Timing is Everything: When Should You Actually Accelerate Your Arm?
It’s a simple question with a profound impact on performance, health, and trust: At what point should a pitcher accelerate the throwing arm into a pitch?
In today’s game, I’ve noticed a growing trend of pitchers engaging the arm too early. With the rise of structured strength programs, weighted ball training, and individualized instruction at younger ages, the instinct has become: trigger sooner, throw harder.
Yet, after studying thousands of deliveries over the past 15 years, the data is clear: early acceleration often reduces efficiency, deception, and long-term durability.
Defining "Early" vs. "Late"
When I speak about "early acceleration," I am referring to the arm beginning to lengthen and pronate while it is still outside the torso.
Conversely, late acceleration allows the arm to stay connected, working out in front of the body where it can efficiently transfer the energy generated by the lower half. I can see the immediate shift in a pitcher’s energy depending on whether the arm jumps the gun or waits until the sequence is ready.
A Tale of Two 95 MPH Fastballs
I experienced this firsthand. Throughout my career, I found I could throw 95 mph two different ways. Both produced velocity, but they had very different outcomes for my body and my career.
The "Up, Down, and Out" Method: This mirrored what was commonly taught in the mid-1990s to early 2000s—the equal/opposite style seen in pitchers like Kerry Wood or Mark Prior. It was high-effort and high-stress.
The Sequenced Method: This came after a five-year study into movement patterns across baseball history. As my understanding of sequencing and body physics grew, so did my durability.
By the age of 35, I was throwing harder with less effort than at any point in my career. I hadn’t gained more "talent"—I had gained understanding. I learned when to accelerate and how to train my body to wait for that moment.
Learning from the Greats
If you look at the most durable and dominant pitchers in history—Greg Maddux, Mariano Rivera, and Sandy Koufax—they all share the hallmark of late arm acceleration.
When you study their film, notice the calm. Specifically, look at the head; in Maddux’s delivery, the head remains incredibly still while the body explodes around it. The sequence is always the same:
The Pelvis Opens: The engine starts.
The Arm Rotates Up: On time and in sync.
The Upper Mass Rotates: Energy transfers up the chain.
The Elbow Slots: The arm moves into position over the shoulder.
The Acceleration: Only now does the arm accelerate to the target and pull across the body.
The Trust Factor: Why It Feels "Slow"
Choosing to wait this long requires immense trust. For a pitcher used to "muscling" the ball, late acceleration will initially feel as if you aren’t trying to throw hard.
However, that trust allows your margin of error to shrink. There is no wasted or jolted effort to force the arm out front; instead, the velocity happens naturally through the sequence.
The Lesson: Late acceleration feels like holding back, but it actually builds the foundation for elite performance. It reduces wasted effort, improves deception, sharpens command, and—most importantly—allows velocity to flourish without sacrificing the UCL.
In pitching, and in life, timing matters. Waiting on the right sequence, instead of forcing it, leads to the best and most lasting results.
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At DVS Baseball, we specialize in helping pitchers find their rhythm and maximize their biological "timing" for peak performance and health.
