Is It Coach’s Faulty Thinking?

I spoke to a junior college pitching coach yesterday and he said he has all his pitchers on a weighed ball program and he was really seeing results compared to last year’s pitchers who were not on a weighted ball program. He said there were three pitchers on his staff who especially were seeing results. He said as freshman last year these three were not throwing nearly as hard as they are now.

He said the big difference this year was that they were all throwing more than ever with no adverse side effects. He felt the weighted balls were the cause.

I asked him how he throught the weighted balls actually worked. He didn’t know exactly but mumbled something about increasing arm speed. So I asked how? He said he wasn’t really sure but he knew they were increasing arm strength.

I asked if all the pitchers were seeing the same percentage increases and he said “not exactly.” But there were those three who were really taking off with this new program.

I again emphasized that he said they were throwing more this year than they had in the past. He again, said yes…I don’t think he got what I was implying.

He was calling because he was interested in our program and wanted to know if he was missing something. I simply explained that if he really got a good understanding of mechanics and focused mostly on functional training, and had his pitchers throwing from a mound more at game intensity that he would see even greater gains. He wasn’t sure about that.

Does anyone want to explain what they think is really happening and why none of the velocity increases that this coach has seen has nothing at all to do with throwing the weighted balls…but a lot to do with just throwing?

The thinking here is that a certain activity will produce a velocity increase if one is seen. That could be throwing weighted balls, doing long toss or going into the weight room.

I reminded him that he said his pitchers were throwing more this year than before and so he said “so you think it is because they are just throwing more.” I said yes.

I reminded him that there was a “control group” out there of thousands of college pitchers (high school too) and many, many minor leaguers who did none of this weighted ball throwing and if you sampled the college pitching population of same age kids you would see no difference—whether they threw weighted balls or not—you would find the same general velocity increases.

The same would go for weight room strength training as well.

And this can also be said about mechanics. This pitcher does this—therefore that is what is increases his velocity because that is what a particular major league pitcher does.

So whatever activity the pitcher is involved in…becomes the reason for the velocity increases. He throws weighted balls during the offseason therefore that created the velocity increase of 8 mph. Or he focused on a heavy leg weightroom workout all during the offseason which he never had before and therefore that produced a 9 mph velocity increase all in X months. Or they strapped on a weighted vest and therefore it produced this result.

Remember pitching is a skill activity—not a strength activity. Pitching also requires specific skill and no amount of general skill trianing will help a pitcher perform better. His conditioning must be as specific as possible.

Imagine how much time is wasted doing general activities—like those mentioned above that will have zero effect on increasing a pitcher’s performance (velocity and command) …once his motor skills are ingrained which is after the age of 13. But wasting time on the wrong activity sure will have an effect on whether you are improving your skill of pitching.

Why is this all faulty thinking of how a pitcher can improve and why is it perpetuated at the high school, college and sometimes even pro levels?

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 powerful mechanics.