how to throw a baseball faster

There are many factors that are important in learning how to throw a baseball faster. Obvious arm strength is a big factor. But more then just arm strength you want overall muscle conditioning..... arm (upper and lower arm), shoulder, chest, back abdominal and leg muscles are all used in the pitching motion. The throwing motion is best accomplished by develping proper mechanics. Throwing is not just done with the arm but actually involves the entire body: from the wide-up completed with a leg push off, hip and torso rotation, arm accelaration and follow through. Once a good motion is accomplished it should be used on each pitch with very little variation. It is easier for the body to repeat a strenuous task if it is a task that you have repeated over and over again. This is why your release point should be consistent.

Practicing long toss drills is a proven way to improve your pitching speed. It is also very helpful for developing the throwing ability for any ballplayer. Begin by playing catch with your partner at about 30 feet apart. Every few throws you want to move a little bit further apart. Continue moving a greater distance apart but do so gradually. Remember to use good mechanics. Throw with your body not just your arm. This means use hip rotation, leg push off and follow through. Do not just rely on your arm. Mechanics are important here to prevent arm strain. A very important point is to realize is that you do not want to overdue this drill. As with many physical training methods you can over train. While this is a very good drill you do not want to just do endless amounts of long toss. Do a moderate amount and then allow your body and muscles to adapt to the stress. That is how you will improve.

Your Rotator Cuff Muscle, which is loacted behind the shoulder and blow the exterior muscle (posteriior deltoid) is a vital contributer to your throwing motion. A pitcher needs to have a strong rotator cuff muscle to perform well and avoid inury. Unfortunately it is one of the areas that often gets injured from throwing. The good news is that you can easily make this muscle stronger. Light dumbell exercises or cable machines can be used to perform the simple exercise to strengthen these muscles. Keep you upper arm against your side, rotate outwards and back, go as far as you can then pause, then roate (pull) toward the front of your body. If using a dumbell lay on the floor, on your left side to work your right sholder. Do this against a light resistance, perform the motion slowly and gradually increase the weight as you get stronger. Perform 2 or 3 times per week, no more. A cable machine is very effective for this exercise. This will certainly help you reach your maximum pitching speed and decrease your cahnace of injury.

As with just about every athletic activity, becoming stronger will improve your pitching performance. Some "old school" coaches may still mistakenly speak against strength training but it is a fact that stronger throwing muscles are faster throwing muscles. What does this mean for the pitcher who wants to increase fastball speed? It simply means that following a sensible, overall strength training program will help your pitching. Do not just concentrate on just arm and shoulder muscles but you should train all your major muscle groups - Legs, back, abdominal, chest shoulder, uper and lower arms.
Very Important - Do not over train. this is a common mistake and it actuallyl decreases your results. Perform only 2 to 3 workouts per week. A low number of sets, such as one or two will work best. Do exercise the muscle until it is fully fatigued. Always perform weight training exercises in a slow and controlled motion. No fast or jerky movements. These are NOT effective for developing muscle strength and can cause injury. >>>More specific strength training information is avaialbe from SuperMuscular.com.