Midlo Dad posted:I know that people say that weighted balls help with velo. I just don't think it's true. It's a theory that is not backed up by any evidence that I can see. And the fact that it's to the point of religious fervor with some people does not, in my mind, count as actual evidence.
In my years of observation, I have never seen anyone experience a velo jump coinciding with beginning weighted ball training. I have also not seen anyone whose velo increased over time to a further extent than same-aged peers who were not in weighted ball training. And the guys I've seen who have developed into the hardest throwers did not use weighted balls at all.
On the flip side, I have witnessed players who began weighted ball training in season and then experienced DECLINES in velocity. In fact, we had a player go through that just this past fall, and it became a topic of discussion. I continue to believe that this is because weighted ball training teaches the arm to move slower. Whether that's the root cause of what I have observed can be debated, but whether my supposition as to causal link is right or wrong, my observations as to what happens are still the same.
Any strength training intended to build velocity is likely to fail, too, if the player (or instructor) has a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes top velocity happen. The very most important thing is that the delivery be loose and whippy, and that the delivery be coordinated from foot to fingertips so as to fire in sequence and thereby add speed at each juncture. (That's what I mean by likening throwing to cracking a whip.) Adding strength obviously is a help, but it has to be strength of the sort that adds to this process. Adding bulk behind a pushing or straining delivery won't help and could well be counterproductive.
For those who prefer weighted ball training, I recommend using it only out of season. Even then I prefer elastic bands instead. In season use of the bands, to my observation, has helped with rotator cuff fitness and forearm fitness without the velo loss that I've seen in weighted ball adherents.
You may be the first person I've heard claim to have noticed velocity drops after a weighted ball program. My own personal experience has been a few who didn't show any velocity gains but also weren't consistently in the program and the vast majority showing a minimum of 2-3 mph. My pitchers also don't throw long toss and the program is time-contained to no more than 11 weeks, so I don't think normal velocity gains can be attributed.