im a lefty,14 year old pitcher and currently throw between 67-70. i also have an excellent curveball. is this good or average for my age? also if i worked extremely hard, how long would it take to get my fastball up to 80-85-mph?
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anybody have a response for this?
keep working as hard as you can, and make sure to outwork everyone else. listen on this website, and give it some time. Things will come if you work hard. Trust me, i've been working as hard as ai possibly can this offseason and i went from not being a d1 player sophomore yr, to committing to a D1 school, so work work work and goodluck!
If you can hit 67-70 now you are certainly above average (esp left handed)
Stay in top condition. Keep in great shape as your body grows and matures.
Work on proper mechanics and control first. If you are lefty, throwing 77-79 with great control by the time you are 18, colleges will certainly be looking at you. If you can top 80 by 18 your prospects are even better.
Good luck!
Stay in top condition. Keep in great shape as your body grows and matures.
Work on proper mechanics and control first. If you are lefty, throwing 77-79 with great control by the time you are 18, colleges will certainly be looking at you. If you can top 80 by 18 your prospects are even better.
Good luck!
That is good info buddylee, however, I would have to say that for most colleges, a lefty should be around 80-83. Pro for a lefty should be anything over 85-86. This of course is by the time you are a senior in high school.
Get into longtoss. Great for strengthing arms.
stuff804 ,
When you talk to other baseball players , and they find out that you're a pitcher , the same question seems to come up , "How hard do you throw ." Some people tend to equate your velocity , with how good you are . It is just like when people find out that you lift weights , the common question is "How much do you Bench Press " . I've never heard anyone ask "How much weight can you do for 15 reps on Leg Curls ." But that's just the nature of the game . I do understand your desire to throw harder . Everyone that has ever stood on that hill wants to throw harder . But there are a couple of things that you can do to help yourself reach your potential . First of all , make sure that your sound mechanically . This can not only help you to throw harder , but it is a big part of staying healthy . Next , you must make sure that you maintain your Shoulder Program and Stretching Routine . On your flexibility program , make sure that you are doing both your upperbody and your lowerbody . Your upperbody stretching is crucial for the health of your arm , and for your recovery time . Your lowerbody flexibility can have a direct impact on your velocity . The last area of concern is your weight-training . This can have either a positive or negative effect on your velocity . If you are doing a program that is specific to your needs as a pitcher , you should see a positive increase in your velocity and recovery time . If you are doing a program that is not geared for a pitchers needs or you are not doing a good job with your stretching , you have increased your chances of injury or decreased arm speed . You also must look at your throwing program . How many days do you play long toss ? What do you do the day after you pitch ? As a pitcher with high goals , you must have a plan and stay with it . Do not let anything come in the way of your desire to be better . But in the end , you must remember that its just a game , and you need to have fun . I will always look back at my high school and college days as a GREAT experience . Work hard , respect the game , but most of all enjoy every moment that you are on the field . When it stops being fun , find something else that you enjoy ,
Take Care ,
Kerry
When you talk to other baseball players , and they find out that you're a pitcher , the same question seems to come up , "How hard do you throw ." Some people tend to equate your velocity , with how good you are . It is just like when people find out that you lift weights , the common question is "How much do you Bench Press " . I've never heard anyone ask "How much weight can you do for 15 reps on Leg Curls ." But that's just the nature of the game . I do understand your desire to throw harder . Everyone that has ever stood on that hill wants to throw harder . But there are a couple of things that you can do to help yourself reach your potential . First of all , make sure that your sound mechanically . This can not only help you to throw harder , but it is a big part of staying healthy . Next , you must make sure that you maintain your Shoulder Program and Stretching Routine . On your flexibility program , make sure that you are doing both your upperbody and your lowerbody . Your upperbody stretching is crucial for the health of your arm , and for your recovery time . Your lowerbody flexibility can have a direct impact on your velocity . The last area of concern is your weight-training . This can have either a positive or negative effect on your velocity . If you are doing a program that is specific to your needs as a pitcher , you should see a positive increase in your velocity and recovery time . If you are doing a program that is not geared for a pitchers needs or you are not doing a good job with your stretching , you have increased your chances of injury or decreased arm speed . You also must look at your throwing program . How many days do you play long toss ? What do you do the day after you pitch ? As a pitcher with high goals , you must have a plan and stay with it . Do not let anything come in the way of your desire to be better . But in the end , you must remember that its just a game , and you need to have fun . I will always look back at my high school and college days as a GREAT experience . Work hard , respect the game , but most of all enjoy every moment that you are on the field . When it stops being fun , find something else that you enjoy ,
Take Care ,
Kerry
how many days a week should i be doing long toss. since it's not the season yet im pitching indoors on Sunday's and throw about 30-45 pitches
When you're talking speed, are you indicating speed out of the glove or at the plate?
out of the glove
my 14 year old was throwing 84 last summer, I wasn't sure how good that was.
stuff804 ,
I have a couple options for you in regard to playing long toss . First of all , if you arm takes alittle while to recover , I would have you long toss on Tuesday and Friday . If the bullpen that you're throwing on Sunday doesn't make you to sore on Monday , You could play long toss on Monday / Wednesday / Friday .
I measure long toss alittle different . If a pitcher is throwing long toss at 240 feet on his best day , I divide his days acorrdingly . Monday he will go out to 180 feet , if he's not very sore after the Sunday bullpen . Wednesday he would go out to 240 feet and Friday he would go out to 210 feet . This is just my suggestion . I hope other people will give you ideas on worked for them . I hope this helps ,
Best Wishes ,
Kerry
I have a couple options for you in regard to playing long toss . First of all , if you arm takes alittle while to recover , I would have you long toss on Tuesday and Friday . If the bullpen that you're throwing on Sunday doesn't make you to sore on Monday , You could play long toss on Monday / Wednesday / Friday .
I measure long toss alittle different . If a pitcher is throwing long toss at 240 feet on his best day , I divide his days acorrdingly . Monday he will go out to 180 feet , if he's not very sore after the Sunday bullpen . Wednesday he would go out to 240 feet and Friday he would go out to 210 feet . This is just my suggestion . I hope other people will give you ideas on worked for them . I hope this helps ,
Best Wishes ,
Kerry
ok thanks for the help
stuff804 ,
Anytime , but I forgot to give you my best advice . "Always be sure to listen to you arm "
Good Luck ,
Kerry
Anytime , but I forgot to give you my best advice . "Always be sure to listen to you arm "
Good Luck ,
Kerry
one more thing... how many pitches should i throw on sunday?
stuff804 ,
It really depends on how long you have been throwing , in other words , if your arm is in good shape or not . But you could throw between 45-60 if your arm is in pretty good shape , or if you have been throwing off of a hill for a while you could be up to 65-80 pitches . I would break it up to throwing about 15-20 pitches , rest about 8-12 minutes and repeat 3-4 times . I hope that this helps ,
Best Wishes ,
Kerry
It really depends on how long you have been throwing , in other words , if your arm is in good shape or not . But you could throw between 45-60 if your arm is in pretty good shape , or if you have been throwing off of a hill for a while you could be up to 65-80 pitches . I would break it up to throwing about 15-20 pitches , rest about 8-12 minutes and repeat 3-4 times . I hope that this helps ,
Best Wishes ,
Kerry
stuff804,
Of the 4 "components" of pitching, Velocity is fourth, after Mechanics, Location and Movement. Even more to the point, the ability to effectively change velocity is more valuable than sheer velocity.
Upon properly developing the first three components, increased velocity can be generated by a baseball-specific strength and conditioning program combined with Specific Resistance Training involving the use of weighted baseballs.
Regards,
Steve
=============================
Steve Zawrotny, MS, CSCS
405.238.2696 steve@BaseballFit.com
FREE REPORT: "Harmful Resistance Exercises
Baseball/Softball Players Should Avoid"
FREE Baseball/Softball-Specific Training Newsletter
Send email to: training@BaseballFit.com
VISIT: www.BaseballFit.com
=============================
Of the 4 "components" of pitching, Velocity is fourth, after Mechanics, Location and Movement. Even more to the point, the ability to effectively change velocity is more valuable than sheer velocity.
Upon properly developing the first three components, increased velocity can be generated by a baseball-specific strength and conditioning program combined with Specific Resistance Training involving the use of weighted baseballs.
Regards,
Steve
=============================
Steve Zawrotny, MS, CSCS
405.238.2696 steve@BaseballFit.com
FREE REPORT: "Harmful Resistance Exercises
Baseball/Softball Players Should Avoid"
FREE Baseball/Softball-Specific Training Newsletter
Send email to: training@BaseballFit.com
VISIT: www.BaseballFit.com
=============================
I'd also like to add that while velocity can play a role in your success, that alone will not make you successful. My 14 yr. old has been taking instruction from a former Braves draftee. Not once has this guy mentioned velocity. He doesn't own a radar gun. He puts very little emphasis on a breaking ball at this age, and preaches mechanics incessantly. He has made my son a much more effective pitcher by having him work on those mechanics and locate his fastball and change-up. You'd be surprised how well you can locate blind folded if your mechanics are right.
For the pitcher is so important his conditioning and workout to keep his arm strong in every exit to pitch. Every pitcher has to run at least 3 time a week to keep the arm strong and rested and out of injuries. Also the pitcher has to exercise his arm with a good weight program( nothing heavy) and then when you built a strong arm, take a chance to work, throwing from distance to loose the arm and you will see that his velocity will be encrease. Good luck
im not much older than you, 16. I had the same questions about velocity and training. In the fall I run Cross Country since freshman year. I think that it is a major factor that has improved my velocity, alothugh there are other details that you can work on. Running is a great training peice along with other scheduled exercises. I believe i was throwing about your speed at that age; around 70-71mph. After i trained hard this year (sophmore year) I can top out at 85. But remember that everyone developes at a different rate.
hope this helps you out,
JAKE
hope this helps you out,
JAKE