Rasing mph

[irmobaseball]

Does anyone have any tips for rasing mph on your fastball? I throw about 70-75 right now and would like to gain 3-5 mph in a couple months

[ElHalo]

To be honest with you, I just don't understand throwing arms. I'm a strong guy... not muscle bound or anything, but I can bench 200 pounds or so. The FASTEST I've ever been able to clock a pitch, and this is with quite a bit of trying, is about 40 mph. I just can't comprehend how people can double that with ease.

[Baseball gLove]

My son is half Greek (from my wife) bench presses 75 lbs and throws over 75 mph.

[Hawaii]

Dear Irmo:
Would really help to see a video. Without it, this is pure guesswork. Anyway, here are some common faults/issues leading to less-than-optimum speed. I think I remember you are age 14 from another post, so my answers lean in that direction. These are in no particular order of importance.

1. Possible quick-fix. Not holding the ball correctly. Young pitchers sometimes do not take care to hold the ball correctly on their fastball, sometimes because of smaller hand size, sometimes because they just aren't focused on it. For max velocity FB, your thumb and middle finger need to bisect the ball. Younger pitchers will often place their thumb higher than that, which means less force/mass directly behind the ball at release. This leads to the ball rotating a bit sideways rather than "end over end." Other issues (besides thumb placement) can cause this sideways rotation. You can easily see whether it is happening by coloring half a ball black with a felt tip, hold the ball with the dividing line up/down (e.g., put the dark side on the right), and throw. If the ball travels with the dark side on the right, your ball is not rotating sideways. If you see dark side and white side alternating, you are imparting sideways spin. (Sideways spin means ball is going slower, not because it's spinning sideways, but because something in your mechanics or grip has caused the sideways spin.) In other words, the sideways spin is the effct--something else is the cause.

2. Possible quick-fix. Four seam vs two-seam. If for some reason you have been throwing only a 2-seam, experiment with the 4-seam and see what happens. (It's a whole different issue which is a BETTER pitch for you. A slower two-seam FB with movement can be a much better pitch than a faster 4-seam that comes in flat.)

3. Longer fix. If you have not done significant core strength and functional fitness/flexibility training, a solid 6-8 week program will bring improved pitching efficiency, especially if your mechanics are generally sound. Velocity should pick up, and control too, again, depending on what your mechanics look like.

4. Hip speed. Here's an over-statement--exaggerated to make the point: your arm is just along for the ride. Focus on moving your hips/middle faster and the arm/ball will follow. (On the other hand, Roger Clemens pitching coach was quoted in an article as answering "got him to move his arm faster" when asked how he developed Clemen's speed while at Texas). Cause or effect?

5. Too much "pause at the top." Experiment with generating momentum towards home plate by getting down the mound faster by leading with your hips/middle ("get your booty moving home"). The added momentum may increase both your speed and your control.

6. Delayed shoulder rotation. At foot plant, many elite pitchers still have their shoulders closed to a surprising degree (rather than rotating their hips and shoulders at the same time).

7. Don't over-emphasize speed. I should have put this one first. At age 14, most coaches prefer pitchers who can throw strikes, and CHANGE speeds. The diff between 70-74 or 75-78 mph is not nearly as important as a) can you put the ball where you want to, when you need to, and b) can you mix your speeds. Seriously, an added 4 mph is useless if you cannot put it where you want to. If you cannot throw a strike to either side of the plate 75% of the time, focus on your control before you focus on increasing your velocity. Do you know how many walks you give up per 7 innings? If not, find out. This is subjective, but my two cents: 0-1 walks in 7 innings is fine. 2-3: not bad for your age, but can use improvement. 4-5+ walks in 7 innings: work on your control first, rather than on gaining another 3-4 mph.

8. Weighted ball training. Some coaches believe this is as close to a magic bullet as you can find to add a few mph quickly. But beware, some coaches say no to this for younger players. I recently contacted one of the gurus of weighted ball training, Coop DeRenne, asking about weighted ball training for my son, and he said no way until senior year in high school. He has spent a lot of time looking at weighted ball training, so I have to give his caution some weight. Other coaches think it's OK for younger players as long as they only go 6 oz on the heavy ball side. I don't have any personal experience with this training, so my conservative advice on this for someone your age is do not do it, unless under the direct supervision of someone who really knows what they are doing.

9. Nolan Ryan says the higher he lifts his leg, the faster the ball goes. Query whether this is just leg, or a larger issue, momentum (see #5, above). But do not do higher leg kick at the expense of balance and posture.

10. Good luck!

[SachemKnights#7]

a lot of speed comes from your legs so running on a daily basis will bring your speed up quite a bit as long as you push of the rubber hard with your leg. another thing you can do if you dont al ready is flick your wrist hard on fastballs remember straight down so it doesnt put stress on anything.

[Ali_Alzaidi]

1. Grip the ball proporly, 4-seam gets the most power.
2. Mechanics!!! if you even break your hands to early you'll take off noticable speed it's all timing, you have to do your mechanics perfectly to get the most out of your throw. Also try pulling the ball farther back (if you can) you'll get more power.
3.strength, do bench presses and ESPECIALLY squats, wall sits, and distance running, when you throw most of your power comes from your legs by pushing off, that would explain why Elhalo who presses 200 can only throw about 40, he's using all arm, probobly holding the ball wrong and may be using the wrong mechanics, I can only bench about 150, I'm 16 and I pitch, I throw about 85 and getting faster.

[onbaseball]

How old are you and why do you want to add 3-4 MPH in the next few months?

[WonderMonkey]

7. Don't over-emphasize speed. I should have put this one first. At age 14, most coaches prefer pitchers who can throw strikes, and CHANGE speeds. The diff between 70-74 or 75-78 mph is not nearly as important as a) can you put the ball where you want to, when you need to, and b) can you mix your speeds. Seriously, an added 4 mph is useless if you cannot put it where you want to. If you cannot throw a strike to either side of the plate 75% of the time, focus on your control before you focus on increasing your velocity. Do you know how many walks you give up per 7 innings? If not, find out. This is subjective, but my two cents: 0-1 walks in 7 innings is fine. 2-3: not bad for your age, but can use improvement. 4-5+ walks in 7 innings: work on your control first, rather than on gaining another 3-4 mph.


Amen brother! Our most effective pitcher is our slowest pitcher. He generally hits his spots and changes speeds effectively. Our fastest pitcher is good through one rotation of the batters before they tee off on his fast, but predictable, stuff.

[Chris O'Leary]

To be honest with you, I just don't understand throwing arms. I'm a strong guy... not muscle bound or anything, but I can bench 200 pounds or so. The FASTEST I've ever been able to clock a pitch, and this is with quite a bit of trying, is about 40 mph. I just can't comprehend how people can double that with ease.

Throwing a ball hard has VIRTUALLY NOTHING to do with arm strength.

Instead, power comes from throwing with the body rather than the arm; that means getting the hips rotating well before the shoulders. This stretches the muscles of the torso and enables them to powerfully pull the shoulders around.

This picture of Casey Fossum, a guy with no muscle mass to speak of, is an extreme example of this. Notice how his belt buckle is facing home plate while his shoulders are sideways to the plate...

http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Images/Examples/Example_LargeHipShoulderDifferential_CaseyFossum_0 01.jpg

I have a bunch of these kinds of pictures on my web site...

- Pictures Of Hips Rotating Before Shoulders (http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/RethinkingPitching/Examples/HipsRotatingBeforeShoulders.html)

[WonderMonkey]

Throwing a ball hard has VIRTUALLY NOTHING to do with arm strength.

Instead, power comes from throwing with the body rather than the arm; that means getting the hips rotating well before the shoulders. This stretches the muscles of the torso and enables them to powerfully pull the shoulders around.

This picture of Casey Fossum, a guy with no muscle mass to speak of, is an extreme example of this. Notice how his belt buckle is facing home plate while his shoulders are sideways to the plate...

http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Images/Examples/Example_LargeHipShoulderDifferential_CaseyFossum_0 01.jpg

I have a bunch of these kinds of pictures on my web site...

- Pictures Of Hips Rotating Before Shoulders (http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/RethinkingPitching/Examples/HipsRotatingBeforeShoulders.html)


Ha! Boy you look at some of those pictures and you wonder how that is done without tearing yourself in half. Even though that is what I teach (and did myself) to pitchers. Just looks painful.

[Chris O'Leary]

Amen brother! Our most effective pitcher is our slowest pitcher. He generally hits his spots and changes speeds effectively. Our fastest pitcher is good through one rotation of the batters before they tee off on his fast, but predictable, stuff.

My son is a very effective pitcher and certainly isn't the hardest thrower on the team. This is by design in order to protect his arm (he's 11).

What he does is keep the ball down (and outside) and changes speeds.

Against average hitting teams, he tends to strike out the side. Against good hitting teams, he strikes people out and only gives up ground balls.

[Chris O'Leary]

Ha! Boy you look at some of those pictures and you wonder how that is done without tearing yourself in half. Even though that is what I teach (and did myself) to pitchers. Just looks painful.

The level of flexibility required to do this isn't given to everyone, which is why some people throw harder than others.

I know that if I tried to do this, I'd rip myself in half.

However, I do believe that a given person's flexibility can be increased (as can the strength of their core).

[Chris O'Leary]

...when you throw most of your power comes from your legs by pushing off...

Sorry, but this isn't the case.

Most of a good pitcher's power comes from the muscles of their torso.

[WonderMonkey]

My son is a very effective pitcher and certainly isn't the hardest thrower on the team. This is by design in order to protect his arm (he's 11).

What he does is keep the ball down (and outside) and changes speeds.

Against average hitting teams, he tends to strike out the side. Against good hitting teams, he strikes people out and only gives up ground balls.

I think that is good. He is learning to pitch instead of just hurl and as he gains some speed will be even more effective.

[Encinitas]

I have seen programs whereby a kid throws in oz. 5, 6, 7, 4, 5. In this manner none of the balls being used are that heavy. However 10 MPH increase in a youth pitcher was pretty impressive.

I plan to do something in the off-season with weighted balls. To each his own in this area. The only problem I see is when off-season encompasses travel ball and eventually fall-ball.

Also I've heard of people using a 12 oz. to teach arm action which is where most of the velocity comes from, not the hip shoulder separation.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

2. Mechanics!!! if you even break your hands to early you'll take off noticable speed it's all timing,

If you break too late, your arm won't be able to catch up with your body, and your control will suffer.

[irmobaseball]

How old are you and why do you want to add 3-4 MPH in the next few months?

age:14

why: id like to play vasristy this year rather then jv and to be and over all better pitcher

[Sultan_1895-1948]

You're going to make varsity if you can get guys out and prevent baserunners, not by simply adding a few mph. Good hitters can hit fastballs, no matter how fast. Focus on control and changing speeds. If you develop a great changeup that you can locate, your 73 MPH fastball will appear 80.