Is this pitchinig information have any truth to it

You need both - arm strength and arm speed -- without a balance, your arm is dust. Woe to the young pitcher who neglects arm strength in the quest for speed only.

Krakatoa is right there must be a balance. If I get my hand moving 105 MPH but lack arm strength I risk tearing up the ligaments and muscles that hold the arm together.

Developing a delivery that produces arm speed is important but like I heard somewhere. "Woe to the young pitcher who neglects arm strength in the quest for speed only."

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No amount of arm strength drills will speed up the arm.

Who told you this?

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Only explosive body movements will do that

Never know anyone that was weak that was "explosive".

Tiger Woods will never win any strong man events. What he has is speed -- unbelievable speed. There are no absolutes, but there are important principles at play here.

I think you were just trying to make a point when you mentioned Tiger Woods but I think you picked the wrong guy he can bench 300 lbs

This sounds like the Dick Mills school of pitching.

Surely everyone agrees that pitching is much more than arm strength. Its a whole body motion that requires speed, strength, and timing. I buy into the theory that a pitcher has to get his body rotating quickly in order to get arm speed, and that a "strong" arm is not sufficient to get the required velocity.

I don't qualify as an expert, but just some emperical information from my son's experience:

His Sophmore year, he was 6'3" & 185 lbs, with his FB at 82-84. During his Soph and Junior year off-season, he hit a rigorous training program, including high protein nutrition. Weights, balance platform work, yoga, core strength training ... alternating workouts 6 days per week so his body had a recovery/rebuild day for each type of workout. Yes, he got his arm much stronger, but he really put on a lot of muscle mass into his legs, chest, rib cage, back, and shoulders. And with the yoga, maintained balance, flexibility, and fine motor control.

By his Junior year, he was 6'4"+ and 210 lbs. Not only could he build up more momentum through his body and carry it down the hill ... he was strong enough throughout his core to DECELERATE that additional momentum. If you want to drive a fast car, you need BIG brakes! Same with deliverying arm speed. Your body has to be strong enough to decelerate that momentum without tearing up tissue in your arm, shoulder, falling over, etc.

His FB velocity improved to 87-89. His goal for next year is to continue his training regime and get up to the 220+ lb range, continue to refine his mechanics and delivery so all that additional strength is working in unison. Hopefully push his FB consistently over 90 next year.

The other thing: all that core strength also helped his power at the plate. A hit where he 'missed' the sweat spot last year as a soph was a caught fly ... this year was a hit to the fence. If he "pi**ed on it" this year, it was flat gone.

Most of the time, your autonomous nervous system won't let you build up more momentum than you are capable of decelerating ... otherwise you'd fall over flat on your face all the time. Some people can consciously push their body to it's limits on every pitch to get that extra couple MPH ... but that's when you start to see injuries. Your body needs to be strong enough to comfortably absorb the deceleration of that extra MPH without constant overstressing to max capacity.

I've heard Dick Mills say that very same point. That arm strenth has nothing to do with velocity. Arm speed does. Then one should ask how you get arm speed with no arm strenth? Also I don't think a skeletan can throw very hard without muscle strenth!

Just like i thought.edited....watch yourself

quote:

Originally posted by Fungo:

quote:

No amount of arm strength drills will speed up the arm.

Who told you this?

quote:

Only explosive body movements will do that

Never know anyone that was weak that was "explosive".

I was thinking it sounds like D.M. -- could be wrong, though

smokky, you sound a lot like that cpscatcher fella. Are you double-dipping?

You mean Circumventing?? No.