with Marissa Young,
Duke University Head Coach;
2020-2021 ACC Champions;
over 100 wins through four seasons (2018-2021) at Duke;
former University of North Carolina Assistant Coach;
3x All-American as a player at the University of Michigan; named the 2002 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and 2003 Big Ten Player of the Year
Duke University's Marissa Young passes along many of the methods that she's implemented in her own program to develop high-end pitching talent year after year. What you'll see in this video are what contributed to the success of Duke's pitchers en route to the 2021 ACC Tournament championship!
Assessment
Coach Young begins by explaining how she assesses the pitchers on her roster from a performance standpoint, as well as on an individual pitch standpoint. She details how to evaluate pitcher growth through charting and data collection. By tracking some key metrics, you'll gather useful information that will make sure your pitchers perform their best in big games and during specific times of the season. Additionally, you'll know when to manage the volume of your best hurlers so they don't get overworked.
Pressure Bullpen Workouts and Drills
Young has developed a comprehensive bullpen session that incorporates challenging drills in order to help pitchers become accountable when preparing for games. You'll get insights on the methods and goals for developing pitchers in the bullpen, plus tips for each drill.
Bullpen segments include:
- Bike for strikes
- Horse
- Jump rope
- 3-pitch sequence
- B2B pitch
- Climb the ladder
- Opposites
This video from Coach Young offers fantastic advice on developing elite pitchers. It's a must-watch for pitchers and coaches who want to break away from the monotony of throwing the same pitch over and over. Young demonstrates the thought process in developing practice plans that incorporate both game management and pitching fundamentals.
53 minutes. 2021.
SD-05880B:
with Marissa Young,
Duke University Head Coach;
2020-2021 ACC Champions;
over 100 wins through four seasons (2018-2021) at Duke;
former University of North Carolina Assistant Coach;
3x All-American as a player at the University of Michigan; named the 2002 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and 2003 Big Ten Player of the Year
The more speed and accuracy your pitchers have, the harder they will be to hit. In this video, Duke University's Marissa Young covers the key steps and drills that she uses in her own program to help her pitchers dial up faster, pinpoint pitches.
Keys to Speed & Accuracy
Coach Young starts off by running through the keys that she believes will lead to better speed and accuracy from within the circle, including spin, rhythm and timing. Then, she moves to the diamond to cover over 15 drills that are all aimed at maximizing the performance of your pitchers.
A progression is used to develop a proper arm swing that adapts to each individuals' style and rhythm. In combination with drills that engage the lower half, Coach Young incorporates a conditioning element that continually challenges her pitchers.
Bullpen
You'll learn various bullpen drills that eliminate old school snap drills and take a holistic approach to coaching movements. The design of the bullpen session creates feel and a natural progression that works from the ground up, while developing consistency and location. Young explains why she has moved away from focusing on snaps in favor of the belief that the focus should be on larger movements.
Within the bullpen session, Coach Young incorporates in-game management, asking pitchers to adjust their location and speed. Further, she places pitchers in situations where they are challenged to work without certain pitches, allowing pitchers to voice which pitches they are comfortable utizing for that situation.
Coach Young does a tremendous job organizing practice sessions that focus on data, movement patterns, and volume. This video will show you why she is a rising star in coaching and give you techniques and drills that will quickly improve the speed and accuracy of your pitching staff.
58 minutes. 2021.
SD-05880C:
with Marissa Young,
Duke University Head Coach;
2020-2021 ACC Champions;
over 100 wins through four seasons (2018-2021) at Duke;
former University of North Carolina Assistant Coach;
3x All-American as a player at the University of Michigan; named the 2002 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and 2003 Big Ten Player of the Year
In this video, Duke 's Marissa Young delivers a package of modern drills that simulate game conditions for pitchers. Unlike 'old school' drills that simply put athletes through throw after throw, Coach Young's approach adds a game-like feel for every rep that will give you a better idea of how your pitchers will perform under pressure. Additionally, your pitchers will feel more comfortable when they need to execute!
Load Drills
Once she's covered her keys to building great pitchers, Young immediately dives into a variety of load drills to use with your pitchers. You'll get over 10 drills to work the load, including:
- Glute bridges
- Hinge drills
- Box squats
- Med ball throws
- and more!
Establishing a great load is paramount when aiming to produce elite pitchers.
More Game-Like Drills
Next, Coach Young covers additional exercises that will help build your pitchers' arsenals. Drills like Airplanes, Frankenstein, Stop 'N' Go & Bungee Balance all touch on skills that your athletes will need in their personal progression. Incorporating these drills will lead to pitchers who can throw to multiple areas of the strike zone, utilize superb timing for consistency on every pitch and dominate the mental side of the game.
This video offers coaches a fresh take on how to train pitchers to be their best in today's game. Coach Young is a rising star in coaching and implementing her approach to training pitchers is sure to help your program improve swiftly!
37 minutes. 2021.
SD-05880D:
with Marissa Young,
Duke University Head Coach;
2020-2021 ACC Champions;
over 100 wins through four seasons (2018-2021) at Duke;
former University of North Carolina Assistant Coach;
3x All-American as a player at the University of Michigan; named the 2002 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and 2003 Big Ten Player of the Year
Functional warm-ups have become a focus, as coaches and players are learning to maximize reps while properly warming up without wasting time and energy. Using charts and data, Duke head coach Marissa Young walks you through an overview of the workouts used in her program that lead to better performance. She uses intervention strategies to ensure that each player receives proper workloads and volume to perform their very best during the season.
Key Components and Warm-Up
Coach Young begins by identifying the key components that are involved with her pitcher workouts. She covers volume management strategies, plus circuit work that her pitchers use on a regular basis.
Next, Young goes through her pitching staff's plyo warm-up. Within the warm-up, athletes will complete exercises such as a reverse overhead throw, scap activation, pivot drill and more as they aim to prime their bodies for the rest of the workout.
Comprehensive Workout
Once athletes are warmed up, it's time to get into the heart of the workout. Coach Young takes her pitchers through:
- A plyo ball series
- A med ball series
- Various drills
- Pitching-specific movements
All of these segments are aimed at improving performance come game day. Within each drill, Young targets different movements that promote mobility and strength, conditioning each athlete for different workloads.
This video will give you the perfect in-season and off-season routines to optimize workouts by targeting specific tasks that build proper mechanics while reducing injury. Coach Young's methods will help any coach or player looking to improve mechanics and incorporate pitching-specific conditioning.
44 minutes. 2021.