Pitching Velocity

If you are searching the web for pitching instruction or a pitching instructor then here are 10 helpful tips to finding the right pitching instructor.

10 Tips to Funding the Right Pitching Instructor

1. His #1 goal should be to eliminate arm/shoulder injury.   Too many pitchers are retired or require surgery at a young age.  If you pitch, this should be your first concern.   Look for a pitching coach who is well familiar with pitching injuries and has science to back up what he is teaching you.  Your source of power should not start and end with the arm.  If you look throughout history at the best pitchers who enjoyed the longest careers without injury, you will see some things in common with their mechanics.  Your coach should be well versed in the mechanics of the best, elite pitchers.  A good pitching coach knows that true power comes from the whole body and not just the arm.  Learning to harness the power of your legs and core is an art that many pitching coaches just can’t teach…because they don’t understand how to initiate a proper set of pitching mechanics. 
2. Has some experience pitching.  If the coach never pitched in his life, or only pitched as a child…how can he understand complex mechanics well enough to teach them?  Take for example Tim Lincecum’s father, who taught Tim;  in his 50′s, the man could still smoke a fastball at 86mph!  I don’t think it’s as important if a coach every pitched professionally, only that he is still able to still illustrate what he wants you to do.  It’s much easier to see what to do than have someone speaking techno-babble trying to tell you what he wants you to do (while he racks up the $ by the hour).
3. Has a book or instructional video available.  Anyone trying to teach in this day and age should have a program in place that involves either a book or video instructional series. Maybe the teacher is older and no longer able to move the way he used to, fine,  but he should at least have a video of someone who can still pitch using the methods he is teaching. Some instructors use youtube clips of professionals to explain their methods.  Make sure the professional pitcher’s real life matches what the instructor is saying.  For example:  if he says that the particular pitcher never works out, but in real life the pro does have a workout routine…that should be a warning sign of quackery.  A video breakdown of a student paired up with a professional pitcher of similar build or mechanics would be better for you to understand what he is teaching.  A before and after video of a student would be an even better test of a coaches ability in my opinion.
4. Can make a video breakdown of your mechanics.  Personal pitching mechanics breakdowns are extremely important in understanding what’s going on with your body.  A breakdown should show you step-by-step what flaws you have, and how to make the changes needed to correct those flaws.  I believe you should have this done before you start the program, and at some point during the program, so you can fully understand if you made any progress or if you need to make more changes.
5. Beware the quick fix!  Chances are that if you only need a quick tweak of your mechanics, you are already a professional pitcher.  It takes many PERFECT reps to ingrain perfect mechanics…never let anyone tell you otherwise.  for example:  many teachers can give you a simple tip to make you seem more accurate…keep your head straight during the whole delivery.  This is old common knowledge.  If your head (which weighs several pounds) is moving all around, your body will tend to follow.  But there are great pitchers who are also elite athletes that are strong enough to control their body even though their head is tilted.
6. Should have a workout routine to ingrain correct mechanics.   I don’t care if you throw tractor tires around or do some far eastern yoga…you can’t change mechanics unless you do some work.  It’s not enough to try to remember fifteen mechanical thoughts while you pitch…matter of fact, that will never work.  Good mechanics happen so quickly that you rarely have time to think of more than one or two things.  It’s much better to have your mechanics down to the point where you only think about the spot on the glove you want to hit with your next pitch.
7. Beware of the wizard of Oz!  You’ve seen those ads for expensive programs that will teach you how to throw 99mph.  Ever notice that they never really give you a clue about the voodoo they sell until after you pay up the money?  A good teacher knows enough to give you a clue without giving it all away.  A better teacher can give you tons of information and still has more depth of knowledge to draw from long after you buy his lesson package.  The better teacher will be the guy that teaches you all through your career if you let him.  Check out the teacher’s website, hang out on the forum and take the time to see what is really happening.  Ask about other teachers and methods on their forum, if you get banned….there’s your sign.  Time to move on.
8. What do people say about him?  Personally, I would avoid a teacher that people either love like Jesus or hate like the Devil.   Don’t even sip on the cool-aid.  Sure there will always be people with an opinion,  but it’s usually not good when people are tipped so far in either direction.  Some people will always disagree with any teaching, no matter what it is…but hate for a teacher should be a caution sign.
9. Does he teach linear or circular motion?  This would be a final make or break point for me.  A linear motion basically keeps the ball moving in a straight path towards the target for as long as possible.  If the ball is moving straight, it’s easier to keep it going straight to target.  If your delivery features a circular motion that has you finishing your pitch and falling or moving to the left (for right handers), you have to really have accurate hands to deliver your pitch…which is much harder to do without a bunch of natural talent, which may not show up every time you pitch.  The other thing to consider is pitching efficiency. Pitchers that make use of linear motion like Tim Lincecum, Aroldis Chapman and Trevor Bauer also have superior velocity for their body size.  Scouts don’t care how much movement you have on your ball…they care about velocity.  Being able to hit 95+mph matters.
10. Can you talk to him?  Seems like a simple question, but many teachers will not answer your phone call both before nor after you buy their program.  Seems like a no-brainer, but I would move on if I couldn’t talk to the teacher.  When you get a teacher on the phone, ask some questions, express any concerns you may have.  If he can’t wait to hang up the phone or has an attitude,  he may be the same way after you pony up the dough.  If he is really busy (a good sign), he may ask you to call back at a time when he can spend more quality time with you.

Hopefully, this information will help you find a good pitching instructor that can help you achieve your dream of pitching.  If you need a good place to start looking for an instructor, I suggest you check out the top source for pitching instruction at www.TopVelocity.net. I would take advantage of their FREE Pitching Video Analysis to see if this is the right pitching instruction for you.

Tags: arm shoulder, elite, fastball, helpful tips, instructional series, legs, pitchers, pitching coach, pitching coaches, pitching mechanics, science, searching the web, shoulder injury, tim lincecum, true power

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 2:09 pm and is filed under Pitching Instruction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.