MMV #003: How to Throw Bullpens That Transfer

Today I am going to teach you how to throw bullpens that matter.

A typical bullpen plan a coach will use is 25-30 pitches, throwing each pitch 4-5 times.

There's no competitiveness.

No challenge.

Nothing game like.

If you want pitchers to transfer their bullpen work to the game, this has to change.

Most coaches do this because it's easy and they don't know any other way.

There is a better way to transfer bullpens to the game.

Reasons bullpens don't transfer:

There isn't a plan
There's no pressure
No game like situations
They aren't difficult enough

I am going to walk you through an easy 3-step process to maximize your bullpens.

Let's dive in.

Step 1: Create a Focus

Having a clear focus is essential to a good bullpen. There are many options when it comes to this.

These include:

Mechanical
Pitch development
Command and game situations

You can have more than one focus in a bullpens, but it should be split into two different sets.

If I try to focus on my loading pattern and the shape of my slider at the same time, I'm not going to accomplish either of them.

Have one clear focus for every pitch.

Step 2: Develop the Plan

Once I know what my focus is, I want to develop a plan around it.

Let's look at two example plans.

Example A: Increase slider HB to 10"

Pitches: 20

Sequence: FB, FB, FB, FB, SL, SL, SL, FB, SL, SL, SL, FB, SL, SL, SL, FB, SL, FB, SL, FB

Even thought the focus is on the slider, I can't throw all sliders in the pen. This is a good way to go from a blocked focus of fastball and slider, to more randomized at the end.

Example B: Improve back leg load and increase first pitch strikes

Pitches: 2 sets of 15 pitches

1st set - Improve back leg load

In this set I might do a step back throw on the mound to the catcher for my first 5 pitches. This will help prime the load before my regular delivery.

From there I can mix all pitches, but be focused on the load over everything else.

2nd set - Increase first pitch strikes

Anytime you are doing an execution based bullpen, have a batter or dummy stand in. This will make it more game like and improve feel.

You can work on all pitches or something specific depending on what the player needs.

Step 3: Track Progress

One of the best things you can do is to track progress. This will make it easier to know when something is working and when something is not.

Why guess when you can assess?

You can start a simple google drive and create a tab for each player. When tracking something like first pitch strikes, have a column for strikes and total pitches, and percentage.

I would recommend having a game tracking section to compare.

More Bullpen Ideas

Simulate runners
Work on time to the plate
Make bullpens challenging
Throw out of the windup AND stretch
Throw on game mound when possible

TL;DR

How to maximize bullpens:

Step 1 - Create a focus

Step 2 - Develop a plan

Step 3 - Track progress

I hope this was helpful and that you have a couple extra tools for bullpens.

See you next week!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, would you forward it to a coach in need?

Click here to follow us on Twitter for daily tips on pitching development.