Want to throw harder? Throw at 85%. Often when thinking about maximizing velocity pitchers are told to maximize their effort. Without clear instruction from a coach, this can be easily translated as putting in the same type of effort that is used for a 1 rep max lift. However, the reality of this is, moving 400 pounds is different from any dynamic movement. Being able to find a balance between maximizing effort and output in athletes is often difficult. When coaches use “buzzwords” (or phrases) to try to convey to their athletes how to reach peak performance; “intent”, “Throw it through the catcher”, and other similar ideas are brought up, the athletes often respond by pushing themselves harder but not in the right way. While taking a more relaxed approach won’t add 10 mph to your fastball, it can give you a smaller boost and optimize your output.
While being interviewed on a recent episode of The Tim Ferriss Show (Hugh Jackman on Best Decisions, Daily Routines, The 85% Rule, Favorite Exercises, Mind Training, and Much More (#444)), Hugh Jackman discusses his training habits while preparing for a role. Now, Jackman is likely not the first person that comes to mind when you think of an elite athlete or pitching guru. However, as he explains, fight scenes require him to appear to have a superhuman physique while moving quickly and freely. He identifies that these dynamic movements are akin to dancing and require the same levels of intense focus and coordination while still being relaxed. One training principle that he was taught while preparing for these roles is The 85% Rule. Originally, developed from analyzing the performance of elite sprinters, The 85% Rule is, in essence, that doing something at 85% of maximum effort is more efficient and will produce better results than at 100% effort.
Using this example of olympic sprinters, let’s think about why 85% effort is better than 100%. These are the fastest athletes in the world who need to be able to perform for only short bursts of time (10-20 seconds), so it could be assumed that they want to put everything they can into the very short races. You could assume that their faces and bodies would be tense as they try to exert as much effort as they possibly can but, when rewatching Usain Bolt’s world record races, he’s often looking around or smiling for the camera; things you would not expect for the fastest human in history. This isn’t just showboating or taking it easy on his opponents. Bolt’s free and easy attitude before, during, and after races translates into his running form. While he no doubt has impeccable form, he isn’t focused on every step being max effort. This is the same reason you see sprinters loosely jumping and relaxing before the step onto the blocks and the same reason they sprint with their jaw relaxed.
The 85% Rule should be applied to all parts of pitching from mechanics to the mental side. Beginning with mechanics, being relaxed allows for more contraction of your muscles allowing for more explosive movements. Any time a pitcher tries to throw his absolute hardest, he will likely tense up muscles, contracting them before he makes any movement towards throwing a pitch. This causes one of two things either, the muscles that are going to be used to accelerate the ball are already contracting leaving less room for further contraction thereby slowing down any potential pitch or, muscles that are not contributing to the pitch are being contracted working against any generated strength. All great athletes when making explosive movements are never tense. Boxers are always loose and then explode with a punch. NBA players like Lebron James and Stephen Curry are loose before they launch a 3 or go up for a dunk. Anyone who has ever played golf can tell you that trying to hit the ball hard never goes well. When thinking about how to apply The 85% Rule to the mental side of the game, it can be used as an overall mindset to reduce pressure on an athlete. Trying to locate a pitch is not easy. Even the best in the world will miss their spots. But, is your goal to hit the perfect spot or to make a good enough pitch to beat the hitter? Expecting yourself to be 100% or perfect is unrealistic and approaching the game that way is going to make every single pitch in every single game, no matter the score, a struggle against yourself. 85% is understanding what you are trying to do but being okay with a slightly different outcome. By ultimately performing at 85%, you can ultimately improve your output level to 100% (in theory).
Now sure, suggesting this rule sounds similar to the other phrases and buzzwords mentioned earlier but, the difference between The 85% Rule and the others are that this is more about developing a mindset to find your optimal exertion point. 85% is, in reality, a meaningless benchmark chosen to give the mind an idea of what you’re trying to accomplish. According to Jackman, “If you tell most of A-type athletes to run at their 85% capacity, they will run faster than if you tell them to run at 100%, because it’s more about relaxation, and form, and optimizing the muscles in the right way.” This approach may not be applicable to everyone, however, for many this will help maximize their performance.