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Post date: Aug 24, 2012 4:19:51 PM
Every successful high school pitcher has at least one nasty pitch!! That's why, after a year in the making, we are introducing our Elite High School Pitchers Program as part of our Purpose Pitch Program!! There are four elements that must come together for success in high school; 1) Quality strikes 2) Nasty pitches 3) Physical capabilities 4) Mental toughness. We have combined two of our successful programs into one program that will benefit any pitcher who wants to increase his velocity, control, "stuff" and conditioning. We will also work with the pitchers on the mental part of their game. Realizing success in high school comes down to a number of factors.
Can the pitcher throw quality strikes? If the pitcher just throws the ball down the middle of the plate at the belt, he will get hammered. There are a lot of factors that go into throwing quality strikes. Velocity is important but there are plenty of pitchers who can be successful with a mid-70's fastball if he can execute his pitching arsenal. By throwing quality strikes, the pitcher must have good, repeatable mechanics. He must also know how to fix his own mechanics in the middle of a game or inning. Many high school pitching coaches are dealing with 20 different pitchers over a short period of time and are not able to become intimately aware of each pitchers tendencies or fixes. That's why the pitcher needs to be his own best coach and this program will teach him how to "self diagnose" his mechanics.
Can the pitcher work out of a jam? The pitcher will find himself in jams during the course of a season, some of which he did not create. Bloop hits, errors and even bad umpiring will put the pitcher into jams that he will need to work out of. If the pitcher cannot work out of trouble by getting a key strikeout or double play, he will not have success at the high school level, plain and simple. Therefore, he must have at least one "nasty pitch" that he can use to work himself out of trouble when its most important.
Will the pitcher break down when the game is on the line? Sometimes as a pitcher you have to win a game 1-0! There are no excuses. You can't blame your offense for not scoring runs. Sometimes you need to shut the other team down for 7 innings and in order to do so you have to be conditioned properly. So, how does a pitcher condition himself properly? Weight training? Running? There is more to conditioning than exercise. It's a total body conditioning process that will ensure that the pitcher will stay strong AND be able to throw quality strikes AND be able to work out of jams late in the game. Read this article about Jimmy Summers student Brian Malerick from Hudson who won a 1-0 game in 8 innings last year. It was a great game, but the other pitcher broke down at the critical moment.
4) How will the pitcher remain confident in tough situations? One thing is certain when it comes to pitching in high school......the pitcher will face tough situations! Mental toughness refers to the ability of the pitcher to overcome obstacles such as bad umpiring, bad defense, an off day when his pitches aren't working. What strength will he draw on to keep confidence and manage his way through the game or even bounce back from a bad game?
The high school pitchers program will be a twice per week program where the pitchers will work with Coach Jimmy on mechanics and "stuff". Immediately afterwards, they will participate in a specially designed version of QuEST designed to build strength, endurance and learn how to "fire their core" to increase velocity. Mental coaching is also incorporated into the program to help them become an elite high school pitcher. While all of the other high school pitchers are throwing their weekly bullpens, these students will be making strides to becoming dominant. This program will be limited to the first 8 students who sign up. Click here to sign up for the program
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