RichDunno posted:This is why I created the King of the Hill Ground Force Trainer.......I had a 14 pitcher throwing 80mph which is pretty good. I also had a 18yr old 6'5" 180....dunk a basketball and throw 88 from outfield and couldn't get off 81mph off mound. When the 14 year old was pitching he would drive my portable pitching mound backwards 1" to 1 1/2" when he pitched. Which told me he was creating ground force into the front bracing leg which causes the hips to rotate. The 18 year old......no drive and never created a drag....just rotated off the rubber.
The next 2 lessons our focus was driving the pitching mound back.......result after 2 weeks: 20 pitches he topped out at 87 mph with 3 pitches the rest at 83-86. Later in the summer He eventually topped out at 91mph and sat 86-87mph.
More and more studies are finding out that the harder throwers excel in Vertical and horizontal jumps which tell us they have elite power and explosion........now to put this into play on a pitching mound you have to get them to create a solid LOWER HALF to CREATE POWER and upon landing be able to brace up to TRANSFER that into rotational energy to rotate the hips causing more separation!
Again.....this is why I created the King of the Hill! It will help coaches train kids to "USE THE LEGS!
Crushing the MLB teams and Major Colleges!
Yep, leg drive and separation are very important for velocity, AND to prevent sudden sharp stress on UCL caused by "tall and fall" delivery.
July 2013 (age 14 yrs, 4 mo.): 71 mph; 5'3'' 118 lbs
May 2015 (age 16 yrs, 2 mo.): 80 mph; 5'11'' 164 lbs
June 2016 (age 17 yrs, 2 mo.): 86 mph; 6'1'' 178 lbs
July 2017 (age 18 yrs, 4 mo.): 92 mph; 6'3'' 190 lbs
October 2017-UCL sprain
The summer 2017 gains were from getting stronger AND getting lower half working. He has very powerful legs. Unfortunately this fall a pitching coach made him go back to a “balance point” delivery, i.e. no leg drive, and made him reduce his hip / shoulder separation. The result was a drop in velo followed by a UCL sprain and he will miss the next 3-5 months. He will never listen to a pitching coach again that doesn't understand leg drive and separation.
PS: I love this thread. I thought I was the only dad in the world that kept these kind of stats on his son.