I'm not throwing at 100% anymore

written by JOSH GESSNER | The Athletter

Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is today’s edition of TheAthletter, exploring stories, ideas, and frameworks to be the best Baseball Player you can be.

I’m changing the format of these newsletters to be read in under 1 minute. Hopefully you guys enjoy.

Throw 100mph Update:

Here’s my latest Youtube video, I think it might’ve been my worst velo day to this point. You can see how my mechanics aren’t the smoothest. Hence the implementation of nor throwing at 100% anymore:

Why 90% Effort Might Be Better Than 100%

I had a velocity day earlier last week. I hit 91. My training partner hit around 86 or 87.

Definitely not our best.

Then a few days later, we decided to have a “90% day.” No pressure. Just focusing on adjusting mechanics, making tweaks.

We both ended up throwing harder on the 90% day than we did on our 100% VO day.

Why?

When you go 100%, your body enters fight mode. It defaults to what it knows best. And that means all the mechanical adjustments you’ve been working on? Gone. Your body just reverts to old habits to survive and throw hard.

But at 90%: You can feel things. You can make changes. And if those changes click—your velocity jumps without forcing it.

My training partner focused on his drift. Felt it. Repped it. And ended up throwing harder with less effort.

I worked on floating my arm action into position. When it clicked, I was throwing harder than my max effort days.

The Takeaway

Going forward, I think I’m going to do: 2 90% days a week. High intent, but low pressure. If I’m not feeling great— I keep it at 80-90% effort. But if I’m feeling it? I can push a little and still make the necessary mechanical changes I’m trying to make.

I’ll save the 100% days when I’m confident with where I’m at mechanically.

That’s it for today! If you want help from us to increase pitching velocity and secure your spot for the summer, go here.