How To Increase Pitching Velocity

Maximizing pitching velocity requires not only good pitching mechanics but also the strength and flexibility to perform those mechanics well/maximally.

You should be conditioning the arm/shoulder, and strengthening the core (including the low back) and legs. You also need to be working on flexibility in areas like the hamstrings, core (including the low back), and upper back/scaps (think pinching the shoulder blades together). Learn more about pitching workouts here.

The Role 'Intent' Plays In Throwing Hard And Increasing Pitching Velocity

A few months ago, Baseball Intellect (www.baseball-intellect.com) wrote a nice article about intent and how it applies to throwing harder and increasing pitching velocity. Intent is defined as how hard one is trying to throw the ball, and it is a major and often overlooked factor in producing velocity.

You often hear about relievers, especially closers, "letting it loose" because they can throw to their max almost every pitch, while starters must pace themselves so they can last 6+ innings. This relates to intent. But another area where you'll see a pitcher's intent vary is when a pitcher returns from injury.

Baseball Intellect provides a nice video analysis of Brad Penny's return from an injury and highlights the role intent plays in his comeback and subsequent drop in velocity. The article also points out 5 key areas in the pitching delivery where a pitcher can maximize intent and throw harder.

Do you throw with intent? Click here to finish reading this article...

Developing Momentum And Increasing Pitching Velocity

The National Pitching Association did an elaborate study to determine where and how a pitcher gets his velocity. For years, tradition has directed our thinking into believing any number of ideas including the "downward plane" and "pushing off the rubber" myths of generating velocity.

This study, however, looked at pitchers from Little League all the way to Big Leagues and measured linear and rotational velocities to find out the truth.

The results revealed that 79 - 80% of velocity is generated by rotational movement, otherwise known as torque or hip and shoulder rotation. This can be achieved by throwing from two knees at approximately a 45 degree angle to the target. (This takes the legs out of the equation and is all torso-related).

The reminding 20-21% comes from linear movement, achieved at leg-lift. The thing that comes into question for a pitcher, then, is what he is doing to maximize both kinds of movement and velocity.

Take into consideration these two photos. Both are at leg-lift and both are major league pitchers. While the rhp is "using" his momentum to maximize linear velocity (notice how he's leaning), allowing his body to generate velocity toward the plate, the lhp has stopped his momentum and won't generate as much as he could. In other words, one pitcher is using his 20% while the other is not.

I have received many emails over the years from coaches and parents who have wanted to know why pitchers can't throw as hard from the mound as they can from the outfield, or infield. The answer is the additional linear momentum/velocity position players get by never interrupting momentum as they throw. In other words, position players never "pause at the top" and lose this valuable momentum.

4 Ways To Get Optimum Pitching Velocity, Movement And Control

There's a nice post here on the High School Baseball Web regarding the development of optimum pitching velocity, pitching movement and pitching control. One member nailed it with his response: the 4 things that will help any pitcher with getting optimum velocity, movement and control with his fastball are as follows.

1. Try to stick with 2-finger grip. The closer together his fingers stay (without losing control) the more force he'll transfer to the ball, and the better the movement.

2. Make sure your thumb and middle finger cut the ball in half. A small difference on the ball can lead to a big difference in hitting locations at the plate.

3. Check your hand in the glove before he starts to throw. Make sure your hand is directly behind the baseball. This set-up can help keep the hand behind the ball throughout delivery; helping with velocity and control.

4. "Aim small." Rather than aiming to hit the "glove" focus in on a spot in the glove about the size of a dime, and throw the ball through the spot (not to the spot).

Of course, other factors that affect pitching velocity are the development of functional strength, and the develop efficient, repeatable mechanics -- this will go a long way to help as well.

Calculator: How To Calculate Pitching Velocity vs. Long Toss Distance

When long tossing, have you ever wondered what a 90 mph fastball translated to in terms of long toss throwing distance? Does a 90 mph fastball equate to a 300-foot throw ... or a 350-foot throw? Perhaps it's less? How does arm angle and the ball's arc through the air effect how far you can long toss when training?

Here is a throwing distance to pitching velocity calculator from Florida State University that solves the differential equations governing the flight of a baseball based on the model developed by Robert Adair in his book The Physics of Baseball.

Click here: Pitching Velocity vs. Long Toss Distance Calculator

Or enter this Web address in your Internet browser:
http://faculty.tcc.fl.edu/scma/carrj/Java/baseball4.html

Why Many Baseball Workouts Fail To Adequately Condition The Pitcher ... And How To Fix Them!

The problem with most high school baseball workout programs? They're created by the football coach. Now usually there is nothing wrong with these programs from a strength standpoint. But football is certainly different from baseball, and the workout should be adjusted accordingly. That's because in football, the majority of the movements require the athlete to use their chest and "push." In baseball, and especially with pitchers, the athlete needs more balance because he is using his arms to throw. This requires more upper back strength, an area that is often under-worked in most workout routines.

Now let's build on this for a moment. A "push" exercise is normally an exercise used to strengthen the front of the upper body (i.e. the chest). A "pull" exercise is normally used to strengthen the back of the upper body (i.e. a seated row).

As you may know, most people choose to do more chest or "push" exercises because they are easier, more common, and work the muscles that you can see in the mirror each morning.

Think about it for one minute. When you look in the mirror, you look at your chest, biceps, abs, and quadriceps (thigh muscles). We don't look at our upper backs in the mirror.

In addition we sit a tremendous amount during the day. We sit at our computers, sit in our classroom, sit in the car to and from school, sit to eat, etc. Because of this large amount of sitting, certain muscle imbalances are going to occur. Sitting over time causes the muscles in the front of the shoulder to get tighter and the muscles in the back of the shoulder to become longer. Any muscle group that is longer has a tendency to be weak and for a pitcher a weak upper back spells trouble.

To off set these imbalances we want to make sure our workouts incorporate more upper back strengthening exercises. The proper ratio for a pitcher is 3 times the amount of upper back or "pull" exercises as chest or "push" exercises.

For example, if a pitcher performs 3 sets of bench press, then he would need to do nine sets of upper back exercises (example: 3 sets of Ys, Ts, and Bent Ts).

For position players, the ratio should be 2:1 instead of 3:1 but the upper back should always be worked a little more frequently.

To learn more, pick up a copy of my TUFFCUFF Strength and Conditioning Manual for Baseball Pitchers: A 52-Week Guide To Pitching Workouts and Throwing Programs.

Developing Arm Speed For Pitching

In this post, I want to focus on how to develop arm speed for pitching. Because of what I do, I talk to guys all the time about teaching pitching mechanics. I ask guys what they teach to increase arm speed. Some guys say weight transfer is very important, others say it is rotation. When I work guys during private instruction, I emphasize both as being important.

I strongly believe arm speed is correlated with how fast your body is moving toward home plate, and I think speed and force is increased by a complete rotation of the upper arm, just like a swimmer using a "crawl stroke". I think circling the upper arm is an effective way to generate arm speed because it allows the arm to externally rotate back before the pitch.

On eteamz.com, Gary Adams UCLA's former coach, has a basic drill on doing arm circles with 1 baseball in each hand focusing on the speed of the arm. Then, he talks about working up to 2 or 3 baseballs in each hand, while doing the circles.

If I could pick one sport all my pitchers could participate in when not playing ball, it would be swimming. Can you think of a better sport that promotes arm and force behind the speed? But again, ultimately proper mechanics go a long way in arm speed as well as long tossing.

Long Tossing: A Long Toss Program For Baseball Pitchers

Long tossing is an essential component of any pitchers development. Although there is some debate in the baseball community as to the specific benefits of doing long toss drills to increase pitching velocity, you'll find pitchers at every level of the game performing long toss for its many other benefits. Here are four reasons why I, like every other pitcher I played with right through pro ball, long tossed:

1. To warm up before throwing bullpens and pitching in games.

2. To maintain arm stamina in between starts and bullpen routines, much like a sprinter will mix in a few longer runs each week between sprint workouts.

3. To stretch the throwing muscles of the arm, shoulder and back, and to get the entire body working together as a unit.

4. To develop better hand and arm speed, which, in addition to the pitching workout program I followed, I felt led to an increase in my own pitching velocity.

Coaches and pitchers should remember that proper long toss throwing mechanics involve the whole body. It's important to take a crow hop, bend your back, get a good follow-through, etc. By paying attention to the details in practice, you'll reap the greatest benefits from longtossing.

Although there are a number of long toss programs that you can follow as each coach and player usually has one that he likes to do, here is one that I used to perform back in the day on my American Legion baseball team. You can find more long toss throwing programs and drills for little league, high school and college pitchers here.

Focus To increase arm strength and velocity as well as throwing distance and accuracy.

Setup Partners pair off by position (catchers with catchers, pitchers with pitchers, and so on). You need enough room for players to throw 200 to 300 feet, depending on their age group. Start with partners about 30 feet apart.

Procedure All fundamentals from previous drills apply. Use the proper grip and pay attention to footwork (including crow hop).

Coaching Points Check for proper grip and footwork. Each throw should be made on line. Players continue to throw until the ball bounces to their partner.

Day 1: 80 percent of maximum throwing distance

Day 2: 60 percent of maximum throwing distance

Day 3: Short toss

Day 4: 80 percent of maximum throwing distance (begin cycle again)

Modifications Every arm is different, so adjust the drill accordingly. Some players can long toss every day.

Pitch Harder With The TUFF CUFF Pitching Manual

Most summer league baseball seasons are coming to a close. Were you satisfied with your pitching this season? Did you perform to your fullest potential?

Even though the season may be ending, you shouldn't stop working on your pitching or strength. Make the most of this time by conditioning your entire body for more strength and flexibility. My TUFF CUFF Strength and Conditioning Manual for Baseball Pitchers can help.

Remember this, a weight-training program is a very small part of the total picture for your success on the pitcher's mound. But if it is done right, it can be a positive factor in your future endeavors on the field. TUFFCUFF can help you gain considerable strength and flexibility. It will also show you what you need to do to throw harder, longer.

The #1 thing that most pitchers are concerned with is velocity improvement. This is an area that TUFFCUFF has had excellent results with. In fact some pitchers have been able to pitch faster and gain 6-13 mph pitching velocity while staying injury free.

But just as important as pitching velocity is endurance. Endurance is important in two areas: 1. First, you need to sustain your average first inning velocity into at least the sixth or seventh inning. 2. Second, you must be as strong at the end of the season as you were at the beginning of the year.

A good weight-training program will do these things, as well as helping to improve recovery time and decrease injury possibilities. It's all here for you in TUFFCUFF, laid out for you in an easy-to-follow format.

Make it happen now. Get tougher. Pitch harder. Make this the fall where you really make something happen with your pitching, and if you ever have any questions about any of the 509 pictures or 190 exercises in your manual, I'm happy to answer them for you. Order TUFF CUFF here.

10 Ways To Become More Successful At Pitching In 2008

This could be a big year for your baseball pitching. This could be the year that you learn that new pitch, smooth out your delivery, improve your control, develop more velocity. Are you willing to work at it?

Here are 10 simple pitching strategies that can help you become a more successful pitcher in 2008. Put them to practice.

• 1) Develop sound pitching mechanics

Not every pitcher has to pitch the exact same way to be successful on the bump. In fact, what I've found in my career as a former pro in the Chicago Cubs organization is that the pitchers who are the most successful are those who are able to consistently repeat their pitching delivery and stay injury free.

Take my former teammate Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins, for instance. Willis' pitching delivery is certainly not "orthodox." Some might say they're not even that good! But they work for him, and he's successful with them.

My point is this: work on your pitching mechanics, but not from a standpoint of fitting into a cookie-cutter mold. You don't have to pitch like the next guy. Instead, work to have a repeatable delivery that enables you to pitch injury free.

• 2)  Throw first pitch strikes

Get ahead, stay ahead. Plain and simple.

First pitch strikes will enable you to be 130 percent more successful against hitters than if you fall behind 1-0 on the first pitch. First pitch strikes will enable you to execute a game plan, reduce your walks up to 316 percent (according to a 2001 study by the Chicago Cubs), and they'll allow you to win. Period.

• 3) Display mental toughness

You have to control your emotions on the pitcher's mound or your opponents will get the best of you. Be stoic out there: Show no emotion. Be like Mariano Rivera. You can never tell what's going on in his mind when he pitches. This enables him to maintain a mental edge over his opponents. He's mentally tough. Are you?

• 4) Make effective pitches while your ahead in the count

I don't like to see pitchers waste pitches. That's not a good pitching mentality. Every pitch should up the next one. Don't waste any pitch. Get the hitter out with as few pitches as possible. And when you get ahead in the count, put the hitter away. Make effective pitches when you're ahead in the count. Go right at the hitter. Challenge him.

• 5) Control your tempo

Work quickly on the pitcher's mound. After you make a pitch, stay on the dirt in the front of the rubber to get the ball back from you catcher, and get right back on the mound. Working fast often allows you to pitch more effectively (you develop a rhythm) and it will keep your fielders in the game.

• 6) Get hitters out before "ball three" pitch counts.
  

Aim to get hitters out on just four pitches. Here's why:

12 pitches an inning x 7 innings = 84 total pitches
12 pitches an inning x 9 innings = 98 total pitches

True, you're not going to be able to get every hitter out on four pitches. But if you aim for four, it will enable you to pitch deep into games and pitch complete games. It also will also give you the ability to save your arm and pitching velocity throughout the course of a pitching performance, so you can have something left in the tank for those late-inning matchups.

• 7) Focus on concentration

You must concentrate every pitch in order to be a successful baseball pitcher. This is especially true at the higher levels of the game, where one swing (for a homerun) can change the dynamic of the game.

A hitter can give a away a few at bats because he'll still get a few more. (Most hitters get four at bats a game.)

Pitchers don't have this luxury. One bad pitching location or one bad pitch because a you're not concentrating, and it could be the difference between winning or losing a game.

• 8) Command your fastball

Successful pitchers command their fastball. That's because they know that a good fastball sets up every other pitch.

Want to make your change-up more effective? Command the fastball. Want to draw garbage swings on your curveball? Command the fastball.

You get the point.

The fastball is the single most important pitch in baseball. Command of the fastball may be a pitchers most dangerous weapon!

• 9) Commit to proper preparation

It takes three weeks to learn a good habit. It takes just five days to learn a bad one.

Make sure that every time you pick up a baseball to throw, it's with a purpose. Long toss on a line; take a crow hop when throwing beyond 90 feet, to get your hips involved with your throws; never throw before doing some light running and dynamic stretching, etc.

How you prepare for a pitching performance will ultimately be reflected in your pitching performance.

• 10) Field your position

The key to winning pitching is becoming a complete pitcher. To become a complete pitcher, you must work on all aspects of pitching – which includes backing up bases, covering the first base side on all baseballs hit to the right side of the infield, etc.

Greg Maddux is "Greg Maddux," one of the greatest pitchers in baseball, because of the other things he does – such as fielding his position. Maddux has won more Gold Glove Awards than any other pitcher in the past 15 years.

Start thinking about these pitching strategies now, during the off-season, when you have the time. They'll help you get better at pitching. And if you'd like to plug into a proven professional pitcher's strength and conditioning program, get my new workout manual on Amazon.com here.