Tennis Improvement Memo 508. Shohei Ohtani's personal best speed was not 'raised,' it 'rose'

▶A 'resonance' comes into view—Shohei Ohtani and Ichiro, the same core

Shohei Ohtani's personal best speed of 163.7 km/h was something that 'rose naturally.'

https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2025062900119&g=bsb

He did not consciously 'raise' it.

The point is that it 'rose'.

This essentially aligns with the episode Ichiro shared as follows.

▶If you consciously try to increase speed, it becomes slower

Let's review this again.

If you consciously try to raise it, it won't rise (or rather, it will drop) due to the 'law of reversed effort,' won't it?

This is because if you consciously try to speed up your arm swing or step more forcefully, it becomes awkward and loses its smoothness.

For example, even with breathing, if you consciously think about 'inhaling and exhaling,' it becomes somewhat more difficult than when you were doing it without thinking.

In the case of movement, it's just harder to notice because you move dynamically all at once with a 'heave-ho!', butit is a fundamental principle that movement becomes jerky when you are conscious of it.

Because of that, both in throwing and hitting, you lose themost important 'timing' (related article: 'Big Discovery! There was only 'one' cause for mistakes in tennis!')

If the timing of releasing the ball is off by 0.1 seconds,the ball speed, breaking balls, and control will all be completely disrupted.

In tennis, you miss the 'timing of 5',resulting in an off-center hit and mistakes (related article: 'Federer hits at a timing of '5''').

▶Muscle training that 'targets' muscles—is it functional?

In muscle training, you 'consciously' target the muscles you are working, and while being conscious of them makes them feel strained and allows you to 'target' them,that should be functionally irrational.

The more you target them, the more awkward and less smooth your movement becomes, which makes you tired and prevents you from exerting power.

This can also be explained as the difference between being 'introverted,' where you are conscious of your muscles, and 'extroverted,' where you are lifting a sandbag.

The related article is, of course, here (Bonus 1: Reconsidering the 'True Identity of Unusable Muscles' by Focusing on Yourself)

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/p22GnRnuaSE?feature=share

▶ The Pitfalls Lurking in Shohei Ohtani's Form Analysis

I hear experts and others saying that Ohtani has changed his pitching form, but I have never heard Ohtani himself say he changed it (though perhaps I just don't know about it).

In the news, there was a form analysis pointing out the angle of his arm during the take-back, but you can say anything you want by editing the timing of when you pause the video.

After all, the arm is swung at high speed, so it is natural that if the timing of cutting the video is off by 0.1 seconds, the angle of the arm will be completely different (related article: 'I was convinced of the reason in this video').

It is true that after returning as a pitcher, he may have changed from his conventional set position to a no-windup, but that is the same as the story of 'the tongue becoming Tenshinhan,' and once you decide on the initial image, the no-windup happens without even thinking about it (related article: 'The tongue becomes 'Tenshinhan,' and the strategy is executed without conscious thought').

▶ If you just hit it casually, it will land in the court (everyone laughs)

Of course, Ohtani himself may talk about his own form or pitching style at times.

However, just like Kei Nishikori and many other tennis players, he is being 'made to talk.'

He can only say something like, 'I just hit it casually and it lands in the court' (everyone laughs), but that is the truth.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5U-engpEIcI

Even if the media asks, 'How are you hitting it?', it is hard to answer, 'I'm not thinking about anything. It's unconscious,' so he gives a response that makes it seem like he is conscious of it, such as 'Come to think of it, I am swinging through to my shoulder' (related article: 'Pro-level advanced players don't care about form!').

However, the one who was able to delve into that convention to the very limit was pro Yuta Shimizu's turn, wasn't it?

He said:

▶ There is no answer other than 'And yet, the Earth moves'

Once again, Ohtani's 163.7 km/h speed, just as he said, naturally 'rose'.

It was not consciously 'raised' but rather it just happened.

Most experts would likely object, saying, 'That's not true!'

If that is the case, I have no choice but to reply, 'And yet it moves.'

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