Weighted Balls??

[DonnieS]

This is all news to me and glad I'm reading it. Up in our area you see most of the best pitchers warm up with heavy balls. I'm not talking 15-20 pitches. By the end of there warm ups with the heavy ball they will pitch from 43', full motion and as hard as they can. They then warm up with reg. ball then. As to the catchers, yes I do see a problem. Myself as an adult hurt my shoulder throwing back to my daughter. I see a lot of catchers rolling the ball back because it hurts there shoulder throwing over hand 43' with those balls. Regarding finger injuries, Yes some have had sprains but nothing broken yet thankfully.

Thats some nasty wear and tear.

[superfan]

Midwest...how old are the girls you're talking about? Sounds like alot of wear and tear for both pitcher and catcher. Good mechanics, explosive feet, wrist snap, and long toss are safer ways of increasing velocity.

[BoomBoomPow]

Thankyou for the comments, especially those that went back to topic of "affect to the catchers"...now I just need to figure out how to get my freshman who is slated to start w/Varsity/Catching...to get her coach & Pitcher to understand these warnings, so MY DD doesnt have her carreer potentially damaged by someone else's warm-up techniques, and at the same time not sound like the whiner...MY problem is that she is a Baller and will deal with any discomfort, so that she can continue to play...

[TooOldToCare]

Send a link to this thread to the pitchers father!

[AlwaysImprove]

There are two types of weighted balls.

The rubber ones from Ernie are very heavy, like 5lbs. They should never go above the head. The instructions are very clear on their use. Underhand toss, short distance. They are designed to strengthen the wrist.

Then there are weighted balls, probably better to call these heavy balls, which are .5 ounce to 2 ounces heavier than a regular softball. These are actually designed to be used in a full motion. I actually preferred to make my own slightly weighted ball by driving finishing nails into a ball. That way you can use the same ball used for pitching workouts and you can make it your own weight.

Both types of weighted balls should be used with caution. I never like weighted balls at the start of a workout, but that seems to be where they are most often used. I like using them middle of the workout. When the muscles are nice and warm, but not yet tired.

Most times I have seen pitchers pick up a weighted ball, way over use it for 3 weeks and then forget about it. A much better approach is to use them very slightly over a very long period of time. Have her throw 10-12 pitches with the heavy ball middle of her workout. If you want to use the weighted balls, have her throw 10-12 underhand slings middle of the workout.

I prefer long toss drills and leg drive drills to increase speed.

[DonnieS]

AI, we use the same drills you mention and there is another speed drill that I saw Sara Pauly doing. Her clinic partner explained it to me. You take one of the buckets (the kind we all sit on) and fill them with various size and weight balls. Get to a back stop, and be in an almost soft toss position. Your pitcher is in front of you throwing into the screen. You have golf balls, golf plastic balls, tennis balls, base balls, softball 'softie' balls, and regular softballs mixed in. We never used over weighted balls because this is done with the windmill motion. You toss them, she does a complete windmill , throwing into a spot on the backstop as hard as she can, and you toss her the ball as quickly as you can - she has to continue throwing with good form - but as fast as you can toss the balls to her. We would do a couple of buckets, always at the end of practice. When Sara was doing the drill, she worked her self into a major sweat.

[Midwest]

Superfan - The girls are 14 on up. Don't get me wrong they do the snaps, long toss and work on the legs without the heavy ball. For the first 5-10 minutes of warm ups its all heavy ball. Hearing the comments from others I will now have my daughter decrease the amount of time on the heavey ball and how she throws it.

[Tucson]

I disagree that weighted balls of any size were made for young girls to pitch windmill with. I have spoken with Alan Jaeger on the phone about this (Jaegersports.com) and he confirms my thoughts. There is no benefit from pitching or throwing a weighted ball.

To change up my lessons, sometimes we will throw a 16 inch softball and then, a 14 inch softball, but we are not adding any weight.

[fastpitchforever]

Pitching at full speed from 43' with a weighted ball is nuts.

[72BSPF]

My DD was born in 2000 she has gone on several tryout's just to see if she has what it takes to be on a TB. She has good fielding skills and her batting she can swing right, left, and slap. But her arm is not strong enough just yet for throwing the ball a certain distance. My question is should I let it develop overtime or should I use a wieghted ball for throwing only to develop it for throwing a longer distance? What else works for building up a stronger arm.