In a follow up to last weeks Blog Post, Developing Velocity Part 1 ,  we thought the following article by TreadAthletics, supported our ideologies well.  Yes, some pitchers are “genetic freaks”, and just throw hard.  Many hard throwers however are developed through hard work at gaining functional strength, size, mobility, stability, movement patterns, mechanics, and Yes Arm Strength.

3 Mechanical Hacks I learned from Fernando Rodney

We are proud of all our athletes who are working hard at enhancing their game.  Regardless of the actual measurable gains made, the sense of accomplishment from sacrifices and hard work are unmeasurable, but provide life long useful traits.  We hope you enjoy the read, and let us know if we can be of help in developing you, or your young athlete!

Thank you!

The MACH 1 Baseball Team

Can velocity be developed? Or is it simple something you are born with, genetics? While some people may come out of the womb throwing 90mph, most take what they are born with naturally and then develop the arm strength, body mass, joint integrity, and throwing mechanics over time to allow them to maximize what their body has in it.

At MACH 1 we are helping young athletes in several developmental areas, including Velocity. The Hard Work of our athletes at following the plan of our Dr’s White and Winchester, our Trainers at Athletic Republic, and our Pitching Coaches at All-Starperformance, have measured gains of 4.5MPH with our 12-14 year old pitchers, and 5.2MPH with our 15 and up age pitchers over the last 4 months. These Velocity gains are not by chance, but from a committed effort in the gym, arm care stations, mechanical adjustments, and recovery, by the players.

If you would like us to help you formulate a plan that will help develop you, or your athletes body and arm let us know.

Thank you,

MACH 1 Team

As the season approaches, one tool that we have started to implement is our Rapsodo pitching monitor. Rapsodo is a pitch-tracking device that gives immediate feedback that allows us and the athlete to optimize every pitch. After each pitch, we are able to see the velocity, spin rate, spin axis, true spin and spin efficiency. Rapsodo also provides us with vertical and horizontal movement, a view of when the pitch actually starts to move, and and strike zone view of where each pitch ends up. This data has allowed us to get a better idea of how each player spins the ball, find ways to make each pitch better, and even add new pitches based on what we find.

Let’s start with spin rate. Spin Rate is defined as ‘The Velocity rate at which the ball spins from the time it leaves the pitchers hand, measured in rotations per minute (rpm).’ One thing that is not yet known is how to create more spin rate on the ball. What we do know is the higher the spin rate, the less gravity will come in to play and the ball will stay on its same plane and almost have a rising effect to the hitters eyes. The lower the spin, the ball will have more of a sinking action. So guys with higher spin should pitch up in the zone and guys with lower spin should try to attack the bottom half.

The part of the Rapsodo we have been utilizing the most is the true spin and spin efficiency. True spin is the spin that is directly creating movement on a pitch, and spin efficiency takes the ratio of true spin and divides it by the total spin. True spin takes out the side spin of the ball, which does not impact the movement on the baseball. From that information, we are able to look at a kids curveball or slider for instance, see the break on the pitch, and change their grip or their release to design a better pitch. For example, we had a pitcher who was trying to create more downward action on his curveball, and noticed he had a spin efficiency that was around 30%, meaning he was getting too much side spin, and not enough top spin which is what you want on a curveball. By being able to access the data immediately from Rapsodo we were able to change his grip and raise his release point, and within minutes he was near 80% spin efficiency with a better downward breaking curveball.

The ability to see immediate feedback on how a pitch is moving is a great tool that leaves no second guessing on its effectiveness. We are able to see from a sky view, and a catchers view of when the pitch started to move, and how many inches it moved horizontally and vertically. There is also a feature that shows a dotted line of the pitch’s trajectory if there were going to be no spin on the ball, and a solid line showing where the pitch ended up after the spin impacted it. Rapsodo has helped our players make their pitch’s even better, and even helped a lot of them start throwing new pitch’s that they have never tried before.

If you think the MACH 1 team can help you with your development of pitches and your pitching repertoire let us know. We’d be glad to help!

Andy Marks

MACH 1 Pitching Coach

How would Mach 1 have benefited you as a high school athlete?

Dale H

I️ think Mach 1 would have been big for me in terms of potential injury prevention. I️ don’t think I️ took the best care of my arm growing up, and when I️ started to really gain velocity I️ wasn’t ready to handle the stress. I️ would have loved the ability to get in the weight room whenever I️ wanted as well as a good weighted ball program.

How much do you workout?

Adam M

I’m on a four day a week lifting and shoulder care plan. Plus as much pick up basketball as I can find.

What do you like to eat post workout?

Eric F

Post workout I️ usually snack on Fairlife chocolate milk and Siggi’s yogurt. Depending on the timeframe post workout I️ will also try to get a big meal (chipotle).

Do you track meals or have a specific plan when you eat?

Ryan I

I️ try to keep a good log in my head of thing I️ eat in my head but I️ don’t write anything down for the most part. I try to eat 500 plus calories every few hours, which requires a plan when you are not at home all day. I’m down about 15 pounds since my surgery so I’m just trying to maintain what I️ think is a good weight as throwing gets closer and closer.

What does the day after you pitch consist of?

Ricky D

The day after throwing always has a heavy total or lower body lift. I’ll do some sort of longer sprint work and hit the Marc Pro for an hour or so. I️ usually get my hips realigned as well as some sort of soft tissue work on my shoulder/back. Probably a three hour process at minimum after each start.

How do you throw hard?

Al E

Besides being the most asked question from the 14-15 age group, you throw hard because you practice throwing hard. It may sound dumb, but no one wanted to play catch with my buddy and I️ because we would finish each day throwing flat grounds to each other at 95-100 percent effort. Even before you start tweaking your mechanics, trying to throw the ball hard is a must.

Did you play any other sports?

Pete F

I️ played and still play basketball as much as I️ can. If you have the time and the ability to play more than one sport at a high level, do it. All of the best baseball players I️ know are good at multiple sports. I️ don’t know all the science (is there science behind it?) behind it, but learning how to move your body and do it well is a big part of becoming a good pitcher.

Big thanks to Matt for letting me hop on the blog for this week and for giving me the opportunity to be part of the Mach 1 Program. It’s been an eye opening experience learning how to coach and help out during this offseason and I️ am grateful for that.

Pete

Some people see pitching as an art. It’s a series of motions that move smoothly like water down a river or a series of events (such as pitch sequencing) that pain like strokes on a canvas and people call a masterpiece. A pitcher who throws hard or has nasty movement and just lets the pitch do the talking. It’s not about which pitch follows another or avoiding that hitters’ strengths. The mound and the ball field are the canvas. These are typically pitchers that have one very dominant pitch or pitching style that they’re known for. This is the Picasso.

There’s another group that see’s pitching as a chess match. It’s a highly calculated decision that holds a purpose and is setting up potentially for many moves ahead. The pitch is executed and before the result has even occurred there are options A, B, C, and D ready to answer the next step. The master even sets up the sequence of events hours, days, weeks and in some situations years before he faces certain opponents. This is former chess prodigy, Bobby Fischer who would know the result of a match, step-by-step, before it even started. The poster boy for this archetype is the great Greg Maddux.

My take is, why not be both? With the current landscape of analytics and sabermetrics along with growing technological innovations, every single person that steps on the mound should have the capabilities to do both. The art of pitching is established with well thought out training to better generate the sensation of “feel” on your pitches or when spinning the ball. Technology like Rapsodo will give you direct feedback to help refine that “feel”. It’ll let you know how the ball is spinning, how fast it’s spinning, and how much it moves.

The expertise and decision-making skills are trained by both experience and technology. It takes someone that’s been there and has enough repetitions to know the trends and know how hitters think. You can blend this expertise with the budding advances of technology. Certain devices now have the capabilities to see the release of each pitch on a horizontal and vertical axis on each pitch (fastball, changeup, breaking ball, etc.). You can take this information and predict a pitcher’s pitch tunnels which can make them much more difficult to hit. This information can make each pitch look the same out of the hand.

If you’re looking for the opportunity to train like an analytically skilled artist, then you should consider the Mach 1 program. With technology like Rapsodo, pitching instructors that understand human movement and have pitched at the highest level, and well thought out strength and conditioning programs with the pitcher in mind, this program is what you’re looking for.

If the injury bug strikes or if you’re looking to improve your body’s performance, let Gestalt Performance take care of you. We have 2 offices located in Eureka and Troy, Missouri.

Keep working hard,

Tyler White, Gestalt Performance Co-founder