The idea of weighted-ball training for pitchers to throw faster has been around for more than a half-century. There are studies on the process dating to the late 1960s in the heyday of Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax and Juan Marichal.
In recent years, it’s taken on a more universally accepted new form with the use of weighted baseballs as part of advanced training methods to generate more athleticism and arm speed from pitchers with the goal of creating more velocity.
But it could be coming at a cost, with a number of elbow injuries being suffered by prominent pitchers known for their velocity at the professional level and anecdotal stories of increased arm troubles for youth pitchers trying to emulate the training methods of the pros.
There’s big opportunity and big money involved simply by being able to hit a certain number on a radar gun or a certain spin rate on advance tracking programs like Trackman or Rapsodo, which is why these programs have grown in scope and popularity.
What is weighted-ball training?
At its simplest, weighted-ball training for pitchers is using baseballs of various weights to build arm speed and arm strength, frequently with max-effort reps. It usually starts with a lighter baseball thrown with the same motion and force as a regular ball with the goal of teaching the body how to speed up. It graduates through detailed throwing programs past the weight of a standard 5 ounce baseball to slightly heavier versions in an attempt to build arm strength while maintain proper pitching mechanics. Sometimes this is done while playing catch, but pitchers also frequently throw weighted balls into nets or against walls.
It’s not a quick-fix program. Most programs incorporate weighted balls as part of offseason training and usually are a minimum of four weeks. Still, many believe it can boost velocity much faster than old-school long-toss programs using just standard-weight baseballs.
Ben Brewster, who operates Tread Athletics outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, wrote in a four-week intro to using weighted-ball training that high-intensity programs like this should not be viewed as a quick fix in an attempt to increase velocity.
“It’s a nuanced topic, and as you can see, it’s not as simple as saying weighted balls are or aren’t dangerous,” Brewster wrote. “Any tool can be dangerous if put in the wrong hands.”
What are the concerns?
The worry with using weighted balls is the stress placed on the arm and whether it could be leading to an increased risk of injury. At Driveline Baseball outside of Seattle, one of the more well known training facilities, velocity programs are tied to supplemental strength and plyometric training, and biomechanical analysis.
Often, mitigation of injury risk comes down to whether the programs are being implemented correctly and the training is being monitored properly.
What’s next?
This type of training doesn’t seem to be going away because of the increased search for velocity and spin rates at the major league level. What some in the game are hoping is that younger pitchers don’t seek out the training too soon.
“The places that maximize velocity, yes, I think that there is absolutely a place for that. Absolutely. It has propelled guys’ careers. It’s gotten them to levels that they probably never would have been to before that,” Houston ace Justin Verlander said. “But to me, it’s a tool at your disposal to use when you need to use it – i.e. if there’s a level that you want to get to and you can’t quite break through that ceiling, then you go. But to me, it isn’t like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have a little bit of talent, let’s go straight there and learn to throw harder than I already do, just proactively.’”
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