By Garrett Wolforth –
Many athletes have big goals this offseason. They want to throw harder, throw more strikes, or simply become a “more complete pitcher.”
This usually follows a natural progression:
We get in the weight room to get bigger. We spend a little more time focusing on our nutrition and macros. Then, we go see a pitching coach who gets us on the mound for a 30-pitch bullpen.
During this bullpen, we are told to “lift our leg higher,” “get more hinge in your back leg,” or even “stay behind the baseball.” While each of these cues may be helpful to certain athletes, the main ingredient that is missing is actually helping each athlete find a way to do the things we are instructing them to do.
This pitching coach is most likely a great guy and someone who has your best interests at heart, but he is simply instructing you in the same way he was taught to pitch. While time on the mound has its place, it is nowhere near the most effective way to create lasting changes.
When you come to The Ranch, you’re going to work with a lot of tools and a lot of drills. But the tools and drills themselves aren’t where the real transformation happens. What actually makes the difference is blending: taking what you build with a tool or a drill and carrying it into a regular, unassisted throw.
There are three main ways we blend at TBR: tool blending, drill blending, and master blending.
Here’s how each one works and why it matters for your program.
1.) Tool Blending
Tool blending is simple: We mix tools in and out throughout the day. We’ll do reps with a tool, then reps without it, then go back to the tool, then back to no tool again.
That back-and-forth is intentional. It trains your body to transfer the feeling you get with the tool into the process of throwing without it. If you only ever throw with the tool, you never build the bridge between the two. And that bridge is the whole point.
2.) Drill Blending
Drill blending works the same way, but across drills instead of tools. We’ll do one drill, move to a different drill, come back to the first one, and then move to another. Constantly changing the stimulus forces the body to keep adjusting, and those adjustments carry over from one drill to the next.
A good example: If we’re working on loading and unloading, we might do a Torque Drill, then a Drop-Into, then back to the Torque Drill, and then back to the Drop-Into. The switching itself is what builds the carryover.
3.) Master Blending
Master blending is where it all comes together. This is where you pair your tool blending and drill blending, take the feelings you’ve built, and bring them into game-specific movement.
Why does this matter so much? Because we need to be most effective in the exact environment in which we perform the most in a game.
- For pitchers, that’s on the mound. We take the tools and drills, blend them together, and then blend that into mound work.
- For position players, it’s your throw from your position.
The goal is always the same: Take everything built through tools and drills and combine it into the performance you’ll actually be asked to deliver in a game.
Blend Every Day
To recap, you can blend tools, you can blend drills, or you can blend both together in master blending. As you’re building out your program, make sure blending is part of it every single day.
That’s how you make sure the work you’re putting in with your tools and your drills actually shows up when it counts.
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Important TBR Updates
- Fall Classes are Underway! You can still join us anytime between now and January. Classes are held Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM, and you can choose to attend one or both days each week. Spots are limited. Email Info@TexasBaseballRanch.com or call our office at (936) 588-6762 to secure a spot or ask any questions.
- Our annual Youth Camp (for players ages 8-12) will be October 3 & 4. CLICK HERE to learn more and register. ONLY 10 spots remain. players. Secure your spot now.
- Join us for a Fall/Winter Elite Pitchers Boot Camp!
September 5-7 (Sat-Mon) – Only 3 spots remain
October 10-12 (Sat-Mon)
November 21-23 (Sat-Mon)
December 28-30 (Mon-Wed)
January 16-18 (Sat-Mon)
February 13-15 (Sat-Mon)
To register or learn more CLICK HERE
- Attention Catchers! Our annual Elite Catcher’s Boot Camp will be held December 11th – 13th. Registration is now open. CLICK HERE to learn more and reserve your spot. $500 Early Bird savings available.
- Coach Wolforth is hosting a special 90 minute webinar – “The Velocity Code: 3 Secrets to Improving Velocity and Staying Healthy” on Thursdays at 7pm CST. If you’d like to attend the next webinar, CLICK HERE to register.
