The Pulldown Drill for Pitchers: Build Pitching Velocity

The pulldown drill for pitchers is a max-effort throw made with a running start and a weighted ball, fired on a line into a net while a coach guns the number. Also called a run-and-gun, it is one of the most widely used tools for raising an advanced pitcher's velocity.

If you have spent any time around college or pro velocity programs, you have seen it: a pitcher takes a running start across a turf lane, crow-hops, and lets it eat. That throw is a pulldown, and the rest of this guide breaks down what it is, why it works, and how to run it safely.

What a pulldown actually is

Driveline Baseball, which popularized the modern version, defines it plainly: pulldowns, otherwise known as Running Throws, Crow Hop throws, or Run 'n Guns, are "max-effort throws with a running start thrown in the off-season." The mechanics are simple to describe and brutally hard to do well: build speed with a running approach, crow-hop, and throw the ball on a line as hard as you physically can. Athletes use different footwork - a shuffle step, a full crow hop, or most commonly a running start into a crow hop - and the only objective is pure intent.

This is what makes a pulldown distinct from the other velocity tools in a throwing program. Stationary plyo throws train the arm pattern from a fixed base; long toss builds arm strength and stretches output across distance. A pulldown removes the constraints of the mound entirely so the athlete can express the maximum amount of linear momentum and intent the body is capable of producing.

Why it works

The drill works on two fronts: it trains explosive, well-sequenced movement, and it strips away the over-coaching that bleeds velocity. Greg Vogt - founder of PRP Baseball and a former Toronto Blue Jays minor-league pitching coach - explains the movement-learning side directly:

"Throwers will program themselves to move as cleanly as possible when we are throwing with max intent." — Greg Vogt, Founder, PRP Baseball (source)

The second mechanism is mental. When the only instruction is "throw it as hard as you can on a line," the athlete stops policing himself:

"Pulldowns let athletes get rid of all the mental and physical cues that coaches often cram into their minds." — Greg Vogt, Founder, PRP Baseball (source)

There is data behind the carryover, not just feel. Driveline reports that the velocity of a 5 oz running throw correlates with max-effort mound pitching at an R-squared of about 0.7, and that athletes who throw faster pulldowns tend to see higher mound velocities (Driveline).

How to run it

Pulldowns are a finisher, not a starting point. The athlete should already be fully warmed up and have built up through extension/long-toss work before transitioning to a flat throwing lane. From there:

1. Take a running approach into a crow hop toward a net or fence.
2. Throw the ball on a line, max effort, every rep.
3. Work the standard overload-to-underload progression - 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 oz - taking a throw or two per weight.
4. Gun every throw and track the top 5 oz pull and top overall pull.

Dosage is where most programs go wrong. The high-intent set should be capped at roughly 5-7 throws at 100% intensity, run once a week in the offseason, with lower-intensity throwing days and 2-3 rest days around it (PRP Baseball). Velocity work performed three times a week is too much high-intent throwing. For the step-by-step lane setup, weights, and cues, see our pulldown / run-and-gun weighted-ball velocity progression drill page.

Coaching cues

Keep the language about intent and line, not mechanics:

• "Throw it through the net, not at it."
• "Move as fast as you can stay connected."
• "On a line, eye level - no rainbows."

The radar gun is itself a cue. Calling the number out loud after every throw gives the athlete an external target to chase, which is exactly the kind of cue that produces clean, maximal movement.

Common mistakes

The biggest error is volume - throwing pulldowns multiple days a week and frying the arm. The second is aiming high to inflate the radar reading; a pulldown that rainbows is not training the line-drive intent that transfers to a fastball. Others: going max-intent cold without the long-toss build-up, decelerating the run-up before release, and running pulldowns year-round instead of treating them as an offseason block.

Where it fits and how to progress

Pulldowns belong in an offseason velocity block, programmed alongside a structured strength program and lower-intensity throwing days - not bolted onto in-season bullpens. Build the radar number first: chase a higher top 5 oz pull week over week, since that throw correlates best with mound velocity. Then deliberately back-chain it to the mound, because raw pull velocity does not transfer automatically. There is typically a gap of about 5-6 mph between a pitcher's best pulldown and his mound velocity (PRP Baseball), so the new arm speed needs mound reps to show up in a game.

One reassurance for coaches worried about arm health: pulldowns are not categorically more stressful than pitching. Driveline cites ASMI research finding statistically insignificant differences in arm stress between pitching a 5 oz ball and crow-hopping a 5 oz ball (Driveline). As with any high-intent throwing, the safety comes from sane dosage and an athlete with the strength and readiness to handle it - which is exactly why this drill is reserved for advanced, college-and-up arms.

Sources

• Pulldowns: The What, Why, and When — Driveline Baseball — definition, 3-7 oz progression, R²=0.7 correlation, ASMI arm-stress note.
• Implementing Pulldowns and the Correlation between Mound Velocity and Pulldowns — Greg Vogt, PRP Baseball — coach quotes, 5-7 throws/week dosage, pull-to-mound velocity gap (~6 mph).
• How to Transfer Weighted Baseball Velocity Gains to the Mound — Driveline Baseball — back-chaining velocity to the mound.