Baseball Training
I started working out at a training facility in Woodinville (25 minutes north) called the American Baseball Institute. The pitching coach’s name is Neiman Nix, a Mike Marshall-type instructor. For those of you who are unaware of Marshall’s teachings, he is a controversial ex-MLB player (Cy Young - 1974) turned pitching coach who has come up with a new type of delivery that he says will eliminate all arm-based injuries in pitchers. To achieve this goal, his pitchers train with 10-20 lb. wrist weights on their arms while going through various exercises, and throw 6-10 lb. iron balls as a form of overload training.
Marshall’s message is good, but is often lost by the messenger. He claims that his motion is the only way to throw a baseball, and everything he does is right and does not need to be refined. Neiman is a bit more relaxed; he teaches his students a traditional delivery to showcase to scouts who would otherwise be unhappy with the unorthodox delivery of Dr. Marshall.
After a day of training (and a day of observation) with Neiman and his partner, I am convinced that the work they do will help pitchers become more athletic, develop better velocity, and add new quality pitches to their arsenal. The pronation curve and pronation slider are two excellent breaking balls that I already love to throw.
Hopefully in the near future I will be able to get video of the training process and the pitchers I work out with. There is a Canadian lefty who is maxing out at 95 mph with an excellent slider, and an American righty who throws low-90’s with a plus-plus sinker/slider combo.
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