Weighing in Are Heavier Baseballs Ideal for Helping Build Kids’ Arm Strength, Or Does Their Use Put Developing Arms at Needless Risk of Injury?
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COACHESforcoaches 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 consisted of shagging fly balls and taking batting prac- so safely,” said Steve Zawrotny, a baseball clinician and tice. Many youth teams now follow strict training best-selling author of baseball training booklets. “This I regimens and practice routines, many which closely know from my many years of experience working with resemble those of high school, collegiate or even thousands of players, from youth leagues to the major professional squads. leagues. In addition, there are a number of solid, peer-re- As the level of intensity in youth baseball continues viewed clinical studies that clearly demonstrate this fact.” to grow, so does the desire of coaches to implement Zawrotny only uses what he refers to as “moderately new training methods and practices aimed at improv- weighted balls.” The highest weight he allows his play- ing player performance. In an attempt to stay one step ers to work with is a 6-ounce ball, which is 20 percent ahead of the competition many heavier than a normal base- youth baseball players turn to ball. Like other weighted ball advanced conditioning methods advocates, Zawrotny believes that some feel may not be ideal that training with a 6-ounce for growing young bodies. ball develops what is known as Among these controversial “strength endurance.” training practices is the use of “The muscles and tendons weighted baseballs. As a result, used to propel an overhand more and more baseball coaches throw, trained with a 6-ounce are looking to weighted baseballs ball, are more able to withstand as a way to build arm strength the stress of making many in players and produce higher throws in a game with a 5-ounce velocity throws. ball,” he said. “It’s sort of like Practicing with weighted balls training to run a marathon with is a common practice in the col- a 30-pound backpack, then run- legiate and pro ranks since the ning the race without it.” athlete’s body is likely fully grown Although he recommends us- and is at a point where strength ing weighted balls, Zawrotny training will likely be beneficial. stresses that there are correct But what about those young and incorrect ways to use them. bodies that are still in their grow- For example, for children ages ing years? Does training with 14 and under he recommends weighted baseballs have any starting with 4- and 5-ounce 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 that they can deliver harder throws? basis, however, during the season their use should be limited to once per week. SEARCHING FOR HIGHER VELOCITY While many advocate the benefits of using weighted Weighted baseballs look similar to regular baseballs, ex- balls, many others doubt their effectiveness for increas- cept that they are often color-coded to designate weight ing velocity at any level. and size. While a traditional baseball weighs about 5 “The most recent sports science research has proven ounces, these specially weighted balls can weigh any- that a pitcher’s arm does not create velocity,” said Dick where from 3 to 12 ounces. The concept behind prac- Mills, former Boston Red Sox pitcher and owner of www. ticing with weighted balls is that as a player gradually pitching.com, an instructional Web site. “Velocity is the increases the weight of the ball he is throwing, strength result of kinetic energy created by the momentum of the in his throwing arm increases, leading to increased dura- pitcher’s body moving from the back leg to the front leg, bility and higher velocity throws. and by the elastic energy created by the body stretch- 22 SUMMER 2009 www.nays.org COACHESforcoaches ing out as quickly as possible. It is this energy that gets breaks,” said Del Mintz, a scout for the Philadelphia transferred from the legs to the hips, and then finally to Phillies. “Generally, the recovery is complete, but the the trunk, that results in whipping the arm through at time frame is long (season ending). This saddens me. As high speed.” a result, I do not advocate using weighted balls for any- Basically, a pitcher’s body acts like a rubber band – the one under the age of 13. Additionally, I personally only more explosive one moves into his stride, the faster the use the 6-ounce and 4-ounce ball, sandwiched inside of pitch will be thrown. Mills says that a pitcher’s arm is two sessions with a normal baseball in a carefully moni- used mainly for control and does not produce velocity. tored program.” “Giants’ pitcher Tim Lincecum throws 95-100 mph as Because there is limited research available, the risk of one of the smallest starting pitchers in the big leagues,” injury from using weighted balls is somewhat speculative. Mills said. “Tim is just 5’10” and 170 pounds. However, “I don’t believe there have been any studies regard- he may be the fastest moving pitcher down the mound ing weighted balls and injury,” Mills said. “However, if a of any major league starting pitcher, and he has the lon- ball that was much heavier than 5 ounces was thrown it gest stride to height ratio of any starting pitcher at 120 might interfere with the proper sequence of movement percent of his height. Lincecum is a good example of 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 For a lot of coaches and trainers, that assumption is not with above average velocity.” enough to convince them of the hazards of weighted balls. Lincecum is often referred to as “The Freak” in refer- “I am not aware of any reliable data that shows any ence to his highly unusual and demonstrative delivery. kind of harm training with balls of the aforementioned Since Mills believes that the body is what produces weights,” Zawrotny said. “Any such claims are likely the energy to propel a ball, not arm strength, he sees anecdotal in nature, and I have never heard of any in- no benefit in using weighted balls. Instead, he says that formation that specifies just how this type of training young pitchers can increase their velocity by improving harms players.” their delivery and pitching mechanics. He recommends Zawrotny admits that that is not to say that players videotaping pitchers and identifying flaws in their deliv- have not hurt themselves training with weighted balls, ery as a way to increase velocity. but he believes those are isolated cases that are more likely attributed to overuse, poor mechanics or lack of INJURY FACTOR strength and conditioning work. Aside from the debate over the effectiveness of using “If throwing weighted balls for training is such a prob- weighted balls, many argue that their use presents an lem, where are all the softball arm injuries with young unnatural injury risk to young arms. girls throwing balls weighing 6.5 ounces?” Zawrotny asks. “With the explosion of travel baseball and playing “Where are the arm injuries for pee-wee football, where year round, I’m seeing some strange things as it applies quarterbacks throw 10 ounce footballs, and in high school to arm injuries, among them growth plate fractures or and above, with footballs weighing 15 ounces?” www.nays.org SUMMER 2009 23.