Winter workouts: Long toss vs and/or weighted balls

New thread to consider

 

So many opinions out there ... each of the goofy guru's has their own take, so you really have to solicit someone you know and trust and incorporate that into your own beliefs . Imo ... with no science to support it ... it makes no sense to do anything to teach the arm or the bat to move slower . Throw away weights on bats and have kids swing a lighter bat to help their mind teach the body how to move the bat quickly thru the zone. Regarding weighted balls, long term I'd rather the kid be on a good long toss / core program ... although weighted balls might have some use for me in the bullpen in pregame warmup (some in fact like to start slowly with a softball).

 

Workouts

Take some consideration of what time of year you will be doing the workouts.

 

i've used the weighted balls for glove side facilitation, and i've used it for trying help get the hands to break faster. i've used weighted balls from a kneeling position partner 10 ft away to work on increasing rpms on breaking balls. but i've never felt comfortable having kids actually throwing them.

 

I personally know little about how to use weighted balls correctly. I will say that Andro is a big supporter of the subject and his pitchers are the most improved in velocity and pitchability of any staff I have seen-ever. He also incorporates long toss into his pitchers routine.

Maybe he could shed an informed light on the matter.

 

Quest for 90

Clemson program fo pitchers. My son got it from Alan DeRatt who went from mid 80's as a freshman to low 90's as a senior and getting drafted by the Rockies.
Whatever you do, you have to dedicate yourself to it!

A half effort will get you half results!

 

Buy the book "Fastball Fitness." There are several weighted ball routines in it. Also, lots of great information on how pitchers SHOULD be training to develop the core.

 

This is the

time to shut down the throwing but to work on the things that will allow you to throw harder.

I think its a combo of several things that you need to be doing. Building tremendous core strength. Building lower body strength. Thera Bands , Running , Proper Stretching , Agility Training.

The thing is you dont need a rest your throwing motion needs a rest. You have not been busting rocks on the chain gang you have been playing a game. Now is the time to Get your Ass to work if your serious. If your not then fine don't cry about the results because you are going to get exactly what you deserve.

How hard to you work? The only way to gauge that is by those around you. If you think your working hard because you do as much as everyone else what does that mean? Maybe they are not really working that hard but you think you are? Do more than anyone else around you. Set the bar that everyone else is trying to reach. And when they reach it move it up another notch and dare them to reach it. In other words if your working just as hard as everyone else around you , you have decided you want to be like everyone else. Thats not the way to be special. The way to be special is to be willing and want to do more than anyone else around you.

 

Players do need to shut down but we continue to hold showcase camps and tryouts in December.

 

We have a Winner !

:notworthy