ARE PITCHING LESSONS ACTUALLY GOING TO MAKE YOU A BETTER PITCHER? OUR THOUGHTS & DEEPER LOOK INT
The Dudes here at FRTC are constantly approached by parents & players who feel the need to get in for a lesson to “clean things up” before a big game or weekend event. Because of the frequency of this, I think this topic is worthy of a conversation, so let's have at it!
I think most would agree that pitching lessons are predominantly fostered around "skill work" & "fine tuning" of mechanics (both large components when building a dynamic pitcher). Parents are constantly trying to communicate with coaches what they think is "wrong" with their kids' mechanics. In response to a "bad outing" they panic to sign their kid up for a lesson in an effort to find a quick solution. Well guess what? I hate to be the one to say it but, that's just not how shit works! Shortcuts are only real in Mario Cart on N-64!
There is no coach out there who is going to fix your son’s mechanics overnight or even in 3 months’ time. The art of Pitching is an extremely complex process that requires sequencing, concurrent movements, kinesthetic awareness & some GRIT! Having success on the bump also demands an individual plan of attack for every athlete looking to gain velo, clean up movement patterns, or better their command.
"The human body has little to no interest in what the coach actually says." -Dr. Frans Bosch
That's not to say that pitching lessons can’t be beneficial for an athlete because they very well could be. But if you're just taking lessons & not following a program that integrates self organization & individuality, and also includes on-ramping, correctives, strength, mobility work, active recovery etc. you're probably wasting your time & money. Odds are your "plan" is absolute crap if all you've done to get better over the off-season is take pitching lessons once a week (Not to mention your recovery process probably sucks). Let's say you go above and beyond to train other areas of your game outside of pitching lessons. There is a strong likelihood that you are still traveling to different locations to see different strength, mobility, pitching & arm care coaches- and we all know how that story ends. It ends with a very "one sided" program where typically one part of your program is written without consideration for the other.
One of the biggest problems we have with pitching lessons is that a 30 minute lesson structure lacks the ability to promote athleticism, build athletic strength, create competition, and train the body to organize on it's own through differential learning. Lessons also lack the single most important aspect of a players development- and that's the individualism of each athlete! Video analysis & mechanical efficiency screenings (that can be done during lessons) are great, but without running the athlete through a full SFMA or FMS to identify individual constraints & disconnections, the end result is limited to a one glove fits all type program.
COLD HARD FACTS...
High School Pitchers:
According to statistics provided by the NCAA, just over 6 out of every 100 high school players (about 6.1%) will be advanced to the collegiate level…
So where does this leave You?
The remaining 93.9% of all high school pitchers don’t get the opportunity to play at the next level. But if they’re honest with themselves, they know EXACTLY what they need to do in order to defy the odds & play at the next level. IT CAN BE DONE!
College Pitchers:
According to statistics provided by the NCAA, 11 of every 100 collegiate players (about 10.5%) will be drafted by a MLB organization. The remaining 89.5% of all collegiate pitchers don’t get drafted. But if they’re honest with themselves, they too know EXACTLY what they need to do in order to defy the odds & play at the next level!
What You Need For The Next Level:
90MPH fastball or...
Improved command/strike percentage with velo or…
Better shape, speed, spin, break & command of off-speed pitches or...
Healthier and more durable arm or....
Ability to recover quicker from each outing or...
Improved overall fitness & strength or...
Improved ROM or...
Improved ROFD or...
Increased focus or...
FU mentality or...
A combination of all of the above!
Let's be honest. You can't accomplish all of this alone or with just one coach. You can't accomplish this in signing up for one lesson once a week! This is why a specialized arm care program followed with 100% compliance is what many players need to gain the right edge. Or sometimes you just need to get your ass in the gym!!!
SOME INTERESTING STUFF TO THINK ABOUT.....
In order to adequately counter the stress that is induced by the arm when reaching extreme External & Internal Rotation, throwers must optimize their delivery, assess any possibly disconnections between the trunk & t-spine, detect any constraints the athlete may have and train specifically to prep the surrounding soft tissue in order to promote a durable & healthy arm.
The only way to increase strength in ligaments, tendons, and what connects them, is loads that are greater than what they habitually experience.Throwing a baseball is our habitual experience! (5 ounces is also an accident of history!) If we play catch, we must long toss, if we long toss, we must pull-down- and if we’ve already done that, it’s time to use implements that put greater strain/capacity on the connective strength. A Thrower's body will adapt to the specific stressors/stimuli being applied to it. If a stressor stays exactly the same, week after week, month after month, adaptation comes to a HALT. You wouldn’t lift the same weight for the same reps every week and expect to keep getting stronger without needing to add reps or weight.
FULLREPS ARM CARE
I truly believe that anyone can achieve greatness & make it as far as they want in this game. This includes YOU! Without that belief as the foundation of our FR process, the success of our athletes would be impossible. Napolean Hill once said “the starting point for all achievement is desire”. If you truly want to add Velo, improve your command and reach optimal levels of performance, we believe you can do it. However, it all starts with YOU! A good buddy of mine and owner of the Florida Baseball Ranch, Randy Sullivan, PT. wrote “If you want it, it can happen but to get there you need 4 things and they all start with D. Desire, Decision, Direction, Discipline”. Do you want it? Take Action. Get the right plan. Execute it every second of every day!
When you consider how valuable the arm has become and how important it is to keep the arm healthy- as well as generate overall fitness & strength- you'll realize how important it is to build a powerful arm, body & mind in order to perform pain free. Developing a power arm & athletic body is important for all players. After all, we've never heard a coach say, "I can't put that guy in the game... his arm is too strong". (Click here for a further look into our arm care program). Our staff is highly certified, willing to learn & very adaptable. They also understand that the most important part of every program is the "organism" carrying out the program & our team doesn’t half ass anything! They put in FullReps designing your sons program. They guide our athletes through the program with hands on corrective exercise & lead them through mindset discussions to prep them for the next phase of both their baseball & life journey.
We train 5 days a week. Yup, I said it. We train 5 days a week! No Ands, If's or But's. Sure we can create & design a program that only demands 2-3 days a week of focus but that would be doing a disservice to our athletes because nothing in life comes easy and if you're expectations & goals are to stay healthy, improve command & gain velocity it’s going to take a little bit more digging than that.....
This type of mentality means that FullReps isn’t for everyone. We get that. And that’s ok! FullReps is for the dudes who wake up every morning, piss excellence & want to be .001 % better at everything they do every day! Fullreps is for the dudes who strive for greatness and keep going even when they fail to reach their goals. This program is for the dudes who are hungry for success every damn minute of every damn day. The dudes who aren’t afraid to be judged by their peers & celebrate teammates success just as much as their own. The dudes who give FullReps! At the end of the day, It’s going to take being a complete beast to make gains & increase levels of performance. Speaking from our experience & past results of our program, it takes a minimum of 5 days a week of focused training, programming, recovery, dieting, proper sleep, compliance, desire etc in order to achieve your goals.
Take a look at our 2017/2018 player velocity gains. Theres a common theme amongst many of these athletes. Every single one of these dudes created their own path, defined their own success & I can promise you that each one of these individuals all started with a "DESIRE" to get better. (Click here for a full list of player velos)
The program is about effort > talent, building character & is rooted in differential learning to maximize motor learning abilities. Rest assured, we are the Northeast’s top Facility for managing arm pain, reducing injury risk & gaining velocity!
I’m not saying that we have it all figured out at FRTC -but why not train under one roof that offers an Arm Care Team, PT & CPPS Staff that all work together to develop, analyze, adjust & write your entire individualized program!?!? Just saying....you might save some gas money and be able to chill with your girlfriend for an extra hour or two during the week.
