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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!
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
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
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
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

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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
From what I've picked up running can help velocity simply by increasing your overall bodily condition, and the better shape your in, the harder your going to be able to throw typically. But ya, do NOT fret over your velocity, when I was 14 I topped out at about 65 mph (Freshman year). I started running, hitting the gym, and strengthening my arm A LOT especially in the off season. I can now fly the ball approximately 280-300 ft. and my velocity 3 months ago topped at 86 mph. Just keep working and DO NOT GIVE UP...EVER! I weigh 168 lbs now and you can bet your *** I'm going to work harder than ever this year to see if I can get my velocity into the 90's by my senior year next year. Just keep working and you'll be fine.

That being said, I'm going to devote the most of my time to improving my changeup, because without it, nobody has much of a chance.
Last edited by Uponthemound
Running (aerobically) helps you recover faster, increases heat tolerance, helps remain alert, and increases the capacity to perfrom pitching. It won't necessarily help increase velocity, but it can help you work on the mound longer (during practice) which (if you're doing it correctly) will help you increase velocity.

To sum it up, the volume of training that can be tolerated in a session is improved; recovery from general training stress is enhanced; exercise within a training session is improved; recovery from general training stress is enhanced; sweating, and thus cooling is improved,; tolerance of the heat is enhanced; and the connective tissues associated with muscles and joints are strengthened.

One also doesn't want to negletc anerobic training, as exercises should at least be performed at the velocity of contraction of the sporting activity for any potential benefit to occur.
Meaning, training the body at the same speeds, movement pattern, contraction type/force of pitching off the mound will transfer over.
General fitness is important as it's the base where specific fitness is superimposed

Running sprints (anerobically) would help you get out of the box faster, help improve base speed, perhaps you'd be able to run down balls better in foul territory, so yes I'd say it'd be important.

And aerobically would help your heat tolerance, ability to practice longer, etc...
Unfortunately so much emphasis is put on the stinkin radar gun! Can you get guys out, locate,command,change speeds.Focus on becoming more of a pitcher right now not just a hard thrower.Maddux, Glavine, Kenny Rogers all perfect examples of guys that don't try and overthrow and simply outwit their opponents.Velocity will come with hard work,proper conditioning and doing the correct things w/ your body mechanically for you!At 14 try to focus on these things and not so much on the speed gun.Learn how to get guys out and put your team in a position to win!
First of all, running is very important, but running the right way is most important. All the previous posts are giving good advice.

I think in one way what 2Diamonds writes is very true. The only thing I never understand is why old Major League veterans are used as an example of what a youth pitcher should do. Probably more important would be to research what those highly successful pitchers did when they were a young player.

I’m not sure about Glavine or Rogers, but the absolute master of location, off speed and finesse is Greg Maddux. For the bizzillionth time… As a youth pitcher he blew away hitters with a 90+ fastball! All those MLB guys mentioned started with great arms and then learned how to pitch. They learned how to use velocity rather than just produce it. That is called experience… Experience that no 14 year old has!

That said, I agree with “2Diamonds” about learning how to pitch. Unfortunately, velocity is part of that process… Always has been… It’s not a radar gun thing at all… Bob Feller would not have thrown harder or softer had there been a gun on him all the time. All the radar gun does is put a number on that velocity.

The fastball is and has always been… The most important pitch in baseball, for 99% of those who pitch. And of course all the other stuff is very important also. The fascination with good arms and velocity did not start with the radar gun. Now the truth is… At the very highest levels, the pitcher learns to subtract from his fastball to add command, movement, etc (Maddux). The thing to remember is that it helps to have something to subtract from.

Completely ignoring that the most successful pitchers have good arms and good fastballs (velocity) is not really wise. I suggest getting involved with a “good” pitching coach or instructor. If you have a good arm, he might concentrate on the other things. If you don’t have a good arm, but show promise in the other areas, he will likely try to work on increasing velocity. It’s all about natural ability, mechanics, conditioning, and work ethic.

Bottom line… You can be a very successful pitcher without good velocity, but you will have a hard time getting baseball people to welcome you with open doors. BTW, good velocity does vary depending on all the other things. The lower the velocity the better you need to be at all the other stuff. Best is to work at having it all! If you do not have the natural ability necessary for good velocity, then go ahead and be a master at everything else and take it as far as you can. You are near the age of taking this serious, you will naturally gain some velocity through growth and strength and maybe even increased coordination. Do not rush into thinking you need immediate results. Very small improvements are good enough for now. Be persistent and find a “good” instructor.

Also, never have understood the interest in what is average. Average just isn’t anywhere near good enough if you want to take your game to a higher level. Those averages keep changing the higher you go. The only average that you should be concerned with is what your average is. We have seen pitchers who ended up in professional baseball who threw 90 as a 14 year old and we have seen pitchers who threw 70s as a 14 year old both make it to college and/or pro ball. No one knows what your limit is.

Yes, a "proper" running program will help!
I mentioned the pros so he could recognize some guys that are successful.Great post btw PG,a lot of great advice here! Also don't get discouraged about where you are at 14. A lot can change in the next few years, but it's gonna be up to you.True, find a good pitching coach and start developing a great work ethic.I too have a 14yo lefty that throws around what you do and at the facility we train at here in MI we have one of those good instructors, someone that's been in pro ball for a long time and the amount of info and instruction available to us from him is immeasurable.Keep working hard and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it!
PG's analysis of ingoring average velocities is very similar to an old thread on this subject. I agree with him 99%. I guess the 1% I'd suggest --if you're concerned with average velocities-- is to figure out the average velocities of those at the next level and use that as a goal. It doesn't mean you'll get there, or stop there if you do, but it is probably relevant information when it comes time to make the jump.

Velocity, my dude, is not everything. I speak first hand. I'm 15, 5'10", 140 lbs and a freshman at Hillsborough HS. I've been a closer on my baseball team for a while, but I just got converted to a starter within the past year. When I was 10 and 11, I was still the closer, so I didn't pitch a ton. Instead, I went home with my dad and followed a throwing program (although not correctly). I thought it was a good idea to go all out everytime I threw, so I longtossed and tried to strengthen my arm. Looking back on it, a very dumb choice. At 15, now, I still throw very hard for my stature (77-79 mph fastball on the gun) and have a nice 11-5 curveball and "Vulcan changeup." However, I face the risk of Tommy John since my UCL is quite swollen right now. Hopefully I'll just need a cortisone shot, but I was told not to throw for at least 4 months. So seriously, do NOT overthrow, and do not worry about velo all the time. It should come naturally. I'd focus on developing strong offspeed and good fastball movement. And a tip I can give you for velocity without putting tons of stress on your arm is to literally pitch from 75-80 feet before starting a game. I tried this last year and lit up radar guns once I got into the game. It makes 60 feet look like 40 once you get there. Good luck man and to everyone reading.

Welcome to the site, Dinger.  It's always kind of funny when members find threads and don't notice that they're really old.  They guy you're talking to wrote that almost 13 years ago. So he's 26 or 27 now.  I hope his baseball career worked out great. Who knows, maybe he's still playing!  Anyway, take care of that elbow and have fun.

Welcome Dinger ...

i assume you will be sixteen and a soph in the spring. How far do you expect upper 70's to take you? If a kid wants to be a college pitcher velocity matters, a lot. Take advantage of what you can learn on this site. If you're interested in competing past high school learn how to match your velocity and academics with the right prospective college programs. But first, take care of your arm. Get healthy.

For future reference any baseball performance before high school varsity and 16-18u is irrelevant other than for a handful of early developing, jaw dropping potential top pro prospects.

Last edited by RJM
RJM posted:

Welcome Dinger ...

i assume you will be sixteen and a soph in the spring. How far do you expect upper 70's to take you? If a kid wants to be a college pitcher velocity matters, a lot. Take advantage of what you can learn on this site. If you're interested in competing past high school learn how to match your velocity and academics with the right prospective college programs. But first, take care of your arm. Get healthy.

For future reference any baseball performance before high school varsity and 16-18u is irrelevant other than for a handful of early developing, jaw dropping potential top pro prospects.

Since he was a freshman one day ago, my assumption is that he'll be a freshman in the spring.

2019Dad posted:
RJM posted:

Welcome Dinger ...

i assume you will be sixteen and a soph in the spring. How far do you expect upper 70's to take you? If a kid wants to be a college pitcher velocity matters, a lot. Take advantage of what you can learn on this site. If you're interested in competing past high school learn how to match your velocity and academics with the right prospective college programs. But first, take care of your arm. Get healthy.

For future reference any baseball performance before high school varsity and 16-18u is irrelevant other than for a handful of early developing, jaw dropping potential top pro prospects.

Since he was a freshman one day ago, my assumption is that he'll be a freshman in the spring.

Thank you for finding an irrelevant mistake just for the point of being critical of my post. The important part is chances are he will be sixteen. I'm amazed how some of the posters of 19's and 20's  who have never been there and done it look for every possible little mistake (by  posters who have done it) to be critical. Oh gee, you took me down a peg! Not! It appears there are two likes from experienced posters.

Last edited by RJM
RJM posted:
2019Dad posted:
RJM posted:

Welcome Dinger ...

i assume you will be sixteen and a soph in the spring. How far do you expect upper 70's to take you? If a kid wants to be a college pitcher velocity matters, a lot. Take advantage of what you can learn on this site. If you're interested in competing past high school learn how to match your velocity and academics with the right prospective college programs. But first, take care of your arm. Get healthy.

For future reference any baseball performance before high school varsity and 16-18u is irrelevant other than for a handful of early developing, jaw dropping potential top pro prospects.

Since he was a freshman one day ago, my assumption is that he'll be a freshman in the spring.

Thank you for finding an irrelevant mistake just for the point of being critical of my post. The important part is chances are he will be sixteen.

I agreed with your advice to take care of his arm and get healthy.

The reason I was critical of your post is that telling a freshman who is at 77-79 (which is very solid for September of freshman year" -- 79 mph is the 87th percentile on PG for the class of 2020) -- and for all we know who turned 15 in September as well -- "How far do you expect upper 70's to take you?" is unwarranted, in my opinion. He never said he expected upper 70's to take him anywhere. The implication, it seemed to me, was "you're not that good, and, heck, you're probably almost 16 anyway." I acknowledge, RJM, that it may be simply that I inferred that, and you didn't intend it. If that's the case, you have my apologies.

P.S. -- I would guess that most freshmen who are 15 on October 1 of their freshman year have summer birthdays and their parents held them back for one reason or another.

2019Dad posted:
RJM posted:
2019Dad posted:
RJM posted:

Welcome Dinger ...

i assume you will be sixteen and a soph in the spring. How far do you expect upper 70's to take you? If a kid wants to be a college pitcher velocity matters, a lot. Take advantage of what you can learn on this site. If you're interested in competing past high school learn how to match your velocity and academics with the right prospective college programs. But first, take care of your arm. Get healthy.

For future reference any baseball performance before high school varsity and 16-18u is irrelevant other than for a handful of early developing, jaw dropping potential top pro prospects.

Since he was a freshman one day ago, my assumption is that he'll be a freshman in the spring.

Thank you for finding an irrelevant mistake just for the point of being critical of my post. The important part is chances are he will be sixteen.

I agreed with your advice to take care of his arm and get healthy.

The reason I was critical of your post is that telling a freshman who is at 77-79 (which is very solid for September of freshman year" -- 79 mph is the 87th percentile on PG for the class of 2020) -- and for all we know who turned 15 in September as well -- "How far do you expect upper 70's to take you?" is unwarranted, in my opinion. He never said he expected upper 70's to take him anywhere. The implication, it seemed to me, was "you're not that good, and, heck, you're probably almost 16 anyway." I acknowledge, RJM, that it may be simply that I inferred that, and you didn't intend it. If that's the case, you have my apologies.

P.S. -- I would guess that most freshmen who are 15 on October 1 of their freshman year have summer birthdays and their parents held them back for one reason or another.

Classy reply, 2019.

What I got from his post is velocity doesn't matter. It does. If he wants to play college ball he has a year to get it into the 80's. I don't concern myself with PG percentiles. I deal in real numbers, real velocity. There are a lot of parents wasting money sending their kids to PG when they might be middle to low end D3 prospects at best. It skews the percentiles. 

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