). Once foot circle are performed the athlete feels an increase on surface area as well as more strength because of the assistance of the knee and hip so, if an athlete increases surface area, the athlete then increases force and if the athlete increase force the athlete in turn increase speed with proper sprint mechanics. The next error most athletes are with their elbows many athletes kick their arm back to 180 degrees past their hip which turns their arm into a long slow pendulum. Some athletes cross their bodies with their arms and many do not lock their wrist out which can inhibit the stretch reflex mechanism in the athletes shoulder if the hand supinates past the hip. These improper elbow mechanics can be improved by seated arm swings drills and arm circles. Brown and Ferrigno (2005) explain seated arm drills Starting Position: Seated on the floor with the legs straight out in front of you. Swing arms in a sprinting motion. Elbows should be kept at 90 degrees and keep hands relaxed. Your hands should come up to about shoulder height and should go past your hips in the back. Be careful to not bounce off of the floor as you swing your arms faster. Other problems athletes have is driving heel over knee, driving off of their power pads, heel contacting ground and shoulders not over hips. To help improve these faults there are the Mach Drills invented by Gerard Mach. A cornerstone of his system was the A B & C drill series. Mach (1977) broke the stride into its components parts, knee lift, foreleg action and the push off through the drills. The A Drills were designed to work the knee lift component. The B Drills were designed to work on foreleg reach or pawing action. According to Mach All exercises with leg extension and active down are special exercises to strengthen the hamstrings (6). Mach (1977) also explained The marching and skipping exercises were designed to develop the technique required for body lean, arm action, high knee lift, leg extension, and keeping the center of gravity high, but did not emphasize the strong driving forward or push forward action and the C Drills were designed to work on push off and extension (6). Brent McFarlane uses similar drill for improving speed and technique as does Tom Shaw. Other ways to enhance performance is by doing explosive Olympic lifting and plyometrics. In fact, Eduardo S¡ez, Gonz¡lez-Badillo, Juan Jose, Izquierdo did a study on Low and Moderate Plyometric Training and found that the lower training frequency produced a greater jumping and sprinting gain compared to high frequency. Therefore, sometimes as a coach remember less is more.

In closing, one can see how complex and how much detail goes into sprint work. Again, there is much more that goes into sprinting besides mechanics for instance strength, muscle fibers, breathing and etc. Finally, remember that the start and the finish of a sprint are equally important and if you want to run a good 40 yard dash there is much more than just genetics that come into play. In the words Vern Gambetta used in his article about speed drills there are many roads to Rome and another famous idiom there are many ways to skin a cat. What this mean is coach the drills and training that work for your athletes.

References

1. Bret, C., Rahmani, A., Dufour, A.B., Messonnier, L., and Lacour, J.R. (2002). Leg strength and stiffness as ability factors in 100m sprint running. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 42(3): 274:281.
2. Brown, Lee and Ferrigno, V. (2005). Training for Speed agility and Quickness: Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
3. Eduardo S¡ez, Gonz¡lez-Badillo, Juan Jose, Izquierdo, Mike .Low and Moderate Plyometric Training Frequency Produces Greater Jumping and Sprinting Gains Compared with High Frequency. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 22(3): 715-725. 2008.
4. Gough, Michael. The Forty-Yard Dash for the High School Athlete. National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal. 28( 2): 24-25. 2006.
5. Jakalski, Ken. Sprint Technique and Speed Training. 2008. Enhanced Fitness and Performance.http://www.enhancedfp.com/sport-specific/track-and-field/400-meter-training-ken-jakalski
6. Mach, Gerard. Sprinting & Hurdling School. CTFA 1977: Page 6
7. McFarlane, Brent. A Basic and Advanced Technical Model for Speed. National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal. 15(5): 57- 61. 1993.
8. McFarlane, Brent. A Look Inside the Biomechanics and Dynamics of Speed. National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal. 9(5): 35-41. 1987.
9. Pete Egoscue (Author), Roger Gittines (Contributor) (1998). Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain: New York: Bantom.
10. Weyand, P., Sternlight, D., Bellizzi, M. and Wright, S. (2000). Faster top running speeds are achieved with greater ground forces not more rapid leg movements. Journal of Applied Physiology, 89, 1991-2000.
11. Young, Michael. Maximal Velocity Sprint Mechanics. Track Coach. No. 179. Spring 2007.

Before I give you the secrets to top velocity you must first understand how important it is to train the body for this ability. Your training program should be made of lifts and drills that are training fast twitch muscle fibers. I am sure you have heard me say this a million times but there is no better training than the Olympic Lifts. This involves all types of Cleans, along with Squats and some Split Jerks. These lifts force you to move a good amount of weight very quickly, therefore making you a more explosive athlete. Once you have maxed your explosive potential as an athlete you are then ready to find your top velocity as a pitcher. Purchase the 3X Pitching Velocity Program for all these explosive training routines and much more.

In layman’s terms, Velocity as defined by Newton, is force divided by mass. So for you to develop more velocity you either need to increase the force applied to the ball or the application time with the same amount of force. I recommend we do both as pitchers but here I will break them down separately in two questions.

How do we increase force to the ball?

This may seem complicated but in theory it is very simple, so stay with me. To increase force to the ball we must add momentum to our delivery and then stablize that momentum for transfer to ball. Now, this is where we as pitchers go wrong. Most young pitchers when wanting to add force to the ball only add the momentum to the arm. Momentum must be added to the lower half of the body for it to be efficient and effective when delivering the pitch. Let’s use a Javelin thrower to understand this lower half momentum. What a Javelin thrower does is he can run as quick as he possibly can to a point where he must plant his leg and stabilize the momentum to transfer it to the Javelin. Watch the video!

A Pitcher is not allowed to run to develop the momentum so we must do what ever we can to develop the momentum on the mound. This is where you should watch AcePitcher.com’s 5 Components to Pitching. This video will show you how to develop momentum as a pitcher by using the lift leg, triple extension in the back leg and most important, stabilizing that momentum and allowing it to transfer to the ball.

How do we increase application time?

The answer to this questions will give you the final big picture to understanding top velocity. Application time means the amount of time a pitcher holds on to the ball through his full range of motion.

If a pitcher applied 6.5 pounds of pressure to the ball for .20 seconds as the arm is moving towards the target this would have more velocity than a pitcher applying 6.5 pounds of pressure to the ball for .15 seconds.

The question now is how do we hold on to the ball longer while keeping the same force applied. This is called separation. This is the 3rd Component in the Ace Pitcher Handbook. Separation, which is occurring in the picture here, is separation of the back throwing shoulder to the back hip. If you notice the back hip is almost pointing to the plate and the back shoulder is almost pointing to second base. This is important because it is building the majority of the torque developed from the lower half momentum in the core or stomach. Now when the shoulders commit to the catcher and the chest hits the wall like the picture below, the arm will have full range of motion. Notice Nolan Ryan’s arm 180 degrees behind his head. This is the increase of application time with the same force applied.

By building more torque in the core, instead of the shoulder, this is not only increasing velocity but saving the arm from serious wear and tear.

In conclusion, developing top velocity is every pitcher’s right but not every pitcher has the natural understanding of this skill. With this article, the Ace Pitcher Handbook, and some hard work it is possible for any pitcher to throw 90 plus mph.