'Arrested or controlled.' The answer of the Rookie of the Year to the conundrum of baseball is 'Arrest' first. "If you throw a fastball 100% with your balance, your ball control will be easier.""
Dec 02, 2024
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The question that everyone is curious about. Is it restraint or control. Kim Taek-yeon (Doosan Bears), the Rookie of the Year in the 2024 season, wasted no time in answering "We focus on fastballs."
On the afternoon of the 1st, Kim Taek-yeon won the 'Best Rookie of the Year' at the"Retired Player Day" held by the Korea Professional Baseball Retired Players Association. Kim Taek-yeon, who received the 'Probably Special Award' last year when she was in Incheon High School, also enjoyed the joy of winning the award for the second consecutive year.
At the event, middle and high school players who received scholarships had time to ask questions to KIA Tigers Kim Do-young and Kim Taek-yeon, who received the Best Player Award. As Kim Taek-yeon is a fastball pitcher who sprays a fastball of more than 150 kilometers, there were many questions related to his speed and pitching.
The secret to increasing the RPM of her fastball is that Kim Taek-yeon started to improve her RPM by throwing the ball as if she was kicking it from an early age and pressing the ball"Most of the part where the ball has gotten faster is told to throw it in front, but I started throwing it from the back and started using the lower body mainly, so I got better from the beginning. " he honestly said of his experience.
When asked what kind of effort he made for good pitching, he said, "I did a lot of lower body exercises, and I tried to lead and throw with my lower body"I didn't originally have a fast ball or a good pitch either. I've made a lot of changes and got better. Along with those exercises, the grip seems to be important. I got better after doing a lot of things that I can do lightly with my grip when I run."
The pitcher was honest when asked whether he was being restrained or controlled. There are many cases of poor ball control among fast-paced pitchers, so they often make changes such as reducing the ball control to catch it.
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I was able to hear more details after the awards ceremony. "I've been paying attention to my control," Kim Taek-yeon said. However, if you pay attention to your control, you will lose more in your pitching form and lose more energy. Then, I thought my self-balance would disappear"I think if you throw a fastball 100% with your self-balance, your body's good balance is created, and then if you have directionality, your ball control is easier."
"I think (the ball) is different between a fastball that pays attention to control and a fastball that is thrown a lot with the balance on his body."I think the ball thrown from the balance where he can throw a strong ball is more powerful and I think it will be easier to catch when he plays control later. I also had a time when the ball was slow. When it increased from 130km to 135km, my elbow also hurt. I felt that and moved on to the next chapter. It's not bad to experience bad things while catching control, but I don't think it's necessary."
indyk@sportschosun.com
