Quick Question

The fact that he went from over the top to sidearm, makes it difficult to judge whether the jump in velo came from the arm slot change or any perceived strength he added.  If you had last Fall radar reading from side arm, that would help.  It could be that the side arm delivery matches up better to the sequence of efficient body movement, and not so much to strength gains.  Predicting velocity gains is difficult without much more info.

 

What age is your son?

This fall he topped out at 78 a few times.  By season he wants to be top out 80 and consistently throw 78.  Son is 16.  6'4 righty.  Currently working out everyday doing "Insanity and "T25" hitting core hard along with jaeger bands.  Was consistently 75-76 this fall sidearm/submarine. 

Before I get into the meat and potatoes of my response I want to say props to your son for working hard and dedicating himself every day. That is not as common these days as it should be and I commend him for that. Also, how much does he weigh?

 

However, as a strength and conditioning coach I want to comment on your son performing those workout DVD crazes such as Insanity. First of all, doing these programs is a HECKUVA lot better than sitting on the couch playing video games or whatever, but if your son wants to seriously gain strength and power then Insanity is not going to get the job done. These types of workout programs are not designed with the athlete in mind, and definitely not the pitcher in mind. Your son will be much better off following a program that is specifically designed to improve his needs and goals, all while keeping his body healthy. If I may ask, what type of core work is he doing? I've done the Insanity ab circuits before, and while they give you a deep burn, the exercises they have do not strengthen the core in a way that translates onto the mound. 

 

I hope I didn't come across as harsh in this post. Again, I commend your son on working hard every day, I'd just like to see him doing a program that is going to get him much better results. If you have any questions about what type of program he should be doing feel free to ask.

Son weighs 185.  The core work he does is all Insanity, P90x, and T25.  His goal for season was to become stronger in core, more flexible, more explosive and more agile so he began doing these types of workouts. 

I.  IMO those types of workouts are outstanding outlets for a young person as a place to start and can definitely lead to good things in terms of fitness, stamina, endurance, mobility. Stability - all very important for health and indeed elements necessary for a competitive athlete.  Also you son committing to such workouts is a sign of conviction, initiative, determination.

I would echo some of Austin's comments that there are even better training programs that would be recommended for a pitcher.  Your son has a good period of time now before baseball season to follow through with the gains he has already made and prepare for the season, establishing a sound training program.

POD,

 

I think what you are seeing is as much a function of someone transitioning into "manhood" as it is the training.  Sure getting in shape,and having a program certainly helps.  I have seen "MANY" times young, physically gifted athletes, see significant gains, by merely their bodies maturing into their large frame bodies. 

 

There has always been a long debate with little proof to confirm velocity gains are a result of (pick any of these):  weighted ball program, extreme long toss programs, Olympic weight training, core strength programs, xyz Pitching Guru Velocity Program, etc., etc.  The debate is whether either of these programs were the main contributing factor of the velocity gain, or rather that the velocity gains would have come anyway, by mere virtue of natural physical maturation.

 

This certainly is not to say, do nothing and it will happen anyway.  I think every pitcher should have a well thought out plan of attack for both off season, and in season.  To be able to gauge / predict velocity gains in this circumstance is guess work at best.  There have been posters on here that have indicated steady 2-3 MPH gains per year starting as a Freshman, while others have noted minimal gains, and then suddenly within 6 months or so a substantial velocity gain.  Speculation at best to determine why either of those occur.

 

My intrigue more than anything is your son changing from his natural arm slot, to a submarine thrower.  With his present size / age I would expect him to project well down the road.  My experience is that the submarine type thrower is very specialized, and utilized normally in specific relief circumstances (especially at the higher levels).  When viewed as it relates to opportunities beyond HS, there are far greater pitching slots for the non-submarine type throwers.  I am not criticizing your reason for doing this, just seemed odd for someone to go that route at this young age, and ESPECIALLY with his present size.

Honestly you are probably right.  Son was an extremely late bloomer.  Puberty never really hit him hard until last year.  He switced to side/sub because he gets good movement on the fastball and can throw at the same speed there as he can over the top.  Over the top his fastball is flat with no tail or movement.