36 Important Facts About Baseball Pitching You Should Know

by Dick Mills on October 30, 2007

Here are some facts about pitching that every parent, player, and coach should know going into the off-season.

The single biggest reason that more pitchers cannot improve their velocity or control is because they are wasting time on activities that have not proven to improve performance. Improving pitching velocity requires that pitchers devote sufficient time to improving pitching mechanics. It has little to do with building more arm strength. These facts are all backed up by sports science research and over 500 scientific references.

Facts You Should Know About Baseball Pitching

1. Long toss, weighted balls, and weight training do not improve pitching velocity, but they do waste a lot of valuable time.
2. Additional strength does not improve pitching velocity or reduce injuries.
3. Stretching before pitching reduces velocity and increases the risk of injury.
4. Flat ground pitching and long toss are more stressful than pitching from a mound.
5. Flat ground pitching reduces performance and disrupts pitching mechanics.
6. Moving slow and controlled reduces velocity while moving faster improves it.
7. Throwing and pitching are two completely different activities.
8. Playing catch has little benefit for pitching.
9. Moving the body faster improves control of all pitches.
10. The towel drill, balance drill, or kneeling drill reduce performance and disrupt mechanics as do most pitching drills.
11. Bigger pitchers are not less likely to get injured than smaller pitchers.
12. Long toss should never be done during the season unless briefly as part of a warm-up routine.
13. Weight training has no value when performed during the season but may increase the risk of injury.
14. Pitching at less than game intensity has no value for improving pitching performance or mechanics.
15. Emphasizing a balance position in the delivery reduces velocity.
16. Stepping to the side before lifting the leg up makes no sense.
17. Pitching should not be encouraged to stay tall.
18. The faster you move the faster you throw.
19. The faster you move the less chance of mechanical errors.
20. The body produces velocity not the arm.
21. The longer your stride and the closer you are to the plate the better control you will have.
22. To reduce the risk of injury throw more practice pitches at game intensity while using good mechanics.
23. Icing the arm has no proven benefit after pitching.
24. Building lower body strength does not improve pitching velocity.
25. Trying to stay tall in the pitching delivery reduces velocity and control.
26. Videotaping a pitcher's delivery is the single most important tool for improving velocity and control.
27. Throwing fewer pitches in practice produces more not less injuries.
28. Flexible tubing exercises do not improve velocity or reduce arm injuries.
29. Most pitchers are not fit to pitch because they do not pitch enough.
30. Emphasizing hip and trunk rotation can reduce velocity.
31. The momentum of the body is the single biggest indicator of pitching velocity.
32. To improve pitching velocity pitchers should break their hands later.
33. Smaller pitchers do not have less inherent stamina than larger pitchers.
34. A high leg lift will reduce potential velocity.
35. There are not exercises to improve velocity.
36. Doing explosive full body exercises are more effective than weight training and reduce the risk of injury.

Most coaches at all levels do not understand these facts and this is why so many pitchers will never reach their full potential.