Consistency Matters

I recently watched a video that showed the before and after of a Los Angeles Dodgers (baseball) pitcher. A coach had been working on his pitching mechanics and had squeezed another two miles per hour out of his fastball, upping it to 97 miles per hour.

As many of you might know, I am a bit obsessed with the mechanics of pickleball strokes, and I firmly believe that consistent mechanics will produce maximum, consistent results. So, I was very interested in what the coach had found and fixed. Now to put this in context, the pitcher currently has six wins and two losses, and he will earn an average of $27 million dollars a year for the next 12 years - so how much help does he need?

It turns out that his glove hand was bending a little too much at the wrist at he stepped into the pitch, so much so that it was affecting the rotational velocity of his torso. Change the bending just a bit and buy yourself two more miles per hour. Wow.

So when I push consistent, effective strokes on my students, it is not without reason. If a little change can make this much difference, imagine how much a complete rework of your stroke can help. Never mind "whatever works", never mind "just do your own thing". Take the time to learn how to hit a pickleball effectively and consistently, do the drills, and reap the benefits.

See you on the courts.

Michael Gauthier
Rally Academy
Pickleball Strokes
​NDY (Not Done Yet)