A HEAVY LOAD The Truth About Weighted Balls
Many baseball experts are opposed to weighted-ball training, but at Texas Baseball Ranch, we are some of the strongest advocates for the practice. That wasn’t always the case — many of us used to be opposed to this method. What changed? We realized that every ball is weighted to some degree, and there’s nothing inherently riskier with a heavier one. A regulation softball is just over 6 ounces, while a baseball is just over 5 ounces. Meanwhile, regulation footballs are 15 ounces. If a heavier ball automatically translated to injury,
automatically make it riskier. At the Ranch, we’ve found that lighter balls are more dangerous. Why? A more lightweight ball can create a higher end point velocity, meaning soft tissue can stretch farther, and players need more efficiency to avoid injury. In other words, a 2-ounce Wiffle ball is riskier than an 8-ounce water-logged baseball when thrown at full speed. Perhaps views would shift if we measured success in baseball differently. In our sport, it doesn’t matter whether a pitcher strikes out a hitter by throwing at 65 mph or 105 mph — only the strike itself counts. Meanwhile, in sports that constantly try to push the barriers of individual performance, like track and field, over- and underweighting exercises are common. That’s not to say that weighted balls are always better. We primarily use them at the Ranch for arm care and warmup everyday as a matter of routine. While we originally started the practice in an attempt to increase velocity, that wasn’t the primary positive outcome we saw. Instead, we saw the most improvements in health and durability. Our players never “pitch” a ball that isn’t regulation, but they throw balls between 3.5 ounces to 6 pounds for various exercises using special movement patterns. While weighted- ball training has the potential to be misused, like any other technique, it’s a powerful tool we use to create better, more well-rounded pitchers.
softball throwers would have more injuries than baseball throwers, and football players would have roughly three times as many throwing injuries as baseball players. But that’s not at all true. In fact, pitching expert Paul Nyman argues that we’d have fewer injuries if a baseball weighed 7 ounces instead of 5. Of course, throwing a football isn’t the same as throwing a baseball. But the example proves that adding more weight to a ball does not
BASEBALL’S FIRST ARBITRATION CASE This Month in Baseball History
UPCOMING RANCH EVENTS
ELITE PITCHERS BOOT CAMPS:
SUMMER INTENSIVE PROGRAM (STAY 3-11 WEEKS):
The unique institution of baseball arbitration began in 1974, with 48 players exercising their new right to settle salary disputes through the procedure. On Feb. 11 that year, the arbitration panel made its first-ever ruling in favor of Twins player Dick Woodson, who requested a $29,000 salary.
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MAY 27-29 JUNE 9-11 JUNE 23-25
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BEGINS MAY 30 AND RUNS THROUGH AUG. 10.
JULY 7-9
JULY 21-23 AUG. 4-6 SEPT. 2-4
Baseball arbitration remains an option for players who have professionally played the game for three years but won’t become a free agent until the six-year mark. When negotiations between a player and team fail, they take their dispute to a three-member arbitration board, which decides in favor of either the player’s or team’s proposed salary — no compromises. Arbitration has been used to decide players’ salaries almost 500 times since Woodson’s ruling, with most arbitration-eligible players now commanding seven-figure salaries. The sport’s quirk is exciting for die-hard fans and keeps the game interesting even during the offseason.
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www.OatesSpecialties. com/Durathro
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