Winter conditioning to velocity relationship.

[scorekeeper]

Let’s assume a “normally” made up HS team has 10 pitchers. How valid is it to put them all on the gun for an inning or two at this time of the year, with the intention of doing the same thing in the spring to hopefully show how much the winter conditioning program has helped them improve?

I have several things running through my mind that may or may not prove the validity of the assertion that conditioning is a major factor in any velocity increase.

One is, if strength is indeed a factor in velocity, how much does a players natural growth have to do with any increased strength? Now if there were a way to have every player not do conditioning for the 3 winter months, check the velocities, hit a “rewind” button then do the conditioning for 3 months, and check the velocities again, I’d be much more satisfied with the results.

BTW, that doesn’t mean I’m not in favor of conditioning at all. I’m just questioning how much it really contributes to an increase in velocity.

Another thing is, since there’s no doubt every player is gonna get something different from conditioning, and that velocity means something different to every P depending on his ‘style”, what’s really the purpose of measuring?

If its to try to show the players there is some kind of return for hard work, that’s one thing. But if its simply perpetuate the dogma that velocity is the primary ingredient for success, I have trouble with it.

Yet another thing is, unless a whole lot of other things are kept track of, like nutrition, what extra conditioning a player might be doing, or even more importantly, if a player is working with different coaching, how valid are the results of what the gun shows?

[korp]

Well ... in a sense you are some what right. Conditioning can help but only to a certain point with velocity because strength training is more important for that .... however conditioning is something that goes with stamina and endurance. If your legs are well conditioned it translates into you having less sore arms as well as sore muscles. Conditioning will do not only that but let you throw longer .... of course you still have to work out arms. As for gunning kids in the winter it gives you at least a point to measure from when the spring comes and possibly yes show what results a kid will have if not faster how much longer can they throw that speed ect.

[scorekeeper]

Well ... in a sense you are some what right.

I’m not sure what you’re referring to that I’m “some what right” about.


Conditioning can help but only to a certain point with velocity because strength training is more important for that .... however conditioning is something that goes with stamina and endurance. If your legs are well conditioned it translates into you having less sore arms as well as sore muscles. Conditioning will do not only that but let you throw longer .... of course you still have to work out arms.

Perhaps I should have been more explicit and list every single thing the players do in winter conditioning. I won’t bother to do that, but rest assured strength training is very much a part of the program, and has been in every winter conditioning program for a HS baseball team I’ve ever heard of.


As for gunning kids in the winter it gives you at least a point to measure from when the spring comes and possibly yes show what results a kid will have if not faster how much longer can they throw that speed ect.

Why is it important to have a velocity point to measure from in the spring that can’t be taken in the spring?

I’m completely not understanding how getting a gun reading from throwing 1 inning in the fall which might be anywhere from 10-20 pitches, can possibly be compared to what happens in spring as far as how much longer can they throw that speed ect.

Now if the fall readings were done in a controlled environment, that certainly might be something different. FI, if in the fall you took all the P’s to the pen and had them throw their #1 FB, #1 Hook, and #1 CU in that order 10 times for a total of 30 pitches, give them a 10 minute rest and have them do it again, charting and gunning every pitch, then after making sure they were all back in throwing shape in the spring having them do the exact same thing, I can see how you might get some meaningful data out of it, but what would it mean?

I’d be much more inclined to be a fan of all the gunning and charting, if P’s got their 1st data point in the fall of their Fr year, then gave data points every spring, summer, and fall from then on. Now you can see exactly what progress is taking place, and you can compare pitchers.

But to just do it from fall to spring makes no good sense to me, other than to try to do something to encourage the players to do the training.