Total Reading Time: 5 minutes

Happy Monday! Welcome to August. This could be your last chance for vacation, getting your life together or preparing for your season. Either way, I’ve got a packed issue for you that’s focused on the concept of focus, and careful versus wreckless.

So Let’s Go!

Wreckless Explosiveness vs Gentle Carefulness

Keep in mind that “the pitch” happens at the release - everything before that is simply the power and the preparation phase. Too many pitchers spend all their speed and energy in the power and prep phases so their releases are anti-climatic. When instead, the release needs to be the fastest, most explosive part of the whole motion.

In working with pitchers of all levels I’ve seen far too many who want to pitch faster, expect to succeed in the game all while pitching with a release that I’d call Gentle Carefulness.

They pitch not to make mistakes. Not to be too bad, or get hit too hard. All the while getting frustrated at their pitches and with good reason.

Sound familiar? You watch a pitcher and know she’s got so much more in her but she just isn’t bringing it out. In a word, she’s afraid. Afraid of making a bad pitch, getting hit, being criticized, losing, letting down her teammates, coaches or parents. Her fear makes her pitch with this Gentle Carefulness.

Recently, I’ve started asking pitchers to release with what I call Wreckless Explosiveness. I don’t tell them what that means - I want them to just pitch with what they think it might mean. I’ll also ask them what they think each word would mean in relationship to pitching.

I use the term Wreckless because it implies completely letting go of all restraint. Basically, to give it all they have without fear of the result. It also helps pitchers have the freeing feeling that if the pitch ends up bad, just fix it on the next one.

I’ve seen this change pitchers by helping them remove that veil of carefulness. Of course, it’s not the words that make the pitcher change, but the words seem to give the pitcher permission to release her fears and be wreckless.

To basically, give it all she has.

Try it and let me know if it works for you.

Why Focusing Isn’t Important

Tyler Pazik (@tylerpazik) has a great newsletter that recently talked about the concept of re-focusing instead of just focusing. Something I’d never even thought of before.

He says that focusing isn’t the goal, that Re-focusing is. The game will speed up and your mind will drift during a game. Getting your pitchers to avoid distractions isn’t the goal.

Distractions can be things like fatigue, a bad call, a homerun, an error, a walk, or hit batter. Thoughts can also be distractions - they’re basically everywhere. Getting your pitchers to avoid distractions isn’t the goal because distractions are too prevalent, and avoiding them is a losing proposition.

Instead, being able to recover from distractions is the key. So what’s important is to build a system that helps your pitchers bring their focus back - to re-focus. A system is something you can repeat under pressure, think routine.

Let’s take a look at a Pitching Re-Focusing System/Routine that will help make it more likely your pitcher can successfully re-focus after every pitch.

This doesn’t have to be your pitcher’s routine. You both should work together to come up with a re-focusing system that allows your pitcher to be her best, to get a break from the last pitch, and to prepare for the next pitch. Keep it simple, repeatable and consistent.

And to make sure your pitchers stick to their routines during a game when the pressure is greatest, you should ensure they all practice doing their routines after every pitch - practice or games, live or scrimmage. Good routines become something you do without even thinking about them.

Thanks for reading this week’s Curveball Chronicles. I hope it helped give you some insight to help your pitchers, and to give yourself some encouragement, knowledge and grace.

Go make this a Great week!

Missed some previous issues? Don’t worry, I’ve got them all on my website: https://pitchingcoachcentral.com/curveball-newsletter/