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Football is a physical sport, so it makes sense for players to want to bulk up with plenty of muscle and weight to fly across the field and make tackles. Baseball, on the other hand, is not a physical sport. While physical skills are certainly beneficial in the game, brute strength isn’t one of them – most especially if you’re a pitcher (who isn’t expected to be the world’s best hitter or runner). Why, then, do too many pitchers train for strength when they should be working on their pitching technique?

Which physical skill is more important: strength or speed? When it comes to pitching a baseball, speed wins. No, strength training isn’t necessary to gain speed, either. First, the mind has to understand pitching mechanics, then the body has to practice them – so that executing proper position and form is as natural as slipping a hand into a batting glove. Since the body and not the arm controls speed, once a player learns the proper body mechanics, everything else falls right into place.

What are some dos and don’ts that will encourage a pitcher to gain velocity through proper pitching mechanics instead of attempting to increase strength? Don’t do weight training, throw weighted balls, or focus on the long toss. Remember, this will only make the arm stronger, not the pitcher. In fact, these are sure ways to simply increase chance of injury, so it is doubly important to avoid them. Neither are drills or other excessively repetitive exercises helpful.

Should the pitcher, then, instead do the complete opposite and simply practice by playing “catch” or doing anything less than game intensity pitching? No. Just because the pitcher should be concentrating on training his whole body to use proper pitching mechanics – instead of focusing on his arm through tunnel vision – doesn’t mean his practice shouldn’t be intense.

Keep the body under control by eliminating unnecessary and speed-decreasing movements. Don’t rotate your trunk or hips. Don’t step to the side before lifting your leg or lift your leg too high. Implement a longer stride, however, to put you closer to the plate and add to your overall control. While position is important, don’t obsess over “staying tall”, as this can actually shorten your stride. Don’t forget: In baseball, speed outranks strength, and speed is gained not through strength and baseball pitching drills, but through mechanics. With good mechanics, a baseball pitcher will simultaneously acquire both faster speed and better control.

Filed under: Recreation and Sports on January 24th, 2009