Jay Chipman

Pitching Coach @BCHS_DVUSD and Pitching Coach @PitchingCoachU

[Pitching Coach "U" @PitchingCoachU]

At PCU, we recently installed Axioforce plates into our mound.

It has been a game changer for our development process and helping us understand lower half mechanics better.

Below is one of clients running it up to 92 at 160 pounds!

Brock has truly optimized his lower half mechanics with an unbelievable ability to create 200% of his body weight in Z force (straight down) and 82% of Y force (pushing off the rubber).

Our general benchmarks are to be at least 150% back leg peak Z and 50% back leg peak Y.

He also does an incredible job producing force in the Y direction with the lead leg (pushing back into the body/lead leg block). Producing 108% of his body weight in force with the our standard benchmark being around 100%.

Not only does he produce the force but he transfer it to the upper body super fast as you can see by how fast the green line shoots back up to 0 (clawback time).

Some cool things we look at with the shapes of these lines are the sharpness and smoothness.

Notice how the back leg Z and Y lines look like a wave or a ramp into the peak? That’s what we want. We are trying to avoid slow, flat hills.

Another really cool thing to note is the last dip/valley before the z force goes up into its peak with the back leg. Where that last valley is, is around top of leg lift.

This is where the player is their lightest before going into the load and stride. In most cases we want this to be as low as possible to set up max force production into the back leg when it’s go time.

A cue I sometimes give guys is to make yourself as light as possible into leg lift and then as heavy as possible when you go into your load.

Another helpful cue is to imagine you’re standing on a scale that has the meter pointing to the number you weigh. If you were to push on it fast, the meter would quickly shoot to a high number.

The goal with our delivery is to make the number be as close to 0 as possible into leg lift and then see how fast and how much weight you can get it to say when you go into your load. And how long you can hold it for.

If you haven’t spent time with a force plate mound, these graphs and metrics might be confusing. I’d love to answer any questions you might have!

Enjoy the video and data below!

[Andrew Jacobs @AndrewJacobsJr]

RHP entering the transfer portal from the University of Arizona. 3 years of eligibility.

6’2 180
Low/Sidearm slot (4’3-4’7)

SNK- 89-92 T93
SW - 75-77
CH- 83-85
CU- 83-85

Looking for all opportunities
Lives and recent bullpen trackman below

[Jay Chipman @JayChipman]

I really like Marlins coaching staff calling pitches. It’s always made sense in my mind that this would happen. With as much data we have at our disposal a coach can really run a game for a pitcher. It’s a small sample size but it’s working. Marlins lead the league in Whiff%. Sandy Alcantara only has 2 ER through 3 starts and 24.1 Innings! And from the Marlins players Ive heard from they love it. I think more teams should look into doing this.

[Jay Chipman @JayChipman]

To all the pitchers feeling frustrated after a good outing but things didn’t go your way, remember, you can’t control the results, only your effort and attitude! Focus on the process, stay in the moment, and learn from each experience. Errors and bloop hits don’t define you. Baseball is a brutal game, stay focused on executing your game. Remember, every great pitcher has faced adversity. Keep pushing forward!

[Jay Chipman @JayChipman]

Watching the #Rockies practice today really highlighted the power of intention in training! Every pitch had a purpose, from catch play to warmups to bullpen. Intention was behind every throw proving that focused practice is key to improvement. But what stood out most was the fun. THEY ENJOYED THE PROCESS!
Intention + fun = Successful training!

[Jay Chipman @JayChipman]

A lot of pitchers are “late” with the arm at foot strike.

Most of the time it’s not an arm issue.
It’s the lower half moving too fast.
One cue I like: “flip the arm up at foot land.”

It helps get the arm on time with the body and allows the arm to work safely.

If the body outruns the arm, bad things happen.

Timing matters.

[Jay Chipman @JayChipman]

A lot of my pitchers ask about thumb tuck on fastballs because they heard it adds velocity.

My answer might surprise them:

Don’t do it unless it’s comfortable AND you can control it.

If thumb tuck guaranteed velo, everyone in pro ball would do it.

They don’t.

Because it’s hard to repeat and most guys lose command.

There’s still no shortcut to velocity:

Get stronger.
Get more flexible.
Train to throw harder.

The boring answers are usually the right ones.

[Jay Chipman @JayChipman]

@PitcherList Very possible it was just the ball. Might sound crazy but not all baseballs are the same. It could have been slightly different or had some form of light scuff that caused the ball more.

[Jay Chipman @JayChipman]

Command should be the foundation of every pitcher.

Everyone wants velocity.
Everyone wants nasty movement.
But none of it matters if you can’t command the baseball.

The way we train it with our pitchers:

Command isn’t just for bullpens.

It’s built every throw.

Catch play --> move the ball to spots
Mound drills --> repeat delivery & direction
Bullpens --> execute with intent

We don’t “just play catch.”
We practice command.
Because the pitchers who control the baseball…
Control the game.

[Jay Chipman @JayChipman]

One of the most underrated coaching tools in baseball:

The mound visit. Most people think it’s about mechanics or pitch calling. Most of the time it’s not. A mound visit is about resetting the moment.

When a pitcher is out there the game can start to speed up:
• runners on
• tough count
• big hitter up
Everything stacks up. A quick visit slows the game down again. Funny enough, one of the things I say most when I get to the mound is: **“What are you doing later?” **That’s it. Nothing about baseball. The goal is simple: **relieve pressure and get them out of their head for a second. **

Now there are times where you talk situation:
• what the count means
• who’s on base
• what the hitter is trying to do
• what pitch we want right now

But players are smart. They usually already know. Sometimes they just need a reminder to **focus on executing one pitch. **

Other times it’s a pep talk.

Confidence.
Calm.
Presence.
The best mound visits aren’t lectures.
They’re resets.