DNA Move
A big part of my job as a pitching coach is understanding the mechanics or movements that are involved in the throw. Understanding what they are is just the start though. Actually being able to implement them into every unique individual at a high level is the real gamechanger. I have a process that I use to evaluate everyone I get to work with whether 10 years old or 30. This gets the ball rolling in making mechanical changes and helps me pick a good starting point. Oftentimes coaches are able to see mechanical inefficiencies in the throwing motion but don’t see the bigger picture of why that flaw is occurring. A common example of this would be lead leg block inefficiency. It is quite easy to see what a poor lead leg block looks like in how the general population looks at it. The problem isn't that it is happening, the problem is why. We can spend all the time in the world solely focusing on improving the block, but if the block is poor as a result of something earlier on in the delivery, wouldn’t it be more worth our time improving that? My answer is yes in how I currently view the mechanical aspects of the throw. I use this example to again point to the importance of looking at the throw as a whole and not one part or another. Everything works together and when one thing changes something else is probably going to move as a result.
All that gets me to my point of explaining what the DNA move is to me, how I talk about it, and how I instill the idea into players. In simple terms, the DNA move to me is the mechanics behind what a “perfect” throw is per the individual. I usually ask the player to think about a throw they made where they hit their spot perfectly and threw the ball at or very close to their top velocity. As a coach, my job is to get them at or near their DNA move as often as possible. Obviously this involves many things from pre and post throw work, drill work, mental side of pitching, throwing schedule, problem solving tools, etc. It is important to note that even the best in the world have their “A” game infrequently. Being able to compete when you don’t have your best “stuff” on any given day is what separates bad from good, and good from great.
The throwing motion in my eyes, is a creation of energy that is transferred up the body and released out into the ball towards the strike zone. The perfect example of a DNA move for someone is the most energy being transferred up to the baseball and the energy then being released where we want it to go (think where the ball ends up). If I transfer the max amount of energy into the ball but I throw it 5 feet over the catcher's head, the release of energy was off. If I hit my spot exactly with my fastball but it was 5 mph slower than usual, my transfer of energy to the ball was off, but the release of what energy I did have was sent in the right direction. Most of the players I work with struggle with one or both of these. My job is again to get them as close to their DNA move as possible, as often as possible.
Most people that I work with are not moving in a way that maximizes energy transfer to the baseball. This just means they are leaving energy on the table due to mechanical efficiency or in simple terms they have mechanical flaws. Their current DNA move is not up to par with what they can physically do. I would like to maximize their potential by increasing this. Without getting into too much detail on specific mechanical changes, I’m going to outline some key areas to focus on.
The first step is providing direction on what they do well mechanically, and what they need to improve on. If the coach can give the player a start on understanding themselves as a pitcher, the foundation this creates helps develop the DNA move at a high level. This is a long process that is constantly changing and is one of the biggest strengths, in my opinion, of the best coaches out there. Just about every coach can make a player change mechanically in the short term, but is the change actually beneficial and consumed by the athlete in a way that can be long lasting. The younger and more inexperienced an athlete is, the simpler this process starts. I have been guilty of giving a player too much information when they aren’t ready for it more times than I’d like to admit. The desire to help the athlete can often do more harm than good. Simple wins at the start. As the player starts to demonstrate understanding of the basics, the more in depth you can be as a coach. This process continues until we as the coach can do and say as little as possible. The goal is to provide the ability for each player to be their own best coach.
The second step in a player being their own best coach and getting them to their DNA move, is providing tools and processes for when things inevitably go wrong. Becoming a complete pitcher involves a lot of areas that should be dialed in. There are a lot of complexities with mechanics, pre and post throwing to make sure the arm is healthy, maintaining offspeed feel and shape, command, mental side of pitching, and throwing schedule to name a few. So how can I as a coach, continue a player down the path of having an understanding and a process in place to self correct when things inevitably go south. Again stressing that this is a long term process, but the better prepared each athlete is in these areas, the more often they can achieve their DNA move and the closer their off days will be to their DNA move. The less prepared an athlete is, the more likely performance will suffer. For example, if an athlete was struggling with throwing the ball in the strike zone, does the athlete know why that was happening and how to fix it? The why can be a ton of reasons, but if we have given the athlete a good understanding of what happens when their command goes south, they probably have a pretty good understanding of the why. Once the why is figured out as much as it can be, with the coaches help if needed, the next step is how can they go about improving it so the next outing is better (closer to their DNA move). If the athlete again has an understanding of the why, they should have tools they know help in order to make improvements! This process can be applied to every area of improvement that is needed and why it is important to build the foundation of understanding first, then the tools to improve those areas follow. If an athlete does not have any clue why something is happening, they either will not choose to do anything about it, or it becomes a guessing game on what to work on with an extremely low chance of success.
