The ramp-up to pitch in-season can be a difficult task, some coaches emphasize velocity while others may claim that the focus on velocity impairs that athlete’s ability to throw strikes consistently.

Which route do you take? 

On the one hand, a few extra MPH could make the difference between getting a hitter out in a big situation;  and, maybe more swing and misses make up for the extra walks that occur through a lack of accuracy. Perhaps a pitching instructor doesn’t prioritize the outcome of a game (wins or losses) because their goal is to get that player a contract to play at the next level. After all, pitchers must throw hard to get signed and throw strikes to stay there.

On the other hand, it’s easier for hitters to hit a fastball when they know it’s coming (especially at a higher level) and that could be disastrous if there are runners on-base from an excessive number of walks. Furthermore, high pitch counts don’t help the team win when the starter has to come out of a game in the 5th inning after every start. 

Why can’t we train both?

I think both arguments are equally valid but I don’t see them as being mutually exclusive - i.e., if you train one, you can’t train the other at the same time. I believe you can train both but that you need to understand the difference between “accuracy” and “precision”, and how to integrate these points of emphasis into your training program. There are also two important questions that you need to consider: (1) how do you communicate these concepts to your athletes and (2) how do you track precision & accuracy?

First, let’s define accuracy and precision within the context of pitching. Accuracy is the ability to throw pitches close to a desired target (the catcher’s glove), whereas precision refers to the degree to which an athlete can consistently throw to the same spot or induce the same break on a specific pitch. 

Specifically, a pitcher can have varying degrees of precision and accuracy as shown in the images below (the pitcher’s target denoted by the shaded yellow region): 

1. Neither precise, nor accurate. There is no consistent grouping of pitches and pitches are not close to the target location.

2. Precise, not accurate.  The pitches are (relatively) tightly grouped but not thrown to the desired location.

3. Not as precise, but accurate. The pitches are in the target location but not as tightly grouped.

4. Both precise and accurate.  The pitches are both tightly grouped and in the desired location.

So, this is all well and good but how do you apply it during training? Let’s start by assuming our athlete is neither precise nor are they accurate and their season is 8-10 weeks away.

Miss By Less, Less Often - Tighten the spread. 

Start by improving the precision of one pitch, not all of them at once - athlete’s will try to be precise anyway but, as a coach, what you emphasize will guide their focus. Don’t stress them out.

Each pitcher will have varying degrees of precision and accuracy with each pitch so you don’t want to make the task too difficult by asking them to be precise with all pitches, all at once. There are two main reasons for this: 

(a) If they are highly refined with their fastball (precise and accurate), they will have plenty of opportunities to throw their off-speed in-game. Conversely, a pitcher that can’t locate their fastball won’t be throwing many off-speed pitches anyway - so there’s no point trying to be a Jack-Of-All-Trades. 

(b) High accuracy and precision are the result of good sequencing and timing so improving one pitch should bleed into the accuracy and precision of the rest. If there’s still a big issue with a secondary pitch, then you can be fairly certain that your pitcher’s problem may be more mental than it is physical.

In other words, the grip (for a specific pitch) may feel foreign or they may be trying to manipulate their mechanics to induce more break or achieve a specific movement (e.g., throwing chest forward to create more break w/ a curveball). By trying to do create a different movement with their body, they are effectively messing with their sequencing.

The problem I see with ONLY focusing on velocity is that the athlete’s sole focus is on a number to achieve and they neglect developing a feel for the strike zone. I know plenty of pitchers that are 90+ in bullpens that throw sub-90mph pitches in game because their training in bullpens doesn’t reflect their objectives in-game — to challenge hitters. 

The same issue is true when interpreting the findings in laboratory-based research, the results in a laboratory setting do not always translate to the same results when applied in a real-world context. Factors that influence the results in the real world may not be present in a laboratory setting.

In the context of pitching, the absence of a hitter while throwing a bullpen neglects the pitcher’s ambition to compete and win in game situations. It’s missing a key element, throwing with an adequate degree of precision and accuracy to challenge hitters.

Similarly, to only emphasize accuracy and precision is to neglect the athlete’s desire to have opportunities to compete at the next level — in the back of the pitchers mind, they know they have to throw hard to get there. 

Measure Their Progress

The next step is to set up a system to measure their precision, objectively. In their bullpens, start by setting up a strike zone with several larger (hollow) square zones spaced approximately six inches (two baseball-widths) away from the closest inner zone — see Figure 4. Label each zone and then track the frequency of pitches in each zone in a spreadsheet (Table 1) or a note on your phone. 

Set Thresholds

Set a velocity threshold - based on their max velocity for that day that they must achieve (on each pitch) in order for it to be counted in the tally. This could be 3-4 mph of their max velocity for that day. If they don’t reach that threshold for the pitch, it’s counted as a miss.

Make it clear to your athlete that they must keep the intensity high and aim to move quickly down the mound. Their objective is not to be perfect rather it’s to reduce the spread of their misses in each subsequent bullpen - in other words, become more precise. 

“So…”, I hear you asking, “how does this make pitchers more precise?” 

As a coach, you set a “precision threshold” that they must achieve in order to begin focusing on secondary pitches. Include pitches that are within the two innermost zones. In a real game, even pitches that miss outside of the strike zone by a few inches serve a purpose. 

The percentage of “hits” you set for the threshold can be somewhat arbitrary, I suggest using the average strike percentage for MLB pitchers (60-62%) subtracted by 5-10% to account for the difference in expertise. 

A Note on Feel Pens (Light Bullpens)

During their feel days, their objective is to try to transfer their weight with good sequencing as consistently as possible. Since their throwing intensity is slower and they’re not moving as fast, this will be an easier task for them to work on their sequencing and timing which should facilitate better precision in their bullpens.

Secondary Pitches & Precision

After achieving a predetermined “precision threshold” for their fastball, the athlete should begin to make their secondary pitches more precise. Although this seems similar, this task will be more challenging because precision, in this case, refers to both the amount to which an athlete’s pitch-location varies but also to how often the pitcher can induce the same amount and lateness of break - not necessarily the direction of break. 

First and foremost, the athlete should achieve sufficient precision — repeatability in this instance — with the break of their secondary pitch before attempting to precision within the strike zone. Similar to my reasoning regarding fastball precision, inducing good, consistent break with a pitch would mean their sequencing and timing is good. In my experience, the athlete’s precision in the strike zone will also increase as a result of consistent break on their pitches. 

Without the benefit of Rapsodo or other devices that measure lateness or amount of pitch break, you can qualify a “precise” offspeed pitch as having relatively late break and similar expected (athlete determined) amount of break as compared to their usual offspeed. It’s not perfect but it doesn’t cost you $7000. 

However, if you do have a Rapsodo unit, you can look for consistent velocity, horizontal and vertical break, spin, and spin efficiency to determine if the athlete is able to precisely repeat the same pitch characteristics in their bullpens. 

This article will continue in another post and discuss how to train accuracy. Admittedly, this was a more complex topic than I originially expected but it makes for a great read and has some valuable practical information for more than just pitching!   Subscribe here to be notified when the next article comes out.