KI Pitching

09/07/2026

🥎 WHY DOES VELOCITY START TO PLATEAU?

One of the biggest things I see with pitchers around 13+ is frustration when their velocity suddenly stops climbing the way it used to.

When pitchers are younger, velocity can increase pretty quickly—especially when they’re actively developing a strong foundation. They’re learning better movement patterns, becoming more coordinated, and at the same time they’re naturally getting bigger, stronger, and faster.

But eventually, those “automatic” velocity gains slow down.

And this is where the truth about building REAL velocity becomes important.

🔥 You cannot out-strengthen a poor foundation.

Your pitch is a chain:

Ground → Drive Leg → Hips → Torso → Arm → Ball

Force has to travel through that entire chain.

If there is a breakdown somewhere in the foundation—poor ground-force production, inefficient drive mechanics, bad sequencing, weak resistance, poor timing, etc.—energy is being lost before it ever reaches the ball.

I call those FORCE LEAKS.

Now imagine taking a pitcher with major force leaks and immediately focusing on throwing harder, getting stronger, or becoming more explosive.

Yes, she may gain some velocity.

But eventually she hits a ceiling because the underlying movement pattern still isn’t efficient.

In some cases, she has simply gotten stronger at performing an inefficient movement.

That is why my progression is:

1️⃣ MASTER THE FOUNDATION
Build efficient movement, sequencing, timing, resistance, arm whip, and force transfer.

2️⃣ BUILD STRENGTH & POWER
Once the body knows how to transfer force efficiently, give it the ability to produce MORE force.

3️⃣ DEVELOP EXPLOSIVENESS
Now we teach the athlete to produce and transfer that force faster.

4️⃣ LET VELOCITY BECOME THE RESULT 🚀

If your pitcher has been sitting at the same velocity for months—or even years—the answer isn’t always “throw harder.”

Sometimes we need to go backward before we can go forward.

Find the leak.
Fix the foundation.
Then build the engine. 💪🥎

Because the goal isn’t simply to make a pitcher stronger.

The goal is to create a stronger, faster, more explosive athlete who knows how to transfer that power efficiently into the softball.

Foundation first. Power second. Velocity follows.

09/05/2026

HIRING A PITCHING INSTRUCTOR💪🥎‼️

09/05/2026

I’m looking for a fastpitch pitching instructor who teaches (or is open to teaching) internal rotation and a true arm-whip delivery.

Ideally someone with experience in that approach — but I’m also open to working with a coach who is willing to learn and refine it.

If that’s you, or you know someone in the Warren/Saratoga County area, please comment or message me.

Happy to share more about what I’m looking for and how we might work together.

Thanks!

09/03/2026

‼️‼️I want all of my pitchers parents to watch this! This is what an elite launch looks like. Take a look at your child’s launch into her pitch and see where they are at and aim for this as a goal

08/24/2026

I have been so lucky to have been coaching this athlete for the last almost 3 years and what a hard worker she is! Keep up the hard work kid!

💙🥎 MEET THE PLAYER 🥎💙
⭐ #5 KYLIE “KY” ZIENIUK ⭐

📍 Hometown: Moreau, NY
⭐ Favorite Athlete: NiJaree Canady
📺 Favorite Movie/Show: The Sandlot
🍽️ Favorite Food: Sushi
🥤 Favorite Drink: Blue Gatorade
🎨 Favorite Color: Blue
🎵 Walk-Up Song: The Purge

What are you most excited about this season?
“Traveling with my team.” 💙

Do you have a pre-game ritual?
“Dancing with Ev.” 💃

If your glove could talk what would it say?
“Geez, throw more strikes!” 😂

#5

08/17/2026

DRILLS FOR PITCHERS TO WORK ON SEPARATION OF THE UPPER AND LOWER BODY

08/15/2026

Tier One Athletics is about so much more than teaching a kid how to throw a softball. 🥎

We develop complete pitchers from the ground up.

Our coaching is built around four foundational components: Ground Force Power, Sequencing, Internal Rotation & Arm Whip, and Timing & Rhythm. Instead of constantly trying to “fix” the end result, we teach athletes to understand where their power comes from, how their body works together, and how to repeat efficient mechanics with confidence.

Because velocity, command, movement and consistency aren’t things we chase with shortcuts — they’re the result of a strong foundation.

But developing a pitcher goes beyond mechanics.

We expect our athletes to work with purpose, compete, become mentally tougher, build confidence and learn what it means to take ownership of their development.

At Tier One, we aren’t interested in creating pitchers who simply look good during a lesson.

We want to build pitchers who are prepared to DOMINATE when it matters. 🔥🥎

Better mechanics.
More velocity.
Greater confidence.
Stronger mentality.
Winning performance.

Built different. Developed here. Destined to dominate.

— Tier One Athletics