3-HOW TO DEVELOP PITCHING SPEED

First of all, I would like to help answer the frequently asked question; Can my girl become a fast pitcher? This is a tough, tough question to approach. In fact , I rarely even attempt to answer it without observing the pitcher in question, for several months, or even years! Why? Well, there is no sure way of telling who is physiologically capable of becoming fast and who is not. Furthermore, there is no sure way of telling who is going to work hard and smart , on a year round bases, for years. That being said, here are some things I look for in order to make an educated guess.

First, there can be no doubt that height helps.If the pitcher is relatively tall, or is going to be so, she has a head start on almost all other girls in the speed race. Not only does being tall mean you will probably have longer than average arms, which can develop lots of force in the circular, windmill motion, but tall bodies generate lots of energy during the stride phase of the pitch.

Fast people make fast pitchers. Even very short girls can throw very hard , if they can develop lots of explosiveness in their stride phase. These girls usually have very whippy arms as well, and this converts to high hand speed at release.

Muscular girls can learn to pitch very fast, as well. Muscles contribute to body speed and arm speed. Their hands tend to slow down less than weaker girls, during the release phase of the pitch. Strong hands can contribute to a powerful wrist snap, resulting in a few more miles per hour than a weaker snap would.

Consider for a moment, the dilemma of answering the "who can be fast question" when it come to young athletes with very little training. Unless they are already tall, there is no way of telling if they will become tall. You can look at the parent and create an estimate, but I have found that this estimate often fails. She may be 5'5 at 9 or 10 and grow another 6 inches, or she may not grow another inch, at all. They may show up as fast runners and overhand throwers to begin with, but if not, we can't be sure if they will be fast movers, or not , later on. Who can figure how much fast- twitch muscle they possess and where in their body it lies. Girls can have fast legs and slow arms and the reverse is true. They have to train and condition extensively, before a rough estimate of body speed can be turned into an accurate assessment. In a few cases a girl will show up for lessons already muscularly developed. Usually , this is not the case and there is very little way of telling who will gain lots of fast muscle, lose fat, and work hard to do so. So there you have it. In essence, a knowledgeable coach can make a guess up front, but until all of the intangibles surface, there is no real way of telling what is inside the athlete.

A fast pitch is the result of a pitchers ability to release the ball with a fast hand. The ball will only go as fast as her hand is going as she releases the ball. A blend of height, body speed and muscle, along with efficient mechanics , will produce fast pitches. The more you have of each element, the faster you can be.

One last note before we go to tips: Some girls show up with speed in their first lessons, while others may take months to develop speed. Many of the slow developers will become very fast. On the other hand, some just are not made to be pitchers.

Here are some drills and exercise tips you can use to develop speed. Most tips are coded so that only r CF pitchers can fully understand . However, everyone is welcome to call, or e mail for more information.


1. Pitch a lot. 3-5 times a week. 75-150 pitches each time, depending on your age and level.

2. Pitch hard. Pitching less than all out will not develop speed, unless you are doing so to improve a problematic mechanic.

3. Pitch balls that are 1/2-1 1/2 ounces lighter and heavier than normal, along with normal weighted balls. I have a specific program for this process.

4. Condition your body. Emphasize power building over slow muscle building. Jump rope, run sprints, lift weights, use stretch cords, use the Jinni Finch machine, use medicine balls, apply plyometrics, do crunches, push ups stretches, apply exercise tapes, whatever you like-just do it!!! I have more information on this.

5. Do double and triples.

6. Do run and shoots.

7. Do distance reps.

8. Do burnouts / rapid throws.

9. Throw 11" and 14" balls.

10. Develop your form. Work on balance, snap, drive

11. Do lunges.

12. Train year round.

13. Do glove snappers.

14. Do bunji pulls.

15. Pitch on one knee.

16 do various snapper drills as I instruct.