"Parts are good, but they don't connect." A 178cm Japanese pitcher Yamamoto throws at 159 km/h... Why can't larger Korean pitchers convert their strength into velocity? [How to create a 160 km/h pitcher (Part 2)]

*This content was translated by AI.

Why don't the good physiques and strong power of Korean baseball players translate into equally fast pitches? Takahashi Junichi (50), an S&C (Strength & Conditioning) coach who has experienced professional baseball in both Japan and the United States, focused on "connectivity" that links the entire body as one.

Coach Takahashi told StarNews at a recent advanced S&C theory and practical training seminar hosted by the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) at Busan Dong-A University: "Korean players are fundamentally large-boned. However, their ability to control such good bodies appears relatively lacking."

He compared this to cars. Coach Takahashi diagnosed: "Korean players can be seen as having large and good cars themselves. However, they seem to lack the ability to drive those cars properly."

In fact, while Korean pitchers with large physiques fail to deliver velocity commensurate with expectations, Japan produces pitchers who throw fast balls despite relatively smaller frames. When asked about the reason, Coach Takahashi immediately pointed to movement connectivity. He emphasized: "Individual elements may be stronger for Korean players. However, it seems the parts that connect them are lacking. There is a need to work on improving movement connectivity."

Pitching is not an action created by the arm alone. Power generated from the lower body must be transmitted through the pelvis and torso, then to the shoulders and arms, finally reaching the ball. This is why Coach Takahashi emphasized pelvic and body control throughout the seminar. Even if each individual part is strong, it is difficult to fully utilize that power if they do not connect into a single movement at the appropriate moment.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (28, LA Dodgers), with a relatively small frame of 178cm and 79kg, is a representative case that makes one think about this issue. He threw at a top speed of 159 km/h. Yamamoto was famous since his days in Nippon Professional Baseball for a unique drill involving throwing a 400g plastic javelin. As he became known for doing almost no weight training, after his success, the act of "javelin throwing" itself briefly attracted attention domestically.

However, the key was not the javelin. Yamamoto focused on using his entire body during the javelin-throwing process and refining the sequence and timing of how his body moves. Since each player has different physiques, mobility, pain history, and pitching mechanisms, there is no guarantee that drills effective for Yamamoto can be directly applied to other pitchers.

This same logic explains why Korean high school prospects who participated in the IMG Academy development program conducted by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) last January cited various "drills" as the most impressive part of their experience abroad. Song Seong-jun (17, Chungam High School) had previously stated: "IMG coaches taught us various drills and gave us time to try them on our own. Among them, I was able to find drills that were necessary for me and suited my body."

Ultimately, what mattered was not simply following someone else's training, but first identifying what is lacking in one's own body and then selecting methods to solve those problems. However, the reason Korean pitchers cannot throw faster balls cannot be attributed solely to "lack of connectivity." Yoon Hyung-jun (39), a trainer who has coached players domestically, explained: "Pitchers must secure stability first, and power must emerge from there. Capturing both simultaneously is extremely difficult."

In particular, pitchers take strides nearly as long as their height, moving their entire bodies significantly. They must control these large movements stably while simultaneously generating explosive power within them. This is why Trainer Yoon says: "Surprisingly, developing pitchers requires much more time than developing batters."

Ultimately, there is no simple formula such as "just do more weight training" or conversely "just improve flexibility." The same applies to velocity. Coach Takahashi also stated: "Accurate measurement of one's own body is absolutely necessary, and accurate interpretation of that data is also required," while adding: "I don't think the goal is simply to train to raise numbers (velocity). The result should be that when the body moves comfortably and naturally, the numbers rise accordingly." He further emphasized: "Baseball is not a sport where throwing fast balls is the contest. Even if you throw a 160 km/h ball, it can be hit; even if you throw a 140 km/h ball, you can induce a weak contact."

This means that a high-quality power pitcher cannot be created by developing just one aspect alone. One must possess the strength to throw fast balls, the movement to transmit that power to the ball, and stability that does not collapse even within large motions.

What Korean pitchers may need is not merely creating larger "parts (muscles)." It is about when, in what sequence, and how efficiently to connect the good parts they already possess. Before discussing velocity, it is time to re-examine how to use the body.

- How to create a 160 km/h pitcher

① "Korean players have good cars but can't drive them" Body is better than Japan's, so why? Trainer who created ML 34-win Japanese pitcher diagnoses

② "Parts are good, but they don't connect." A 178cm Japanese Yamamoto throws at 159 km/h... Why can't larger Korean pitchers convert their strength into velocity

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

④ "Must find Korea's original style." Korean baseball has used American baseball textbooks for 15 years; now it is time to establish our own "new normal"

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.