Velocity Development
February 8, 2012 | 
Author I flew out to Southern California almost two weeks ago to attend Alan Jaeger’s pro camp. Alan stumbled upon my blog a year ago after I linked to one of his long toss articles, and we both thought I’d learn some good stuff from the trip.
The camp was 4 days and geared mostly toward mental training, which I will discuss more in another post. Though I have been a lifetime self-taught long-tosser, I learned a few things from Alan that have had a profound affect on the way I’ve approached the training in my Warbird Academy since I returned home. Read the rest of this entry »
We throw the 2oz JUGS lite flights to give us an idea of theoretical near-maximum arm twitch speed, the theoretical near-max of how fast your arm can go. A true theoretical max would use no weight at all, but 2oz comes reasonably close. This is measured on flat ground with no competitive adrenaline, so theoretical max would be higher than this as well when factoring in a mound and competitive, in-game atmosphere, which to me personally adds 4-6mph based on years of radar gunning.
Measurements were taken with a new Stalker Sport 2 radar gun set to Tenths. The goal of testing theoretical max arm speed, as we do in all of my Warbird Throwing Academy groups, is to see what we could potentially achieve if we strengthened the arm enough. Can I strengthen enough to throw actual 5oz baseballs as hard as these lite flights? We will see. Once we have measurements of the theoretical max, then we work to bring the actual baseball max up to the level of the theoretical max. We also use these to increase the arm’s speed – throwing heavier balls never allows it to run at it’s full clip, so to speak. In the same way plyometrics allow strong but slow athletes to convert their strength into explosiveness, so does throwing lighter balls for baseball and softball players.
No Jesse Heatons were seriously injured in the filming of this exercise (though he did have a nice bruise). This was not particularly safe done without a helmet, so don’t try this on your own. Jesse’s a college player at Saint Scholastica, and one of my toughest strength trainees.
It must be pretty amazing to throw a real baseball 97 MPH; it must provide a feeling of invincibility. My hat’s off to the few who actually can.
Interested in some DBSP SWAG?
Weighted ball training is a hot topic of debate in the baseball world. The manufacturers, many pitching coaches, performance coaches, and players all swear by them, claiming it’s a proven way to increase velocity. Detractors pose that there is an increase injury risk associated with throwing weighted balls. So, what are we to think? In this article I’m going to sum up the theory and pros & cons of throwing weighted balls as well as offer my own opinion. Read the rest of this entry »
Some pitching instructors like Dick Mills claim that long toss is a waste of time, as it doesn’t replicate the mechanics used when throwing from a mound. This anecdotal argument is actually the reason long toss is effective – because it gives the arm a different stimulus: while throwing at max distance it stretches, reaches and works at peak efficiency all at the same time, which when compressed into a 60 foot throw requires the arm to move faster than it ordinarily could.
The Long Toss Benefits
1. Stretches the arm out while under tension
2. Utilizes a slightly different motion compared to mound throwing, allowing for a new muscle stimulus
3. Teaches one to reach out and really extend toward the target
4. Allows the body to find peak arm slot efficiency in throwing the ball as far as possible (i.e if you pitch over the top, but throw farthest at 3/4, maybe it’s time to pitch at 3/4)
5. Develops synchrony in the body’s movements, which helps cure mechanical timing issues
6. Teaches to pull the arm down hard when coming back in, developing more arm speed and even more forward reach Read the rest of this entry »
Picture this: You set a goal to bench press 200 pounds. To accomplish this goal, once or twice a week, (maybe three times) you go into the gym and bang out 5 hard reps of bench press and call it a day. Would this manner of training get you to your bench press goal? No way. Why? Because your muscles aren’t getting enough of a stimulus to grow or get stronger. Duh.
Throwing is the same way: throw sparingly and you won’t develop your arm to its potential. Throw often and your arm will be strong and durable. Ever see an infielder, especially a catcher, go down with arm problems? Probably not too often. But if you’ve been around baseball long enough, you’ve surely noticed that outfielders complain about their arms hurting as much as anyone. The reason for this is that outfielders infrequently throw, both in practice and in games, and when they do it is often with maximum effort.
Why, physiologically, does throwing a ton make you throw harder? Your body just recognizes the need to build strength because the muscle group is consistently stimulated. This is why climbers have incredible hand strength, and cyclists have monster calves and thighs. They’re both just doing what they do for hours a day, and their bodies respond by sending the muscular reinforcements.
Pitchers should not consistently go hard and rest on alternate days. It’s stressful, the arm doesn’t learn to recover quickly, and the repetition needed for growth isn’t there with too many off days. Off days are needed every week, but limiting them to 1 or 2 is ideal, and the other days should be filled with high volume, low intensity throwing to keep your muscles working. Read the rest of this entry »
Above all, I am trying to write about what I know, and I know how to squeeze more velocity out of an unexceptional arm.
How do I know this? Because I have an unexceptional arm, and I’ve done a lot of squeezing. I learned how to get the absolute best out of it, and for me, I believe the best is yet to come.
As a high school senior I pitched at 78-81. As a college sophomore I pitched at 85-89. By Junior year (before my elbow went) I was sitting at 89-92.
Thing is, I’m not special. I just had good coaching, a great strength and conditioning coach, and a terrible, desperate desire to throw harder and develop into a good pitcher, one worthy of a chance at pro ball. Read the rest of this entry »