If You Can’t Instruct Pitchers Sell Training Aids Instead—Such As Weighted Baseballs Or Endles
How should you judge the value of a baseball website that emphasizes increasing baseball pitching performance…especially those that make big promises of boosting pitching velocity using their special program?
If that baseball pitching website is selling training aids such as weighted baseballs, programs that emphasize pitching drills as the foundation for improvement or other training ideas such as strapping on weighted vests or throwing uphill or downhill on balance beams then you have just found a website that does not understand how to best help a pitcher improve. Those websites should be a big red flag that their content is misinformation.
These baseball pitching websites would like to divert your attention away from the only two things that can help a pitcher reach his full potential—developing better pitching mechanics and baseball pitching functional training. You will not improve pitching performance using training aids or by going into the weight room and lifting to get bigger and stronger.
Who says so? Sports science not only says so but has proven so over many, many years.
Baseball pitching is like golf, it is a skill activity…unlike football or basketball which require more athleticism than skill. Baseball pitching mechanics, like golf swing mechanics is a two phase motor skill. You have a basic wind-up and then a release of that wind-up. There are no natural breaks. This should tell you why drills are not a good alternative for improvement unless that pitcher is a rank beginner.
In baseball pitching mechanics you are throwing a 5 oz baseball downhill to a specific target using maximum intensity.
Baseball pitching mechanics is an activity that is less about strength than speed. The speed of movement component is dominant unlike football which has a strength component where body mass is for some players an important element. But in football speed is also important. So in football force production is important while in baseball pitching it is not.
Pitching mechanics is an explosive activity. Explosiveness is the ability to put as many muscles on stretch as possible as quickly as possible. Any activity that does not enhance explosiveness or the ability to put more muscles on stretch is not going to help a pitcher throw with maximum velocity. Weight training or strapping on weighted vests can only teach the body to slow down…not speed up.
Force production is not important in baseball pitching because a baseball at just 5 oz is much too light. If a baseball was 25 lbs then force production would be much more important. Even shot-putting requires a speed element of movement to be successful.
Speed of movement being dominant for pitchers is evident in the fact that Little League pitchers are able to throw a baseball from 46 feet at 70 mph plus velocity. This is the equivelent of throwing 90 mph plus from 60 ft. Most Little League pitchers do not strength train. And yet they are able to produce velocity without the ability to apply much force since they have not trained in developing force production like football players.
This proves that in baseball pitching the speed of movement element is far more dominant than the strength element. Otherwise how would little league pitchers be able to throw with above average velocity without doing any strength training?
Why then do websites sell training aids such as weighted baseballs or programs that emphasize the use of such things as weighted vests or throwing or doing drills from a balance beam?
The answer is clear. They do not fully understand how to teach pitching mechanics and further do not understand the sports science behind training athletes such as pitchers specifically for a skill activity such as pitching.
Why then does weight training or using these various training aids seem to work? They only work on untrained players who have not fully developed. But sports science has proven that any untrained athlete will improve by just increasing their activity level no matter what they do. In the case of weighted balls seeming effectiveness it is not the weighted ball that works but the fact that the untrained player is just forced to use his full body to throw more.
It is the increase in volume of throwing that produces the results not the weighted ball. The same results have always been seen throwing regular baseballs. After all until the advent of the internet weighted balls were just about unheard of…even though they have been around for over 30 years showing little results if any.
These websites would like to divert your attention away from instruction on mechanics and proper functional training as a smoke screen for their lack of understanding of what sports science has proven to work. After all I will admit that learning pitching mechanics is not super fun like going out and thinking that just throwing a weighted baseball will work to boost velocity 5-12 mph…as many websites foolishly promise…an uninformed people foolishly waste money on.
Baseball is dominated unfortunately by "belief based" coaching rather than "evidence based" coaching. It is the "good old boy" fraternity that passes down unproven training ideas from decade to decade from uninformed coach to uninformed coach or instructor.
Many of these coaches are well intentioned but unfortunately their good intentions and lack of education are wasting pitcher's time and ability to reach their full athletic potential. And furthermore wasting parents money on unproven training and instructional programs.
As long as websites or instructors continue to make unfounded promises and as long as pitchers and parents believe that increasing pitching performance is about the use of training aids or special drills or big velocity promises by just following a certain unproven program… then baseball will continue to see fewer top pitchers that can execute the only thing that makes pitchers effective—getting out hitters consistently.
I suggest that before parting with your money in purchasing a pitching aid online—a video, DVD, book or training aid that you find out "why" it works. And don't buy anecdots as evidence…especially those that make promises of increasing velocity.
Remember increases in velocity are by far the result of either improving mechanics, overall better conditioning or with more growth and development.
There must always be a sports science reason for athletic improvement. A reason that has been proven to work.
The advocates of using weighted vests, and many other training aids would like you to believe that they are on to something that sports science has missed. Don't believe it. I had a conversation about this subject with a world renown PhD in sports science and a biomechanist. All he does is laugh at these claims as totally unfounded but worse yet…time wasting for the athlete.
There is only one way that baseball pitchers can improve velocity. One way only. Using proper mechanics and functional training that teaches the body to be explosive while throwing a baseball downhill to a target.
Baseball instructors or websites that teach anything else should be accused of malpractice.
If you have questions on any phase of pitching—mechanics, strength and conditioning, mental training, strategy send those questions to dickmills@gmail.com and I will answer them here.
If you want an explosive body and explosive mechanics you need to get my Free Report at www.pitching.nexcess.net. We won't waste your time. We show you what works and what has been proven to work. I show you a comparison between two high school pitchers and a major league pitcher who throws mid to upper nineties. Find out why you do not have "explosive mechanics" that produce more velocity.
(If you are high school or college coach, ask for our special free Coach's Report.)
Don't Forget - My Complete Pitching Instruction program is the only complete "pitching clinic" home study course available that is backed by real sports science research. It's designed for parents, coaches, and players of all ages. Whether you're a pitcher just starting out, or an advanced pitcher looking for answers, we make it simple to understand for both the parent and pitcher.
"Dick’s program has given me the knowledge I need as a pitching coach to help young people succeed. I highly recommend it to any pitcher Little League through college. From mechanics to conditioning to the mental aspect, everything he does is top notch. His program helped our pitchers go 29-1, have a 0.80 ERA last season, and win a State Championship."
Banks Faulkner, Gilbert Indian Baseball, Gilbert, SC
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