weighted balls

The competitive baseball universe is very akin in many ways to our Western Culture at large, trends and fads are always in motion. As we all know from life experience, trends and fads simply come and go. In 2018, ‘weighted balls’ and velocity enhancement programs are decidedly in vogue. Even as I travel around the world to places like Italy...

With season in full swing, you may have discovered a few things that you could improve on. One of these might be your off-speed pitches. Whether it is your curveball, slider, change-up, or split finger, I believe some of the tips I learned while playing could help you with your arsenal of off-speed pitches. The first thing I tried to...

Bowlvalanche… That’s what I call it. It’s a term I coined a long time ago. Any time 3 or more of anything falls, I call it a “that thing” valanche. This is an Avalanche… This is a Ballvalanche… A Toothpickvalanche And this thing… This accident waiting to happen… If you attempt to add to or take away from this chaotic...

I want to start off by stating that I sincerely believe in hyper-personalization when it comes to athletes' training, nutrition, and recovery. While everyone has their own specific needs to improve their performance and health, it is possible to provide a general outline of what the best coaches and trainers are doing to prepare their athletes for the upcoming season...

Seems the rage these days is about these new weighted ball things and how they increase velocity. Funny… When we started using weighted balls as part of our process in 2009, in my community you would have thought I was Jack the Ripper! Naysayers unfairly blasted me privately, and publicly to the point that I finally gave in and stopped using them for a few months. I soon came to the realization that critics will be critics and accepting their slings and arrows is simply the price I must pay for the privilege of working with all the fine young men in my care. Continue reading →

A reminder of key points of Part I: 1) Plateaus are natural parts of EVERYONE's growth. 2) Very frequently I see solid and steady incremental growth being categorized and labeled by athletes and parents as 'disappointing' and 'discouraging' simply because the gains were 'so small'. 3) To truly be exceptional you must first learn to become discouragement proof... or at the very least... discouragement resistant. 4) At the Ranch we say... “To become great, you first must learn to enjoy the plateaus.” Continue reading →

Not a day goes by that I don’t get a flurry of questions about the “latest rage”… weighted baseballs (ironic that the “latest rage” began nearly 30 years ago). With process development and advocacy from a cadre of progressive thinking instructors and coaches, and support from several high level programs, a  a throwing modality once considered radical is rapidly becoming mainstream. Last winter the Tampa Bay Rays approached me for advice on implementing an off-season weighted ball velocity enhancement program. I was intrigued. Continue reading →

One of the most commonly discussed topics in pitching is a pitcher's arm action. Is a long or short arm action better? Isn't a smooth arm action best? Does a pitcher with a fluid arm action have a better chance to stay healthy? Doesn't that guy’s arm action seem jerky? Should you break from the glove with the ball or the elbow? How much "scap load" should a pitcher have and how does he get into that position? Should the ball be facing 2nd base during the "cocked" phase of the arm action? How do you keep pitchers from having an inverted "W" during delivery? Etc, etc., etc. Continue reading →

My last article focused on weighted balls and the benefits in which they can have for a throwing athlete. Since weighted balls are a type of overload training I thought that my focus this week should involve the overload principle. Continue reading →

There always seems to be a whirlwind which accompanies the subject of throwing weighted balls. People are often divided in terms of how they feel about using them. Many coaches dismiss weighted balls with the notion that they can lead to injury. Well if that is the case then these coaches better not let their players throw a baseball either. The truth is that every baseball player throws a weighted ball each day. A baseball is a 5 ounce weighted instrument that has caused more injuries than any other weighted ball in the world. Continue reading →