Should Baseball Pitchers Perform Pitching Drills, Flat Ground Bullpens & Throwing At Shorter Distances?

I was recently reading a blog post from a baseball pitching instructor who advises his students to “do away” with flat ground bullpens, short-distance pitching and pitching drills all together.

His argument is that because baseball pitching velocity comes from a pitcher’s ability to move his body from a stationary position (initial stance or set position) toward home plate (rocker step phase of the pitching motion through the release and follow-through phases) and release a baseball in an explosive, anaerobic manner, training at slower speeds, which is how pitchers train when throwing at shorter distances, performing flat ground work or performing pitching drills, will “train” the body to move slower, not faster.

In essence, the argument is that a baseball pitcher will “de-train” the explosiveness that he needs to throw faster by performing flat ground bullpens, short-distance pitching and baseball pitching drills because they’re not pitching-tempo specific.

However, here’s where the argument is flawed:

          Baseball pitchers simply cannot train at game-intensity or game tempo every time they pick up a baseball, just like a starting pitcher cannot pitch in a game every single day of the week.

An element of periodization is required.

In other words: there needs to be different types of training on different days of the week in order to be in optimal throwing shape come game day itself.

Ask yourself this:

          Should baseball pitchers pitch a full-out 100% maximum speed bullpen the day before a game performance? Of course not. Should baseball pitchers pitch a full-out 100% maximum speed bullpen the day after a game performance? No way!

With this being the case, are there other things a baseball pitcher can do that does not require "all-out throwing" but helps to train the pitcher’s body for improved control, better pitching accuracy and greater command?

YES!

This is where flat ground bullpens, shorter distance pitching and pitching drills come into play.

In fact, most of the baseball pitchers in the Chicago Cubs organization with whom I played – and I’m talking about relievers and starters alike – did some sort of short work, flat ground work or baseball pitching drill every day of the week.

Why?

Because these baseball pitching routines are designed to save the pitcher’s arm for the game but allow the pitcher to develop the all-important “touch” and “feel” that pitchers need to have when trying to execute a baseball pitch two inches off of the outside part of the plate for a strike… Or, when a baseball pitcher is trying to drive a hitter off of the plate (without hitting the hitter) to open up an off-speed pitch at the knees on the next pitch.

Now, like anything else, flat ground bullpens, throwing bullpens from shorter distances and baseball pitching all have their time and place in the periodization cycle of a baseball pitcher.

Of course, a starting pitcher will want to work a solid bullpen at game speed at some point in between starts (some organizations like the Atlanta Braves have their starting pitchers throw two bullpens in between starts and have implemented it with great success), but the reality is, other types of throwing are needed on the days when a pitcher shouldn’t be throwing all-out that can still give the baseball pitcher the ability to work on developing a good “touch” and “feel” on the baseball while saving his arm.

The execution of flat ground bullpens, short-distance mound work and baseball pitching drills are a good way to do that – as are mirror drills where a pitcher will work on his pitching delivery at game-speed without throwing a baseball.

Still, with the mirror drill, as with throwing a baseball, I don’t recommend performing it the day before or after game-pitching performance because even without throwing a baseball, there are added stresses on the throwing arm and shoulder.

Yours in baseball,

Steven Ellis
The Complete Pitcher™
www.thecompletepitcher.com
www.thecompletepitcher.blogs.com