April 6th, 2011
How to Gain MPH on your Fastball?
In the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research their is a study called Baseball Throwing Velocity: A Comparison of Medicine Ball Training and Weight Training. The study was put together to prove that medicine ball training was the only way to increase pitching velocity. What they learned was something they did not expect.
The study was made up of three control groups of Australian baseball players from their Junior National Team. All three groups participated in an 8 week training period. Each one of the subjects had never trained outside of throwing a baseball. The first group spent the 8 weeks only throwing a baseball. The second group spent the 8 weeks doing upper body medicine ball plyometric training and also throwing the baseball. The third and final group spent the 8 weeks doing upper body heavy weight training with the bench press and overhead press and also throwing the baseball. When the study was finished the results were astonishing. They measured all three groups for strength and velocity gains. The first group who only threw the baseball for 8 weeks did not increase in overall strength or velocity. The second group who performed the upper body medicine ball plyometrics with throwing the baseball only improved in overall strength. The third group who performed the heavy weight training with throwing the baseball increased their overall strength more than the medicine ball group and they were the only group to increase velocity up to almost 5% in the 8 weeks.
They set out to prove that medicine ball training was superior to weight training when it came to velocity enhancement and what they discovered was the total opposite. This is why weight training is still today a major part of an athletes conditioning. The problem is Major League Baseball will not accept it. Why were the old timer hard throwers like Bob Feller, Ron Guidry, Nolan Ryan accepted when they talked about growing up on farms and bailing 50 pound bails hay for a living on the off-season but if a ball player today said he participates in heavy weight training during the off-season everyone thinks he is crazy?
To read the entire study you can download it here. For a revolutionary velocity enhancement program that uses heavy load training along, with the latest 3X Pitching mechanics, to add 5-10 MPH to your fastball in 16 weeks, check out the 3X Pitching Velocity Program to start throwing harder today!
Comments
Great article!
Ron W
April 6th, 2011
I have been teaching pitching for over 25 years based on Bio-kinetics. Most people only get a portion of the mechanics correct. You forget the psychological aspect of being an athlete and giving 100% effort. You look for effort as proof of that promise. Problem is the strain you feel comes from weakness NOT power! The arm is merely a timing lever that should be used as such. The arm is not the source of power, the legs are. The upper body has to be slightly in front to have that power transfer from the legs though the upper body. Like a surfer in FRONT not behind the wave! Where the head is at the start of the drive will determine weather you finish square or twist off to first or third. Twisting period is wrong because you CANNOT transfer energy past 90 degrees. Perfect release is when the angle of the leg is in a straight line with the body and arm at release!
Cecil Kent
October 19th, 2011
It depends on the weight training. Some can be as detrimental as helpful. Shoulder exercises can cause rotator cuff issues and an inability to raise the arm. The Medicine ball usually is for core development or your abdominal muscles which are a big part of good mechanics. Read pitching by Bob Feller and look at his ab work. I did the same thing through High School, College and Pro. The rest is legs, legs and more legs. Example: Greg Maddux 28″ thigh 87 mph. Roger Clemons 32″ thigh 93 mph. Nolan Ryan 36″ thigh 9mph. They are all about the same size height and weight men. Legs are measured 10″ above the top of the knee.
Cecil Kent
October 19th, 2011
Cecil, good stuff! Here are some great pitching forums which you would really enjoy http://topvelocity.net/forum/.
admin
October 19th, 2011