"Korean players have good cars but can't drive them." Why is it that, despite having better bodies than Japanese players? The diagnosis of the trainer who created a 160 km/h pitcher with 34 MLB wins for Japan [How to create a 160 km/h pitcher ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

"Korean players have cars that are large and good. However, they lack a bit of ability to drive those cars properly."

The Korean U-18 national baseball team, which defeated Japan twice and claimed the Asian title for the first time in eight years. Before the tournament, Japanese S&C (Strength & Conditioning) coach Junichi Takahashi (50), who examined the players' bodies, found that the potential of Korean baseball lies not merely in their excellent physical conditions themselves, but in how effectively they utilize those bodies.

On the 13th, Korea defeated Japan 2-0 in the final of the 14th Asian Youth Baseball Championship held at Taipei Dome in Taiwan, securing their sixth overall championship. After beating Taiwan in the group stage, they achieved this valuable result by defeating their arch-rival Japan in both the super round and the final. In particular, Ha Hyun-seung (18, Busan High School) led the team to victory with a complete game of 7 innings, allowing just one hit, two walks, and striking out eight batters.

Before the tournament, the national team conducted domestic strengthening training at Gijang Dream Ball Park in Busan. During this process, there was a special person responsible for the players' bodies. This was Coach Takahashi, who gained experience with Yokohama DeNA BayStars and Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball, as well as the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball, and is also well known as the personal trainer for MLB pitcher Shota Imanaga (33, Chicago Cubs).

On the 30th of last month, just before the national team departed for the tournament, Coach Takahashi met a slightly different group of players at Dong-A University in Busan. It was a seminar on "Advanced S&C Theory and Practical Training" organized by KBSA. About 30 people, including current high school coaches, trainers, players, elementary and middle school students interested in baseball, and their parents, laid out mats and followed his movements.

What Coach Takahashi emphasized first was neither weight training nor pitching technique. He began by saying, "Baseball skills are just the tip of the iceberg. I believe flexibility is the most fundamental element."

The diagram he showed was also simple. At the bottom was 'Flexibility', above that 'Movement', and at the very top 'Skill'. The explanation was that without a solid foundation, simply stacking strength and skill could increase performance but would also raise the risk of injury proportionally.

Especially for growing athletes, he asked not "how strong are you?" but rather "how freely can you move your body?" Coach Takahashi stated, "Players between the ages of 12 and 15 should do more stretching and movement training," adding, "We must distinguish what needs to be done at each stage."

He also warned against repeating only baseball drills. His view was that children need experiences moving their bodies in various forms, such as swimming, horizontal bars, taekwondo, and dance. At the site, exercises continued that moved the hips and lower body in various directions and awakened body parts not typically used in daily life.

The reaction from Navy Headquarters trainees who followed along directly was immediate. Moon Chae-won (14), a student living in Busan who plays little league with her younger brother, smiled and said, "I knew Japan valued flexibility, but I didn't realize it was such a fundamental element at the very bottom." She added, "We do training in little league too, but it felt different from strength training. The flexibility exercises were actually more painful."

Student Moon Chae-hwan (13) said Coach Takahashi's "car analogy" was what he remembered most. He remarked, "It was impressive that he compared Korean and Japanese players to cars. It made me think we need to improve our flexibility just as much as the Japanese players." He also noted, "It was surprising to release muscles in areas I hadn't even thought about."

The scene also left a significant impression on coaches who attended. Although he had no team training schedule that day, Hong Woo-tae (55), the pitching coach at Daegu High School, who personally traveled all the way to Busan, said, "Baseball has changed a lot from the past to now, and I realized I lacked knowledge in this area, so I came to learn." He added, "Once I saw and heard it, I realized it was truly necessary content. I want to teach the players as soon as possible."

In particular, Coach Hong, who coaches pitchers, shared his honest feelings: "I had vaguely felt why Japanese pitchers throw so well, but seeing them directly made me realize much more." He continued, "Our players often have better physical conditions than Japanese players. If they can master these movements properly as well, I think they could develop even further."

However, Coach Takahashi did not claim that "Japanese-style training is the answer." On the contrary, he mentioned that Korean baseball has actively embraced American baseball over the past decade or so, stating, "I don't think everything that worked in American baseball was a perfect fit for Korean players."

He then emphasized, "We should find a new original style unique to Korea. Now is the timing to put what we are currently doing back on the table and consider what is truly needed."

- How to create a 160 km/h pitcher

① "Korean players have good cars but can't drive them" Why is it that, despite having better bodies than Japanese players? The diagnosis of the trainer who created a 160 km/h pitcher with 34 MLB wins for Japan

② "The parts are good, but they aren't connected." 178 cm Japanese Yamamoto throws at 159 km/h... Why can't larger Korean pitchers convert their strength into velocity?

③ "Will they get better if they throw and hit more from a young age?" A top Japanese trainer said the opposite: "Playing only baseball won't make you better at baseball."

④ "We must find our own original style." Korean baseball, which has used American baseball textbooks for 15 years, now needs its own 'new normal'.

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*This content was translated by AI.