Ive been asking myself this question how much can weight lifting really increase your am velo. Does it really matter being able to throw 88mph or can getting rid of the ball quickly make up for it. If there are any suggestions that are shown to help increase velo let me know.
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Weight lifting is really good for your am velo. It's good for your pm velo too!
Velo from short stop is pretty important because it translates into the ability to throw out a runner on a ball in the hole. There are metrics out there that say D1 guys need to be 85+ IF velo etc, but like everything else it is subjective to the coach and what he sees in the player (right Ironhorse?).
I can tell you that weight lifting is very important in throwing velo whether pitching or playing a position, but of equal importance is technique. My son has picked up velo in the past year that is due in large part to the leg work he has done, which also translates into improvements in power at the plate. But equally if the player takes the correct angle, goes through the ball, stays low throughout the motion and closes ground to 1B during the fielding process they will see improved velo as well. It’s not always possible to do all that, like on run and gun plays, so upper body and shoulder strength and throwing from different arm slots is critical too. Quick hands and transfer are a plus, flashing a great glove is a plus because you can’t throw a baseball you haven’t fielded yet. Seen guys with a weaker arm play amazing SS and look awesome, seen guys with hoses not look great due to poor technique or habits of relying on the velo.
One thing I have noticed in these showcases like PBR and PG, many players (not all), are throwing technique out the door to hit a high velo for the gun to put on their profile. You see Long pitching arm action, with some almost in a crow hop style into a pull-down. These are throws from balls hit to SS. I am sure they are probably getting an additional 5mph (or more) on their throws, but give up time to release. They get high-lighted for their throws across the field leading the competition. Seems we are rewarding this... I would hope that the college coaches are looking at the arm action with these throws to be sure they are comparing apples to apples. Take two players, one that is throwing 90mph across the field, and one that is throwing 80mph across the field. Doing the math, for say a 120ft throw across, the 90mph player has rough 1/10 of a second longer to wait to throw for his ball to reach first compared to the 80mph throw. Looking at it another way, the 80mph arm action player only has to release 1/10s quicker to be on par with 90mph. You can lose .2s easy in arm action alone with bad technique. With that said, I would put a big emphasis on technique and skill as well. Anyone else seeing the same trends?
Linedrive_07 posted:One thing I have noticed in these showcases like PBR and PG, many players (not all), are throwing technique out the door to hit a high velo for the gun to put on their profile. You see Long pitching arm action, with some almost in a crow hop style into a pull-down. These are throws from balls hit to SS. I am sure they are probably getting an additional 5mph (or more) on their throws, but give up time to release. They get high-lighted for their throws across the field leading the competition. Seems we are rewarding this... I would hope that the college coaches are looking at the arm action with these throws to be sure they are comparing apples to apples. Take two players, one that is throwing 90mph across the field, and one that is throwing 80mph across the field. Doing the math, for say a 120ft throw across, the 90mph player has rough 1/10 of a second longer to wait to throw for his ball to reach first compared to the 80mph throw. Looking at it another way, the 80mph arm action player only has to release 1/10s quicker to be on par with 90mph. You can lose .2s easy in arm action alone with bad technique. With that said, I would put a big emphasis on technique and skill as well. Anyone else seeing the same trends?
I've seen the same. My son's former hitting coach likes to post vids of his "100 Club". I've yet to see a vid posted of a 100 club kid whose swing looks ANYWHERE near orthodox when striving for that 100 club status.
Linedrive_07 posted:One thing I have noticed in these showcases like PBR and PG, many players (not all), are throwing technique out the door to hit a high velo for the gun to put on their profile. You see Long pitching arm action, with some almost in a crow hop style into a pull-down. These are throws from balls hit to SS. I am sure they are probably getting an additional 5mph (or more) on their throws, but give up time to release. They get high-lighted for their throws across the field leading the competition. Seems we are rewarding this... I would hope that the college coaches are looking at the arm action with these throws to be sure they are comparing apples to apples. Take two players, one that is throwing 90mph across the field, and one that is throwing 80mph across the field. Doing the math, for say a 120ft throw across, the 90mph player has rough 1/10 of a second longer to wait to throw for his ball to reach first compared to the 80mph throw. Looking at it another way, the 80mph arm action player only has to release 1/10s quicker to be on par with 90mph. You can lose .2s easy in arm action alone with bad technique. With that said, I would put a big emphasis on technique and skill as well. Anyone else seeing the same trends?
The perspective is it’s easier to fix mechanics than increase velocity. It’s better to throw a laser into the third row of seats than an accurate better than average throw in front of a coach/scout.
RJM posted:Linedrive_07 posted:One thing I have noticed in these showcases like PBR and PG, many players (not all), are throwing technique out the door to hit a high velo for the gun to put on their profile. You see Long pitching arm action, with some almost in a crow hop style into a pull-down. These are throws from balls hit to SS. I am sure they are probably getting an additional 5mph (or more) on their throws, but give up time to release. They get high-lighted for their throws across the field leading the competition. Seems we are rewarding this... I would hope that the college coaches are looking at the arm action with these throws to be sure they are comparing apples to apples. Take two players, one that is throwing 90mph across the field, and one that is throwing 80mph across the field. Doing the math, for say a 120ft throw across, the 90mph player has rough 1/10 of a second longer to wait to throw for his ball to reach first compared to the 80mph throw. Looking at it another way, the 80mph arm action player only has to release 1/10s quicker to be on par with 90mph. You can lose .2s easy in arm action alone with bad technique. With that said, I would put a big emphasis on technique and skill as well. Anyone else seeing the same trends?
The perspective is it’s easier to fix mechanics than increase velocity. It’s better to throw a laser into the third row of seats than an accurate better than average throw in front of a coach/scout.
Yes, but of course you can throw harder with a crow hop and long arm action. That is not a mechanical tweak. It is different type of throw and you can put more on it than quick short arm action. Seems to me, you would need to compare apples to apples with short arm action type throws to get a correct velo comparison. You are with the trend that I am seeing though. Throw as hard as you can even into the seats with a long crow-hopped pull-down, for an infield velo evaluation. Would be great to hear from some college coaches to get their perspective.
I agree with many of the opinions about the PG throws from the infield. We attended one that the record holder at that event threw the ball in another field each and every throw?????? I have always been a proponent of proper execution however at events similar to PG give them what they want, it is what gets noticed. When in Rome do as the Romans do. Doesn't mean we have to like it.
