So You've Bought Weighted Balls....Now What?

You want more ways to get faster and you have the time. It’s the offseason so you have 7 months before your first spring game. While lifting is the best way to get stronger there’s another excellent way.

One of my favorite methods to increase speed is following a weighted ball workout. A weighted ball workout isn’t just throwing overweigthed balls. You need to pitch underweigthed balls as well.

Overweighted balls increase strength and help pitchers understand what full effort feels like. Unlike the heavy balls, underweighted balls train your arm to move fast. Notice when you are fake-pitching you are able to fly at warp-speed. Your fast-twitch muscles are being trained to twitch even faster. Light balls increase quickness and help pitcher feel how fast their arm has the potential to move.

Hopefully you bought the correct size. The heavier the better? FALSE! You want a ball that is as heavy as possible without compromising your mechanics. You don’t want to put so much pressure on your arm that it increases the risk of injury. A normal softball is about 7 ounces. The weighted ball I recommend is 8 ounces. As you can see it’s not much of a difference.

Rita Gilman sells a set of over and under-weighted balls for $24.

So what about those super- heavy balls you got? I like your ambition and desire to go to the extreme, but limit use of these with short snaps to your catcher. You’ll definitely increase forearm, hand, and finger strength.

In order to begin a weighted ball program, you’ll want to have good mechanics and consider simultaneously strengthening your shoulders and arms with a J-band program. To see improvements, pitchers must throw more than 60 pitches per week but no more than 242 to prevent injury.

For best results, pitch weighted balls to normal balls at a 2:1 ratio. Pitch into a net so you don’t get frustrated about the lack of accuracy, which is bound to happen. Most of all, record your speeds daily so you remain encouraged and see how much you've improved!

To learn more about weighted ball workouts, visit this webpage by Rita Gilman.