Five Buck Pitching Workout
November 4, 2010
Teaching Youth Baseball Players
November 9, 2010
If you gain weight do you think you will be able to throw faster? That is an interesting question and the answer is yes and no. Yes, if it is the right kind of weight (not fat) because you want explosive power to the plate. No, if you are like I was in high school eating a pint of ice cream everyday and 8 or 9 peanut butter sandwiches everyday to try and gain weight; it never worked. Would it work now? Of course it would my metabolism is slower and it stinks! Unfortunately I can’t get away with that kind of eating anymore; or did I ever get away with it?
So many students try to gain weight and get bigger. That’s fine as long as you are gaining the right kind of weight. Most adolescents will naturally gain weight when they hit puberty and shoot up in height.
Don’t get so caught up in gaining weight that you end up eating the wrong types of food. (hamburgers, soda, fries etc.) Not only will you feel sluggish on the field which in turn effects your performance. When you get older your eating habits tend to follow and you will store too much fat. So, even if you look thin right now, what you put in your body does matter when it comes to your performance on the field. If you don’t believe me put it to the test! Just try eating healthy for one month. No Soda! No Burgers! No Fries! No Pizza! No Fast Food!
Some of the greatest pitchers have 12-14 % body fat and really don’t weigh that much. Jeremy Guthrie (the orioles #1 pitcher) works out at our local high school. He is about 6 feet 190. When I first met him, to me, he didn’t look like the typical “power pitcher”. Tall and big. However he throws a blistering fastball; has hit 100 a few times. To be an explosive pitcher, work on your momentum toward the plate and your delayed shoulder rotation and that will give you the results you are looking for. With excess fat it makes you less explosive.
Eat Healthy regardless if you feel that eating junk doesn’t affect your performance. It does!
Learn how to increase pitching velocity here! Also throw different baseball pitches.
