pitches

My last blog discussed the basic concept of Perry Husband’s Effective Velocity. It is a truly remarkable theory that can be tremendously helpful to pitchers, but only if they know how to appropriately utilize it. As a disclaimer, in no way am I claiming to be an Effective Velocity guru, or that I understand all of its intricacies. But on the most basic level I want to share how Effective Velocity can be incorporated by a pitcher in order to help his game. There are two important concepts to effectively using the theory: pitch sequence and tunneling. These concepts in some ways overlap. Continue reading →

I had just returned to school my junior year of college and fall baseball was starting up. After practice one day I began talking to one of the assistant coaches about the mental side of the game and he had one piece of advice to offer me -- "only focus on the things you can control." This might sound like common sense or something that should automatically be done, but even though I had read several books about the mental side of pitching I had never quite heard those words, or if I had it became more clear what those words meant after talking with somebody who had seen me pitch and begin to compare tendencies I have with that phrase. Continue reading →

Today, I want to discuss a mentality that seems to be a growing fad among coaches and even some parents. It is the philosophy that some coaches – specifically some high profile and well respected coaches – have adopted as the motto for their staff. It is the thought that within 3 pitches, a pitcher should either have gotten the batter out or the batter should be on base. It is known as the “3 pitches on or out” philosophy. Continue reading →