WE'VE MOVED!

First off, I want to thank all of you for coming to Aces Elite.  The website has been a great tool for me to communicate with you and I have enjoyed every minute of it!  That being said, I want to let you all know that as of today, I will be shutting down the Aces Elite blog.  The good news is, I'm moving to another site, chriskurtz.wordpress.com, where I will be combining the pitching information with all of the fitness information I continue to use at Bucks Fit on a daily basis!  At chriskurtz.wordpress.com, there will be nutrition information, fitness tips and video, as well as pitching tips and videos.  If you liked Aces Elite, be sure to check out AElite Fitness, where you will have everything baseball, not just pitching, covered.  From off season fitness programming to mechanical breakdown on video, it will all be covered.  Again, thank you so much for making Aces Elite a success and I'm looking forward to unveiling the new and improved AElite Fitness @ chriskurtz.wordpress.com.

Away We Go!

Hi guys (and gals).  I have to say, I'm really excited for this upcoming season for all the players who have been working their tails off this off season.  I've been working with a lot of pitchers in the gym and have seen some tremendous strength gains, regained range of motion (ROM) in their throwing shoulders and hips, and flexibility that some players never thought they'd see.  On top of that, throwing will start for the pitchers I work with this weekend.  Needless to say, this is my favorite time of year because you can really start to see things come together for the guys who have been putting in the effort that's needed to play at the next level.  With that said, I want to talk about the throwing progression you should be making (or your son should be making) over the next couple of months.  Keep in mind that less is more, especially through November and December.  Make the work you put in efficient and don't go overboard with your work load.  For those of you that I can't get to, here is an example of how the guys will progress over the next 14 weeks leading up to tryouts and the beginning of the season:

November (2 Weeks)

• Throw once a week.
• Start with flat ground work at 45 feet for remainder of November
• Make 80-100 throws, including Warm Up throws (which will be between 25-40 throws)
• Throw nothing but 4 seam and 2 seam fastballs.  Work on hitting both sides of the plate consistently

December (4 Weeks)

• Throw twice a week the first 2 weeks, 3 times a week the last 2 weeks.
• Throw 45 feet flat the first week and 60 feet flat the last 3 weeks.
• During the first 2 weeks, make 80-100 throws including warm ups.
• The last 2 weeks, increase the work load to 100-120 throws, including warm ups.  Take the third day of the week to stretch it out to 90-120 feet outdoors (WEAR SLEEVES!) until you feel fatigued.  As soon as you feel that fatigue set in, shut it down, stretch, and call it a day.
• Stick with the 4 seam and 2 seam fastball until the last week of the month, where you can start mixing in change ups.

January (4 Weeks)

• Throw 3 times a week the first 2 weeks, throwing 60 feet flat indoors twice a week, once a week outdoors at 90-120 to fatigue (WEAR SLEEVES!).  Work both fastballs and your change up.
• Throw 3 times a week the last 2 weeks, throwing 60 feet flat indoors the third week, 60 feet on the mound the fourth week, and once a week outdoors at 120-150 feet to fatigue (YOU ALREADY KNOW!).

February (4 Weeks)

• This is when it gets a little hairy.  You have to work within the frame work of your high school team's throwing program.  With that said, you should be throwing at least once a week on the mound from 60 feet, starting with a pitch count of 30-40 pitches in the first 2 weeks.  Work every pitch you throw.  Long toss once a week from 120-180 feet to fatigue.  Work flat ground at 45 feet indoors at least once a week to work on your "stuff."
• The last 2 weeks of the month, work your pitch count up to 50 pitches in the third week off the mound, and 60 pitches the fourth week off the mound.  Throw long toss once a week, trying to work from 150-210 feet to fatigue.  Throw flat ground at 45 feet once a week.

March (2-3 Weeks)

• Throw 60 pitches the first week with your mound work.  Long toss between 180-240 feet to fatigue once a week.  Flat ground work at 45 feet once a week.
• Throw 70 pitches the last 1 or 2 weeks leading into tryouts, throw all of your pitches.  Long toss once or twice a week between 210-270 feet to fatigue.  Work in flat ground at 45 feet once or twice a week.

So there you have it.  That's a basic template, but keep in mind that each player will be different.  The best advice I can give you is to listen to your body.  If you feel good, push it a little bit.  If you're feeling worn out, back off a little bit.  One other thing to keep in mind with your mound work:  Throw between 12-20 pitches, take a break, throw 12-20 pitches, take a break, etc.  You don't want to throw more than 20 pitches per set because you will RARELY DO IT IN A GAME!  Work within a format that will have you as close to game situations as possible.

For any questions, comments, or inquiries, you can email me at aceselite@gmail.com.  Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

-Chris

NLCS Update

It sure has been a while since I've posted here at Aces Elite and I want to apologize right out of the gate.  Things have been crazy the last couple of months, but are beginning to settle down.  That being said, let's get right to the NLCS juice today.

If you've been watching the Phillies Phight there way towards another world series you've definitely noticed Cody Ross destroying our pitching staff.  It's no secret that whoever has been on the mound has been feeding him fastballs low and in, a pitch that he clearly handles well.  To Cody's credit, he's managed to get himself into hitters counts and capitalize on our pitchers mistakes.  If you've watched his career since he arrived in Florida in 2003, there's always been one part of Cody's game that hasn't allowed him to become an elite player:  He can't hit an off speed pitch.  He is a "Dead Red" hitter, meaning he is a fastball hitter.  He's the type of player that goes to the plate looking for a fastball he can drive and he sure has the hands to do it.

That being said, I was infuriated that Cody Ross saw 3 fastballs in the same exact location.  Now, I will say that Carlos Ruiz did call for each fastball on the outside corner, but the pitchers missed their spots.  In that situation, they need to make sure they miss off the plate (outside), in the dirt, or go with something off speed.  By the time game 2 rolled around, the approach should've changed slightly on Ross to the effect of "He's not seeing anything other than off-speed stuff."  Luckily for the Phils, they were only solo homeruns and you'll hardly ever lose a game because of solo shots.

For any questions, comments, or inquiries about pitching lessons, feel free to contact Chris at AcesElite@gmail.com.  Thanks for stopping in and have a great Monday!

Strasberg to have Tommy John

Unfortunately, for the Washington Nationals and baseball fans everywhere, it looks like we'll have to wait about 2 years to see Stephen Strasburg with the Big League club again. Reports late last week confirmed that the second MRI performed on Strasburg's ailing elbow revealed everyone's worst fear...A torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. This means he will miss at least 12-18 months trying to rehab the injury, and then will have to start building into his throwing program. Even though I'm a die hard Phillies fan, this is tough to watch. Strasburg was the future of, not only the Washington Nationals, but pitching fans across the world. We haven't seen such a young kid with such explosive "stuff" since Mark Prior, who fought shoulder problems throughout his entire career and is no longer in professional baseball. Let's take a step back and break down what may have caused the injury to Strasburg...

1. Overuse - Having the type of talent that he has, Strasburg has probably been throwing way too many pitches since he was a high school student.  With the climate of college baseball what it is today, and what it was while he was coming up as a youth, he was most likely involved with PLAYING baseball year round.  For a pitcher, this is a big no no.  As the old saying goes, "There are only so many bullets in the gun," and I think that rings true to some extent for him.  By pitching year after year after year, he never gave his body the proper time to relax and heal.  To me, fall baseball for pitchers is not necessarily the next step to success.  While I do believe you need to work on your game year round, it doesn't mean you should be out on the mound pitching competitively year round.  I believe the fall is the perfect time for guys to get into a great strength and conditioning program, by building up for next season, and allowing your bodies to correct the weaknesses and imbalances that the spring and summer seasons have built up.  If you are still young (sophomore and younger), go play another sport.  Until you have your scholarship opportunities on the table, there's no reason to give up any other sports.  Go be a kid!  

2. Poor Assessment of Strength Weaknesses - A lot of players I've seen over the years, who develop shoulder and/or elbow problems, generally have a lot of weakness and imbalances in their core, hips, and scapula (back).  Over time, if they are not corrected, a continual deterioration of the soft tissue quality in those areas, will lead to the deterioration of other areas that may be compensating for those imbalances (i.e, elbow begins to breakdown due to a weak back).  Perhaps if he had been assessed a little further, he may have been able to correct his imbalances and prolonged this injury

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3. Poor Mechanics -  Here's where number 2 and 3 run together.  Because of the way he throws (extremely high scapular load with his elbows above his shoulders), he puts a huge workload on his back.  His legs aren't huge, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's weak.  I think because of his mechanics, he should have been doing a lot more back strengthening, along with mobility and flexibility work, in order to put himself in the best position to succeed and be healthy.  If you watch him throw, he doesn't use his legs as much as his upper half and core.  Let's break it down and take a coaching perspective, post op.  Option 1)  He can rework his mechanics to allow his legs and core to take a brunt of the punishment.  Option 2)  He can spend more time on his upper back, using a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of every back to chest exercise, and still stay in his mechanics.  It's a tough decision either way you look at it, but if I were in that position as a coach, I would go with option 2.  For him to make such a dramatic change to his mechanics, would take even more time added into his rehab, and he would have to develop a strength and conditioning program that would suit those mechanics. 

The Nationals brass have some serious decisions to make on a man they invested 15 million dollars in.  It will be very interesting to see how things go.  Either way, I hope it works out for him, because he's going to be a pleasure to watch if he can stay healthy.

The Rocket

Let me start off by saying, Roger Clemens was one of my top 5 idols when it came to pitching, as a young pitcher growing up. I always loved guys that not only threw hard, but had that edginess to go along with it. That being said, The Rocket is in some SERIOUSLY hot water right now...

If you haven't heard, Clemens is facing a six-count indictment with a maximum prison sentence of 30 years, but he'll never see that much time. If he is convicted, he'll probably end up serving a year to a year and a half. I remember watching the spectacle on Capitol Hill, seeing Clemens' political buddies sticking up for him, while the politicians seeking the truth essentially laughing in his face for the sheer fact that he was trying to pull the wool over their eyes. It was indeed a very sad day for baseball. If you're a young ball player reading this, please burn the image of a first ballot Hall of Fame talent, about to lose it all because of steroids. The only way to the top, with a clean conscience, is to eat right, work out consistently, and develop an unmatched, tireless work ethic. Although I'm a die hard Phils Phan, check out some of the Mets players GETTING AFTER IT during spring training this year...

There's no doubt that Roger worked hard, and from stories I've heard, his workouts were up to speed with Nolan Ryan, who was the hardest working pitcher of all time. He's in a whirlwind now because he won't admit what he did. Canseco, Giambi, McGwire, Pettite, and A-Rod are just a few of the guys who have come clean, and have been forgiven. Clemens' ego has gotten in the way and landed him in this position. His lawyer, Rusty Harden, is clearly laughing his way to the bank and can't possibly be as stupid as he appears on television. It's scary how delusional the Clemens camp has been throughout this whole ordeal. Clemens volunteered to go to congress to clear his name, with the thought being that if he showed up, proclaimed his innocence, all would be good. Now, his camp is claiming they WANTED the indictment. To me, it's like watching a car crash. It'll be interesting to see how things turn out for one of my all time heroes on the bump...

Summer Ball Coming To A Close

This summer has been quite the grind, and with a week to go with the Bandits 17U squad, I figured today's topic was appropriate.  Any player reading this can feel it; fatigue.  For most of you, you've been playing since the fall, whether it be fall ball or individual work, and have continued up to this point.  That's a solid 10 months of baseball.  Now that your season has either finished, or is about to finish, I want you to do one thing for me...Take some time off.  Take the next 2 weeks to be a kid.  Go out with your friends, go down the shore, kick your feet up, and RELAX!

You guys have absolutely earned it. Once those two weeks are up, it's time to get back in the weight room and start pushing towards next season.  You guys have an opportunity every off season to make yourselves above and beyond what you were this past season.  If you get in the weight room in the middle of August, and continue through the fall, winter, and early spring, you will see gains in all areas of your game.  For now, I want to say excellent work to ALL of you who have pushed through the aches and pains of another long season.  Take some time to enjoy the last month of the summer.  When break time is over, I'll be waiting for you in the weight room...

Bandits Update

So here we are at the end of the week in East Cobb, and boy has it been an up and down week.  As you know, we won our first game Tuesday against the ABC D-Backs from Texas, 8-0.  Wednesday, we played at Sprayberry High School against the All-American Prospect 17's out of Florida, losing 8-0.  LHP Jeff Courter (Archbishop Wood, 2011) threw the ball very well, but a few balls evaded our gloves on that day.  Such is baseball.  Thursday afternoon, we played the Northeast Lumberjacks, from Massachusetts, and prevailed 10-1. LHP Chris O'Brien (Malvern Prep, 2011, UNC Commit) and LHP Matt Hollenbeck (Hatboro-Horsham, 2011) were both missing bats all afternoon, while the lineup went to work on the opposing pitching staff.  Friday afternoon, we had the pleasure of playing at Pope Christian High School, home of the 2009 AAAAA State Champion Greyhounds.  LHP Sean Cosgriff (Germantown Academy, 2011) worked his way out of some early jams to keep the Bandidos ahead, 5-4.  RHP Mark Maksimow (Notre Dame, 2012) came in and carved up the Diamond Jacks Black squad, preserving the lead, and pitching his way to an 8-4 victory.  Today, we played an early game, with LHP Matt Hollenbeck and LHP Jeff Courter pitching on short rest and a ton of moxie.  Unfortunately, we took the loss against Longshots Baseball 11 from Massachusetts, and will play our final game of the tournament tomorrow.  RHP Ryan Filipowicz (Holy Ghost Prep, 2011) will take the mound for the final outing, with LHP Sean Cosgriff in relief.  To all the parents, friends, and family who have supported the Bandits throughout the season, we want to thank you for all the support.  Let's get a win tomorrow!

Bandits in Georgia

I am the pitching coach for the Philadelphia Bandits 17U AAU summer team, and we arrived in Georgia Monday afternoon for the East Cobb 17U National Tournament. We played yesterday and defeated a team from Texas, 8-0. LHP Chris O'Brien (Malvern Prep 2011) and RHP Mark Maksimow (Notre Dame 2012) threw the baseball extremely well, putting up goose eggs over a combined 5 innings pitched, striking out 7 over 3 innings, and 3 over 2 innings, respectively. Today, we face a team from Miami, Fl, which should be a good test for our boys. LHP Jeff Courter (Archbishop Wood 2011) will take the ball for us, while RHP Ryan Filipowicz (Holy Ghost Prep 2011) will follow him. I'll keep you updated, for now, we need to get to the ball field!

Congrats!

This week has been a pretty good week for some, now former, Philadelphia Bandits.  Germantown Academy shortstop, Sean Coyle, was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 3rd Round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft.  Germantown Academy RHP Keenan Kish was drafted in the 34th Round by the New York Yankees. Last, but not least, University of Cincinnati freshman, Andrew Strenge, was named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, after having an amazing freshman year, posting numbers of 46.2 IP, a 1.93 ERA, 7-1 record, and striking out 40 batters.

 I'm extremely proud of our players, for all the hard work they have put in over the years, as well as the quality young men they continue to be.  Keep up the good work!

Mental Aspects

The mental side of baseball is perhaps the most complex part of the game. The season consists of non stop chess matches between one team and the next, one player against another, as well as one player against himself. Whether you are in little league, high school, college, or professional baseball, you will undoubtedly face mental challenges throughout your entire career. For most players, they can pinpoint a stage in their career when things got extremely challenging, and their mental toughness had to be at an all time high. For me, it came when I was an incoming freshman at Middle Tennessee State, when I had no idea what I had gotten myself into...

As a high school senior at Archbishop Wood, I put up good numbers. I was an invited walk-on to Middle Tennessee State, and admittedly, thought I was a little better than I actually was. I was treated to a rude awaking the first week of fall practice/tryouts as soon as I stepped foot on the field in Murfreesboro, TN. As I watched the other pitchers on the staff throw their bullpens, and consistently sit at 86,88, and 90 mph with their fastballs, I was curious to see where I was at...Boy, did that hurt. I was sitting between 78-82 mph as a lanky right-hander, with no movement on my fastball, no breaking ball, and no change-up. About two weeks in, I called my father, and we had a conversation that I'll never forget. "Dad," I said, "I can't do this. These guys are way better than I am, I'm getting demolished every day at practice, I think I need to come home." His response wasn't exactly what I was looking for at the time. He said, "Well son, you decided to go there, and you said this was what you wanted. If you still feel the same at the end of the year, we'll talk about it. For now, you're just going to have to suck it up and figure it out." I don't think he could've given me a better statement than that. At the time, with my confidence in the tanks, I didn't want to hear it, because what did he know? I was 17, and I knew everything about everything. For probably the only time in my teenage years, I followed his advice. I sucked it up, and went to work at a feverish pace with one of my teammates, in the gym, on the field, and off the field.

At that point, I did anything and everything in my power to take control of my mental approach and work ethic. I found a book, literally in our locker room, called "The Mental ABC's of Pitching" by H.A. Dorfman, and read it every day until the end of the season. I went to the book store and purchased a copy for myself, looking to regain my confidence and become the pitcher I knew I had inside of me. To sum up my freshman year...I stunk. I came home with an ERA of 16.11, and still hadn't figured it out from a physical standpoint. With my continued work, guaranteed innings with Northampton Legion, and my frame finally filled out a bit (went from an emaciated 175 lbs. to a solid 195 lbs. over the year), I continued to work and ride the confidence that I had found in The Mental ABC's.

That summer, it FINALLY clicked in my third appearance of the season. My mechanics FINALLY came together, and my fastball was into the mid-upper 80's, with a curveball that I'd never seen come out of my hand. From that point on, I never regressed with my confidence, physically or mentally. After a great fall at MTSU, I decided to transfer to Temple with an amazing opportunity to get my college education for next to nothing, as well as pitch a lot of innings for the Owls.

The point to all of this, is to excel at anything in life, we must be willing to do whatever it takes to attain that goal. Excellence is not due to someone's "genetic code." Excellence comes from a combination of attitude, work ethic, and the will to go further than anyone else in your field. I recently finished reading "Bounce" by Matthew Syed, and not only is it an easy read, it goes in depth to what makes the most successful people in the world, great at what they do. In all the studies done within "Bounce", it came down to one thing: The mental toughness to see everything we do, through to the end; to give every last inch of ourselves to our goals, with an undying self confidence and love for our craft, in order to maximize the end results.

Soft Tissue Quality

This topic is one that commonly gets over looked during the course of a season, as well as the off season, and being that we're wrapping up the playoffs around the country, I figured it be a good topic of discussion today. Soft tissue quality is extremely important to not only pitchers, but position players as well.

We've all had the soreness after a workout, pitching, or playing baseball in general. Sometimes, the soreness lasts longer than we'd like, and for years, we've been told to just stretch and run long distance in order to alleviate the pain. The soreness is caused by the breaking down of muscle tissue due to athletic competition or strenuous workouts. Over time, repetitive athletic competition and strenuous workouts cause knots, adhesions, and scar tissue, creating poor soft tissue quality throughout the body. By using the foam roller, we are able to get to those knots, adhesions, and scar tissue, and break them up, creating better soft tissue quality, allowing us to compete at the highest and healthiest level of performance our bodies will allow. Here's a great series of foam rolling stretches that you should perform at least during game/workout days.

To wrap things up...By creating healthier soft tissue, we allow ourselves to get the most out of our bodies when competing on the baseball field, as well as working out in the gym. As Kevin Erminio (Pitching Coach Clemson, MTSU, Miami OH, now at Kennesaw St.) once said when I was a baby faced freshman at Middle Tennessee State University, "Kurtzy, a flexible pitcher is a better pitcher, write that down, Erminio 2001." Well, I listened, and that little bit of advice has helped me throughout my years in baseball, and will help you too if you make it a part of your gameplan.

Attacking The Strike Zone

As the baseball season begins to hit full stride, let's take a look at the success rate in percentages of strikes thrown by a pitcher during a game, and it's correlation to his teams success that day. As we worked our way through the wonderful winter months, our pitchers heard the same general thing from me every night at indoor workouts: Attack the strike zone. Your fastball percentage for strikes should be between 65%-75%. Your breaking ball needs to be between 60%-65%, as well as your change-up/split finger. Now, let's combine that with the approach we are trying to take on the bump, and what we teach at HH. I'm constantly preaching to our pitching staff 2 things(albeit they probably hate hearing it on a daily basis): 1) That we have to get to 0-1 counts on hitters, versus 1-0 counts, and 2) Get the hitter to put the ball in play in 3 pitches or less.


By getting to 0-1, we dictate that the hitter expand his strike zone, allowing us to make him hit a pitch that we want him to swing at. If we fall behind to 1-0, now the hitter is in the "drivers seat," in that he can look for a pitch that he likes, in order to drive the baseball. Obviously, these are not the only two counts you see in baseball. With that said, by putting a hitter in a situation where he is expanding the strike zone, and possibly chasing a pitch that we want him to swing at, we put our defense in the best possible position to be successful.


The other part to our approach is getting the hitter to put the ball in play in 3 pitches or less. By attacking the strike zone, we become the aggressor, by throwing quality strikes, but also allow our defense to work in the field. Ask any position player, and they'll tell you how much they hate being behind a guy that strikes out 10+ batters in a game. To that point, they hate it even more if a guy has walked 10+ batters, and if this is the case, the pitching coach should make his way to the parking lot with the player, and neither should come back.


My personal feelings aside, if we can keep our fielders in the game, we dramatically decrease the occurrence of errors because our fielders have to be on their toes at all times. When you see high strike out/high walk games, you're bound to see errors committed in the field. As the late, great Crash Davis once said to a young fireballer named Nook LaLoosh, "Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls, it's more democratic."

Any questions or comments, you can reach Chris Kurtz at aceselite@gmail.com

Eric Cressey Q and A: Part 2

Q: I run into a TON of Fathers who want their son to gain velocity. What are your keys to gaining velocity?
A: To be blunt, Step 1 is getting away from your crazy overbearing father and realizing that if you’re going to throw the ball hard, it’s because YOU want to do it, and are willing to put in the hard work. There are millions of American fathers who want their sons to throw 95+mph, but only about eight guys in the big leagues who consistently throw that hard.

Taking it a step further, the average fastball velocity is actually higher in A-ball than it is in professional baseball, so while throwing hard is important, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. I’d love to hear more fathers talking about learning to command the fastball and master a change-up. And, most importantly, I’d like to see more fathers who are interested first and foremost in keeping their kids healthy so that they can have the continuity necessary to realize their potential.

Next, you have to consider what kind of velocity we’re actually discussing. Is it what the radar gun reads: actual velocity? That’s really just one of three kinds of velocity.

You also have perceived velocity - which is higher in a pitcher who gets down the mound further than his counterparts and therefore gives the hitter less time to react. Chris Young (at 6-11) gets the benefit of perceived velocity in spite of the fact that his average fastball velocity doesn’t even approach 90mph.


Perceived velocity also explains the success of many pitchers with deceptive deliveries where the ball seems to just jump up on hitters. Often, these pitchers stay closed and throw across their bodies. While it may not be healthy, correcting it could take away their effectiveness.

Lastly, back in 2008, Perry Husband introduced me to the concept of effective velocity, which is a bit more complex. The effective velocity a hitter appreciates is actually impacted by:

1. pitch location (high and inside are faster, and low and away are slower)

2. previous pitch location, type, and velocity (coming up and in with a fastball makes it seem harder if it follows a low and away change-up)

3. the count (when behind in the count, the hitter must cover a larger strikezone, and therefore a larger effective velocity range)

If you need any proof of the value of effective velocity, just watch Jamie Moyer or Tom Glavine. They nibble away over and over again, and then they come back inside on a guy and he looks blown away by the velocity even though it may only be low-80s.


That said, getting down to the nuts and bolts of throwing the ball hard (actual velocity) mandates that you understand that there are tons of factors that contribute to velocity, but they aren’t the same for everyone. Very simply, there isn’t just one mechanical model that allows one to throw harder than others.
Some guys have congenital laxity that allows them to contort their bodies all over the place. Others “muscle up” and shotput the ball to the plate. Most pitchers are somewhere in the middle and rely on a balance of elastic energy and mobility to make things happy. With that in mind, having mechanical efficiency and thousands of perfect throwing reps in this efficient model is what every pitcher should strive to achieve - just as a golfer would practice his swing or an Olympic lifter would practice the clean and jerk or snatch.


Second, it’s imperative to prepare young pitchers’ bodies for the rigors of throwing a baseball. I’ve written extensively about the overwhelming extremes the throwing arm faces, and while it’s important to improve arm strength, flexibility, and soft tissue quality, the rest of the body cannot be ignored. Improving function of the scapular stabilizers, core musculature, and lower half is essential for taking stress of the throwing arm. We encourage kids to get started with foam rolling, targeted flexibility work, and resistance training as soon as their attention span allows. As I have written previously, the “stunting growth” argument doesn’t hold water.

Third (and this piggybacks on my last point about resistance training), it’s important to understand how to manage a young pitcher throughout the year. Contrary to popular belief, playing year-round is not a good idea. In fact, it isn’t even good enough to qualify as a “bad” idea; it is an atrocious idea.

If you want my ideal competitive season for a youth baseball player, it’s to pick up a ball and start tossing around Thanksgiving, progressing to bullpen wok in early January after long-tossing distance has been progressed. Then, the athlete throws up through his competitive high school season (late March- early June) and summer ball (through early August). That’s about 8-8.5 months of throwing throughout the course of the year - and it’s plenty.

You’ll see that this competitive year fits quite nicely with participation in a fall sport - whether it’s football, soccer, or something else. And, athletes can still “get away” with playing winter sports as long as they’re willing to commit to a throwing program, even if they have to start playing a bit late. If I had to give my ideal scenario, I’d say play football or soccer, and then play pick-up/intramural basketball in the winter alongside a throwing and lifting program.


Within this year, you have several crucial blocks during which to increase resistance training volume. One, there is the entire winter break, obviously. Two, there is generally a decent break between spring and summer baseball (late May-early June), and another during the month of August. Three, kids can (and should) still train in-season, regardless of the sport.

This, of course, speaks to the high school athletes who have practice/games just about every day. Managing a 10-year-old is a lot easier. His sport practice may only be 2-3 days per week - meaning that he can participate in different activities throughout the week. However, he can’t do that if Dad thinks that playing on four different AAU teams at once is the secret to getting him to the big leagues. He has to play multiple sports at a young age.


So, if I had to give the synopsis of my thoughts on how to get a kid to throw hard, it would go something like this:

1. Appreciate that throwing hard is just one piece of the “being a successful pitcher” puzzle - and that there are different types of velocity (actual, perceived, and effective).

2. Clearly outline his competitive season and stick to that outline. Don’t add showcases, camps, and additional teams.

3. Let him play for two teams: one spring (school) and one summer (AAU, Legion, etc.).

4. Find a skilled pitching instructor to work with him to optimize mechanical efficiency. Before you start working with this instructor, have him explain his approach to managing your son both during a typical lesson and throughout the competitive season. Then, go and observe him as he works with other pitchers. Do they just “show and go,” or do they warm-up before even picking up a ball? Does he ask kids how they feel prior to each session, and does he pace them throughout the session? Or, does he just grunt and spit dip juice all over the place.

5. Get him involved in a comprehensive strength and conditioning program that incorporates resistance training, medicine ball work, flexibility training, and movement training that all take into account the unique demands of baseball. The strength and conditioning coach should provide a thorough evaluation that screens for all the flexibility deficits and stability issues we commonly see in throwers.

6. Make sure that the pitching coach and strength and conditioning specialist communicate and collaborate. The CP staff is fortunate to have this kind of productive collaboration with Matt Blake all the time:


Kidding aside, very rarely will a pitching coach know about strength and conditioning, and very rarely will a strength and conditioning coach know about pitching. It’s unfortunate, but true.

7. Have him play multiple sports. The younger the pitcher, the more sports he should play. Specialization shouldn’t come until age 17 at the earliest.

8. Make sure he continues to take care of his resistance training and flexibility work in-season.

I could go on and on about all the subtle details of what we do with pitchers on a daily basis, but the truth is that I envision this blog as something that will be most popular with the Dads in the crowd who really just want to help their kids realize their potential and remain injury-free. So, I’m keeping it more general - and referring you to the Baseball Content page for the more “geeky” stuff.

I do have one more closing thought, though. We deal with a lot of very talented young pitchers who throw the ball very hard. One anecdotal observation has been that their fathers are the ones who “get it.” These are the guys who are concerned about the important things: staying healthy, enjoying baseball, finding the right college, etc. They don’t boast about how many guys their sons struck out in little league. They are genuinely humble and respect the game - and this carries over to their kids, who work hard and carry themselves the right way.

Conversely, the kids who are always told that they’re the best and get raved about by their fathers are the ones who invariably struggle to succeed long-term. It may be because they’re overworked, over-pressured, or just overrated in the first place. It may be because coaches get frustrated with having to deal with an overbearing father, and the kid gets punished for it. It may be that the kid doesn’t think he needs to work as hard because he’s already the best - because Dad told him so. Or, maybe he misses out on crucial development because he spends all his time playing in baseball games when he should be practicing, training, or participating in other sports - or just having fun and being a normal kid. Worst of all, a kid may just flat-out start to dislike the game because all the fun has been taken out of it because of Dad’s hype and excessive pressure.

Is velocity important? Sure. Can it sometimes be the trees that prevent us from seeing the forest? Absolutely.


For more great content from Cressey Performance, check out ericcressey.com and cresseyperformance.com

In Season Conditioning

For many years, pitcher's have been told "go run poles" by their coaches, with no real science behind it. Distance running for pitcher's has always been described as a way to work the lactic acid out of muscles after a start, or to build endurance in the legs to work deeper into games. As the strength and conditioning climate of baseball continues to move in a positive direction, players and coaches are coming to the realization that, as a pitcher, we are built to perform more like "sprinters" than "long distance runners." Take a second to think about the movements a pitcher will perform in a game situation. When we deliver the ball to home plate, it's an explosive movement. When we hop off the mound to field a ground ball, we're moving in short, quick bursts. When we cover first base, we're sprinting up the line to get to the bag. All the movements we perform during a game situation, are performed within a 60-70 foot radius, at a quick, but short, burst.

Therefore, when we are preparing for those game situations, we should prepare in short, quick bursts. Long distance running during practice is a thing of the past, for present pitchers. Sprint work, as well as some pitcher specific plyometric training (side shuffles, box jumps, lunge hops), should be the focus of in season conditioning during practices. If our players want to do some long distance cardio on their own, we won't stop them, but we don't find it necessary in order to maximize performance on the bump.

Pitchers and Catchers Report in 2 Days!

With pitchers and catchers set to report to spring training in 2 days, I thought it would be good to talk about what we can learn by watching the Major Leaguers go about their business. First, let's talk mechanics. When pitchers take the hill in the early weeks of spring training, they're out there trying to get themselves into a comfort zone mechanically, first and foremost. Take a look, during the next couple of weeks, at how pitchers will struggle with their mechanics. Are they balanced throughout their motion? Are they keeping good tempo or are they rushing the ball to home plate? Are they finishing towards home plate or peeling off to first base (Right Handers) or third base (Left Handers)? If you're watching a certain pro's mechanics, think of the mechanical adjustments you're trying to make. Look for guys who are struggling with the same things that you are, because these are the guys that can become a form of video study for you to work with, other than your own.

Second, take a look at how pro pitchers set hitters up. A great way to see exactly what a pitcher is trying to accomplish out there is to keep the book. By keeping the book, you can keep tabs on what pitches a pitcher threw in a certain count, and then reflect on why he was throwing that certain pitch. Was he trying to set up the next 2 pitches? Was he working for a ground ball in a double play situation? Remember, we always have a purpose for EVERY SINGLE PITCH WE THROW. You will never throw a "waste" pitch. If a coach tells you to "waste" a pitch, he's not necessarily a guy you want to be taking pitching advice from. My apologies for digressing from the topic at hand...

Third, and finally, take a look at how a pitcher works both sides of the plate, as well as working up and down in the zone. In order to get hitters out, we need to change eye levels, as well as a hitters balance. If we can get the hitter off balance, even in the slightest bit, we can get him to hit the ball where we want in any situation. Take notice to pitchers during spring training, and how they work each hitter. Here is an example of what I'm talking about...



-At :27, Johnson starts Shinjo off with a 0-0 slider, down and in. Shinjo's weight is on his front foot, which means he was reading fastball, telling us that the spin on the slider is really tight, almost impossible to see.
-At :45, Slider down and in again, Shinjo is still reading fastball on the slider. Johnson now owns both sides of the plate. Shinjo still can't pick up Johnson's spin on the slider, and has yet to see the fastball.
-At 1:05, Johnson throws a fastball away. To me, this is the key pitch in the entire sequence. Go back and watch the first two pitches, and see where Shinjo's stride was on the sliders. Now, watch where his stride goes on the 0-2 fastball away...He strides to third base, which means his weight is on his heels. Johnson should go with the fastball away again, he owns him.
-At 1:20, Johnson throws a slider, down and in, repeating his pitch selection from the Little League days. Johnson gets lucky, as Shinjo hooks the slider foul, down the third base line. Let's see what happens next...
-At 1:47, the catcher (Jake Taylor?) calls for a fastball, down and in, but Johnson misses away with it, as Shinjo swings through it, because his weight is still on his heels.

I hope that example gives you an idea of how to battle hitters as the season approches. Again, you will see pitchers during spring training working on their mechanics, pitch location, and pitch selection. As we just saw in the video, Randy Johnson threw an extra pitch in the Shinjo at-bat because of poor pitch selection. Those extra pitches will add up over the course of a game and a season, so it is important for us to be smart, and more importantly, efficient on the hill when we approach hitters.


On a side note, I want to congratulate Andy Messa, on the upcoming birth of his son. Andy is a 6'2, lefty, and if the genes stay strong, his son will be as well. Here at AE, we're prepping to get the little, soon to be southpaw on the draft and follow list ASAP. Congrats to Andy and his wife!

Eric Cressey Q and A: Part 1

I've been following Eric Cressey for almost a year now. In my opinion, he is the top strength and conditioning coach in the United States right now. I recently sent Eric a 10 part Q and A, to give our pitchers in the Tri State area the benefit of understanding what they should be doing in the weight room, when it comes to prepping for the upcoming season...

Q: One of my favorite (insert generic sarcastic look here) things to watch in the weightroom is my pitchers getting under the rack for bench presses. It’s not the fact that they’re benching that upsets me, but the “Beach Body” mindset that is behind it. What’s the most efficient way for a pitcher to work on his bench, and more importantly, what should he be trying to gain by performing the bench press correctly?

A: Okay, let’s get right to opening this can of worms



With any exercise, we look for carryover to the functional demands of our sport. However, we accept that general strength gains transfer in most cases. As an example, we know that we can improve throwing velocity with a variety of training initiatives, but training specificity like this is stupid:




Now that we’ve all gotten a bit dumber, let’s continue…

As it relates to pitching, the fundamental problem with the conventional barbell bench press (as performed correctly, which it normally isn’t) is that it doesn’t really train scapular movement effectively. When we do push-up variations, the scapulae are free to glide - just as they do when we pitch. When we bench, though, we cue athletes to lock the shoulder blades down and back to create a great foundation from which to press. It’s considerably different, as we essentially take away most (if not all) of scapular protraction.

Additionally, the closed-chain nature of push-ups is much more shoulder friendly, even if pitching is an open-chain exercise. In fact, most rehabilitation progressions - regardless of the shoulder issue in question - will begin with push-up variations before any open-chain pressing exercises.





With dumbbell benching, we recognize that we get better range-of-motion, freer movement of the humerus (instead of being locked into internal rotation), and increased core activation - particularly if we’re doing alternating DB presses or 1-arm db presses. There is even a bit more scapular movement in these variations (even if we don’t actually coach it).

With a barbell bench press, you don’t really get any of these benefits - and it’s somewhat inferior from a range-of-motion standpoint. While it may allow you to jack up the weight and potentially put on muscle mass a bit more easily, the truth is that muscle mass here - particularly if it leads to restrictions in shoulder and scapular movement - won’t carry over to throwing the way the muscle mass in the lower half and upper back will. I’ve seen a ton of guys with loads of external rotation and horizontal abduction range-of-motion throw the crap out of the baseball, but can’t say that I’ve ever seen any correlation - in the research or my anecdotal experience - between a good bench press and throwing velocity.





That said, I recognize that there are still a lot of “wannabe meatheads” in the pitching world, so we do our best to meet our athletes halfway and please the bench press gods. Most of the time, dumbbell bench pressing and push-up variations will be sufficient, but we will sometimes us the multipurpose bar with our pitchers because it puts them in a more shoulder-friendly neutral grip.





Add some chains to the bar, and you have a great stabilization challenge that works the true function of the rotator cuff.

That said, if you absolutely feel like you need to do traditional benching, keep the volume down, keep the elbows tucked, and keep the shoulder blades pulled back and down. And, be sure to recognize that your ego probably isn’t doing much for your success on the mound - as there are training initiatives with better returns on investment. Remember that pitchers have loads of competing demands - from throwing, to flexibility training, to soft tissue work, to fielding practice, to movement training - so what you do in the weight room has to highly effective to justify its inclusion. I just struggle to consider bench pressing “highly effective” for pitchers.

Check out more from Cressey Performance at ericcressey.com

Commitment to Excellence

"What this is, I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it." -Alexander Graham Bell

Every single one of us have goals in life. The difference between one man to the next, is the road they decide to take to achieve those goals. To be great on the baseball field, as well as any other goal we choose to chase during our lifetime, takes a one hundred percent commitment to being great. Players do not become great by giving a mediocre effort. In today's high school baseball climate, EVERYONE is competing for college scholarships. Competition is tough and college coaches are cut throat about the players they want on their team. That competition only elevates as you rise through the ranks of college ball, to minor league ball, to pro ball. With each step you take, you have to focus on your craft more and more, in order to reach elite status.

As the high school season approaches, make sure you are working not only harder than anyone in your gym, but harder than anyone in the world. To be an elite player, you have to understand that there is some kid, somewhere on this Earth, that wants to be the best player, just as bad as you do. You have to be willing to outwork the guy at the top in order to be the King of the Mountain. If you procrastinate with your off the field work, the game WILL pass you by. Don't be a good player, with great potential, left behind because you were lazy. Those players are a dime a dozen. Be the needle in the haystack...

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of will." -Vince Lombardi

Overtraining

A common mistake of high school pitchers, is overtraining. Many kids I work with tend to believe that more is better, without any scientific back up, when it comes to training. Unfortunately, this is a huge misconception and you need take note if you are a high school pitcher looking to be healthy for the upcoming spring.

At Hatboro Horsham, we have a lot of guys that play other sports, as well as baseball. Generally, they are playing football or basketball, but the football coaches seem to want a year round commitment to the team. When we're getting ready for the season, as a pitching staff, we have a concrete plan that needs to be executed in order for our guys to be ready to go when March comes around. We specifically build up our arms with a combination of long toss, and stretching out pitch counts every week during our bullpens. What I'm seeing, is guys who are strength training for football, strength training for baseball, long tossing twice a week with us, throwing a bullpen once a week with us, training with a pitching coach on the weekend (generally throwing another bullpen), as well as attending summer league practices once a weekend.

Herein lies the problem. When you are constantly putting your body in a position of breaking down (football training, baseball training, bullpens, long toss, etc.), the body needs a period of time to recover. If you don't give your body the proper rest and nutrition, you will be on the DL before the season ever starts. I understand it's tough to go to your football coach and tell him that you need to be with baseball, but think about your future on the baseball field, if that's what you truly want. During football season, we don't expect our guys to be at baseball, because it's exactly that...Football season. The same goes for baseball. When it's baseball season, it's time to focus on the things that are going to make you a better baseball player and keep you healthy throughout the spring. Football workouts should resume in late summer when it's time for football season.

Some of the best advice I ever recieved was "Work smarter, not harder." Understand what time of year it is, from a sport specific stand point, and work your tail off in that ONE area. If you stick to this piece of advice, you will have a successful, healthy season.

Battling the Cold Air of Winter

Sunny...75 degrees...Not a cloud in the sky...The smell of fresh cut Kentucky Bluegrass...We would all love to pitch or practice in those conditions every day. Unfortunately, most of us aren't fortunate enough to play in those conditions due to our geographic location. Growing up in the Northeast United States, I've had to make an adjustment during the winter months to my throwing program, in order to be ready for the spring season. Anyone reading this, who is from a colder climate, understands what I'm talking about. When battling the cold air of winter, keep a few things in mind...

The goal of throwing long toss is to prepare our arms for solid strength and good health for the upcoming season. If you're going to brave the cold, make sure you go through a thorough warm up. This should include an extended period of distance running/sprints and a Dynamic Warm Up, before you get into throwing the baseball. When the temperature drops below 30 degrees, as it will many times in our winter season, think twice about getting outside to throw. At Hatboro Horsham, we won't go outside for our long toss if it drops below 30 degrees. In the cold weather, it's easy for the body, even when properly warmed up, to ice over, and create stiff ligaments and muscle fibers. Repetitive throwing in these types of conditions will wear out not only the shoulder and elbow, but all other ligaments and muscles in the body, creating an instability among them heading into the spring time. The goal of the off season is to get to the regular season in one piece, healthy and strong, ready to compete. Some believe that it will increase the kids' toughness if they get out in this type of weather. My argument to that is this isn't football. Baseball demands more mental toughness and consistency than football. If you are trying to stick to a strict throwing program, and the temperature drops below 30 degrees, wait until the next day of long toss. You won't win any Championships or Scholarship offers because you threw in 19 degree weather...

Pitching's Order of Importance

Tonight, I want to talk about the order of importance between command, movement, and velocity, and what they mean to a young kid in terms of recruiting.

Most kids want to get up on the bump, and throw the ball as hard as they can. We've all done it, we've all been there. In the order of importance, throwing the ball hard comes in third place, out of three possible spots. The most important part of pitching is commanding both sides of the plate with the fastball, and then mixing in some sort of off speed pitch that we can throw with command to both sides of the plate as well. The second of the three is movement. We want our fastball, breaking ball, and change up to all have some sort of movement. If we can become efficient with three pitches, we'll be able to make the ball move three different directions. When we combine command, with movement, we become an extremely dangerous adversary. Velocity, the third of three, is the least important. Obviously, we all would like to throw 102 mph, but it's not in the cards for ninety nine percent of us. Your velocity will come as a combination of proper mechanics, weight training, and physical maturity.

1) Command, 2) Movement, 3) Velocity. Focus your efforts in getting better at these three essentials to pitching, starting with number 1. Number 1, alone, can land you a college scholarship. If you focus on velocity, and end up at 80 mph, with no command or movement, you're chances of playing college baseball are slim to none. Allow your body to grow into itself, focus your efforts in places you can control right now.

Big Mac, Big Liar

Usually, the topic of my blog revolves around pitching. Unfortunately, the baseball world was rocked, yet again, with another one of it's "Golden Boys" admitting to steroid use. If any of you were near a television yesterday, you most likely saw the breaking news that Mark McGwire has admitted to taking steroids for nearly his entire career. For most people in baseball, this really comes as no surprise. As a former player, and now as a coach, I felt it was important to talk about this topic.

For all of you up and coming players, let me first start off by saying steroids are illegal. If YOU get caught with steroids, legal action will be brought against you. I stress YOU, because you are not a Major League Baseball player with the revenue stream and corporation (MLB) behind you to keep you out of jail. Secondly, keep an eye on all of the players that have been named on the list of players that failed the steroid test, over the next 10 years. You will all see the fallout of what steroids will do to these players bodies. Search recent pictures of Sammy Sosa on the internet, and you will see a once dark skinned man, who now looks like Casper the Ghost. His new skin pigmentation, I'm convinced, is due to a side effect caused by steroid use called Vitiligo. The "Steroid Era" has been a hot topic since the beginning of the decade, and right now, we are in the eye of the storm. More players will come forward and admit to steroid use, tainting the image of Major League Baseball further.

Although it seems as if everyone who has ever thrown a baseball professionally, has used steroids, this is not the case. I know plenty of guys who I played with personally, that did not take steroids. Unfortunately, the climate being what it is in baseball, many players in baseball are assumed to have taken steroids. As a former player, and now a coach, I have to warn all of you who play. You WILL have the decision of whether or not to take steroids, come across your desk at some point in your playing career. I CANNOT STRESS THE FACT THAT YOU DON'T DO IT, ENOUGH! It came to me when I was coming off surgery my senior year in college. I had worked my whole life to play professional baseball, and coming off surgery, I needed to come out and have a great 5th year in college. I decided not to juice up. It was more important to me, to be able to look back at my career, when I'm talking with my children and grandchildren later in life, and say that I did it right. I earned my playing career through hours and hours of hard work. I knew that, if I had taken steroids, I would wonder forever, whether or not my ability to pitch was due to steroids, or if it was actually my doing. Those were the determining factors. It gives me great pride to say that I earned every single accomplishment of my career because of hard work, not some synthetic drug. If you decide to go down the road less traveled and work your rear end off, it will be one of the most satisfying accomplishments of your lifetime.

I Want To Pitch Like.............Me!

I've been around baseball my entire life, and one of the biggest problems I have seen, is coaches trying to get their pitchers to throw a certain style, i.e., "Throw over the top." Many coaches want their kids to throw over the top, and feel if anyone on their staff doesn't, then that kid is throwing wrong and needs to change. This could not be further from the truth. It is important, as a coach or father, to let your sons arm do what it wants to do naturally. If you want to see your sons arm slot, have him throw long toss. Warm up, and then get him out to around 100-120 feet, and his arm will do what it naturally wants to do. If I throw with a kid, and he throws the baseball from a low 3/4 arm angle when we are at 120 feet, that is where his arm slot belongs. When a pitcher is forced to throw a certain way, and that way does not agree with what his arm wants to do biomechanically, he is most certainly on his way to arm injury. Keep this in mind...I cannot be Bob Gibson, Roy Halladay, or Cy Young...But I can be the best Chris Kurtz I can possibley be. Allow your pitcher (or son) to be the best he can be, and allow his body to do what it wants to do, naturally. If you allow him to be him, he will reach HIS maximum potential, and that is all you can ask for.

2 Months Until SHOWTIME!!!

With the high school season only 2 months away, most of you should be breaking into team workouts, or at least individual workouts, by this point. It's important, with the little time we have left to get ready for the season, to focus on what you need to work on individually until tryouts arrive. For the next two months, keep a clear focus on the mechanical flaws you need to iron out, because once the season comes around, the focus will switch from mechanical flaws, to going out to the mound and competing. Stay focused and motivated, the season will be here before you know it!