Jim Curnal is a former professional baseball pitcher in the New York Yankees’ organization, who had a very promising career until cut short by an arm injury. Over the last 20 years, Jim has worked with hundreds of athletes between the ages of 14 and 22, offering group and individual instruction in basketball, football and baseball. During Jim’s 12 -year high school coaching tenure, he provided instruction to athletes in his role as a coach and personal instructor in all three sports. As Jim states, “My goal as a coach has first and foremost always been to provide young athletes with the tools and the opportunity to succeed. My belief is contrary to the overused expression – “Winning is everything.” In life as in sports, I firmly believe it is all about one’s effort, “Competing is everything.”

Every athlete who is looking to maximize both their performance and their arm health must create a foundational movement pattern and kinetic timing to create Energy, Stability and Balance to generate Power. Throwing a football 70 yards, hitting a golf ball 300 yards, serving a tennis ball 130 mph all demand the creation and sequential transfer of energy and power from the ground up.

Throwing a baseball demands the same movement pattern and the same Kinetic timing, that is if the pitcher’s goal is to maximize both performance, i.e. Command, Movement and Velocity and Arm Heath, i.e. reducing stress on the arm to reduce the risk of arm injury. This is accomplished by creating optimal ball/lower half timing – in layman’s terms, the lower half is the engine, the arm is the steering wheel:

An Athletic Throwing Motion will positively impact both arm health and performance:
• Creating optional lower half/ball timing utilizes the lower half more efficiently and effectively by creating more lower half energy to deliver the baseball, reducing the stress on the arm
• Creating a motion which relies on the Big muscles, the lower half to create stability and balance will allow the pitcher to create a more consistent arm slot and release.

As an analogy, a pitcher with poor timing and poor use of his lower half is the amateur golfer who relies solely on his hands/arms (small muscles) to create optimal timing and consistent contact. They will shoot 82 one day, 98 the next as they have not created a solid foundational swing from the ground up (lower half- big muscles) to create proper phase movements and optimal timing.

Unfortunately for youth pitchers today what is being sold is Velocity. While Velocity is appealing, because glitz and sizzle sells the ability to master Command, Change of Speed and Movement is what will separate the pitcher from the pack.

Success on the mound is the result of building a solid foundation: your throwing motion, your development of pitches, how to think on the mound and most importantly your work ethic. Building this Foundation requires patience, perseverance and dedication, all integral components of “The Process.” Your goal as an athlete is to work hard and smart to get better each day.

---

CLASSES:

The Alpha Zone course will provide the instructional tools to help youth pitchers pitchers: • Develop a fluid athletic throwing motion
• Developing Command
• Develop fastball command – middle, in/out, high/low

• Develop change up command: both 2-0 and 1-2 counts • Develop 2 seem fastball command: away/in
• Develop curve ball command: 2-0 and 0-2 counts
• Learn how to maximize your bullpens

• Learn an efficient and effective pre start warm up

The ultimate goal: Improving Arm Health, Improving Performance

Jim has a wealth of experience, expertise and success. He has a unique story to tell, not only because of his personal experiences, but because of all the research he has done and the success he has had in impacting young pitcher’s careers.

All analysis is accompanied with educational support material and video drills to assist the pitcher in his learning curve. Jim’s goal is utilize and develop this teaching forum to create a larger platform to implement pitching clinics where he will be able to provide in-person educational teaching and instruction to a larger audiences with the added bonus of in-person instruction.