Off Season Training Can Improve Velocity And Reduce Pitching Arm Injuries

High school and college pitchers who are looking for more velocity will not find it from excessive weight training. In fact, weight training may be a leading cause of pitching arm injuries while actually reducing pitching velocity.

The preoccupation of doing lots of “arm care” exercises does not seem to have reduced the amount of pitching arm injuries.
Focusing on keeping the arm strong is a dead end since it has been proven that velocity comes from the stretching out of the pitcher’s body into a long stride.

Pitchers and coaches alike, must understand that no amount of arm exercises or “arm care” is going to prevent these arm injuries because the cause of injuries is not the arm. It is the pitcher who is not specifically fit to pitch by doing enough pitching. Thus his body is always in a non-trained state so his arm is going to be at risk.

So what’s the problem and cause of most pitching arm injuries?

1. Pitchers are never fit to pitch when the season begins by throwing enough bullpens during the off-season which builds in pitching specific fitness and skill.
2. Pitchers spend too much time in the weight room thinking they will improve velocity and reduce injuries when the research proves that strength is not required to produce pitching velocity and weight training does not reduce injuries.
3. Pitchers don’t do full body explosive exercises such as medicine ball or lower body plyometrics which specifically help the pitcher get his body ready to engage in pitching…which is a full body explosive movement…not a strength activity.
4. Coaches are advising pitchers to rest their arms during the off-season. How can resting improve the specific fitness of pitching that is required to keep the body fit to deliver the arm.
5. Poor pitching mechanics. Pitchers are not improving their mechanics by throwing off the mound in the off-season while being regularly videotaped…which is the only possible way to recognize mechanical problems.
6. Engaging in irrelevant practice activities such as the towel drill…which may be a leading cause of elbow injuries in youth, high school and college pitchers.

High school, college and professional pitchers need conditioning that is specific to pitching. Four or five weeks of weight training but not heavy weight training can help build some general overall strength and prepare the body to do the most important conditioning for pitchers – explosive full body exercises. http://www.pitching.com/product/conditioning-the-pitcher-for-power/

Once pitchers are fit after six weeks of conditioning they should begin practicing to get their bodies in shape to pitch by pitching from a mound. This of course is a gradual build-up of intensity and volume of throws.

Once a pitcher’s body is ready to throw at full intensity two bullpens a week during the off-season while being videotaped will help improve mechanics, velocity, control while developing overall better pitching skills.

Resting during the off-season just means a lost opportunity to improve.

Dick Mills