I went from 78 - 98mph, then lost it all.

What I learned, and how I'm building back to 100mph...

written by JOSH GESSNER | The Athletter

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For those of you who are under 95mph and looking to increase pitching velocity:

I made a video with everything I would do to get to 95mph…

Step. By. Step.

Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is today’s edition of TheAthletter, exploring stories, ideas, and frameworks to be the best athlete you can be —and how you can apply them to your career.

What you’ll learn:

What I did at every stage of my velocity development journey

The lessons I learned along the way

How I would do it if I started over:

P.S. Send me feedback on how I can improve. I want to be worthy of your time. I respond to every email.

In 2017, I threw 78mph.

4 years later, I trained myself to throw 98mph.

Then I lost 10mph, and currently building back up to throw 100mph.

Here's what I did at every stage to increase velocity (and what I would do if I started over):

2017: 78mph.

Up until this time I was a shortstop.

I would pitch here and there...

And sat in the mid-upper 70s.

What I worked on:

• Started lifting seriously.

• Followed Alan Jaeger Long Toss Program

• Daily Medicine Ball Work.

Late 2017: Low 80s

Consistent long toss and lifting got me to where I was throwing low 80s.

I was 17 at this point.

I started searching for answers to give myself a chance of playing at the next level.

What I worked on:

• Took time off to focus on development

• Driveline Throwing Program

• Pull Downs & Plyo Velo

• Progressive Overload Lifting

Early 2018: High 80s - Low 90s

6+ months of following a consistent velo program + progressive overload got me to 88-90.

I went to a showcase with some big D1 recruiters.

Got 0 offers because I didn't throw hard enough.

What I worked on:

• Bet on myself and flew from Australia to Seattle to train at Driveline Baseball.

• Lived with 10 other athletes and obsessed about velocity development.

• Made a conscious effort to gain weight.

Late 2018: Low-Mid 90s

I left Driveline topping 92.

I continued to work on what I learned from some of the best minds in baseball.

I learned how to train, the intensity that's required day in and day out.

What I worked on:

• Mound work - replaced plyo velo with mound velo days.

• Pull downs 1xweek. An essential to stay athletic and intent to throw hard.

• Went from 180 - 210lbs.

2019 - 2020: Low-Mid 90s

I struggled badly with the throwing yips.

Velocity development took a back seat, and instead I sought every resource to throw accurately again.

Late 2020: Mid - Upper 90s

Yips starting to get better.

Focused on development throughout the cancelled COVID season.

Got in the best shape of my life.

What I worked on:

• Power Training - worked on moving fast, not just moving heavy weight.

• Mobility - started to see the benefits of working on mobility.

• Lost 20lbs. Cut fat and started moving way better.

• Started working on optimizing pitching delivery.

Early 2021: 98mph

In early 2021 I was mid-upper 90s.

The strongest and most powerful I'd ever been.

Continued to work mobility, power, and pushed the limit with strength.

Late 2021: Low - Mid 90s

Started to feel a lot of pain when pitching.

Thought it was hamstring strain, played through it.

Lost all spinal mobility going forward - if I could touch my shins, would be a good day.

Mistakes I made:

• Thinking that what got me to 95+ would get me to 100.

• Continued to push the limit of my body.

• Didn't take necessary steps to get better.

Early 2022: Upper 80s

Back exploded, and had to get surgery.

Did everything to come back better than ever.

Lost so much strength, power and mobility that I struggled to get up to 90.

2022 - 2023: Upper 80s - Lower 90s

Shifted to being a crafty pitcher.

I had great movement on all my pitches, and had a lot of trouble increasing velo.

Developed exaggerated cross body pitching delivery.

Mistakes I made:

• Gave up on being the pitcher I knew I could be.

• Instead - I tried to be pitcher that I didn't like, to survive and compete.

2023 - 2024: Low - Mid 90s

I started to figure out how to train without hurting my back.

Built back up into the mid 90s.

This fell apart during Spring Training 2024, when I 'tweaked' my back.

Current: ???mph, 100mph incoming.

Taking everything I learned from all the years, and applying it to my own training.

Here are the big takeaways:

What gets you to X velocity may not be what takes you to the next level:

I thought that continuing to push strength, power and velo days would get me to 100mph.

In reality - it made me break down.

It's a cliche, but work smarter not harder.

Have a longer time horizon:

When you're in the mid-upper 90s, gains are hard to come by.

So instead of pushing the limit to throw 100 in a year:

Focus on health, resilience and make slow steady progress.

Don't give up on the pitcher you know you can be:

Set backs are inevitable.

But the truth is - if you've done it before, you can do it again.

I gave up on myself being a high 90s pitcher.

This made me hate the pitcher I was and sucked the passion out of baseball.

Boom. That's it!

Hope you learned something from my journey.

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 

1. Free 9 Week Program: A free generic program for those looking to gain velocity.

2. My Best Thoughts: My past blogs. My very best thoughts.

3. ThePitcherLab: Exclusive group of pitchers looking to work 1-1 with us. Our mission is to help you become good enough to get recruited or signed. Full Stack Program, Full Mechanical Breakdown, Daily Feedback. DM me ‘1-1’ for details.