Which kinetic pitching chain are you using?

Your "kinetic pitching chain's" origin.

Every kinetic chain revolves around your core.

Without an upright core, your body uses your arms and legs to get your core back to vertical. On the other hand, when your core is in a vertical position, you can freely use your arms and legs to move anyway you want.

People talk in general about “kinetic pitching chains”, but, unknown to most, only “closed pitching chains” produce elite results.

How a “closed kinetic pitching chain” produces elite results?

The key to a "closed kinetic pitching chain" is getting your core into an upright position and opening your front shoulder before you end your stride.

Your upright core lets you open your front shoulder. Your front shoulder action creates a separation between your hips and shoulders and, ultimately, forces you to stride. When your front foot gets back on the ground, you end up with your back hip ahead of your back shoulder. To get your shoulders and hips over one another you make a throwing action.

In a "closed kinetic pitching chain", no outside influence can impact your throwing action. Once you open your front shoulder, your throwing action becomes an involuntary reflex that regularly delivers 2 or more pitches in a row directly into your Catcher’s target with late ball movement and maximum throwing arm speed.

How an “open kinetic pitching chain” compromises your results?

When you begin your delivery with your feet too far apart or you place all your weight over your back foot, your naturally tilted core creates an "open kinetic pitching chain".

Before you can make any conscious movements, you must move your core into an upright position. You do this by moving down the mound, landing your foot plant and finally letting your body get your core back to upright.

As a secondary action and influenced by your body position at foot plant, you rotate your shoulders around your vertical core, struggle to deliver 2 consecutive pitches into your Catcher’s mitt and frantically search for ways to display better command.

Elite results are simple.

Keeping your core upright prior to your foot plant requires a couple of simple adjustments. If you can’t find anyone to teach you how to produce a “closed pitching chain”, contact me to find out how it’s done.

Skip Fast

Pitch Location Expert
Professional Pitching Institute

WWW: http://www.propitchinginstitute.com 

E-Mail: skip@propitchinginstitute.com
Cell or Text: 856-524-3248

Copyright © 2018

The Pitcher you see is the Pitcher you are.

A “2-Pitch Performance Threshold” cuts through the clutter to give you a very accurate, exceptionally reliable and extremely insightful look into your pitching.

Your “2-Pitch Performance Threshold” simply calculates the frequency with which you deliver 2 pitches in a row directly into your Catcher’s target.

You begin each pitch intending to deliver your pitch into your target with the movement your Team expects. Your "2-Pitch Performance Threshold" counts the number of times you accomplish what you set out to do.

- An engaged lower body means you perform above the “2-Pitch Performance Threshold”.
When you show you can execute 2 pitches in a row into your Catcher's target, not only do you perform above the "2-Pitch Performance Threshold", but you’ve grown to trust your lower body to command every pitch into your target all the time.
- Without your lower body influencing your throwing action, you’re going to perform below the “2-Pitch Performance Threshold” all the time.
Luck aside, when you can't execute 2 pitches in a row into your Catcher's target, not only do you live below the "2-Pitch Performance Threshold", but you’re frantically trying to figure out the skills all "2-Pitch Performance Threshold" pitchers already know.

A "2-Pitch Performance Threshold" subtly measures much more than pitch command.

         Your command is above the 2-pitch threshold when you rely on your body to spontaneously deliver every pitch very close to your target all the time or

Your command is below the 2-pitch threshold when you have even the slightest concern your next pitch will miss your target over the plate.

Your velocity is at its max when you clear your front shoulder as you finish your stride or
Your velocity is below your max when, to remain competitive, you need to finish your stride with your front shoulder pointing toward your target.

Your ball movement is as good as it’ll ever get when your command and velocity are at their threshold or
Your ball takes a predictable path into your target when your command and velocity are below their threshold.

No matter the pitch called, your arm speed shouts fastball and your hand comes through a very productive release window or
Depending upon the pitch called, you have no choice but to have your arm speed and release window tip your next pitch.

When you know how to regularly deliver 2 or more pitches directly into your target, your lower body forces you to challenge every opponent on every pitch to make solid contact with any pitch.

Making your throwing arm a spontaneous reaction to your lower body only requires a couple of simple adjustments. Contact me to find out how it’s done.

Skip Fast

Pitch Location Expert
Professional Pitching Institute

WWW: http://www.propitchinginstitute.com 

E-Mail: skip@propitchinginstitute.com
Cell or Text: 856-524-3248

Copyright © 2018

An Out-of-Control Throwing Arm Produces Very Predictable Results

Poor Results = Early Loss of Arm Control

With a hip tilt at the top of your front leg lift, as you move down the mound, you use throwing arm to offset your stride.

When your front foot hits the ground, your stride tempo will determine your throwing arm path.  In the end, your throwing arm path determines your throwing hand position which determines your results.

Elite Results = Late Loss of Arm Control

When you end your front leg lift with your hips level, a couple of things happen. With your hips level, you don't need your arm for balance and, in the traditional sense, you won’t move down the mound.

What you do is use your glove arm to rotate your body around your core. Your core rotation moves your down the mound and, most importantly, to get your body back in balance, force you to make a throwing action.

A combination of letting your body take control of your throwing arm reacting to your lower body and the precision with which your body gets itself back in balance takes your throwing hand through the same predictable and highly productive release window.

Making your throwing arm a spontaneous reaction to your lower body only requires a couple of simple adjustments. Contact me to find out how it’s done.

Skip Fast

Pitch Location Expert
Professional Pitching Institute

WWW: http://www.propitchinginstitute.com 

E-Mail: skip@propitchinginstitute.com
Cell or Text: 856-524-3248

Copyright © 2018

What is your undeniable pitching reality?

Your Pitching Reality

Your movements down the mound are uncontrollable reactions to your hip alignment at the top of your front leg lift.

Your Pitching Command

Why can't you deliver 2 pitches in a row into your Catcher's mitt?  
- You can’t do this because you end your front leg lift with your front hip higher than your back.

Your Pitching Sustainability

Why do you work on different parts of your motion only to see whatever you accomplished disappear the next time you take the mound?  
- Your inconsistent results occur because your hip alignment determines your stride tempo, stride tempo determines your results, and, unless you begin with your hips level, you have no way to control your stride tempo.

Why can't you do everything on every pitch that your Coach wants you to do?
-  Because, instead of managing your hip alignments, every Coach throughout the course of your pitching career is trying to manage your movements down the mound.

Your Pitching Future

How do you turn all this around?
- You end your front leg lift with your hips level, you eliminate your forward weight shift and you make sure your Coach manages your results through your starting position.

Want to instantly become more productive? Contact me for a free FaceTime pitching consultation and we’ll get started.

Skip Fast

Pitch Location Expert
Professional Pitching Institute

WWW: http://www.propitchinginstitute.com 

E-Mail: skip@propitchinginstitute.com
Cell or Text: 856-524-3248

Copyright © 2018

A Hip Tilt Destroys Your Command

(This blog takes your “pitching improvement” conversation from what you see to how your body interprets what you see.)

How do pitchers with a hip tilt perform at the highest levels?

Just because you see a lot of professional pitchers lift their front knee above their front hip doesn’t mean it’s something you want to do.

In fact, based upon the way your body works, it’s something that’s going to destroy your command and hold back your pitching career.

These pitchers work through their front leg lift by working out a relatively consistent stride tempo. They’re effective, but not dominant. (see You Determine Your Pitch Location for more information) 

How does your body interpret a hip tilt?

“Balance” is your body’s drive to keep your hips level. 

The instant some action creates a hip tilt, a combination of your stride and your throwing arm offsetting your front leg action brings your hips back to level. When this happens, your stride tempo determines your throwing hand position which naturally impacts your command.

Before your front foot comes off the ground, by simply using your legs to center your weight within your feet, you turn your stride from something you do into something that happens. Your stride tempo becomes a non-issue. Your throwing arm continually comes through a tiny, location-producing release window. 

We teach to the way your body works.

Because we must teach to all skills levels and ages, recommending you lift your front leg a few inches off the ground is our way to make sure your front leg lift keeps your hips level and won’t be detrimental to your command.

As long as your front leg lift keeps your hips level, feel free to to lift your front heel as high as you want.

If you have questions about your front leg lift, feel free to contact me for a free FaceTime pitching consultation.

Skip Fast

Pitch Location Expert
Professional Pitching Institute

WWW: http://www.propitchinginstitute.com 

E-Mail: skip@propitchinginstitute.com
Cell or Text: 856-524-3248

Copyright © 2018

What messages does your starting position send your body?

A 1-inch difference between release points means a 7-inch difference at the plate.

Elite Pitching Location

Elite location (nearly 65% of your pitches travel directly into your Catcher’s mitt) comes from your starting position telling your body’s invisible blueprint that, as you move down the mound, it needs to go into survival mode. 

While in survival mode, your invisible blueprint automatically and instinctively uses your stride to protect you from falling on your nose and uses your throwing (re)action to bring your weight back to center. Therefore, using your starting position to force body’s invisible blueprint to place your body in survival turns your throwing (re)action into an involuntary reflex that naturally and consistently brings your throwing hand through the tiniest of release windows.
- No matter the pitch called, when your starting position puts you in survival mode, your throwing hand comes through a fastball release window with the fastball arm speed that’s certain to keep your opponent guessing.

Unmanageable and Disappointing Pitch Location

Unmanageable and disappointing location comes from a starting position where, to move down the mound, you’re forced to stride. To survive your stride, your body’s invisible blueprint automatically and instinctively calls upon your throwing arm to slow down your movement down the mound.

With your stride and throwing arm working as a synchronized unit, your over-all stride tempo shapes your throwing hand path which determines your throwing hand position. Even an unassuming change in stride tempo changes your throwing hand position which makes your location even more unpredictable. You come to realize your best outings occur when you “feel” the right stride tempo. On the other hand, you can’t locate your pitches when you can’t find a productive stride tempo.
- While it is tough enough to find the right fastball stride tempo, you magnify your location concerns when you’re force to “feel” an additional stride tempo for your off-speed pitches.

Disappointing location means your starting position corrupts the way you want your invisible blueprint to interpret your movements. If you can’t resolve your starting position, contact me to for free FaceTime consultation.

Skip Fast

Pitch Location Expert
Professional Pitching Institute

WWW: http://www.propitchinginstitute.com 

E-Mail: skip@propitchinginstitute.com
Cell or Text: 856-524-3248

Copyright © 2018

What’s at the core of your location?

In past blogs we’ve defined single-legged “balance” as having your weight centered within your knees which brings your core into an upright position. We promote “balance” not only to keep your glove arm free to rotate your body around your core, but to keep your core upright.

From the top of your front leg lift, you fire your glove arm toward second and, as a reaction, your back hip to come forward. Your glove arm spinning your body toward the plate causes your lower body action to instinctively pull your throwing hand through a consistently tiny release window. Your pitch execution produces the sustainable excellence allowing you to control every opponent on every pitch.

Your core tilt spells pitching problem.

When the “balance” at the top your front leg lift places your weight over your back foot, you force your body to end your front leg lift with a titled core.

Only when your front foot gets back on the ground and your mind senses your weight back to center does your core move back to vertical. Then and only then do you have a vertical core required to pivot your shoulders around your head, but, with both feet already on the ground, you physically take your lower body out of your delivery.

Instead of pitching, you end up throwing. You throw, and your independent throwing arm action means you never really know where your next pitch will end up. Instead of controlling your opponent, you produce many more hitter favorable counts than are good for your pitching career.

Core alignments are easily managed.

Therefore, sustained excellent revolves around ending your front leg lift with the “balance” associated with a vertical core. Since your body posture at the top of your front leg lift is a mere position, a vertical core position at the top of your front leg lift is very easy to manage.

Should you find you come out of your front leg lift with a core tilt, contact us to find out a couple of simple things you can do to permanently make your results sustainably excellent.

Skip Fast

Pitch Location Expert
Professional Pitching Institute

WWW: http://www.propitchinginstitute.com 
E-Mail: skip@propitchinginstitute.com
Cell or Text: 856-524-3248

Copyright © 2018