Velocity practice

[BoardMember]

Would you elaborate on what you recommend as velocity practice?

Whether you guys/gals realize this or not.......The FASTPITCH delivery is a BALLISTIC ACTION/MOTION......

Simply put, velocity practice is a portion of a lesson or workout dedicated to speed, usually toward the end of a session because the physicality/exertion of this portion of the training pretty much drains the student to the point that further technical training is all but impossible to accomplish due to muscular and mental exhaustion.........

Velocity training does NOT involve rapid successive/repetitive motions/deliveries. Velocity training is a series of BALLISTICLY MOTIVATED FULL PITCHES that focus on FULL EXERTION of the windup/load, leg drive, arm circle speed and I/R wrist snap..........WITHOUT interjection/distraction of mechanical correction BY THE INSTRUCTOR........It is also done WITHOUT the distraction of a radar gun..........

During velocity practice, the student is simply required to take his/her position on the rubber.........Take a deep relaxation breath in and out........And then perform the fastpitch motion with TOTAL EXERTION OF ALL PARTS of the delivery........This should INCLUDE an EXERTION BREATH at the moment of snap that can be anything from a small focused grunt, to a louder more ballistic noise that helps the student focus in on the last bit of kinetic transfer/action at the MOMENT OF TRUTH..........

After completing the delivery of EACH pitch.........There is NO interjection by the instructor/dad/mom/otherwise........Except "MOTIVATIONAL SPEAK" that CHALLENGES the pitchers aggressiveness and encourages her to "LET IT GO"........This includes praise for a job well done during this session.........

The student returns to the rubber.........And repeats the BALLISTIC PITCHING MOTION..........STARTING WITH a relaxation breath, and focusing on the "ALL IN MOTION"..........Followed by another "MOTIVATION SPEAK" from someone who the PITCHER TRUSTS........

Spots/Spins are totally disregarded, except to attempt to throw to the CENTER OF THE CATCHER'S STERNUM.........During this practice.......THERE IS NO GLOVE TARGET from the catcher........The catcher/coach/dad simply holds the glove close to the target area ready to receive the pitch, while trying to MINIMIZE the distraction of the "glove target"........

After performing velocity practice, finish with a cool-down series of easy tosses from closer range.........You will know when the pitcher is "done" with velocity practice. The key is to DISREGARD the importance of distractions of targets, mechanics, etc., and tap into the BALLISTIC NATURE of pitching.........By encouraging the ALL IN MOTION........

Velocity practice IS NOT ABOUT actual MPH..........It is about training the student to TAP INTO HIS/HER INSTINCTS for aggressiveness as a pitcher in charge of her own athleticism........

IMO.........This is as IMPORTANT to the pitchers development as ANYTHING ELSE you can offer to your student......

There are those days that YOUNG pitchers just do not have the focus required for intense or repetitive technical training.........On those days........VELOCITY PRACTICE is a great short term workout that is motivational to the student without all the other stuff............And is limited to 15-20 minutes including warm up and cool down.......

After all.........Name me a pitcher who's goals do NOT INCLUDE being the fastest pitcher on the team/league.......

This practice is NOT a substitute for spins and spots..........It is how the two are melded into "The TOTAL PITCHER"..........

 

[Ken B]

Velocity practice IS NOT ABOUT actual MPH..........It is about training the student to TAP INTO HIS/HER INSTINCTS for aggressiveness as a pitcher in charge of her own athleticism........

I really like this. Some time ago, I took DD to a mini-clinic and at the end they had the kids throw into a gun. I asked to step in and could not get past 55 (no jokes, please...) The instructor told me to drive hard, but relax my arm at whip. Bingo!

 

[JJsqueeze]

another great post...thanks...

 

[sluggers]

Where is the objective feedback? How will she know if she is, in fact, throwing faster? If improving her speed is her goal, exactly how is she supposed to know if she is progressing toward her goal?

The way you've outlined is fine. But, without some objective way for her to measure her progress, it won't advance her toward her goal. Or is there another part where the speed gun is used?

It is also done WITHOUT the distraction of a radar gun..

Distraction?

Ultimately, a "good" pitcher is judged on how fast she throws a ball according to the radar. Right or wrong, working with a radar gun will be part of her life until she stops pitching. She is gunned at tryouts, she is gunned during games, she is gunned at practice. If she pitches on TV, the speed of every pitch is displayed in front of a national audience.

If a kid is going to be distracted by a radar with only one or two people watching her at practice, then I questions how she'll be able to pitch in a game with a couple of speed guns trained on her.

 

[BoardMember]

Ray.......Simply put........You completely miss the point of velocity practice...........Ken B picked it out instantly.........

Radar guns have their place in measuring a students progress and/or evaluation..........As do spin rate products.........

VELOCITY PRACTICE serves an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT purpose, most of which I've elaborated about above.........And you completely missed it this time around..........

I'm a little surprised actually.........

 

[slingnit]

Where is the objective feedback? How will she know if she is, in fact, throwing faster? If improving her speed is her goal, exactly how is she supposed to know if she is progressing toward her goal?

The way you've outlined is fine. But, without some objective way for her to measure her progress, it won't advance her toward her goal. Or is there another part where the speed gun is used?



Distraction?

Ultimately, a "good" pitcher is judged on how fast she throws a ball according to the radar. Right or wrong, working with a radar gun will be part of her life until she stops pitching. She is gunned at tryouts, she is gunned during games, she is gunned at practice. If she pitches on TV, the speed of every pitch is displayed in front of a national audience.

If a kid is going to be distracted by a radar with only one or two people watching her at practice, then I doubt she'll be able to pitch in a game with her every movement is monitored.

"Velocity practice IS NOT ABOUT actual MPH..........It is about training the student to TAP INTO HIS/HER INSTINCTS for aggressiveness as a pitcher in charge of her own athleticism........"

Not every aspect of pitching measured with numbers, not every workout revolves around the gun. If she has thrown an hour, hour and a half and then goes to measuring MPH then you will probably be taking cheap shots at her ego. Like the post said the objective is to tap into themselves. You keep working that drill and they will keep digging deeper and deeper. Eventually the effort they are putting out every pitch will = to what they were only able to give for the 10-15 reps when they first began doing the drills. As far as a distraction, I guess you are missing the point. It is not that the distraction are effecting to whether she is throwing strikes or fast enough. It is no distractions in the sense of no worries. Will I be corrected after I'm told "LET IT GO" or will dad be telling her "that wasn't fast, speed it up!". I think distraction are not comparable to what BM is talking about. I'm sure your dd is fine on the mound. People in the stands yelling, the norm. Coach giving direction, no problem. Coach with a gun, that's what the girls are praying for. Dad/ mom yelling after every pitch trying to make a correction after every single pitch, well that sounds like a lesson or practice or a THAT parent.

 

[cuzmail]

BM - Thanks for the explanation!

 

[Rocketech1]

BM - do you like speed drills like the following? DD used to see a PC who would end the session seeing how how many pitches she could throw out of a bucket of balls in 1:00 min. Accuracy wasn't the goal, only velocity and number of throws.

My concern was that mechanics might breakdown because the pitcher was focused on number of balls pitched.

Any thoughts?

 

[starsnuffer]

Wow. Completely counter intuitive to everything that I've observed about pitchers.

What I've learned is that the actual velocity difference between a pitcher throwing "all out" and a pitcher throwing game speed, is about 1mph. It takes 3mph of speed variance for the average hitter to notice a speed difference. When a pitcher tries to throw hard, they tend to get tense, and do "very bad things" to their mechanics such as shorten their arm circle and lift their shoulder.

In contrast, when I've done sessions using something like a rev-fire or glove radar where the speed measuring device no longer becomes a factor (it's always there, always on), the velocity of the pitcher is at its highest when the pitcher is more relaxed. The pitcher is often very surprised to find that their fastest pitches were the pitches that felt the easiest.

That said, I can see reason in teaching a kid to go all out. It is important that they learn to bring it each and every pitch in a game. This is more of a mental exercise. Perhaps the pitchers that never hit or practice hitting have more trouble with this, but the pitchers that hit learn to apply going all out in hitting practice to pitching practice. You might want to change the name of the drill from "velocity" to something more appropriate, like "tight sphincter drill" or some such.

-W

 

[starsnuffer]

I really like this. Some time ago, I took DD to a mini-clinic and at the end they had the kids throw into a gun. I asked to step in and could not get past 55 (no jokes, please...) The instructor told me to drive hard, but relax my arm at whip. Bingo!

This is the key. That exertion, or that strong exhale, needs to be at push off. After the initial drive, relax, it's all downhill and all about whip. Kids that yell at release are doing it wrong.

-W