Tyler Anzmann Performance

Throw 100 from a pulldown but only 85 on the mound? How is this possible?

Watch Oneil Cruz throw 103.3 and Trevor Rosenthal throw 100. The broad patterns that we look at will be similar-pelvis rotating into foot strike, the lead leg stopping, redirecting, and transferring, etc-but one is more elastically driven while the other is a bit more muscle driven.

If you are substantially better at a running throw than the mound or vice versa, there may be a patterning limitation, but your body may also be giving you clues about preferences and movement qualities. This is where the spectrum of muscle vs elastic driven athletes comes in to play.

To be clear, this is a spectrum and everyone is somewhere in the middle, but it can be helpful to look at the differences and be mindful when choosing training interventions, addressing weaknesses and strengths, etc.

It’s important that we’re cognizant of what makes an athlete special and that we lean into that while giving them enough of what they need to top up their weaknesses. Don’t chase numbers in absolute terms, allow bandwidths for the individual in front of you.
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Struggling to gain velocity or improve pitching performance? Email or DM me and let’s set up a time to discuss your needs and our remote and in-person training options.

The Overhead Move

Wondering why you’re seeing Gerrit Cole try the overhead move? Any specific answer would be speculation in that individual case, but here’s why we use it occasionally.

✅It can be a helpful adjustment for athletes who struggle with rhythm or a stabby arm action

✅The ability to rapidly relax a muscle before and after a muscle contraction is what separates some of the fastest, most powerful athletes from their counterparts. From hand break to ball release we’re looking for a smooth transfer of energy, building from the arm swing, and arm acceleration, all the way through into ball release.

✅A stabby or choppy arm swing can interrupt this flow of energy and result in lower output.

✅Tweaks like a glove tap or overhead move can help with this as they help sync up the rhythm of the upper and lower body, and by increasing the tempo can alleviate some of the problematic movements.

✅We’ve experimented with a few of our athletes who struggle with rhythm and relaxation during the arm swing and we’ve seen increases of 2-3 mph in a single session.

This move isn’t for everyone, but if rhythm is an issue a glove tap or overhead move may be a helpful change. As always, objective testing with a radar gun will give you helpful feedback about whether a change is helping or not.
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Struggling to gain velocity or improve pitching performance? Email or DM me and let’s set up a time to discuss your needs and our remote and in-person training options.