Wednesday, August 5, 2015

How comfortable are you with your comfort zone?


You rely on your comfort zone on all 3-0 counts.
  • You throw your 3-0 pitches with little anxiety and minimal stress. 
  • You just need to throw a strike without any concern for putting the ball over the plate. 
At 3-0, when you can throw a strike with your eyes closed, you're in control!

Once you deliver your 3-0 strike, its back to reality.

You're required to step out your comfort zone.

  • "Goodbye" comfort zone and "hello" anxiety and stress. 
Now, because you need your next pitch to look like a strike without missing your target over the plate, your next result has a basis in "hope" and your stress level increases. 

I use your footwork and front foot lift to keep your hips level at the top of your front leg lift.
  • I'll use your natural reactions out of your starting position to create a consistently efficient and extremely effective delivery. 
  • Since your mind's "built-in response mechanism" controls your results, I expand your comfort zone to include all your pitches.
Contact me to optimize and expand your comfort zone.

L.A. "Skip" Fast
Independent Major League Pitching Coach
Pro Pitching Institute
856-524-3248

“My simple, yet extremely powerful, business rule: fix it and move on!”


Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Is Your Coach Gambling with Your Future?


Good coaches to instantly get you to use less effort to produce better results.

Be aware that your current coach is speculating with your future when...

  1. His adjustment fails to immediately bring your worst misses consistently closer to your target.
  2. He forces you to use your last pitch result to adjustment your next pitch arm slot.
  3. Instead of a laser focus on your movements, he uses your last pitch result to determine whether something works.
  4. He tells you what to do without telling you how to do what you need to do.
  5. He tells you to do stuff you already know you need to do.
I recommend you bases every coaching decision upon these “4 Critical Coaching Elements”.

Synchronized – Your first action impacts your second movement which influences your third movement which powers your fourth movement and so on … until you complete your motion.
Predictable – Your natural reactions power the behaviors that keep your hips level at the top of your front leg lift.
Expected – Every improvement gets you to use less effort to produce before results.
Sequenced –Your motion shows a very specific progression, inevitable ending and unavoidably better.
When your coach misses any to these "4 Critical Elements", I would question whether your coach is using your an a pigeon pig to sharpen this coaching skills?

No matter your age, your skill level or age, contact me to instantly harness your mind's "built-in response mechanism, , make your results next level ready and keep you Tommy John resistant.

L.A. "Skip" Fast
Independent Major League Pitching Coach
Pro Pitching Institute
856-524-3248


“My simple, yet extremely powerful, business rule: fix it once and move on!”

Monday, August 3, 2015

"Ability" moves you past pitchers with "potential".


Your skills at your current level show the ability to compete at the next level.

Most pitcher get promoted based upon their "potential".
  • They get promoted and, because they don't have the "ability" to compete, come right back to where they started.
By using your mind's "built-in response mechanism" to power your skills, your show next level evaluators that you have the "ability" to compete at the next level.
  • As soon as a scout sees you have the "ability" to compete, you move past the pitchers who have a lot of "potential".
  • Better yet, once you do get your promotion, your "ability" makes you instantly competitive.
At the next level, the hitters will most assuredly be more disciplined and more patient.
  • Your "ability" makes you more likely to stay at the next level than pitchers with just "potential".
  • With "ability", instead of having a results orientation, you need to focus on your motion.
With "ability...
  • You motion produces your results. Your results don’t produce your results.
  • Your motion produces pinpoint location.
  • Your next level catcher places his target in a spot where your next level opposition can't drive the ball, you hit his spot and you instantly dominate at the next level.
  • Your motion shows the next level hitter, no matter your grip, a deceptive fastball arm speed.
  • Your spontaneous throwing reaction channels your lower body energy into your throwing hand which generates much later ball movement.
A focus on your motion shows a scout you have the "ability' to keep your next level opponents off balance and prevent them from driving your pitches.

To find out how to turn "potential" into "ability", contact me.

L.A. "Skip" Fast
Independent Major League Pitching Coach
Pro Pitching Institute
856-524-3248

“My simple, yet extremely powerful, business rule: fix it once and move on!”


Sunday, August 2, 2015

Is a vision holding back your progress?

Parallel instruction
Coaches have a vision of what your pitching motion should look like and then ask you to parallel their image of what they feel your motion should look like?

1. Parallel instruction has nothing to do with the way your body moves and everything to do with how someone else thinks your body should move.
2. The instant you attempt to change the way your body moves based upon what someone else "thinks" you should be doing, instead of managing your personal reactions, your personal reactions end up managing you!

Collaborative Instruction
The way your body reacts to itself gives you a realistic chance to live your dreams at the highest levels.

1. Reaction driven instruction teaches to the way your body interacts to itself.
2. Reaction driven instruction makes your personal action/reaction patterns more effective.
3. By using your reactions, you use your reactions tell your coach what skills to address and the order in which to address each skill.

Contact me to optimize the way you react to your current movements.
L.A. "Skip" Fast
Independent Major League Pitching Coach
Pro Pitching Institute
856-524-3248
   “My simple, yet extremely powerful, business rule: fix it once and move one!”

Thursday, July 30, 2015

"Do" what your coach says or "drop it"?

"Do it" - Every pitcher I work with tells me, as soon as I adjust their footwork and monitor their front foot lift, they feel they're using much less effort to produce better results.   To support this, their mind's "built-in response mechanism immeidately shows ...

1. Them having greater leg involvement.
2. Their wort results finish noticeably closer to their target.
3. Them no longer aiming and, for the first time, pitching.
4. Instead of the 10,000 focused repetitions required to master a "feel", they experience a personal "aha" moment then...
"Do it"!

"Drop it" - Any time a coach asks you to make some change within your motion and...

1. Your new movements don't make your motion look and feel more efficient.
2. Your worst misses finish outside your catcher's body at the same rate as before the adjustment.
3. Your back hips show your throwing arm pulling your back hip forward.
4. You find yourself working on your muscle memory (still need 10,000 focused to master a "feel"), then 
"Drop it!"

To experience coaching the way it needs to be, contact me.
L.A. "Skip" Fast
Independent Major League Pitching Coach
Pro Pitching Institute
856-524-3248
   “My simple, yet extremely powerful, business rule: fix it once and move on!”

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Before you make any changes, answer these 3 questions.

Question 1 - Does a change really need to happen?

Yes, I’d make the adjustment - When your results are unacceptable to baseball people at the highest levels, you need to make an adjustment!
No, I wouldn’t make the change - when the reason for your improvement comes from something you see another pitcher do, what someone says you need to do or you're merely experimenting with your movements, I’d recommend you keep your current motion and merely optimize your footwork.

Question 2 - Why should the change happen?

Yes, I’d make the adjustment – your mind's "built-in response mechanism" indicates the adjustment will improve your results.
No, don’t make the change – anytime your mind's "built-in response mechanism" shows the change causes your hips to tilt, stay away from making the adjustment.

Question 3 - How do you make your change happen?

Yes, I’d make the adjustment - When the way your mind's "built-in response mechanism" keep your body in balance  levels your hips, make the adjustment.
No, don’t make the change – Anytime you’re trying to change some movement within your motion, keep doing what you’re doing.

By using your mind's "built-in response mechanism" to drive your adjustments, you always have a valid reason to make a change and you're guaranteed to produce better results.

  • Once you make these adjustments, you'll notice see more people staring at you and wondering why their delivery can't accomplish what they see you do!!!


To become the pitcher you know you can be, contact me.
L.A. "Skip" Fast
Independent Major League Pitching Coach
Pro Pitching Institute
856-524-3248
   “My simple, yet extremely powerful, business rule: fix it once and move on!”

Monday, July 27, 2015

There's no right or wrong in nature.

In nature, your mind's "built-in response mechanism" doesn’t care whether your movements are productive or disruptive. 

All your mind's "built-in response mechanism cares about is keeping or getting your hips level.

Your mind's "built-in response mechanism" might not care about your hip orientation, but you should!

All consecutive year, Cy Young winners keep their hips level into their front foot lift.
Managing your mind - With well-managed movements, your mind's "built-in response mechanism" keeps your throwing arm free to instantly respond to your lower body actions. Once your glove side triggers your foot plant, to get back in balance, your mind's "built-in response mechanism" instinctively pulls your throwing hand into release.  As a reflex, your throwing hand consistently moves through a tiny release window.
Journeymen pitchers let their minds manage them.
Your mind controls you - Your hip tilt forces 
your mind's "built-in response mechanism" to use your arms for balance.  Because you're using your throwing arm for balance, you delay your throwing arm into your release.  Your independent throwing arm action expands your release window, makes you miss your target over the plate too often and, in general, produces unacceptable results.
Your body may not care about how you keep yourself in balance, but, unless you care, you’re unnecessarily shortening your pitching career.

When, for no known reason, your worst pitches travel outside your body, ask me to turn your throwing arm balance into lower body balance.

L.A. "Skip" Fast
Independent Major League Pitching Coach
Pro Pitching Institute
856-524-3248


   “My simple, yet extremely powerful, business rule: fix it once and move on!”