“It don’t matter how hard you throw if you can’t throw strikes!”
Raise your hand if you’ve heard this? Your hand is above your head if you’ve ever spent a considerable amount of time around a baseball field. It’s an age old saying that has been holding back the development of amateur pitchers for years.
My response to this question would simply be “what if I can do both?”
Command and velocity are not antonyms, and they definitely do not have to be enemies. Why are they so often used as such?
One major reason? Because of a community of parents and coaches acting like a 14U travel ball tournament game is game 7 of the World Series.
But thats a point for another day, the point here is to prove that an athlete can strive to possess both elite stuff and elite command.
Elite command is the result of muscle memory, completing the delivery so many times that you know the release point of every pitch for every spot. Being able to repeat the same delivery over and over with a focused intent of executing pitches.
You know what makes muscle memory difficult? When an athlete hasn’t reached his or her physical ceiling and has a body that changes dramatically from year to year.
How are we supposed to expect an athlete who grows 2 inches and gains 40 pounds over a summer to be able to just wake up and repeat what they were doing before? How does that make any sense?
So what qualities do transfer from year to year for a growing athlete?
Athleticism, competitiveness, work ethic, knowledge and experience
If elite command requires elite muscle memory, what qualities does it take to throw at high velocities?
Athleticism, competitiveness, work ethic, knowledge and experience
Let me explain
Athleticism – Sequencing your body on a mound to throw a baseball 95 mph is one of the most athletic things you can do. It requires you to find powerful positions and use God given levers to catapult a baseball at full speed, and it all happens in .8 to 1.5 seconds
Competitiveness – Throwing hard requires you to leave all the thinking for practice, trust your training to take over on the mound and just simply compete. Thinking is the enemy of athleticism
Work Ethic – Throwing hard takes time, a lot of time. It also takes commitment. Gaining weight, getting proper sleep, being dedicated to an throwing program all take elite work ethics
Knowledge and Experience – Figuring out what cues and drills works for you, understanding the throw, knowing your body. All essential qualities of a hard thrower
Instilling the year to year transferable qualities in young athletes is crucial. Focus on the development of these and the athlete is putting themselves in a great spot to reach their ceiling.
Once an athlete is closing in on being physically mature, we can combine all the tangible and intangible qualities we have developed to reach his ceiling as a thrower and help him develop into an elite pitcher
A la; Command
As I’ve already said, it’s hard for a growing athlete to command a baseball, much less if they are adding sizable velocity increments on a year to year basis. Once the athlete is comfortable in their body and comfortable with spinning the baseball consistently, we can then really learn how to use it against hitters
Does that mean every kid should just go out and let it rip, unbothered by where it goes? Absolutely not. It’s not black and white. Learning the fundamentals of pitching is an essential trait in training youth athletes
But the most important goal for a physically premature athlete should be to constantly sharpen the transferable traits. Don’t be scared to put a radar gun on a bullpen, or set velocity based goals for a season. It will only add motivation.
At Pk Pitching, we never shy away from setting these goals and implementing a plan to reach them. The plan fully taking into account arm health, age, physical limitations, etc. to ensure the athlete is going about it in a safe manner first and foremost. But we know that the most sure fire way to play baseball at the next level is to have high octane stuff.
So what would I rather have, command or velocity?
Both.
-Cole Wilcox, Professional Pitcher, Lead Pitching Instructor PK Pitching