The Importance of Tempo: Finding Your Rhythm

Walker Buehler demonstrating the importance of finding your unique tempo for optimizing performance.

Early on in high school he utilized a conventional slow and controlled tempo. Once at Vanderbilt, they sped him up, something they are known to do (see: Carson Fulmer), which led to increased performance. It appears he has now found a happy medium as he evolves in his time with the Dodgers.

The delivery is more than a checkpoint of positions. Scap load, external rotation, the finish, etc are all things that often get talked about as vital pieces of the delivery. But that doesn’t mean the delivery should be an “A to B to C” robotic maneuver.

Your tempo may be better slow than fast. Just because Buehler works better faster doesn’t mean you will as well. But by experimenting with different tempos, you’ll be able to find your optimal and further increase performance.