Suddenly, the restraint rose by 10 km per hour. I wonder what happened. This is the KIA story. The answer lies in Futures.
Among the KIA pitchers in the 2023 season, the most eye-catching player is Choi Ji-min (20). He is a first-round pick in the 2022 rookie draft. He was voted 5th overall. Born in Gangneung High School as an ace, he received a lot of attention since high school.
His first season was not easy. It is all about starting 6 games in the 1st team. He also had an earned run average of 13.50. He also had 1 win, 5 losses, 6 holds and an earned run average of 7.04 in 35 games for the Futures.
He’s completely different this year. He entered the opening roster and has been consistently throwing in the first team to this day. He pitches in 13 games, 17 innings, one hold, and an earned run average of 1.59. It is a ‘hwangol metamorphosis’ itself.
There is a trick. it is redemption noticeably faster. Last year, there were many balls in the 130km/h range. This year, 150 km/h comes out. Fans and players alike are in for a surprise.
KIA Kim Jae-yeol. Photo courtesy | KIA Tigers
Choi Ji-min said, “Last year, I had to aim for the course unconditionally. pitch was important. Only then could he deal with batters. These days, the restraints are getting faster, so I go in looking at the middle. Still, I feel that hitters can’t hit. I want to say ‘I’ve improved’. I feel good when I block the inning well and come down,” he laughed.메이저놀이터
he asked for the secret. “I worked hard on the program given by Futures. I also gained confidence by going to Geelong. And it seems that the speed has increased.”
“At Futures, we did a lot of research on the pitching mechanism, such as twisting the body. It seems to get better as I keep practicing. He also wrote weighted balls and more. This is a bit difficult to explain. Director Son Seung-rak explained it, but in the end I learned it with my body.”
I asked Futures coach Son Seung-rak. Then, “I didn’t do anything. Our Futures pitcher is having a lot of trouble. I am working hard so that the players can do well,” he said, putting the coaches in front.
When asked what kind of training he does specifically, he said, “I am applying the Dodgers training system. There is a weight training part and a strength part. First of all, I do it by making the body,” he pointed out.
KIA Kim Chan-min. Photo courtesy | KIA Tigers
“Once you become a body, the next step is pitching form. You have to create a form for each pitcher. and it’s jegu In order to catch the ball, I do balance training at the same time. Based on this, you will go to the game. I gain experience by throwing, and I gain confidence by throwing well.”
The driveline training method, which is currently used by most players in the United States, is also applied. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the starting point of the ‘restraint revolution’.
The key is to ‘break the body into small pieces’. “It strengthens the body by dividing it into details. If it’s an arm, it’s an arm, if it’s a lower body, it’s a lower body, if it’s an upper body, it’s an upper body. Since each player is different, it is difficult to apply them consistently. I check each player and use only the necessary parts.”
After all, it is another way of ‘strengthening the body’. It is also used in Japan. Chiba Lotte Sasaki Loki made his body like this. Sasaki did not pitch for either the first or second teams in 2020, the first year of his joining.
Chiba Lotte saw Sasaki as a ‘gemstone’. He concluded that he had to build a body that could be thrown in the pros. he went into detail. He did not simply ‘train the lower body’, but conducted training for each part, such as the shoulder blades and hip joints. He also strengthened his core.
Loki Sasaki. photo | Tokyo = Reporter Kang Young-jo kanjo@sportsseoul.com
The result was the current Sasaki. It shoots fiery fastballs at 164 km/h. It throws at an average speed of 160 km/h. In the 2022 season, he also made the youngest perfect game ever.
KIA is also treading the same path. Results are coming out. Choi Ji-min is not the only one whose arrest has been accelerated. Several pitchers are waiting for the Futures.
Coach Son Seung-rak said, “Currently, Jae-yeol Kim is the best in Futures. The restraint comes up to 149-150 km/h. You’re doing really well. Hwang Dong-ha also reached the maximum speed of 141 km/h last year, but this year it is recorded up to 146 km/h. In the case of Kim Chan-min, compared to when he joined last year, he has already accelerated by more than 10 km per hour.”
Efforts to improve velocity are being made equally by 10 clubs. ‘How well you do it’ is the key. KIA is producing tangible results. KIA is being reborn as a ‘fastball corps’.