Driveline PULSE Wearable Workload Monitor
Stop guessing how much
your pitchers are throwing
5 THINGS WE’VE LEARNED USING PULSE
✔Athletes throw way more than they realize
✔ Athletes have a really poor perception of their actual intensity
✔ Athletes don’t pull back their intensity well enough on recovery days
✔ Athletes don’t record their routines leading into peak performance
✔ Athletes don’t complete training programs with precision
WHAT PROBLEMS DOES PULSE SOLVE?
Not sure how much you or your athletes are throwing?
PULSE measures all throws to tell you if your pitchers are throwing too much or too little, too hard or not hard enough.
Want to keep your athletes on track?
PULSE improves athletes’ execution of their training programs and keeps them on track with their player development plan.
Not getting the results you want?
PULSE replaces ambiguous guidelines with clear and repeatable instructions, improving pitcher’s processes and overall training results.
SUCCESS STORIES
Even MLB veterans can mess up the basics.
Here’s how an 8-year veteran PR’d in a showcase bullpen one week after using Pulse.
Recently an MLB veteran starting pitcher reached out to Driveline to learn what Pulse could do to improve his training.
He purchased a Pulse to collect data on his throwing volume and intensity and enrolled in Online Training to optimize his throwing routine.
The first two Pulse-recorded throwing sessions were a Bullpen and a Recovery day:
His online trainer noted that the recovery day’s Pulse Arm Speed and Pulse Torque were too similar to his bullpen and should be reduced.
Too high of intensity on lower intensity throwing days causes fatigue from past sessions to accumulate, decreasing performance on higher intensity days.
The pitcher was given a max Pulse Arm Speed of 600 on all Recovery and other lower intensity days (like his Light Long Toss sessions) moving forward.
But instead of using Live Mode within the Pulse App to get feedback on the Pulse Arm Speed of each throw, the pitcher decided to use his feel to monitor intensity the next day.
Based only on his feel, the pitcher decreased his average Pulse Arm Speed and Pulse Torque.
But his peak intensity was still too high. He then began using Live Mode in the Pulse App to get immediate feedback on the Pulse Arm Speed from each throw in his upcoming lower-intensity sessions.
Over his next two lower-intensity throwing sessions, instant feedback after every throw eliminated the guesswork around intensity.
During his Showcase Bullpen, the pitcher threw most fastballs above his previous bullpen best and noted he felt better than he has in a very long time. He attributed that to keeping his intensity in check the few days prior.
Even players at the highest level make mistakes in their training and preparation. Pulse can help you identify them quickly so you can adjust and improve faster.
Becoming the Director of Pitching for the Reds meant that Kyle Boddy was responsible for every pitcher, and every pitching coach in the Reds minor league system.
In particular, Boddy knew he could refine how pitchers were managed and used during the season. Typical innings and pitch counts don’t actually capture if a pitcher is really ready to throw – and Boddy knew that PULSE could be the solution.
He began implementing PULSE throughout the organization with the help of the man in our last blog — Bryan Conger, Boddy’s pitching coordinator.
By using PULSE, Kyle and the Reds coaches have been able to manage their staff smartly and effectively across all levels. From adjusting throwing programs between outings, to managing pitcher usage in-game, and even fine-tuning the pregame routines of his pitchers, PULSE has been invaluable to the Reds this year.
Boddy’s thoughts about PULSE best sum up the success of the Reds implementation:
“It’s really absurd how much value PULSE confers and illustrates how we should actually be managing pitcher usage in games,” Boddy said. “It allows us to make smart decisions about how we use and prepare our pitchers that we wouldn’t otherwise have.”
The 2018 Tarleton State baseball program, like many Division II programs, had limited resources to spend on staff, recruiting, and/or technology. Unable to afford losing players to injury, Bryan Conger — then-head coach at Tarleton — knew he needed to do what he could to maximize performance while keeping injuries to a minimum. He found the perfect tool for the job in PULSE.
PULSE allowed him to build individualized throwing programs for all of his pitchers. It allowed him to optimize the pre-game warmup routines of his pitchers so they weren’t blowing themselves up before a game. It allowed him to manage the fatigue and readiness of his pitchers in-season so he knew who was fresh and who wasn’t.
Most of all, it allowed the under-funded, out-gunned, and out-manned Tarleton State baseball team to make a deep run into the playoffs.
Using PULSE, Conger was able to keep his best arms healthy and fresh, priming a program with limited resources for a run in the playoffs.
In fact, Conger himself summed it up best:
“I was able to get more innings out of my starters, my best pitchers, without overtaxing them. They had better performance and more importantly, we avoided major arm injuries all season long, into the playoffs.”
With PULSE, we aim to bring these same insights to every program, while minimizing the need for extensive leg work to get a system stood up.
The coaches at GGC knew that each pitcher needed personalized arm care programs based on where they were in their rehab or on-ramping. They couldn’t afford to guess when a guy would be ready for high intent, or when he should throw his bullpen in between outings. Introducing PULSE into their program allowed them to bridge the gap between “feel” and real. No more guessing. Two of their starters in particular, Adam McKillican and Hunter Dollander, religiously used PULSE to help map out their off- and in-season throwing plans and make sure they were ready to dominate on gameday. On the backs of McKillican and Dollander, and the rest of the staff, the Grizzlies went on to win the 2021 NAIA World Series. For the coaches, PULSE gave them a way to effectively plan bullpens, high intent days, and off days leading into- and during the season. As they made their way into the playoffs, they saw other teams’ staffs dropping off, while their guys stayed strong. For the players, PULSE enabled them to know they were as prepared to compete on gameday, as well as sustain that performance throughout the season.