A Former Major League Pitcher and A Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Take Baseball and Softball Pitchers Head On...By introducing a new, more effective system for
training baseball and softball pitchers of all ages and skill levels
As pitching instructors, Jim Haller and Steve Zawrotny concluded that most methods used to prepare pitchers for a game fall short because they don't give the pitcher a true sense of a game situation. This feeling is no different from what people without good life insurance has - zero sense of security. To be specific, they don't use stand-in batters often enough! In fact, what they found out was that baseball and softball pitchers gain more confidence and control practicing with a batter standing at the plate.The problem is finding a batter or suitable batting dummy."We were looking for something to give our pitchers a realistic view of the batter's strike zone and that was easy to position in the batter's box. Something that showed the pitcher a batter's knees, elbows, hands and stance," says Haller. "Pitchers need these key location points to work effectively on pitch location." But, like so many coaches, their efforts ended in frustration.
"Pitchers increase their feel for pitch location and thus throw more strikes when they use a batter during pitching practice," says Zawrotny. "Now, with the DH, coaches and pitchers can do just that safely." BIG Z Sports is the collaboration of Steve Zawrotny and Jim Haller. Two long-time baseball players and coaches who have devoted a life time to improving pitching performance.
Jim Haller is a former number 1 draft choice of the Los Angeles Dodgers. A 1970
graduate of Creighton Prep in Omaha, Nebraska and Arizona State University, Jim
pitched 7 years in the Dodger organization with 2 stints in the big leagues. A
hard throwing righty, Jim readily admits that he really didn't know how to pitch
until he left baseball after an injury robbed him of his blazing fastball i the
fall of '77. Haller played next to some of the true greats of baseball. Guys
like Tommy John, Don Sutton, Mike Marshall, Al Downing, Andy Messersmith and
many others. "I threw harder than all of them" Jim says. "One big difference
though...they understood both the art and the science of pitching. I didn't!"
Jim stayed out of baseball for a few years after his release from professional
baseball. Slowly he got back into it. First as a spectator and then as a
student. "I had to learn why the others were successful and I wasn't. I had the
physical ability, just not the discipline and understanding of how it all
worked!" After a long and detailed analysis of the best in the game, Haller
detailed the essence of pitching. The common denominators that all the great
ones possessed. Velocity, although a component of pitching, was not the primary
or even a secondary component of what makes pitchers successful. "There are 7
components of pitching that the great ones have mastered" Haller says.
Jim has gone on to designing a system that is simple to translate to
pitchers of any age or skill level. He has fellas that are currently on Big
League rosters and those waiting "in the wings!" He has taken kids who were
considered washed up and has put them on track to rewarding professional
careers.
"Jim's system is so logical and well thought out that I have used him for my
hard core cases that were ready to be released by the organization" says one
minor league pitching coordinator. "His Designated Hitter Training System just
might be the most significant addition to the pitcher's arsenal in many years!"
Jim gives clinics and private instruction to pitchers from throughout the United
States. "I'm one of the only guys I know that guarantee my results." Haller
says. "I truly guarantee that you will learn the art and science of pitching.
You will learn the skills necessary to make the one pitch correction that is
necessary to survive and thrive on the mound! Baseballs just don't do anything
on their own. You have to impart a force that makes the ball move in a certain
manner...I'll show you how and why it happens!" Today, Haller runs a successful pitching academy and is a pitching consultant to the Lincoln Saltdogs, a minor league baseball team in Lincoln, Nebraska. Steve is one of just a handful of individuals with playing and coaching experience at the NCAA D-1 level who is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA).
He has a BS in Physical Education from Brigham Young University and an MS in
Business from Lesley College. He has more than 30 years of combined experience as a player and coach. A highly recruited All-Star high school pitcher, Steve went to Brigham Young University (BYU) on a baseball scholarship. After an arm injury cut his career short, he became a graduate assistant baseball coach for BYU. Steve's coaching career spans several high school Varsity, Connie Mack, and American Legion programs. He has helped a number of
his players go on to play at the college and professional levels. Steve is the author of several baseball training books and the inventor of the Big Z Training Bat that increases a hitter's bat speed
and hitting power. He provides private instruction to baseball pitchers and bat speed training for hitters in the Oklahoma City, OK area.
Haller and Zawrotny do presentations, clinics and instruction throughout the
United States and Europe. |
