blog

One of the most important methods I have learned in training pitchers is to keep things simple and focused.

I remember sitting through a lecture a few years ago with the department head of neuroscience from UCLA. He was sharing how athletes can literally think about one thing at a time, and anytime we give them more than one instructional cue, their focus is lost.

I recently took a golf lesson and experienced the idea of overload myself. I was working on my backswing and then tried to focus on two ideas at once. It didn't take long for me to realize how I needed to train my body to do the new movement I was being taught until it was second nature. Then, after that, I could focus on the next change.

I have no idea how many hours of my life I have spent in a bullpen, but if anything seems to be true it is this. Pitchers can't focus on more than one mechanical thing at a time. I have learned it and the medical community teaches it. It seems the best technique is to explain why a change is necessary, work on that change, share some drills to reinforce that change, then get his focus back on the target. The sooner he can get away from thinking mechanically, the better.

danny@arizonapitching.com

www.arizonapitching.com