The Impact of Weight Lifting on Pitching Velocity

The Impact of Weight Lifting on Pitching Velocity 1

The Impact of Implementing a Weight Lifting on Pitching

and Overall Velocity

The Impact of Weight Lifting on Pitching Velocity 2

For baseball pitchers, fine and gross motor skills unite to generate an individual's capability to launch a ball with both precision accuracy and needed velocity. Honing in on a method to improve a hurler's ability to pitch, in truth, to increase velocity is an age-old goal of virtually every play, coach, and organization. In the recent past, pitching was viewed as a "speed" position and not a "strength" position. As a general rule, weight room workouts did make a pitcher stronger, but little of this extra strength transferred over into performances on the mound. However recent advancements made in the both sports medicine and sports research, have led to new discoveries in our understanding of the practice and value of strength training to increase a pitchers velocity. These studies have produced new data that indicates that a pitching specific strength program has its place in all upper level baseball programs.

Today, players and coaches have the capability to analyze all of the complicated motor process involved in each process of pitching. From the wind-up, stride, arm cock, arm acceleration, arm deceleration, and follow through, medical and sports imaging and research has giving us new insight into how the human body acts and reacts. Understanding both why and how to use weight training too increase a pitcher's velocity has been the catalyst for change in our understanding the value of implanting them into a team or individuals program. McEvoy and Newton (Newton., 1998) state that, "As for strength training, studies have shown that baseball-specific program can significantly increase throwing velocity. Toyoshima

The Impact of Weight Lifting on Pitching Velocity 3

(1994) observed that while a pitcher was making an overhand throw the velocity was determined 46.9% by the pitchers stride and the pitchers body rotation and 53.1 % of the

velocity was due to the action of the pitchers arm. Toyoshima's study recommended that in order for a baseball player to improve throwing velocity, they should a program designed that included strength exercises for arm, trunk and lower body.

"As a pitcher you must have a sound strength and conditioning program in place to endure the length of the season and reduce the risk of injury." "You must condition your body for the purpose of both strength and muscular endurance. Richey (2009) Today, a wide variety of different types of workout materials and activities having proven successful. As stated in, The Strength & Conditioning Journal, (1996), A weight program should include the following fundamental components should be a part of an aspiring pitchers weight training program;

* Training the lower body with heavier weights.

* Training the upper body with lighter weights.

* Training the core of the body (hips, buttocks, lower back).

* Taking special care to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles using light (3-5 lb) weights.

* Implementing the use of Kettlebells, body weight, medicine balls, and

surgical tubing equipment

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Another research group, McEvoy and Newton (Newton., 1998), findings advocate the implementation of plyometrics or ballistics training as pivotal part of the total pitching program. Their research results indicate that the addition of one or both, plyometrics or

ballistics training methods, an individual pitcher should see an increase in their throwing and batting velocity. Their findings also stated that alone with a increase in velocity, a pitcher would also demonstrate a general increase in both their speed and overall agility.

Their findings led to an increased understand in the both the rolls of mechanics and strength development. Understanding the relationship between speed and strength is a critical pieces of the total pitching picture. The strength coupled with the speed that a hurler can produce with his torso the critical components are key factors in determining the velocity in which a

An additional benefit to implementing a weight training into the strength program for pitchers is the increased defense against injury. The repetitive nature of overhead pitching combined with velocity used to deliver the ball across the plate demands an overwhelming amount of flexibility, agility, strength and stamina from just about all mussel groups. Chetlin and Jeran