Paying for Rapsodo/pitch design lessons at age 16 when you throw 80 mph is the equivalent of purchasing a tailored suit with the intention of gaining 30 lbs. Too often I’m asked by high school parents to give pitch design lessons for their kids. Here is the reality. If your son is in high school and throws less than 90 mph you are wasting your time paying for pitch design sessions and here’s why.
There are way too many factors that should be addressed before you even begin to think about your spin rate, induced vertical break, etc. If your son isn’t above 90 mph, chances are, he is lacking in 1 or more areas such as strength, force production, mechanical efficiencies, mobility, and/or nutrition. These must first be addressed before understanding your pitch profile. Why? Because as your movement patterns, strength numbers, and mobility change, so do your metrics. Therefore, you’re paying for a service that will have a different result each time. This is the equivalent of paying for an interior designer for your kitchen, taking their recommendations, then completely renovating your kitchen with none of their guided information.
Why is this the case? Because movement creates the metrics. The metrics do not create movement. For example, let’s dive into a post by Ian Walsh. After a discussion regarding the development of our athletes’ we both agreed upon the fact that the movement can create and change metrics without any pitch design. As you’ll see in his post, his athlete proceeded to make mechanical adjustments. The results? Not only did he jump from the mid 90’s to 97-99 mph, his fastball went from 1:15 to 12:30 without any pitch design. For the full breakdown, check it out here. It is also not uncommon for an athlete to gain 5 mph and have a 500 rpm increase on their fastball.
Want to improve your pitch profile without ever touching a Rapsodo? Achieve late launch. What’s a late launch you ask? A late launch is releasing the ball well out in front of your front foot (release point). See David Robertson’s late launch here for an example.
Compare this video to the frame below. Notice how David Robertson releases the ball substantially further out in front than the athlete below. Who do you think has a more efficient delivery?
When you achieve a late launch your pitches immediately get sharper. That is why the best breaking balls in the game come from those with the most efficient movement patterns.
So how do we get to late launch? Towel drills and wrist flips, right? WRONG. Late launch is a byproduct of performing everything else in your delivery properly. It is not an independent action. That is why breaking balls are always more efficient during constraint drills like double crow hops.
Notice how the best movers in the game also release the ball substantially out in front?
Want to release the ball out in front? Improve your lower half. Want to get to a late launch? Improve your arm action. Want to have a better release point? Develop a great first move. Until an athlete’s mechanics are extremely efficient and his body is strong, powerful, and durable, your pitch design lessons should be thrown out the door.
To develop a late launch email training@connected-performance.com today.