There is not a baseball pitcher alive who would turn down the opportunity to increase his throwing velocity. Many coaches encourage pitchers to increase their arm strength by lifting weights or throwing more. While that is sound advice, there are better ways for a pitcher to improve throwing velocity. In recent years, competition to make it in professional baseball has steadily increased due to the astronomical salaries professionals demand. As a result, the amount of literature on improving throwing velocity has also increased. Pinpointing the best methods for increasing throwing velocity takes research, but the time invested can be invaluable in the long run.
Lifting weights and gaining strength is vital to any athlete. Unfortunately, weight-lifting is not going to help a pitcher gain velocity on his fastball. Proper mechanics is perhaps the most crucial thing to consider when attempting to increase throwing velocity.
Increase throwing speed by increasing leg-stride and speed to the plate. When pitchers abandon the traditional high leg kick for a quicker and more explosive stride toward the plate, the result is less wasted motion and greater throwing speed. Concentrating on a stride that is longer and quicker to the plate, rather than kicking the front leg high towards the sky, can literally increase a pitcher's velocity overnight.
Throwing fast means moving fast. "Pitching velocity is produced by the body as it moves from the back leg to the front leg. What is required is faster tempo for more speed of body movement, and forward momentum into a stride of 100% of the pitcher's height."
Concentrate on increasing lower-body strength. This will enable a pitcher to increase stride and move faster to the plate. Increased velocity will soon follow.
Don't focus solely on conventional workouts. Increasing the strength and flexibility of little-worked muscles will help a pitcher increase velocity. Throw a weighted ball one day. Go for a swim the next. Learn to work all of the muscles in your body and velocity will increase.
Seek the guidance of a pitching coach who is well-versed in identifying flaws in a pitchers mechanics. Once flaws are corrected, a pitcher's velocity will increase rapidly. Every pitcher needs to make mechanical improvements, some more than others.
Videotape practice sessions and compare past sessions to current ones. Look for flaws and improvements to your pitching motion. Share the video with a professional and be open to constructive critiques.
Lifting weights and gaining strength is vital to any athlete. Unfortunately, weight-lifting is not going to help a pitcher gain velocity on his fastball. Proper mechanics is perhaps the most crucial thing to consider when attempting to increase throwing velocity.
Increase throwing speed by increasing leg-stride and speed to the plate. When pitchers abandon the traditional high leg kick for a quicker and more explosive stride toward the plate, the result is less wasted motion and greater throwing speed. Concentrating on a stride that is longer and quicker to the plate, rather than kicking the front leg high towards the sky, can literally increase a pitcher's velocity overnight.
Throwing fast means moving fast. "Pitching velocity is produced by the body as it moves from the back leg to the front leg. What is required is faster tempo for more speed of body movement, and forward momentum into a stride of 100% of the pitcher's height."
Concentrate on increasing lower-body strength. This will enable a pitcher to increase stride and move faster to the plate. Increased velocity will soon follow.
Don't focus solely on conventional workouts. Increasing the strength and flexibility of little-worked muscles will help a pitcher increase velocity. Throw a weighted ball one day. Go for a swim the next. Learn to work all of the muscles in your body and velocity will increase.
Seek the guidance of a pitching coach who is well-versed in identifying flaws in a pitchers mechanics. Once flaws are corrected, a pitcher's velocity will increase rapidly. Every pitcher needs to make mechanical improvements, some more than others.
Videotape practice sessions and compare past sessions to current ones. Look for flaws and improvements to your pitching motion. Share the video with a professional and be open to constructive critiques.