Increasing Pitching Velocity
Interested in increasing pitching velocity? If you have not read my first article, stop now and read that first. Once you have done this, there are a few important things to remember about increasing pitching velocity. Firstly, there are right ways and wrong ways to light up a radar gun. The wrong way is to throw and throw and throw without actually performing any strengthening exercises or looking at pitching mechanics. This might get your arm strong in the short term, but can increase your chance of injury later on. This was discussed in the article mentioned above. The other thing players try to do when they see a radar gun is to actually try and throw harder. We have all seen the kid who tries to throw 110mph when a scout shows up for a game. (Most of the time the scout is just a dad with a sunhat on, but you still get the picture). Almost without fail, the pitcher starts throwing balls up in the zone or all over the place. Why is this happening? When pitchers try to throw harder they change their mechanics. Ok, so what? Your mechanics changed a little. What’s the big deal? The big deal is that you have worked and trained your body to throw a baseball a very specific way. You have thrown thousands of pitches at precise angles and velocities so you don’t even think about it anymore. Now you want to throw harder and even a slight change can cause muscles to move differently and the result is rarely what the pitcher was intending.
A better way to increase the velocity is to focus on strength and mechanics. Studies have shown that about 50% of a pitched balls velocity comes from the initial step and body rotation. That is huge! Just think what you could do if you used your legs and trunk to their max potential. Almost everyone could increase their velocity without even looking at the arm. A lot of the time I see pitchers opening their hips too early in their stride. Your hips should rotate at about the same time your landing foot hits the dirt. I know I am speaking to pitchers, but think about it this way, hitters don’t try to swing with one foot in the air. They plant their front foot and the back leg drives the hips and trunk into rotation to create the most power. While the motions are different the concepts are the same. Power comes from the legs, hips, and trunk. This is why strengthening these areas with rotational, powerful, exercises is so important. As far as the arm goes, there are two muscles that have been directly correlated to pitching velocity. These are the pectoralis major and the latissimus dorsi. Sweet! More beach muscles that are good for baseball! Both the pectoralis major and the latissimus dorsi are highly activated during the acceleration phase of the throwing motion. Since these muscles are the most active during the throwing motion, it stands to reason that strengthening these muscles can lead to increased velocity. STOP! Make sure you stabilize the shoulder by strengthening the rotator cuff muscles and the shoulder blade stabilizers first. If the shoulder is not held in proper position throughout the throw, then the pectoralis major and the latissimus dorsi will NOT pull in the optimal directions!
Stabilize the shoulder first. Strengthen the legs, hips, and trunk. Work on proper mechanics.
-Caleb Kutsche
References:
Samuel S. Park, M.D., Mark L. Loebenberg, M.D., Andrew S. Rokito, M.D., Joseph D. Zuckerman, M.D., The Shoulder in Baseball Pitching
Biomechanics and Related Injuries – Part 1NYU-Hospital for Joint Diseases, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 301 East 17th Street, New York, New York 10003, 2003.
Toyoshima S, Hoshikawa T, Miyashita M, Oguri T: Contribution of the body parts to throwing performance. In: Nelson RC, Morehouse CA (eds): Biomechanics IV. Baltimore, University Park Press, 1974, pp. 169-174.
Bartlett LR, Storey MD, Simons BD: Measurement of upper extremity torque production and its relationship to throwing speed in the competitive athlete. Am J Sports Med 17:89-91, 1989.
