Some questions for adbono albeit rhetorical questions in nature...
By today's "velocity" standards, were Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux hard throwers? Jaime Moyer? I agree that Smotlzy had some giddyup on the ball but he obviously knew how to pitch as well.
The focus on velocity for kids makes no sense to me. I agree kids now are throwing harder but at what cost? How many are using "maximum effort" to achieve those velocities? How many have control over those pitches (like you mentioned above) when they are "maxing out"?
How about instead, a kid learns to throw with controlled effort based on whatever his God-given abilities are at that time. Develops whatever his velocity is going to be over years while developing arm strength over time. The priority shifts from velocity to a kid learning about pin-point location at every area of the strike zone (e.g., Maddux, Glavine). Learning how to put a little on (because he has some left in the tank) and learning how to take a little off - all the while maintaining his control of the strike zone.