War Of The Pitching Worlds: Are You A "Type A," Type B," or "Type C" Baseball Pitcher?

With yesterday's release of Tom Cruise's new movie "War of the Worlds," I found it only fitting that a "war" of a different kind is heating up this summer, too.

This showdown, however, has nothing to do with aliens destroying earth.

This war is about baseball pitching training techniques -- specifically pertaining to the use of weighted baseballs.

Now stay with me here because this is important.

Perhaps you've seen "this" movie played out online at the various baseball pitching Web sites already.

In "Corner A" you've got pitching instructors who are adamantly opposed to the use of weighted baseballs and overload / underload strength-conditioning principals.

The "Type A's" say it's unnatural, unsafe, and "not how the old timers got to the Bigs."

In "Corner B" you've got those who are all for them.

The "Type B's" sell weighted baseball programs, they sell the balls and they sell the over-weight / under-weight philosophies.

In "Corner C" you've got those, like myself (the "Type C's"), who are wondering why the heck baseball pitching has been reduced to a conversation about weighted baseballs? Those who acknowledge that, though weighted baseballs may lead to pitching velocity increases in pitchers (they did for me, and I used them both in Div. 1 college ball and pro ball), weighted baseballs are certainly NOT an end-all-be-all velocity solution -- nor is it the only way to become a more complete pitcher.

"Type C's" are those who quite honestly don't know why the baseball pitching conversation has been diminished to a "war over weighted baseballs" ... I mean c'mon, the more time spent on that, the less time that's being spent on what it takes to pitch at the higher levels of the game.

My Major League Baseball pitching coaches in the Chicago Cubs organization (like Chicago Cubs big league pitching coach Larry Rothschild and former bullpen coach Rick Kranitz, who's now the Iowa Cubs AAA pitching coach) were talking strategy, tactics, insider secrets and mastery tips with us pros -- not weighted implements.

So who's right? And who's wrong?

That, my friends, is up to you to decide...

Are you "Type A," "Type B" or "Type C?"

I'm not out to convert anyone here, you already know that if you've visited and spent some on my free baseball pitching instruction Web site, www.thecompletepitcher.com.

But... no matter what "type" of baseball pitcher or pitching coach you are, I encourage you to look past the weighted baseball debate... because trust me friends, there's just far more to pitching than that. A lot, more!!

One last thing. If you haven't already, grab the all new Pitching Velocity & Fastball Tips E-Zine, a full year's subscription (12 issues in all) yours for free! Click here to subscribe today. I think you're really going to enjoy these pitching velocity tips!

Yours in baseball,

Steven Ellis
The Complete Pitcher, Inc.
www.thecompletepitcher.com
www.thecompletepitcher.blogs.com