A Pitching Velocity Booster You Can’t Buy

by Dick Mills on November 30, 2004

Baseball parents and pitchers should be well aware of the unsubstantiated claims that are made daily…especially on pitching related websites on how a certain program will boost pitching velocity anywhere from 5-12 mph.

What parents should understand is that these types of claims are all anecdotal and for them to be proven it would require that all users of the program got the same results…every time. For example, websites that make claims about the benefits of using weighted baseballs would have to provide real evidence that in every case pitchers on the program all gained X% of velocity.

With weighted baseball having been around for over 30 years with little success…but lots of claims of success, I have yet to see any real evidence.

One such baseball training facility made a claim that "in the past 18 months the pitchers in our facility have gained on average 7.7 mph. " The impression from this statement is that if their facility is visited, improvements will occur almost automatically.

You must understand that 18 months is a long time and is 7.7 mph something to brag about? It's clearly hard to tell. But to the public it probably sounds good.

Many pitchers however, not visiting this baseball facility will improve their velocity more than 7.7 mph. But how? Maturation or growth and development. In fact, it has been proven in sports science that it is highly likely that adolescent boys ( early high school ) will improve in throwing and pitching skills if given the opportunity to perform those skills. Instruction, special training aids, contrived drills, or special equipment are not needed to produce the velocity gains. In this case, the baseball facility is claiming responsibility for improved velocity when in reality, improvements could have easily have occured through growth and development alone.

In young pitchers, as growth occurs with it you will also see improvements in leverage, muscle size, as well as increases in their testosterone levels. At the same time one should also expect natural improvements in strength, power and speed activitities. This is just Mother Nature at work.

I hear gains from growth and development from 5-12 mph regularly from one season to the next and all that occured was improvements in mechanics and a reasonable conditioning routine…all without the use of throwing weighted baseballs or lifting weights.

So the big velocity booster that instructors, coaches and baseball schools like to take credit for is growth and development.

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 how to recognize exactly what is holding back most pitchers…find the problem—fix the problem. I show you a comparison between two high school pitchers and a major league pitcher who throws mid to upper nineties. You will see the biggest problem that reduces velocity in the majority of pitchers.

(If you are a high school or college coach, ask for our special free Coach's Report.)