The 3X Velocity Camp is a two-day camp to serve as an orientation to the 3X Training to become a high-velocity pitcher. The 3X Velocity Camp is only for those pitchers who are committed to the high demand for time and effort needed to develop the elite pitcher. This can include any age, maturity level or weight lifting experience. The 3X Velocity Camp will cover a wide spectrum of training from 3X proprietary throwing drills to Olympic based strength and conditioning with the purpose to optimize the biomechanics of the pitcher to increase pitching velocity while reducing the risk of injury.
The camp will include several different forms of augmented feedback like video analysis, a total body anthropometric and athletic evaluation along with the latest in technology to capture 3D biomechanics. The camper evaluations will be stored in an online TopVelocity Profile for scouting and recruiting purposes to show ratings based on the averages.
3X Velocity Camp Process of Instruction
The arm speeds of college to professional pitchers are the fastest movement in all of the sports (Mcnichol, 2006). It is an ability that only a small few can possess. Developing this elite skill is possible following Dr. Anatoliy Bondarchuk’s Transfer of Training Principles and Gentile’s Taxonomy of Motor Skills which is the foundation of 3X Pitching. Don’t get me wrong the genetic ability to create elite movement patterns specific to the pitching delivery is a strong advantage in the development of the 100mph fastball but for those who fall short will benefit from the 3X Training approach.
The biggest mistake I find in those who have a strong desire to pitch at an elite level believe they must wait to naturally mature and discover if their genetic ability is enough for them to achieve this feat. The development of elite pitching velocity should begin as soon as the pitcher has developed the strong desire to optimize this skill of high-velocity pitching, or time becomes a serious limiting factor.
The process of development in the 3X Pitching Velocity Program is different for each level and age. Evidence suggests that during skill acquisition, early learning requires the search for an assembly of a functional coordination pattern, whereas later stages involve experimentation with the control of key parameters of the coordination pattern so that optimal flexibility of expert performance can be achieved (Newell, 1985). Therefore, the 3X Beginner Programming starts with simple drills and exercises to help the athlete develop functional coordination patterns like single leg drives without throwing or overhead med ball throws with no shoulder rotation.
In the 3X Velocity Camp, the core drills and lifts are demonstrated with the younger more inexperienced pitchers because evidence suggests visual demonstration should facilitate the early stage of skill learning because it conveys relative-motion information essential for the assembly of a novel or unfamiliar coordination pattern (Scully & Newell, 1985). Another study found participants in the verbally directed group (VDG) had to practice 100 trials to achieve the same the level of approximation exhibited by the modeling group (MG) after observing just six visual demonstrations. A demonstration is a powerful approach with the younger more inexperienced athletes and I do work hard physically to demonstrate my training as often as possible (Al-Abood, Davids, & Bennett, 2001).
As the camp moves on and the athletes begin to perform the drills, exercises, and lifts with more efficiency, verbal instruction becomes more common to the point of overwhelming information. The only reason the information becomes overwhelming is the time limit of the 2-day camp and the amount of information required to understand the science behind the skill. Ideally, the 3X Velocity Camp would continue for the full 16-week minimum requirement of the program for the off-season velocity training. Don’t worry though I have all the information recorded in the 3X Velocity Online Course for follow up and you are encouraged to stay and train at the TopVelocity Facility.
3X Velocity Camp Augmented Feedback
Most of the verbal instruction comes in the form of a presentation covering the 3X Science behind the movement and video analysis which is the blend of demonstration and verbal instruction. I find the video analysis the moment the athlete begins to retain the information and begins to have the confidence that they can acquire the new skill. Especially those who continue to use the video analysis following the camp, they have more success in making the gains from the 3X Programming. Usually, the most popular form of video analysis is when I pair the athlete up with a “gold standard” or a professional pitcher who shares similar anthropometrics.
Once the campers start to understand how the feedback from the video analysis is helping the learning process we then progress to the 3D motion capture to analyze their biomechanics. This gives them even more information on their performance. This information will include hip and trunk orientation through the pitching delivery, kinematic sequencing and timing and speeds of movement. This is the ultimate training tool for developing the elite pitcher and it is what separates TopVelocity from every other program in this game.
In conclusion, there is one thing to be certain of and that is those who leave the 3X Velocity Camp will have a list of key parameters they must focus on and improve through the training to make the improvements needed for a significate pitching velocity increase. Many will benefit from the general training but as they advance and for the more advanced, the list of key parameters as a focal point is what will help them make the significant gains going into the in-season. Don’t jump to conclusion that many start the 3X Velocity Camp advanced and immediately go to the focus on key parameters. The opposite is the reality and those who make it through the first 4 weeks of the first training cycle in the program are those who have the strong desire to commit and succeed in this method of developing the 100mph pitcher.
3X Velocity Camp Reference:
Al-Abood, S. A., Davids, K. F., & Bennett, S. J. (2001). Specificity of task constraints and effects of visual demonstrations and verbal instructions in directing learners' search during skill acquisition. Journal of Motor Behavior, 33(3), 295-305.
Mcnichol, T. (2006). The Ultimate Pitching Machine. Wired. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2004/06/strikeout/
Newell, K. M. (1985). Coordination, control and skill. In D. Goodman, R. B. Wilberg, & I. M. Franks (Eds), Differing perspectives in motor learning, memory, and control (pp. 295-317). Amsterdam, North-Holland.
Scully, D. M., & Newell, K. M. (1985). Observational learning and the acquisition of motor skills: Towards a visual perception perspective. Journal of Human Movement Studies, 11, 169-186.