Bartolo Colon throws weighted practice ball!

I doubt it is a major factor in the way Colon throws because he has massive leg power off the rubber and he is a big man anyway. I think he wouldn't do it unless he thinks it helps him.

Not to start another weighted ball thread, but please understand that this is not the same thing as the weighted ball program always discussed here. Also, I am not lending an opinion one way or another regarding the benefits of using weighted balls.

While there could be similiarities in the ideas behind both, a 3 lb baseball is more like a shotput!

quote:

I heard Buck Martinez say that Bartolo Colon had loosened up before the game by throwing a 3 pound ball against a wall!

What kid of wall? Just what kids need to hear.

The 3 lbs ball is most likely one of those jelly balls. My son's PT has him use one as part of his rehab and maintenance program for correctinga muscular imbalance he had. He catches it tossed to him from a height above his reach, completes the throwing mothion then reverses the throwing motion and flips it back up to me. I is supposed to help him strengthen and muscles responsible for decellerating his arm.

As PGStaff pointed out, this is different then throwing balls a few ozs heavier or lighter to build arm speed.

There is a right way and a wrong way to do everything. If you are interested in this sort of program I urge you to contact some sort of baseball specialist, i.e. personal trainer, pitching instructor. An arm injury can end your baseball career, it is something you shouldn't mess with on your own.

Does anybody have and documention or experience with weighted baseball training that they would like to share ... I am interested in learning more, but as of right now I am still a sceptic.

Check this out some one posted the other day. Slide down to the study on weighted balls.

http://www.baseballideas.blogspot.com/

Interesting article, it seems like it is a good way to add velocity ... I wonder, is something like this going to come back and haunt a player as he progress through his career?

To each their own. Thanks for the link 3rdGen

Throwing at 100% effort is probably more key than the extra weight of the ball.

The arm weighs much more than even a 12 oz. weighted ball so it's more about speeding up the arm then it is about the resistance.

Has there ever been a study of just throwing a 5 oz ball at full effort over the that same period of time?

I'm willing to bet that you will get the same amount of gain just by the increased effort with just a regulatiion weight ball!

But then again that knowlege would hurt all those sites trying to sell you weighted balls!!!