Baseball Pitching Velocity, Weighted Ball Training—Studies Disprove The Claims

The following sports science studies disprove the claims and beliefs as to why using weighted baseballs would provide improvement in baseball pitching velocity.

Coaches at the high school and college levels should understand how the body works to produce baseball pitching velocity and the optimum training that will provide the best chances for pitchers to reach optimum throwing velocity…with control. In fact, they have a responsibility to educate themselves in that area for the sake of their pitchers and their programs.

I would also suggest that neither weight room training nor long toss has been proven to improve throwing velocity.

The advocates of using weighted baseballs to improve baseball pitching velocity would like you to believe that weighted balls apparently provide more arm strength which can be converted to arm speed and therefore more baseball pitching velocity. However, these claims do not pass scientific muster.

Why? Because pitching velocity is not the result of arm strength that pitchers can gain from either weighted baseballs, weight room training or from long toss. Biomechanists have proven using high speed film that baseball pitching velocity is the result of the summation of forces of the entire body which added together provide high trunk rotation speeds…which are what deliver the arm at high speed for more velocity.

Pitching velocity is not about arm strength. And weighted balls do not provide any physiological change within the muscle that would help enhance arm strength claims.

The claims being made of baseball pitching velocity improvements come from pitchers normally in the age ranges of 15-19…which are the years of major growth and development.

What parents, pitchers and coaches should understand is that during those growing years, pitchers will make velocity improvements even if they do little training because of natural maturation strength gains.

Pitchers of those ages will however, make better improvements if they get involved in functional training exercises which target the entire body as well as developing better mechanical skills.

I would challenge those who advocate the use of weighted baseballs to provide exercise and sports science principles that will back up their claims. I know of no training principles that will provide evidence as to why weighted ball throwing will increase baseball throwing velocity.

One such study included here proves that using weighted donuts to improve bat speed actually reduces bat speed. The advocates of weighted baseballs should explain then why weighted balls should work to improve throwing velocity when weighted bats do not.

Until they can we must assume that baseball pitchers will not improve pitching velocity by using any type of weighted ball throwing system. And that increases of baseball pitching velocity is the result of growth, development and just overall full body training from throwing more often.

Patrick J. Bird, Ph. D. Keeping Fit Column 304a 1993

Q. Will warming up with a bat that is heavier than the one I normally use improve my hitting power?

A. Probably not, according to the one study I could find on this topic. This study evaluated 13 “warm-up implements” to determine which produced the greatest batting velocity when the subjects subsequently swung a standard bat. How fast you can swing the bat is, of course, the critical part of your power hitting.

The implements evaluated were one 30-oz standard weight bat; five heavy bats, ranging from 51 to 34 oz.; four light bats, ranging from 23 to 29 oz; one standard weight bat with a 28 oz. “donut” ring; a 4.0 oz Power Sleeve (a weighted wrap placed around a standard bat), and a Power Swing (an air resistance device that slides on to the bat). The subjects were 60 male high school varsity baseball players. Together during the experiment they totalled 2,340 swings using the various warn-up implements.

The greatest batting velocity followed a warm-up with a bat that was close to the one normally used by the subject for hitting. As the player moved further from his normal weight bat, by warming up with either a heavier or lighter implement, his batting velocity became slower. Surprisingly, the slowest velocity for most subjects followed warming up with a “donut” ring, which is the most commonly used warm-up device.

Why then is warming up with different weight bats or other contraptions so common? The researchers don’t know. They guess it may be due to a “kinesthetic illusion.” That is, batters simply think or feel they are swinging faster after warming up with a heavier implement when in fact there is no change in their batting speed.

Here is a study that was done using weighted bats in hitting. It’s why you do not want to have your son warm-up prior to going to bat with one of those donuts or heavier bats. It messes up timing and bat speed. This is obviously contrary to what everyone believes—including professional hitters.

Res Q Exerc Sport. 2003 Sep; 74(3): 270-6.

Warm-up with baseball bats of varying moments of inertia: effect on bat velocity and swing pattern.

Southard D, Groomer L. Department of Kinesiology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth 76129, USA. d. southard@tcu. edu

The purpose of this study was to determine if warm-up with baseball bats of different moments of inertia has an effect on swing pattern and bat velocity. Ten experienced baseball players (ages 20-25 years) voluntarily participated in this study. Each participant was required to complete 10 dry swings (5 warm-up and 5 postwarm-up) at maximum effort within 3 different conditions. Post warm-up was always with a standard bat (I = .27 kgm2; 83.8 cm, 9.1 N). Warm-up for Condition 1 was with the standard bat. Condition 2 required participants to warm up with a standard bat plus a 6.1 N lead donut (I = .49 kgm2, 83.8 cm, 15.6 N). Condition 3 required participants to warm up with a hollow plastic bat (I = .08 kgm2; 83.8 cm, 3.34 N). Quantitative and qualitative analyses indicated that following warm-up with the weighted bat (largest moment of inertia), swing pattern was significantly altered, and post warm-up velocity was the lowest of the three conditions.

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TO IMPROVE SPEED MOVE FAST AND FORGET STRENGTH TRAINING

Kluckhuhn, K. L., Signorile, J. F., Miller, P. C., Webber, B. C., & Garcia, M. (1997). An analysis of high-speed isokinetics and pitching. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 29(5), Supplement abstract 1273.

The importance of strength, power, and acceleration were investigated in baseball fastball pitching. The only variables that related to pitching were those associated with speed. Acceleration and power at the fastest movement speeds accounted for almost all fastball pitching variance (99%). Strength was not related to speed of movement and therefore, should not be a variable considered when training for speed.

Implication. To improve pitching speed it is necessary to train for speed first. This is best done by consistently trying to move and exceed previous maximum velocity. Any training that does not allow maximum speed in a trial will be useless and could be detrimental. The use of strength training, which does not allow maximum movement speed, will not enhance speed of movement.

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STRENGTH AND POWER TRAINING IN YOUNG MALE BASEBALL PLAYERS DOES NOT IMPROVE FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE

Hetzler, R. K., DeRenne, C., Buxton, B. P., Ho, K. W., Chai, D. X., & Seichi, G. (1997). Effects of 12 weeks of strength training on anaerobic power in prepubescent male athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 11, 174-181.

Two groups of 10 prepubescent and pubescent male baseball players trained three times per week for 12 weeks using a variety of general free-weight and machine exercises designed for both strength and power acquisition. One group was experienced in strength training while the other comprised novices. A comparable control group (N = 10) did not perform the training program but did participate in all other non-experimental activities.

For the experienced, novice, and control groups respectively, the following gains were recorded: leg press—41%, 40%, and 14%; and bench press—23%, 18%, and 0%. Both training groups were significantly better than the control group. Similarly, the two training groups improved in vertical jump. However, the control group improved to a significantly greater degree in peak and mean anaerobic power and the 40-yard dash.

The training regime improved the training activities but did not transfer to functional performance measures. One could argue that the training actually caused anaerobic power and 40-yd dash measures to decrease, particularly in the experienced strength-training group.

The metabolic changes in training groups did not transfer changes in energy potential to dynamic cycling, supporting the principle of specificity. In particular, the high force/low velocity aspects of the training did not transfer to high velocity activities. 

Implication.Strength and power exercises in pubescent males improved training exercises but produced worse performances in functional strength and power activities than in a non-training comparable group. Performance benefits from such training for this class of athlete are unlikely.

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FAILURE OF STRENGTH TRAINING TO IMPROVE THROWING VELOCITY

Bloomfield, J., Blanksby, B. A., Ackland, T. R., & Allison, G. T. (1990). The influence of strength training on overhead throwing velocity of elite water polo players. Australian Journal of Sience and Medicine in Sport, 22(3), 63-67. The relationship between muscular strength and morphology with overhead throwing velocity was examined in elite water polo players (N = 21). A strength training and no-training control group were formed.

An 8-week program using “Nautilus” equipment and emphasizing upper body strength development was employed. Regular swimming and game practice continued.

Significant relationships were found between throwing velocity and standing height, body mass, lean body mass, stem length, bicromial width, arm girth, and forearm extension strength.

Following strength training, no change in throwing velocity was observed in either group. In the strength training group there were significant increases in arm girth, mesomorphy, and arm medial rotation strength.

The authors explained the results this way:

“It is more likely that this homogeneous group of elite water polo players already possessed optimum levels of upper body strength . . . and that diminished strength returns were gained from the extra training. More substantial strength gains would have been expected from players of lower calibre with poorer overall physiques.” (p. 67)

Implication. The study really shows strength training on unrelated activities does not improve speed actions. Strength training had no carry over to the skill tested because it was neither neuromuscularly nor modality specific.

If you have questions about this blog post or 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.

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