chapter 3: Unexpected Precision: A New Pitching Revelation

Improving pitching velocity was a universal desire among pitchers.

When Jungwoo had just entered the professional league, the first thing he asked his coach was about increasing his velocity.

"You want to increase your velocity? You need to strengthen your lower body. Without a solid lower body, no matter how much muscle you build, you won't see an increase in velocity."He received a special training schedule from the coach, which included basic lower body exercises like squats and running.

He had to do these exercises on his own time after group training, and it was extremely tough at first.

However, trusting his coach's advice, he persevered.

The coach supported him from the sidelines, which helped him continue through the grueling exercises.

After about three months, a new coach came in.

"From today, Coach Lee Yong-hyun will be joining us. Please take good care of him!"The new coach's training methods were different from before.

"We're moving away from traditional methods and adopting the latest training techniques based on sports science!"He spoke about increasing pitching velocity:

"There are various ways to increase a pitcher's velocity. Simply focusing on strengthening the lower body, as was done in the past, won't cut it."The new coach introduced various training methods, some of which were completely new to Jungwoo.

Most importantly, he focused on eliminating outdated training methods.

"Strengthen your lower body? Do you really think velocity will improve with such a simplistic approach? Follow my methods and you'll soon be in the first team!"Confident in his training methods, the new coach pushed forward with his approach.

In professional baseball, especially in Korea, the coach's words were absolute for rookies, despite any performance evidence.

Everything changed from the previous training methods to the new coach's approach.

But as usual, this coach was replaced by another after the season.

Subsequent coaches also lasted no more than six months before being replaced due to performance issues.

'During my time in the second team, I experienced over six different coaches and pitching coaches.'

This was a chronic issue in Korean baseball.

If there were no immediate results or visible achievements, a new coach was brought in.

There was no long-term vision for player development.

The problem was that these changing coaches all had their own philosophies on how to train players.

'Unlike at the academy, in a professional team, a coach's word is almost like a divine decree. Especially for a rookie like me with no results, we had no power to insist on our own training methods.'

There were players who could maintain their routines, but they were either specially managed by the team or had already shown results.

For them, it was possible to train according to their own routines, but Jungwoo didn't fall into that category.

'The coaches' advice wasn't necessarily wrong. The issue was having to change methods before fully adapting to the previous ones and seeing results.'

From what he learned, many of the training methods he had followed were inefficient.

"If I could go back with this knowledge, maybe things could have been different."

He momentarily entertained thoughts of webtoons or web novels where such scenarios were common but quickly shook off the notion.

"Let's just focus on work."

His job now was to teach his clients, and he was content with that.

Jungwoo's clients were diverse, with the majority being amateur players.

These amateur players sought his lessons to improve their game, spending significant amounts on lessons.

The cost per session ranged from 100,000 to 200,000 won, a considerable amount for a typical office worker. However, many were willing to invest in enhancing their hobby.

One such client was Kim Cheol-woong.

Thud—

"Oh, that's very good. Your pitches seem to have improved since last week!"

"Haha! It's thanks to your excellent coaching!"

"It's all thanks to your hard work."

"No, after learning from you, my velocity has increased by 5 km/h. People around me have been asking how I improved, so I recommended this place!"

"Thank you so much! Let's start today's training."

"Sure!"

Word-of-mouth was invaluable for growing his client base, so jungwoo appreciated Kim Cheol-woong's recommendation.

He was even more dedicated to training him.

"Let's start by throwing a few more pitches lightly."

"Sure."

Kim Cheol-woong's pitching continued.

Most amateur players hadn't received professional training, so they often relied on sheer force when throwing.

Kim Cheol-woong was no exception.

Huff!!

The pitch he threw with full effort, including a windup, reached a velocity of 105 km/h.

Considering he had only been playing amateur baseball for six months, this was quite impressive.

In fact, it could be considered quite good.

After all, he was neither a professional player nor someone who had played baseball extensively before.

'His natural physicality and athletic ability allowed him to exceed 100 km/h from the start. However, he was still pitching primarily with his upper body.'

Throwing a ball involves various theories.

'To accumulate power, you start by bending the drive leg and closing the hips, using the lower body. However, most amateur players don't use their lower body.'

The difference between amateurs and professionals is the use of the lower body.

Of course, there are various ways to use the lower body.

'When I first learned how to use the drive leg, I was taught to keep it upright.'

Jungwoo began learning pitching in elementary school in 2009.

At that time, the pitching mechanics in Korea were not very advanced.

This was around the time when pitching revolutions were starting in the U.S., leading to a significant gap.

'The important thing was that what I learned about pitching mechanics became the norm for me, and it was hard to change even when I went professional.'

Preconceived notions are powerful.

Once you perceive something as correct, it's hard to see it as wrong.

So, I didn't seek anything beyond that.

Professional coaches also avoided tampering with pitching mechanics.

They risked taking responsibility for performance drops if they made changes.

'If I were to pitch now...'

Kim Cheol-woong scratched his head and said:

"Coach, I'm sorry, but could you show me a demonstration?"

"A demonstration?"

"Yes, I think I'd understand better if I saw it in person."

"Of course. I'll show you."

Jungwoo stood on the makeshift mound.

He demonstrated each movement step by step on the slightly inclined mound.

"Using the lower body is crucial, and the drive leg is the most important. If the drive leg wobbles, you can't fully accumulate power."

"Hmm."

"And it's also good to close the hips here. To be precise, think of tilting the hips toward the drive leg."

"Oh, so closing the hips is like that."

"Yes. Here's how it looks when you connect these movements."

Jungwoo demonstrated the movements connected together.

"This is how you accumulate power before starting the actual pitch. It's important to carry this accumulated power through properly."

"Hmm."

"Some coaches in the U.S. refer to this as 'leg drive,' but simply put, it's about how you move the drive leg during the stride after the takeback."

Despite Jungwoo's explanation, Kim Cheol-woong's expression showed he didn't fully grasp it at once.

This was understandable.

Explaining such theories verbally was very challenging.

But once Jungwoo had explained it, he did his best to help Kim Cheol-woong understand by demonstrating the movements while explaining.

"Oh, so I need to bend the back leg a bit?"

"That's right. It's like how you bend your legs to jump higher. The principle is the same: you accumulate power when bending, then release it when jumping. The difference is that jumping releases energy upwards, while pitching releases it forward."

"Hmm, I see."

"Finally, the position of the knee when the front leg lands during the stride is crucial. If the knee is in a straight line or extends beyond the toes, the energy gets dispersed, and you can't put proper force into the pitch."

Kim Cheol-woong nodded, and Jungwoo readied himself for a pitch.

"Now, I'll show you the connected movements."

"Sure!"

Kim Cheol-woong's eyes sparkled at the prospect of seeing a former professional pitch.

'A bit of pressure.'

Although Jungwoo felt a bit pressured by Kim Cheol-woong's gaze, he shook off the thought, having performed in front of people every day.

'I'm trying this new lower body method for the first time.'

There are various pitching mechanisms in the world.

And every pitcher has a mechanism that suits them.

Jungwoo studied these mechanisms and informed his clients of the necessary parts.

Usually, he would first experience and master the method before teaching it, but this mechanism was new, and he hadn't had time to fully master it.

'Well, it shouldn't be too difficult.'

Theoretically, this mechanism was sound and a good method for using the lower body.

So, Jungwoo proceeded with the pitching with little concern.

He slightly bent the drive leg and closed the hips to accumulate power.

Kim Cheol-woong watched intently to absorb Jungwoo's movements.

Junfwoo then released the accumulated power, taking a stride and performing the takeback.

Finally, he pitched from the release point.

Wham—!!

Thud!!

The pitched ball landed precisely in the catcher's box, making a crisp sound.

"Wow...! Coach, your pitch was incredibly fast?!"

Kim Cheol-woong marveled at Jungwoo's pitching.

It was impossible to measure the exact velocity, but from Kim Cheol-woong's perspective, the pitch was extremely fast.

"The ball had great movement, and the accuracy was phenomenal! With a performance like this, you could still be an active player... Coach?"

Kim Cheol-woong, who was praising Jungwoo, noticed that Jungwoo was staring blankly at his hand and called out to him with a puzzled expression.

"Ah... I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"Oh! I said you could still play professionally!"

Despite Kim Cheol-woong's continued praise, Jungwoo barely registered it.

His mind was consumed by the image of the pitch he had just thrown.

'What is this...?'

It was a new pitching mechanism he was trying out for the first time.

Yet, strangely, there wasn't a single uncomfortable aspect.

In fact, it felt incredibly natural, as if it had always been his own.

More importantly,

'Was pitching this comfortable?'

He had thrown the ball with more ease than any previous pitch.

The power of the pitch far exceeded his expectations.

Everything was unexpected, leaving him confused.

'What's going on...?'

An unknown change was happening.