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I agree. These guys have been coached. They have great training programs. A few things can and will be tweaked, but the improvement of arm strength is going to be minimal.

Look at MLB pitchers. Why do we have pitchers who top out in the 100s and others who top out in the 80s if improving arm strength was so easy to do?

Why Some Pitchers Throw Harder than Others?

Brent PourciauPitching Articles1 comment

Pitchers Throw Harder, Hard Throwing Pitchers, Why Some Pitchers Throw Harder Than OthersWhy Some Pitchers Throw Harder Than Others is a big question in baseball and it is a question that seems to continue to go unanswered. Determining why some pitchers throw harder than others was the basis for a study by the American Sports Medicine Institute, the School of Health & Sports Sciences Osaka University and the Department of Surgery Duke University. The study was called KINEMATIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HIGHLY-SKILLED AND LESS-SKILLED BASEBALL PITCHERS. This study took place in 1999.

I wanted to title this article, “Why Some Athletes Throw Harder than Others?” but conventional wisdom does not label pitchers as athletes yet so I didn’t want to confuse anyone. I hope I can help change this perspective of us Pitchers in the near future.
The results of the study showed that hard throwing pitchers had more external rotation of the throwing shoulder after front foot strike and also had more forward trunk tilt at ball release. You can read the results and more of the study here.

I believe these results are true because it is a part of my 6 components to velocity in the 3X Pitching Velocity Program. The reason that the results of this study do not answer the question, “Why Some Pitchers Throw Harder than Others?” is because you can’t answer a question with another question. The final results of this study leaves us with a new question, “Why Do Some Pitchers Have More External Rotation and More Forward Trunk Tilt than Others?” The answers to this question was attempted in the study but neglected, I believe because the researchers were more focused on physics than biology in finding the answer. I have nothing against a physics approach but it doesn’t give us all the answers and most researchers today, performing these baseball studies, are not focusing enough on biology. Now that we have a pretty good understanding of efficient and effective velocity focused pitching mechanics, we now need to understand more about the athletes or pitchers who are performing these mechanics.

The point in this study when the researchers attempted to answer the question, that inspired this study, was when they stated that, “The greater external rotation produced by the FAST group may increase the stretch-shortening action of the internal rotators, and consequently, contribute to greater ball velocity.” The reference to the stretch-shortening cycle should have pulled them into biology to continue searching for the final answer, but they left us hanging as if their money ran out and they had no more time to continue on. So, I would like to continue the study for them here. First we need to learn more about the stretch-shortening cycle before we continue.

The stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) can be defined as an active stretch (eccentric contraction) of a muscle followed by an immediate shortening (concentric contraction) of that same muscle.
This makes perfect sense because the reason the harder throwers have more external rotation and forward trunk tilt is to maximize the SSC but now the question becomes will all pitchers have the same velocities with the same degrees of external rotation? The answer to this question is, NO. All athletes are different because of their muscular, skeletal, and chemical makeup. This is what separates us physically from each other. The harder throwers will get more velocity from the same external rotation than the slower throwers because they have physical attributes that allow them to move with more power. Power is strength and speed combined. This would mean you could take two different body types, with the exact same pitching mechanics and receive two different velocities.

The Final Answer To Pitching Velocity

Why do some pitchers throw harder than others? Because they have more external rotation after front foot strike, more forward trunk tilt, and they are able to generate more power with their muscular, skeletal, and chemical makeup, through the stretch-shortening cycle, during external rotation.

Fast Twitch Muscle Fiber PitchingIn conclusion, this study shows us pitchers that we must create more external rotation after front foot strike, along with more forward trunk tilt. This will allow us to maximize our body’s potential to reach its top velocity. Once we accomplish this then we must train our body’s to produce more power than we are capable of creating. This is only possible through a strength and conditioning program that is focused on remodeling more fast twitch muscle fibers. Fast twitch muscle fibers are the only muscle fibers that can generate power. This is why I highly recommend the 3X Pitching Velocity Program. It takes this exact strategy to gaining pitching velocity, with the velocity drills, which train you to develop more external rotation with the 3X approach and forward trunk tilt, along with the Fusion System, which is a strength and conditioning program that focuses on remodeling more fast twitch muscle fibers.

The next study I will be looking out for is, the one that shows us athletes how to remodel more fast twitch muscle fibers in a short amount of time, which will increase the power we can generate during the stretch-shortening cycle. Stay Tuned!

https://www.topvelocity.net/why-some-pitchers-throw-harder-than-others/

How Do Skinny Pitchers Achieve Above-Average Velocity?

October 13, 20057 comments
We now have another valid reason why so many pitchers do not reach their velocity potential. They spend too much time on flexibility training.

Specifically, pitchers spend wasted time on static stretching prior to throwing that studies have now proven actually reduces velocity. This would also include doing flexible tubing exercises prior to throwing. If you want to do flexible tubing, then use it two or three times a week as a shoulder strengthening device – after games, not before. Keep in mind that flexible tubing is no better than light dumbbells, and if the pitcher goes beyond his normal range of motion using rubber tubing, he risks adding looseness to his shoulder, which creates more risk of arm injury and less arm speed.

As previously stated, the best way to warm-up prior to throwing is to do a dynamic warm-up of various full body exercises such as agilities, cariocas, forward and backward running, skipping, lateral running, and walking lunges. Once the pitcher works up a light sweat, he can begin throwing while gradually building intensity. We see no reason or benefit in doing flexible tubing. The pitcher is far better off putting his energy into throwing.

I watched with interest the recently as right-handed pitcher Ervin Santana threw his fastball 92 to 96 mph and is listed at 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds. We can safely say that Santana is plain skinny. Spindles for legs, skinny upper body, and skinny arms.

If he were recruited as a lanky high school senior to play at a top Division I baseball school, more than likely they would work hard to get him bigger and stronger so he could throw even harder. Also more than likely, he would be ruined as many others have been because of that misguided training philosophy.

How is such a skinny pitcher able to accomplish that velocity on such a weak frame? Most in baseball would say he was born with “gifted arm,” which is another foolish belief that baseball continues to perpetuate. I will bet that his non-throwing arm is just as strong as his throwing arm.

Speed of Movement Translates to Pitching Speed

We know that pitching velocity is not about arm strength at all. That means that no amount of weight lifting or long toss is going to aid a pitcher in throwing harder. Certainly not throwing weighted baseballs. What does effect velocity is the ability of the pitcher to put as many muscles of his body on stretch as quickly as possible. In the case of Santana and all skinny or lanky pitchers who throw hard, they do it because of speed of movement while lunging explosively from the back leg to the front leg. Because Santana, like Pedro Martinez, does not have a large frame like many pitchers who weigh more than 200 pounds, they make up for that loss of body mass and weight by simply moving their bodies more quickly as they transfer energy from one large body segment to the next. The benefactor of that body movement speed is the pitching arm, which is whipped through at high speed.

The point is that you can only build arm speed by focusing on developing a smooth delivery, which comes as the result of optimizing the timing of body segments as energy is passed finally to the arm.

No amount of weight training or long toss is going to aid a skinny and lanky or small pitcher in throwing harder. What weight training often does is provide the exact opposite effect that coaches promise. When the pitcher puts on more muscle or body mass, he ends up moving slower. If his body moves slower, his arm speed will be slower, and he may actually lose velocity. This is only common sense, which apparently most coaches and many online instructors do not understand.

What do we continuously hear at online baseball forums? Hit the weight room. For pitchers, they are encouraged to build those legs, legs, legs and more legs. Why? Santana has skinny legs, so building big legs doesn’t seem to be a component of more velocity even though there are many Major League pitchers who have big legs. But some don’t. Many throw hard without big legs.

Do the coaches ever explain why pitchers need to build those legs? No, they don’t, because they can’t. None of the certified strength trainers can explain what exactly a pitcher needs more strength for or why. Just get bigger and stronger, and maybe you’ll throw harder.

We also know that most high school pitchers who claim to throw harder from long toss or weight lifting actually get it from normal growth and development.

If legs were the key to more velocity then how on Earth does skinny Santana throw into the mid-90s? Where does that power come from? Maybe just maybe it comes from his mechanics, or his ability to time the segments of his body as he moves from his back leg to his front leg almost perfectly. Did you notice that Santana looked smooth? Smoothness is a component of good timing where the pitcher looks almost effortless. You can only gain that smoothness by working on your delivery preferably while throwing from a mound.

If we fired all strength trainers and made long toss illegal would we see an immediate drop in velocity across the board in high school, college, and professional baseball? I can assure you we would not. What if we got rid of all flexibility exercises including rubber tubing exercises before games. According to recent studies on the value of flexibility, pitching velocity would go up and injuries would go down. Most coaches do not know this, however. They will continue to do what has proven not to work instead.

So, I believe with zero long toss and no more flexibility exercises prior to throwing what you would see is a reduction of arm injuries.

But the mystery that every certified strength coach should have to explain is how do skinny pitchers with skinny legs throw with above-average velocity. They might cop out, and say that they were just born with good arms. They would again show their ignorance.

Torso Muscles, Not Arm Muscles, Generate Pitch Speed

Hopefully, those who read this blog and follow what I have been saying now for a long time would also understand how foolish that explanation really is. Pitching is a skill where the large muscles of the body deliver the arm. It’s not about a strong arm. It is about the body delivering the arm. This is exactly why weighted balls are a waste of time and money.

If any of you are cruising the Internet looking for performance tips, you will be able to hit many forums that would have you believe that hitting the weights in the offseason is a must for all pitchers. Not just a little weight training but a lot – all during the offseason.

You might also wonder if baseball coaches believe that the act of actual pitching (throwing from a mound) is a valuable activity during the offseason. After all, pitchers still do not “lift” the ball up there by “benching it” or “squatting it.” It seems that weight training has overtaken pitching as the most valuable offseason activity.

Does anyone see a problem with this kind of thinking? The problem with that thinking is that pitching, like golf is a skill activity not a strength activity. Pitchers get rewarded by hitting the glove, changing speeds and making hitters feel uncomfortable. They do not get rewarded for how far they can throw the baseball. That being the case, why long toss? The explanations you will read about the benefits of long toss are pure foolishness.

Pitchers are Not Fit to Pitch Because They Don’t Throw Enough

What would happen if all high school, college and professional pitchers took a month off after the summer season, did some initial weight training to prepare their bodies to do explosive training (four to five weeks would be enough) rather than building strength all during the offseason. Why spend time building strength that cannot be used. After all, how much strength is really required to throw a 5-ounce baseball. Not much.

What if these pitchers, while working on getting fit, would also begin throwing twice a week from the mound during the offseason? Let’s just say two 1 1/2 half-hour sessions a week at full-game intensity. They would start with two 50-pitch bullpens spaced out for full recovery. But, we would not be throwing those bullpens like most pitchers throw them, instead we would take time in between each pitch, let say 30 seconds to make needed mechanical and mental adjustments. Each bullpen would be in block sets of five pitches. At the end of those five pitches, the pitcher would take a three-minute break, and evaluate what his goals are and if he made progress during the five pitches. So if the pitcher is throwing a 50-pitch bullpen he will be throwing 10 sets of five pitches each. That should take about an hour.

More Time Needs to Be Spent on Bullpens

Do you know how long it takes the average Major League pitcher to throw 100 pitches during a game? Forty to 50 minutes. Why not put that time into a bullpen, which will specifically prepare the pitcher for what he will be required to do in the game, such as stand out there on the mound and pitch for 40 to 50 minutes. I wonder if that’s why starting pitchers can’t go deeper into games. They generally only spend 10 to 15 minutes throwing their side-day bullpens. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense does it. That’s why we say pitchers simply are not “fit to pitch” even at the Major League level.

We understand that pitching is not a strength activity. If it was then how would Little League pitchers at the ages of 10 to 12 years old be able to throw 70 mph which from 60 feet 6 inches is the equivalent of 90 mph plus? I would expect that none of those kids got that velocity from doing long toss or hitting the weights.

If our pitcher was working on his mechanics all during the offseason either his coach or his parent could videotape him and provide some feedback to see if progress is being made. Otherwise, you could waste a lot of time while actually getting worse instead of better. After all pitching success for growing and developing pitchers is about finding mechanical faults and fixing them. That is what leads to the smooth and effortless looking delivery like Santana. No amount of long toss or weight lifting is going to improve upon building a smooth delivery. It will, however, waste a whole lot of time.

Is there any chance that those pitchers would improve if they worked on their mechanics, and eventually worked on their pitch command and velocity all during the offseason. Notice that I did not suggest to throw those bullpens on flat ground or at less-than-game intensity. Why? Because that is a waste of time. Do pitchers throw in games at less intensity and throw on flat ground? Of course not. So, if you are going to practice, why not do it at full-game intensity because that is what the body learns how to do.

If a pitcher uses good mechanics focusing on being explosive moving from his back leg to his front leg, gets into a good landing and cocked position, his body will have done its job in developing and transferring that energy into stored elastic energy so that the pitcher’s arm has the ability to whip through at high speed. That’s how skinny Santana does it.

Throwing from the Mound at Game Intensity Will Increase Velocity

That is exactly how any pitcher can gain more speed. He doesn’t need weight training or weeks and weeks of long toss. Just good mechanics throwing downhill from a mound while throwing enough game intensity pitches to build his volume of pitches. In doing that, he is teaching his body to be fit to pitch.

Santana is not a poster boy for most pro scouts. They are generally out there looking for “horses,” not skinny “colts,” who can run the ball up there 90-plus. How then can we make Santana a horse since according pro baseball “horses” for pitchers are stronger and have more stamina and, therefore, can throw more pitches and have a longer and more injury-free career. That is just more baseball belief with zero evidence to support it.

I wonder how many conversations the Angels “big guys” have had about getting Santana bigger? I will bet more than a few.

More horse manure from the mouths of the misinformed, which may ruin the career of a potentially above-average Major League pitcher.

I would highly suggest that you continuously ask coaches or instructors or owners of baseball websites “why” pitchers need to get stronger doing weight training, why they need to long toss or throw weighted balls, why they need to use rubber bands or do certain flexibility exercises, why they should throw on flat ground rather than a mound, or why they should do pitching drills.

Don’t settle for answers like “that’s just the way it is” or “that’s the way we did it in my organization” or other belief-based answers.

What you will more than likely get are very creative answers that will more than likely have no basis in fact.

http://www.pitching.com/blog/how-do-skinny-pitchers-achieve-above-average-velocity/

I look at a Brady Quinn, Mr Muscle and Fitness, who could barely through a 10yard out.

Then I look at Michael Vick, a bean pole in comparison, who with a flick of his wrist could throw a 50 yard pass on a rope...

I don't pretend to understand it. I just think who you are is who you will be.

actually it can. Tom House is making a living on it.

Kessler show different arm strength before and after the House camp.

Just like speed. You can make anyone faster...of course no you cannot take a guy from 4.6 to 4.2. But you can take a 4.6 guy and make him possibly a 4.48 or a 4.52

Kessler is middle of the road at best on Arm strength - this is true. can it translate to success that all depends on how fast his reads become and his release. We'll see in time. But if we can develop a kid with a better arm and the same aptitude to the game...All the Better. I'd like Webb as a mid rounder.

jmho

I'm not sure if it's the greatest analogy. There is some truth to it, but the goal in football isn't to throw the ball as fast as you can. You also don't always throw the ball to the same spot from the same distance.

Looking at the velocity measurements at the combine there isn't that big a spread. There are successful QBs who have had Kessler's velocity.

As you said, some pitchers throw 80s and some throw 100s. The ones in the 80s can be successful.

Kessler is also in that potentially successful range.

Whether or not he'll be able to improve his ability to throw accurately with more velocity down the field is hard for me to say. I don't think it is strictly an "arm strength" issue.

I wish I had more access to advanced statistics to see the ball speeds of various QBs on down the field throws.

I always wondered if that had something to do with Tim Tebows terrible throwing motion

Dude was jacked.

Had he tried to throw the ball properly, it possibly would of made him worse.

We have had this discussion before. You aren't going to take a weak armed QB who is 23 and has had years of quality training and make him a rocket arm. It is what it is.

Sure, you might add a little something, but in real terms, it's nothing. And the reality is you aren't adding anything. The kid has hit that number all along. You are simply allowing him to hit his top number more often.


That is what training is all about. Allowing a player to reach his potential on a consistent basis.

I know what I am talking about here. Why don't all golfers hit it as far as Tiger, Phil, or Bubba? Why don't all pitchers throw it as hard as Chapman, Nolan, or Sandy? Trust me fella, it wasn't because they weren't coached good enough.


Stop.

I look at a Brady Quinn, Mr Muscle and Fitness, who could barely through a 10yard out.

Then I look at Michael Vick, a bean pole in comparison, who with a flick of his wrist could throw a 50 yard pass on a rope...

I don't pretend to understand it. I just think who you are is who you will be.

Reading through here reminded me of something...years ago I remember Donovan McNabb had a clause in his contract that prevented him from working out...to prevent him from getting overly ripped...seems like Philly knew something into the measures what you guys are mentioning

Well I don't have any science books I can point anyone to BUT I know from experience that as you bulk up you tend to become less flexible and that ligaments and tendons tend to thicken up and become more brittle. For a throwing motion you need tendons to be softer so they can have more of a whip like effect. There are ways to exercise and improve strength without gaining too much density in muscle mass and its better for most athletes who need to be agile instead of like a tank. For instance Gymnasts can be incredibly strong without ever having lifted weights.