COACHES
forcoaches
By Adam Shilling
Weighing in
Are heavier baseballs ideal for helping build kids’ arm strength, or does their use put
developing arms at needless risk of injury?
Gone are the days when youth baseball practices simply
“They improve any baseball thrower’s velocity, and do
so
safely,” said Steve Zawrotny, a baseball clinician and
consisted of shagging fly balls and taking batting pracbest-selling
author of baseball training booklets. “This I
tice. Many youth teams now follow strict training
know
from
my
many years of experience working with
regimens and practice routines, many which closely
thousands
of
players,
from youth leagues to the major
resemble those of high school, collegiate or even
leagues.
In
addition,
there
are a number of solid, peer-reprofessional squads.
viewed
clinical
studies
that
clearly demonstrate this fact.”
As the level of intensity in youth baseball continues
Zawrotny
only
uses
what
he refers to as “moderately
to grow, so does the desire of coaches to implement
weighted
balls.”
The
highest
weight he allows his playnew training methods and practices aimed at improvers
to
work
with
is
a
6-ounce
ball, which is 20 percent
ing player performance. In an attempt to stay one step
heavier
than a normal baseahead of the competition many
ball.
Like
other weighted ball
youth baseball players turn to
advocates,
Zawrotny believes
advanced conditioning methods
that
training
with a 6-ounce
that some feel may not be ideal
ball
develops
what is known as
for growing young bodies.
“strength
endurance.”
Among these controversial
“The muscles and tendons
training practices is the use of
used
to propel an overhand
weighted baseballs. As a result,
throw,
trained with a 6-ounce
more and more baseball coaches
ball,
are
more able to withstand
are looking to weighted baseballs
the stress of making many
as a way to build arm strength
throws in a game with a 5-ounce
in players and produce higher
ball,” he said. “It’s sort of like
velocity throws.
training to run a marathon with
Practicing with weighted balls
a 30-pound backpack, then runis a common practice in the colning the race without it.”
legiate and pro ranks since the
Although he recommends usathlete’s body is likely fully grown
ing weighted balls, Zawrotny
and is at a point where strength
stresses that there are correct
training will likely be beneficial.
and incorrect ways to use them.
But what about those young
For example, for children ages
bodies that are still in their grow14 and under he recommends
ing years? Does training with
starting with 4- and 5-ounce
weighted baseballs have any
adverse effect on their natural growing process, or does it balls before going heavier. According to Zawrotny,
simply help youngsters strengthen their throwing arms so weighted balls can be used in the offseason on a regular
basis, however, during the season their use should be
that they can deliver harder throws?
limited to once per week.
While many advocate the benefits of using weighted
SEARCHING FOR HIGHER VELOCITY
balls,
many others doubt their effectiveness for increasWeighted baseballs look similar to regular baseballs, exing
velocity
at any level.
cept that they are often color-coded to designate weight
“The
most
recent sports science research has proven
and size. While a traditional baseball weighs about 5
that
a
pitcher’s
arm does not create velocity,” said Dick
ounces, these specially weighted balls can weigh anyMills,
former
Boston
Red Sox pitcher and owner of www.
where from 3 to 12 ounces. The concept behind pracpitching.com,
an
instructional
Web site. “Velocity is the
ticing with weighted balls is that as a player gradually
result
of
kinetic
energy
created
by the momentum of the
increases the weight of the ball he is throwing, strength
pitcher’s
body
moving
from
the
back leg to the front leg,
in his throwing arm increases, leading to increased duraand
by
the
elastic
energy
created
by the body stretchbility and higher velocity throws.
22
summer 2009
www.nays.org
COACHES
forcoaches
ing out as quickly as possible. It is this energy that gets
transferred from the legs to the hips, and then finally to
the trunk, that results in whipping the arm through at
high speed.”
Basically, a pitcher’s body acts like a rubber band – the
more explosive one moves into his stride, the faster the
pitch will be thrown. Mills says that a pitcher’s arm is
used mainly for control and does not produce velocity.
“Giants’ pitcher Tim Lincecum throws 95-100 mph as
one of the smallest starting pitchers in the big leagues,”
Mills said. “Tim is just 5’10” and 170 pounds. However,
he may be the fastest moving pitcher down the mound
of any major league starting pitcher, and he has the longest stride to height ratio of any starting pitcher at 120
percent of his height. Lincecum is a good example of
breaks,” said Del Mintz, a scout for the Philadelphia
Phillies. “Generally, the recovery is complete, but the
time frame is long (season ending). This saddens me. As
a result, I do not advocate using weighted balls for anyone under the age of 13. Additionally, I personally only
use the 6-ounce and 4-ounce ball, sandwiched inside of
two sessions with a normal baseball in a carefully monitored program.”
Because there is limited research available, the risk of
injury from using weighted balls is somewhat speculative.
“I don’t believe there have been any studies regarding weighted balls and injury,” Mills said. “However, if a
ball that was much heavier than 5 ounces was thrown it
might interfere with the proper sequence of movement
or arm action, which could result in injury.”
“With the explosion of travel baseball and
playing year round, I’m seeing some strange
things as it applies to arm injuries, among
them growth plate fractures or breaks.”
— Del Mintz
why pitchers who move fast into a long stride will throw
with above average velocity.”
Lincecum is often referred to as “The Freak” in reference to his highly unusual and demonstrative delivery.
Since Mills believes that the body is what produces
the energy to propel a ball, not arm strength, he sees
no benefit in using weighted balls. Instead, he says that
young pitchers can increase their velocity by improving
their delivery and pitching mechanics. He recommends
videotaping pitchers and identifying flaws in their delivery as a way to increase velocity.
INJURY FACTOR
Aside from the debate over the effectiveness of using
weighted balls, many argue that their use presents an
unnatural injury risk to young arms.
“With the explosion of travel baseball and playing
year round, I’m seeing some strange things as it applies
to arm injuries, among them growth plate fractures or
www.nays.org
For a lot of coaches and trainers, that assumption is not
enough to convince them of the hazards of weighted balls.
“I am not aware of any reliable data that shows any
kind of harm training with balls of the aforementioned
weights,” Zawrotny said. “Any such claims are likely
anecdotal in nature, and I have never heard of any information that specifies just how this type of training
harms players.”
Zawrotny admits that that is not to say that players
have not hurt themselves training with weighted balls,
but he believes those are isolated cases that are more
likely attributed to overuse, poor mechanics or lack of
strength and conditioning work.
“If throwing weighted balls for training is such a problem, where are all the softball arm injuries with young
girls throwing balls weighing 6.5 ounces?” Zawrotny asks.
“Where are the arm injuries for pee-wee football, where
quarterbacks throw 10 ounce footballs, and in high school
and above, with footballs weighing 15 ounces?”
summer 2009
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