Big Leaguer Breakdown: Felix Hernandez

Since Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee were awarded the top spot in this Friday's blog about the best 1-2 Combos in the MLB, I found the timing perfect to have a look at the one of these guys for this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown. King Felix's numbers this year were those fit for a.....well you get the idea. He was fantastic, going an amazing 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA. He also struck out 217 while walking only 71. With those numbers, he could rule any rotation on any team.

Let's take a look at this outstanding video of Felix's delivery.

What you should notice immediately is the high hand slot and the issue inward turn of the front hip and leg on the leg lift. Stopping the video at the 4 second mark shows a front side that is completely closed off, showing the numbers on the back of his jersey to the hitter. His chin is tucked down by his shoulder (which I like) and his weight is perfectly balanced over the back leg. As I've said a million times, this over rotation is fantastic for generating an explosive lower half and hiding the ball from the hitter. However, it requires impeccable timing that only a few guys are able to execute perfectly. When you think about this type of movement (AJ Burnette and Dontrelle Willis would be other examples) it is important to realize how the pitcher must return to the midline and still finish directionally to the target to allow the delivery to be repeated effectively.

If we watch the video to the 10 second mark, we see the timing of the leg swing and hand break are simultaneous. He also keeps his shoulders tilted fairly high, causing the throwing hand to break downward as the leg swing out and then down the mound. Again, a lot of this is a direct result of the upper half rotation we just looked at. There are many pitchers who utilize the high front shoulder/low throwing arm posture (Andy Pettite, Zack Greinke) but it requires very athletic and quick elbow loading as the foot gets foot strike. Even from this position, Felix must get shoulders back to parallel and ultimately finish down hill.

When you get to the 13 second mark of the video, you will see has done just that. The front foot has just hit the ground and the hips have just begun to open. However, the elbows are now perfectly level, the shoulder blades are loaded, and the front side (glove and shoulder) are still directly on target. This chain reaction will allow the hips to generate the power to deliver this pitch.

From this position, we see the ball being released as the glove is turned down and is quickly and the chest works forward and over top a bent front leg. This goes to show that a lot can be down in the first half of the delivery that may not be text book. However, if the second half the delivery is text book (as Felix's is) then it can be combined in to a very unique delivery that is as devastating as King Felix's.

So study this video and the others out there. You see a lot of these young guys generating their power this way. Just understand that it requires a high level of body control to be that wild!

Until Next Time!!

Top 5 Pitching Combos in the MLB

With those dang Yankees winning the World Series this year after spending boy-band money to acquire two of the best starters in the game. (CC Sabathia and AJ Burnette) I thought it would be fun to look at the League as a whole to see who else has two top dogs at the top of their rotation. It has become pretty much common knowledge that no matter how good your offense is (Texas...NY Mets) you have to have good pitching to even have at a shot at the ultimate crown. These days, it isn't enough to have 1 bona fide No.1 starter, but it seems atleast 2 are necessary to get where you need to go.

So here is my list....
1. Seattle Mariners (Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee) - One of the biggst offseason deals puts these sleepers at the top of this list. I am not convinced they will win the World Series because Seattle is just a tough place to play. However, Cliff Lee was the anchor of Phillies rotation this past year and King Felix is equally as electric in his own right. Two All-star Caliber, Cy-Young candidates in the same rotation...can't beat it)

2. New York Yankees (CC Sabathia and AJ Burnette) - I really don't like the Yankees for a multitued of reason, sometimes I even have trouble respecting them. However, there is no denying just how good they were this year. You cannot ignore the fact that they have largely the same lineup (including these two) coming back. Expect them to lead the way back to the playoffs at least. The only reason these two were not my number one pick is Burnette's tendency to be a bit erradic at some points of last season.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (Brandon Webb and Dan Haren) - This pick may surprise some because of how poorly the Dbacks faired this past year. However, we cannot ignore the fact that former Cy-Younger Webb only started 1 game last year. In the previous year, he was the most devastating pitcher in baseball. With Haren anchoring an otherwise mediocre staff, he lead the team and most of the MLB in ERA. Expect a healthy Webb this year to regain form and pair with Haren just as well as anyone else on this list.
4. Philadelphia Phillies (Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels) - Had this list come out last year and this two guys were on the same team, they may have grabbed the number one slot. My only reservations this year are will Cole Hamels having such a mediocre season. There is no denying Halladay's Cy Young award winning talent. He might be one of the best ever. If Hamels returns to 2008 World Champion status, then the Phillies will be unbeatable in the playoffs. However, if he melts again like this year, then these guys fall off my list entirely.
5. Josh Beckett and Jon Lester (Boston Red Sox) - I happen to love Josh Beckett from a mechanical pitching stand point. Most of the season this year, the results are there. If you look at Lester, he is, in many ways, the left handed version of Beckett. Both power pitchers with power breaking pitches. Unfortunately, both hit patches of irregularity this past year. If they can avoid these stretches when it matters this year, then they are both capable of dominating all who cross their paths...even those Yankees.


So there is my top 5. Let me hear who else needs to be on the list...Its ripe for a debate.

The Art of the Slide-Step

Aside from throwing strikes and getting hitters out, another one of a pitcher's most important responsibilities is controlling the running game. The better job a pitcher does of preventing runners from stealing bases, the easier job he will have preventing runs from scoring that otherwise would not. There are three basic ways to do this. You can attempt a pick off move to the base the runner is occupying, you can vary your looks (checking the runner with your eyes) and timing (how long you hold the baseball before delivering it to the plate) and finally, you can be quicker than normal delivering the pitch. Most pitchers utilize some variation of a shortened leg lift called a slide-step to allow them to get to the plate without allowing the runner to get a good jump toward the base they would be stealing.

The slide-step is especially important for right handed pitchers, because they do not have the benefit of looking at the runner on first as lefties do. They must rely on changing how long they hold the ball and then being quick to the plate to give their catcher to a chance to throw the runner out. Runners steal bases by studying a pitcher's movements. Unfortunately, most pitchers are creatures of habit and have a tendency to hold the ball almost exactly the same amount of time before delivering a pitch. If they check the runner at all, they usually check the exact same time and number of times. A good base stealer will pick up on these patterns and wait until the exact moment before he lifts his leg to the plate to break for the bag.

So...the "intelligent pitcher" must be aware of these tendencies and purposefully mix up how we address the hitter. It requires repetition and practice like anything else in pitching does to be comfortable when attempting to utilize these tactics.

Mechanically speaking, to use the slide step a few things have to change. These adjustments are minor, but imperative to allow a pitcher to still remain "athletic" throughout the delivery and throw downhill without the benefit of a high leg kick that is generally used out of the wind-up. Instead of a high kick, you must bring the front knee slightly up and back towards the back leg. The hands will mimic the minor movement of the front knee, moving slightly up and back. From this position, the pitcher must be especially quick when driving the front foot down and straight toward the target. At the same, the elbows must get to the loaded and parallel position that we see out of the wind up. Usually, the arm swing must be quicker and shorter than out of the wind up, because there is less time until the front foot hits ground. The pitcher must also make sure to allow the hip turn to provide the power in the delivery, once the elbows are at their highest point.

If the pitcher is able to execute these minor adjustments, then his velocity should not suffer at all while making his delivery to the plate about 1.2 to 1.5 seconds. If the catcher is able to throw down to seconds in or around 2.0 seconds, that gives the runner only 3.5 seconds to cover 80 feet (considering he's leading off). Most runners will not be able to do this and promptly be thrown out.

So there are the basics of controlling the running game. Let me know if you have any other questions about specific scenarios!!

Until Next Time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Yovani Gallardo

One of the Major League's newest aces is Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers. In what was essentially his second big league season, Yovani emerged as the ace of the Brewers' staff, posting a 13-12 record and a 3.70 ERA with over 200 K's is just 185 ips. Hailed as one of the key components for the future of Milwaukee baseball, Gallardo is this weeks' Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Check out this video of his warm-up to study how he delivers the baseball.

Yovani's delivery is characterized by a high leg kick and an explosive drive to the plate. You can notice from the beginning of the video that he starts almost out of a stretch position and simply steps to the side before swing the front leg around upward into the leg lift. I am not a huge fan of this technique because it is essentially wasted movement, however many big leaguers prefer this movement because it minimizes effort and difference out of the wind-up as compared to the stretch. For this reason, I see why guys like Cliff Lee and Gallardo utilize this starting positon.

If we stop the video at the 5 second mark, we see the leg lift is up beyond parallel and the hand position follows suit. You should also notice a slight upper half is slightly rotated inward, but the hips and lower half are still on line. I am a fan of this technique as long as the upper half is able to finish back over the midline of the body. The concern would be if the upper half over rotates along with the hips, preventing a repeatable release point.

A few clicks further on the video shows Yovani utlizing an extremely wide and high hand break and arm swing. His front arm extends high above his head and forward, the shoulders are tilted down and back and the throwing arm is extended in the opposite direction and down toward the ground. Also important to notice is how the front foot extends out and forward (similar in direction as the front glove side) but the weight is still loaded on the back leg. This posture is something very important to me when I teach my young pitchers how to stay loaded on the back side before turning the hips. It is a tricky concept to think about extending forward with the front arm and front leg without the rest of the body weight going forward. You can also see from this position (pictured below), that the shoulders are about to level back and finish back over the front side.

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At exactly the 6 second mark, we see the hips begin to rotate and the scapula contract before firing the baseball. Many pitching coaches are big proponents of "firing" the shoulder blade muscles after the elbows get to shoulder height. Gallardo, in this video, does a great job of allowing the hip turn to "fire" his upper half and explode to the target. He does pull a bit violently with the glove after the 6 second mark, but does a good job of finishing over the front leg and planting the foot firmly without straightening out the plant leg. You see outstanding upper half core flexibility as he extends over that front side on release.

So study this video and others of Yovani as much as you can to see a more "violent" delivery that translates into very explosive pitches.

Make sure to post any questions you may have with his delivery.

Until Next Time!!!

How Many Different Breaking Balls Are There?

Greetings to all out there in Less Is More land. Today we'll be discussing some basic knowledge stuff that might be able to help some people identify exactly what kind of pitch they throw and what they want to throw. This post will discuss the many types of breaking pitches, namely the cutter, slider, slurve, and curve. We are discussing these pitches in this order because of the amount of perceived break or movement in each pitch.

1. Cutter - This pitch made famous by Mariano Rivera is the most similar to a fastball. Generally, it is thrown only a few mphs slower than the fastball. The pitch normally has no downward movement. Instead, it "cuts" glove side (depending on which hand you throw with). The movement is linear (left to right) and is great for "hand-cuffing" hitters who think they are swing at a fastball. Mariano is notorious for starting this pitch off the outside corner and bring it back for strike 3 or starting it on the inside corner and sawing off the hitter.

2. Slider - This pitch is the first of our family that introduces any kind of downward movement. The slider must still come out of the pitcher's hand flat as a fastball. However, when that pitch gets to the plate, its movement is short and quick, down and in. If we think about its movement according the face of a clock, the slider will move from 2 o clock to 7 o clock. I usually think of John Smoltz or CC Sabathia when I think of pitchers who have fantastic sliders. As a left handed pitcher, I happen to think the left on left slider is one of the hardest pitches to hit in the game. (Think of Randy Johnson versus...any left ever). The reason this pitch is so effective is, like a cutter, it comes out of the hand looking so much like a fastball. The difference, however, is that its sharp downard movement contributes to a high amount of swinging strikes. It is my favorite of the four.

3. Slurve - This bigger breaking ball is a type of "hybrid" pitch that has more lateral movement than a slider but is thrown harder and with more sweeping across action than a curve ball. Genreally, this pitch is "turned" earlier in the release point to allow for more perceived movement to the hitter. It is tricky because it can somes look like a fastball and produce swinging strikes or be slightly "loopier" and freeze the hitter who thinks the pitch is out of the zone until it is too late. Less pitchers in the MLB throw this particular pitch, however, many different breaking pitches can be described as a slurve because of its differing movement patterns.

4. Curve - The curve is ultimately the most easily recognizable pitch of the four. The movement is the "biggest" of them all and generall moves straight up and down toward the hitter. This is where the terminology " 12 to 6 curve ball comes from. Big Leaguers such has Josh Beckett and Barry Zito utilize the traditional curve ball to make a living. The curve is tricky because of the size of the pitch's movement. The pitch is usually atleast 10 mphs slower than a fastball and the large amount of downward movement makes it difficult to time up and make solid contact.

So I hope this clears up any confusion there may have been over the four main types of breaking balls out there.

Also, if there are any questions you would like answered, please comment here and I'll be happy to get them up on the blog.

Until Next Time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Zack Greinke

One of the greatest stories of the 2009 season was that of Zack Greinke's ability to recover from a multitude of mental and mechanical problems early in his career to become one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. After beginning the season with 38 straight scoreless innings, Zack finished his season with the AL Cy Young award; boasting a record of 16-8 on a mediocre Royals team and a 2.16 league leading ERA and 242 k's in 229 innings, Greinke is without a doubt one of the best young pitchers in the game.

We'll look at this video of multiple pitches to see how he does it.

As you can see, the video is of great quality since the clips are from ESPN highlight footage. Unfortunately, some of the footage doesn't show much of his mechanics because of the timing. We'll start at the 27 second mark. Notice as he lifts his leg, there is slight inward rotation in both his front shoulder and front hip. I have no problem with this as long as the pitcher is able to get that front side back toward the targer without over-rotating on the way to release point. Zack utilizes a high hand position for his hand break. Notice how smoothly the hands separate as the back leg bends slightly and the front leg extends forward. (29 seconds into the video) When working with my pitching students, I describe this as "getting into an athletic position." There is a slight bend in the back leg as the elbows work up to that position. At the release point of this clip, you see how well he gets his upper half parallel to the ground and finishes to the target. The best aspect of Greinke's mechanics is the over all fluidity of the movements. There is no herky-jerky movements and the entire body works together to stay tall and powerful at the same time.

At the 48 second, we see a strikeout by Greinke where he gets a guy swinging on a high fastball. I want you to the clip and study his finish. To purposefully elevate a pitch, it is less imperative to finish downhill and bend on that front leg. Instead, you can see how Greinke almost stands up on release. Keep in mind it requires absolute mastery to be able to does this ON PURPOSE and still maintain a quality release point on subsequent pitches.

So as you can see, Zack repeats that fluid delivery quite effectively on ALL of his pitches. Splitter, slider, fastball, all are almost indistiguishable from each other to the viewer and, obviously, the batter.

Go through these clips and others on utube of Mr. Greinke to really see how well he times his body up for release.

Until Next Time!!

A Poem About Pitchers

Today's post will just be a forward of a very interesting piece of literature I came across during my "travels." I post quite a bit on a pitching website called LetsTalkPitching.com. One of the administrators actually wrote a poem about pitchers that I decided to share with you. The author identifies himself as Coach Baker and has obviously had quite an extensive baseball career, both playing and coaching. So here it is...



Wizards and warlocks, out of deepen darken halls,
with spells and chants, as they dance the white ball.
With seams that spin, wobble and churn,
with the flick of their wrists, and a turn of their palm.

This man does stand on mysterious ground,
from ten inches high, measures the mound.
A stark white mantel is the perch that he stands astride,
as his magic is spun upon the horse hide he drives.

Now not all wizards are gifted as such,
nor are they equal with all the magical stuff.
Some have pitches with spells that react,
while other take chances with happenstance.

Ah, but then there are those that history will say,
had the gift of true wizardry, on any given day.
That special man who could weave at his will,
like words of an author with the stroke of his quill.
And many a roster, regardless of mix,
has tested this master will all of this tricks.

But try as they may to unseat from his mound,
the true wizard of wizards, and remove his bright crown.
With fastballs, curves, sliders and more,
with change-ups and pitch-outs, their frustration did soar.
Again and again, they charge the old man,
with battle axes of lumber gripped in their hands.

But with the stroke of his wands, and a glare cold as ice,
he’d vanquish the rosters, and turn men into mice.
These were no ordinary spells, no chants of delight,
for they were as deadly in the sunlight as they were in the night.

And as the last spell was cast, and the last battle done,
after so many years, he put down his ole wand.
And yet he was drawn to this mysterious game,
a game that gave meaning and a purpose to his name.
Lined up were those that who would serve the ole man,
and learn all they could from his experienced hands.

For this is the way of the heart and the mind,
the way of the ball and the magic of nine.
And the young apprentice listens with glee,
to learn from the master, the magic of STRIKE THREE!

Coach B.

Pitching Health Tip #1

We'll keep it short and sweet today. Sometimes when I think about the information I've accumulated over the years about pitching, I start to delve into some pretty technical and complicated aspects of the art of pitching. I forget sometimes, that not everyone has had the experience and benefit of dedicated pitching coaches and personal trainers to give you some of the seemingly obvious advice that I take for granted.

So in light of that revelation, I've decided to provide, on a semi-routine basis, health tips that can help the Intelligent Pitcher compete at his highest ability level at all times. For our first installment of Pitching Health Tips, I'd like to encourage any and all pitchers to begin taking a multi-vitamin every day. In a perfect world, all athletes would receive all the vitamins and nutrients in their daily routine diets. However, depending on your living situation and budget, eating perfectly isn't always an option. For example, when I would get finished with a game in South Bend, Indiana at 11pm, the only thing open was usually Stake N Shake. Not exactly healthy. So, to make up for the holes in an daily diet, a multi-vitamin is extremely important. It is important to understand, however, that multi-vitamins cannot make up for complete deficiencies in a diet. If you get not Vitamin C for example, a pill will not make up for that completely .

So what kind of vitamin should you take? In my experience, the best to take is a liquid multi-vitamin such as Vit-acell by Max Muscle Nutrition. Liquid vitamins generally generate more completely than their pill counterparts and this particular mix has a great vitamin and mineral profile that is both balanced and effective. If you must go to a pill form, I would recommend a chewable variety for the same reason. The compacting techniques of the basic swallowed pill makes it extremely difficult for your stomach to digest. In fact, many times the pill isn't digest at all and its passes straight through. I currently utilize Centrum Chewable multi-vitamin and have had positive results. On the contrary, the non-chewable counterparts are less effective.

There are many varieties out there and the most important thing is to check the nutritin label to ensure there is the correct mixture of both minerals and vitamins.

Feel free to comment with any questions or comments you may have.

Until Next Time!!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: John Smoltz

Today we examine one of the most versatile, durable, and explosive pitchers of the modern baseball era. After 21 big league seasons, the majority of which with the Atlanta Braves, Smoltz has become one of the only pitchers to accumulate 200+ wins and 150+ saves. Even this year, after struggling to recover from arm surgery with the Boston Red Sox, he was picked up by the St. Louis Cardinals and returned to form as one of the anchors of the Cards rotation. His mechanics have been largely the same since his rookie since ('88) and are one of the main reasons he's been so electric and effective for so long. I personally believe his mid 90's fastball and slider combo is one of the best in the history of the game. That is why John Smoltz is this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown.

Check out this unique video analyzing his mechanics during a bullpen where he is simultaneously videoed throwing a fastball and a change-up.

The point of this video is show how Smoltz keeps his delivery the same throughout both of his pitches. As an Intelligent Pitcher, its important to understand that the delivery must remain the same through each pitch, so the hitter is not tipped off as to what pitch is coming. At the seven second mark, you see how both legs lifts and hand slots are identically and properly loaded over the back leg. Notice how his chin is tucked down and level over the center of his body. Click the video one second forward and you can see the smoothness of his handbreak as he simultaneously loads the back leg. You can notice a slight bend on the back knee as the front hip rids down the mound. This works well for keeping the weight on the back side for the hip turn fires. Smoltz is also very smooth with his hand break but be sure to see how his hands stay timed up with front foot. Basically, as the foot goes forward, his hands work up and out.

We'll look at the 24 second mark of the video (the second pitch) to again watch how quickly and easily Smoltz gets his elbows up and into the power position. Notice how his front foot hasn't quite hit the ground yet and his hips are still on target. As we know, this is essential for allowing the lower half to "power" the upper half to release. As the end of the 24 second mark, Smoltz has turned his glove down and his throwing elbow is leading the hand to release. Here, his chest is completel square to the target with the hips completely turned. The chins is perfectly level on target and ready for the finish over a slightly bent front leg.

The last half of the video does a good job of breaking down some of his movements as well. You can see how symmetrical his body his throughout many parts of his delivery. Make sure to study these pieces as well as the the entire video.

I'm always available for any comments or questions.

Until Next Time!

Pitching Backward?

Hitter's are born to hit the fastball. They are bread from the first day of Coach pitch to hit the straight ball. Generally, hitting the breaking ball is a skill that is acquired by some of the better hitters at every level. Weather its high school, college, or the pros, hitting the off speed pitch is an acquired skill that takes years of dedication. Of course there are other types of hitters who attempt to get by just waiting and working the count to get the straight one. In scouting reports, these guys are typically described as "dead red" or "first pitch fastball" hitters. Also, many scouting reports ON pitchers will show a pitcher's tendency to throw a lot of off-speed stuff or that he possibly throws fastballs early and soft stuff late. Any of these scenarios would represent good situations to "pitch backward."

So, what does pitching backward mean? Essentially, it is a pitching strategy that entails throwing fastballs in breaking ball counts and breaking ball counts. For example, most first pitches of an at bat are expected to be fastballs, so a hitter would be ready and looking for the fastball. Here's a perfect opportunity to spin a breaking ball in for a strike. Most hitters will be on their front foot and just take the pitch...looking for the holy grail (fastball). On the flip side, if you have a hitter who works the count to a 1-2 or 2-2 situation after a variety off-speed stuff, this would be another perfect opportunity to ring him up with an fastball. I am personally a huge fan of an inside fastball here that can "freeze" the hitter for strike three. Middle counts don't lend themselves as much to pitching backward. Basically, you can do what you want to get to the '2-strike' count. Of course, you don't want to fall into a pattern when setting up hitters. But that's a post for another day. Just be aware of counts where you think a hitter might be looking for a fastball and throw a breaking ball and vice versa.

So there we have it. Not the longest post ever...but the point is essential to get the better of the more advanced hitters you may face. A good pitcher must know his hitters and be able to read hitters he doesn't know. This is definitely an advanced topic, but its one that all pitchers must address.

Always comment if you have any questions.

Until Next Time!!

Big Leaguer Breakdown: Billy Wagner

For this week's Big Leaguer Breakdown, I've decided to look at one of the best relievers in recent history. With 385 career saves and one of the most electric fastballs from a left handed pitcher, Billy Wagner and his intro song (Enter Sandman by Metallica) have been terrorizing hitters in the 9th inning for over a decade. Wagner is also unique from a mechanical standpoint because despite his smaller stature (he's 5'10") his electric arm speed and powerful lower half allows him to generate serious velo.

Check out this video of him warming up to study those mechanics.

Starting at the 3 second mark of the video we should look at two specific things. First off, his leg kick is extremely high...well beyond the parallel mark of his hips. As a reliever, he doesn't need to use the wind up and doesn't really need to be overly concerned with being quick to the plate with runners on. Therefore, he utilizes a very exaggerated leg kick to help generate his velocity. Also notice how high his hands are at this point; raising in unison with his leg to an equally exaggerated height. This placement is key to showing the extremely rare elasticity that Billy uses to help generate so much arm action.

As we watch the video forward from this point, we notice how well Wagner keeps his weight back as the hands break and he begins moving toward the target. After the leg lift, the front leg works down first before working forward with only a slight bend on the back leg. This is still at the 3 second mark. What is important to see here is that his hands have not yet broken. Typically you would want your hands to break as the knee works down and forward. This is what makes Billy so unique. His hands, elbows and arm speed so fast, he can afford to break his hands later and still remain on time with his hip turn. Let's watch further in the video.

At the 4 second mark, Wagner's hands have broken and already elevated to an awesome power position. He again utilizes his excellent hand speed and also a very very short arm swing to get to that power position. His elbows are up and loaded BEFORE the foot hits the ground...as you can see from this point of the video.


From here, its explosion time. The hip turn is quick and direct and he tucks his glove under his chest. The glove turn is a bit on the rotational side but he is able to keep his chest and chin direct over the target as he explodes to the target. His front knee does lock out on release, but his flexible waist and core allows for a proper finish.

So there we have Billy Wagners mechanics broken down in ultimate Less is More fashion.

Make sure to post any questions or comments.

Until Next Time!!

Pitching in 2010

With 2010 less than a day old, I figured it was high time to look forward to getting ready for the new baseball season ahead. Pitcher's report to big league camp in mid-February and high school tryouts are just a short week or two behind. So what does this mean for all of you in Less Is More Pitching land? Its time to start preparing for the up coming season to allow yourself the best chance to be the best pitcher you can be.

We know the off-season is for getting stronger and hopefully gaining some muscle and core strength. If you've spent the off-season dedicated to a weight program to achieve this goal, then it is time to switch that program to a lower weight/higher rep explosive lifting program. You no longer need to be gaining muscle mass, but instead, training those muscles to be as explosive as possible with some Olympic style lifting mixed with stability exercises and agilities. It is also time to ramp up your cardio program. Running more frequently and staggering how you run is important. For example, interval training, sprints, and long distance should all be utilized to create the proper mix of cardio work.

As for throwing, now is a good time to begin your long toss program if you haven't already. Start slow and shorter, gradually increasing the distance you throw and how often you throw. Maybe three times a week the first week and then add to that in the following weeks. You want to be up to a good arm strength by the beginning of February, because it is at that time, that you would want to begin throwing you bullpens in preparation for tryouts and the season ahead. I hope you don't need convincing to begin your long toss program...but in case you do...here's a quote from Greg Maddux in a 1999 issue of Collegiate Baseball Magazine.

"I'll start playing long toss in January. If I can throw it 200 feet, I try to throw it 300 feet. I don't stop at 120 feet, I throw it as far as I can."

...he continues by saying...

"I think long toss is a great way to build your arm up, to get in shape to throw off the mound."


Also, if you haven't already begun doing jobe exercises or band work before and/or after you throw, this is the time begin doing that as well. There are plenty of indoor facilities in most areas, like the WISC in Williamsburg, VA where I train (shameless plug) to allow you begin your season preparations regardless of what the temperature is out side.

If you have any specific questions or comments about how to get ready for the season, please post them here and I'll respond in as much detail as you can handle...I tend to over do it with these types of things because the most important thing you can control right now is how hard you work...and there better not be anyone who works harder than you do...right now!!

Until Next Time!!