YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR PITCH SPEED The Truth About Velocity
A WORLD SERIES FIRST (AND ONLY) This Month in Baseball History: Every pitcher dreams of throwing a perfect game against the best batters in the world, but only a select few have turned that dream into reality. Of the 24 pitchers who have thrown a perfect game, only one has done it in the World Series. In Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, the New York Yankees faced off against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. Don Larsen pitched for the Yankees after a lackluster showing in Game 3. With the series tied, Larsen took the mound and threw a 97-pitch perfect game to help the Yankees earn a 2-0 win. Only one player earned a three-ball count against Larsen throughout the game. The Dodgers went on to win Game 6, but the Yankees closed out the series 9-0 on the road in Game 7. Although Larsen didn’t throw another perfect game in his career, he won another World Series with the Yankees in 1958. do velocity enhancement better than anyone who has ever done it before, and we are far from finished evolving our processes. Not by a long shot! After 20 years, I can tell you that velocity creation is a multifaceted equation comprising dozens of variables. A few of those variables we cannot change. For example, some of us were born with a higher concentration of fast-twitch muscle fibers and the neuromuscular wiring to move faster than our neighbor or brother. However, most of those variables are within our ability to affect, enhance, augment, change, alter, and modify. In my view, the most frequent mistake made by parents, athletes, and their coaches is addressing only a few of those variables at any one time. At The Ranch, we address velocity enhancement from a 360-degree perspective. Our goal is to positively affect as many of those variables as possible over time. We refer to it as “massive simultaneous action.” If we use massive simultaneous action as our guiding dominant process, the chances are far greater that we will hit the area(s) with the greatest sweet spot for growth in that individual. Of course, assessment is a big part of our process, enabling us to tailor our training to fit each of our clients’ needs and greatest growth potential.
Many professional scouts will look you in the eye and tell you with conviction that velocity can NOT be taught. You either have it or you don’t. What they mean to say is THEY can’t teach velocity. At the Texas Baseball Ranch, we develop it every single day. In all honesty, I believe it is one of the more straightforward things we do when developing a complete pitcher. As I write this article, we’ve had over 577 students break the 90- mph barrier, 205 the 94-mph mark, and 32 the 100-mph benchmark.
I often joke with my clients, “But who’s counting?” when we count everything we can at The Ranch. We believe Edward Deming, the father of quality control, was correct when he said, “If you want to improve something, measure it!” Without question, velocity can be developed and enhanced. I see it every single day. I believe I can make the case that we at The Ranch
UPCOMING RANCH EVENTS
ELITE PITCHERS BOOT CAMPS:
PITCHING COACHES 1-DAY SEMINAR
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DEC. 15
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NOV. 18-20 DEC. 27-29
ALUMNI/ ADVANCED CAMP:
JAN. 13-15 (MLK WEEKEND) FEB. 17-19 (PRESIDENT’S DAY WEEKEND)
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JAN. 6 & 7
WWW.TEXASBASEBALLRANCH.COM/EVENTS
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR OATES SPECIALTIES ! EQUIPMENT PROVIDER,
www.OatesSpecialties. com/Durathro
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