*This content was translated by AI.
"You must be willing to sacrifice some velocity to control your command." This notion has long been taken for granted in Korean baseball, based on the belief that tension leads to poor command.
It was also widely believed that consistent pitching mechanics and extensive repetitive training were the only solutions for better command. If that logic held true, sacrificing velocity should have improved command. Yet, this inverse relationship does not always hold. Moreover, pitchers with consistent mechanics do not necessarily possess superior command.
A study highlighted at last year's Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Analytics Conference was recently unveiled by the renowned U.S. sports training center "DriveLine." According to DriveLine's newly released report, The Interaction of Biomechanics and Command, the key to explaining command lies not merely in "repetition," but in "variability"—the ability to reduce and correct errors during the pitching process (i.e., adaptability based on situational changes). DriveLine received SABR's "Mike Marshall Pitcher Biomechanics Research Award" last year for this report.
This study challenges the Korean baseball bias that "better command requires sacrificing some velocity." The report clarifies that velocity and command are not in a "trade-off" relationship (gaining one means losing the other). Instead, overwhelming velocity acts as an "insurance policy" that covers even command errors, while command is defined as a product of "adjustment ability," not mechanical repetition. There was no mention anywhere that sacrificing velocity is necessary to improve command.
Before beginning the study, DriveLine acknowledged: "While it is widely known that 'command' (the ability to throw precisely where the catcher requests) is important, there is a lack of quantified data. Almost all previously available command information was based on results. As a result, command research has lagged 20 years behind velocity research."
It further stated: "Until now, major training methods related to command simply involved throwing more and focusing precisely on the correct spot. Each coach had their own ideas about what constitutes good mechanics. The most consistent message was demanding repetitive mechanics from pitchers, yet no one explained specifically what needed to be repeated. This is the very issue we aimed to resolve through our research."
To illustrate the relationship between velocity and command, three right-handed pitchers with differing velocities were presented as case studies: Kyle Hendricks (37, retired), Yu Darvish (40, San Diego Padres), and Ben Joyce (26, Los Angeles Angels). Hendricks throws a relatively slow pitch in the low 80s mph but possesses the league's best command. Conversely, Joyce, though not known for exceptional command, is a young pitcher who throws a fastball reaching up to 102 mph. Darvish is recognized as a pitcher with both high velocity and solid command.
DriveLine collected data by measuring the distance between where a pitcher intended to throw and where the ball actually landed. They also measured release points (the location of ball release) and pitching mechanics. The result showed that pitchers with "mechanically consistent forms" do not necessarily possess superior command. The concept introduced here is "Bernstein's Hammer." A skilled blacksmith swings the hammer along a slightly different trajectory each time, yet the final strike point remains precise.
This occurs because the body detects errors in real time and adjusts the trajectory accordingly. Pitchers operate similarly. The report states that the essence of good command lies in instinctively correcting minor imbalances occurring early in the pitching motion to deliver the ball precisely to its intended target. According to data, pitchers with excellent command make micro-adjustments to muscle rotation speed just before releasing the ball for each pitch. The U.S. has now moved beyond the notion that "throwing more makes you better," beginning instead to track via data exactly where errors occur in a pitcher's motion and how they correct them.
DriveLine concluded through its research that training methods should not simply involve throwing more pitches into the strike zone. Instead, varying ball weights or altering mound slopes can be more effective. This suggests that even command improvement training requires more systematic changes. However, there is no need to feel unnecessarily discouraged by the notion that only Korean baseball lags behind. Training for better command remains an actively debated topic even in Major League Baseball (MLB), which stands at the pinnacle of modern baseball.
Amid recent repeated poor performances in international tournaments, the Korean baseball community also recognizes the need for change. However, the reality is that there remains significant confusion regarding the direction of this change. Part of the issue stems from coaching methods at the field level that rely vaguely on experience. Voices expressing dissatisfaction with these monotonous coaching approaches were also heard.
A trainer who has developed numerous KBO players told StarNews: "Until now, training methods in our country have stopped at pointing out issues to pitchers in bullpen sessions—such as 'your arm is too low,' 'your tempo is too broken,' or 'your stride width is too narrow.' It's akin to increasing velocity by throwing more pitches and building muscle through excessive running. In contrast, U.S. and MLB teams conduct purposeful training tailored to each player's characteristics. For example, while we use fungo practice to improve infielders' ball judgment, the U.S. employs specific drill exercises designed specifically to enhance ball judgment itself."
Until now, no field personnel had provided a clear answer to the question: "How should one develop better command?" Some said you must simply throw more; others claimed command is a talent. According to DriveLine's latest report, however, answers derived from field coaches' experiences were not entirely wrong.
Ultimately, this does not mean repetitive training is completely incorrect. Good command requires both innate feel and repeated practice. The difference lies in how the U.S. has used data to quantify problems and demonstrate that command can be improved through systematic training to reach the same conclusion. Like an attempt to decode the "black box" of command using data, Korean baseball must now begin providing players with precise evidence of what went wrong and offering appropriate training directions accordingly.
[Amateur Baseball Speaks] Confused Korean Baseball: Is World's Lowest Velocity the Only Problem?
① "I can't see a pitcher fighting like Ryu Hyun-jin." The painful command gap, worse than the world's lowest velocity—why is Korean baseball so confused?
② "Repetitive training is not the answer." Must you throw more to achieve better command? Korean baseball's bias shattered... U.S. baseball focuses on "variability"
③ How did 178cm Yamamoto throw a 159 km/h fastball without weights? Not imitation, but customized drills—Korean prospects were impressed.
④ "Many pitchers throw 150 km/h." The bubble of fastballs hidden by wooden bats: Korean baseball trapped in a paradigm from 22 years ago.
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*This content was translated by AI.
