- Hey softball players.
Dan Blewett here.
And today we're gonna go over five factors
for increasing your softball throwing velocity.
So if you're new to my channel,
I put out videos on strength conditioning,
throwing, drills, mental training, lots of stuff.
So if you're new to the channel,
definitely consider subscribing and sticking around.
And today I've got a cool diagram.
Its gonna walk you through it step by step
and in the description of the video below,
so right down here,
you'll be able to grab an exercise
for each of the different factors.
So once you're done the video,
be sure to check that out for links
to other videos that will help you.
Alright.
So let's get into it.
So first factor in how to throw harder.
Fielding and momentum.
So fielding and momentum is critical
because the footwork that we have in
our throwing position is basically like the tires in a car.
It doesn't matter how great the engine is,
if our tires are flat, we are going nowhere.
Momentum is free velocity so what we don't want
when we field a ground ball is this.
What we do want is this.
So move your body through the ball.
This is fielding technique.
It's also throwing technique.
Get momentum.
Momentum is free velocity.
Alright next factor.
Alright so our next factor is strength training.
And I can't tell you how many softball players
just don't have the requisite level of strength
that they need to throw as hard as they could
or to hit as hard as they could
or to sprint as fast as they could.
This is 135 pounds.
Not a super heavy weight for a potential
Division I softball player as a junior in high school.
We have lots of girls who can squat
this weight in our academy, but its not a light
and it takes a couple years to get there.
So with everything.
If you want to throw harder.
If you want to hit harder.
You want to sprint faster.
Whole body strength is critical.
So with every athlete if you take where you are today
and you factor in a long-term,
quality strength training regiment,
you're gonna be significantly better off.
You're gonna add miles per hour to your throwing velocity.
You're gonna add sprinting speed.
You're gonna add bat speed and power.
Alright so let's go to our next factor.
Don't forget about throwing mechanics.
Throwing mechanics are crucial and one
of the most common flaws I see is
the way players take it out of their glove.
So when they get a ground ball it immediately
goes straight up to the top
and its hanging there too long
and they end up throwing
with much decreased external rotation.
They don't get nearly as much scap load,
which I cover in another video.
All hard throwers, they sort of break down
and they pull.
Their shoulders come down and their shoulders pull back.
You can see my elbow behind me
and my front elbow in front.
So throwing mechanics are critical even if you are big
and strong and super explosive and fast.
If your mechanics aren't very good,
you're gonna leak all of that extra strength
and you're not going to throw as hard as you want to.
Alright on to the next one.
I can't tell you how many softball players I get
who come in and they throw like this.
They slow their arm down really early
and basically like they're throwing a dart.
It's way to gentle.
The throwing motion, it has to be accentuated
at the end with an exclamation point.
We've gotta finish our throws.
We have to throw them like we actually mean it.
So tons of players, they just come in
and they're like eh and they slow down early
and they're leaving two to three miles per hour
on the tables just from that.
You have to accelerate all the way through.
All the way 'til the end.
You're follow through should be way down here.
Coming all the way through to your lat.
This is your lat muscle back here.
Every hard thrower, baseball, softball,
they get every last little bit
and they give their arm a hundred percent
of the available velocity to transfer into the ball.
Alright next factor.
Okay so the last factor is arm care exercises.
So in baseball pitchers know they have to take care
of their arm by doing a dedicated rotator cuff,
scapula, elbow program that's gonna strengthen
all the muscles that are subject to tons of wear
and tear throwing a ball really hard
for lots and lots of innings.
But in softball the arm care stuff
hasn't really trickled down
and I see most players have never done
any real dedicated arm care.
So the good thing with arm care is it not
only protects you and helps prevent injuries
but it also strengthens all the muscles
that are directly involved in throwing
so obviously they help you throw harder
in addition to being protective.
So if you're not on an arm care regiment
yet definitely get on it.
Even just a couple days a week
or its integrated into your strength conditioning program.
It's gonna make a big difference
and if you're looking again for leaks
like where you might be able to gain a mile per hour or two
or two or three, arm care is definitely
something you want to check out.
Alright so how much throwing velocity should we expect
or could we expect when we really take care
of all these different factors and work hard each one.
So let's go to that real quick.
So when you increase your intensity
and you just stop throwing like you're afraid
to throw the ball hard, you can probably see two
to three miles per hour or so
and its sometimes an instant gain.
I've seen it a number of times.
Some players are just so timid in the way they throw
that they're just leaving two miles per hour
on the table pretty much all the time.
So two to three miles per hour can definitely
be realized if your intensity is not good.
Okay so for fielding and momentum.
Same kind of deal here.
Two to three miles per hour is probably there
if you add momentum because again every mile per hour
that you're moving to your target is an extra mile per hour
that goes directly into the softball.
Alright for strength training.
Pretty simple.
After you give it a couple months,
you're probably gonna see two to four miles per hour.
You need to put on some weight.
You need to get significantly stronger.
But somewhere two to six months, you're gonna see
some gains probably in the two to four mile per hour range.
So throwing is not just an arm exercise.
Its a whole body activity.
So when you strengthen everything in the chain,
you're gonna get pretty good results.
Okay so one of the bigger gains here
you're gonna see from mechanics.
So I think four to six miles per hour
over let's say a six month period is pretty realistic.
Some players that can be only in a couple of weeks.
It just depends where you're starting
and how hard you work out as well.
You know what mechanical flaws we're fixing
is a big factor as well.
So again it's highly variable.
Could be a couple miles per hour.
It could be a bunch.
So when you improve your mechanics again,
you're not leaking any more power.
So you're gonna get as much as you can produce express
through the softball and that's our goal.
Okay so better mechanics not only produce more force,
but they also prevent leaks of that force.
Alright and lastly arm care exercises.
So something like two to three miles per hour.
So again this is not an instant result.
This is more like a drip.
So over time, give it two, three, four, five, six months,
you're arm is gonna get significantly stronger,
if you stay on a good regiment.
If you keep up with it and you're gonna see
a couple miles per hour gain
because again you're strengthening the exact muscles
that accelerate and decelerate the ball.
So why would you not throw harder
if you strengthen those exact muscles?