High School Weight Lifting Programs & Pitching

Wanted to get some thoughts and opinions on what folks think about your generic HS weight lifting program and how they impact softball pitchers.

My DD is a freshman in HS. She plays basketball & softball. She's been taking the school's Advanced Physical Conditioning class the second semester. This class is your typical, generic weight lifting class, ie leg day, chest day, cardio day, etc.

I am wondering what the impact might be on DD's pitching, mainly concerned with velocity. Either my pocket radar is broken or DD is down 3-4 MPH this spring. Grades are based on level of improvement, increasing your 'max out', etc. For instance, she has increased her squat by about 65 lbs since she started this program right after the holidays.

I'm more concerned about her softball performance than her basketball performance. So, I want to do what's right for her softball career. So, I am wondering if she should be taking this class. I am thinking about talking to the teacher, who is also the basketball coach, about trying to cater her program to help her with softball more so than basketball.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

One of the things to consider with weight lifting is it's impact on an athlete's range of motion. If an athlete's range of motion is hampered, it could have an impact on their results.

FYI... I would be very careful on the types of exercises performed. When DD was a sophomore, their assistant coach was also an assistant coach for the football team. During winter workouts, he asked the girls to do something called "drop downs". They were asked to stand straight up and then drop forward to the ground, catching themselves with one arm before hitting the ground. I got a call that night from the head coach stating that DD was in a lot of pain, so I picked her up. Although she seemed to be better within a few days, she continued to have on and off shoulder trouble for the past two years, including two trips to a PT, one resulting in a cortizone shot. Since it didn't seem to be getting better we finally requested an MRI a few months ago. They found a slight tear in her right labrum. They are handling this with PT instead of surgery, but the damage is there. The surgeon asked if we had any idea when it may have happened, so we reviewed her entire history with him. As soon as we mentioned the "drop downs", his facial expression changed quickly. In his opinion, there was absolutely no doubt that the tear occurred doing that exercise.

This all said, I am not opposed to conditioning programs as long as they are monitored and someone teaches the athletes how to properly perform the exercises. In my example above, I believe the type of exercise was an issue. But even if the exercise itself is not a problem, it can be dangerous if not performed correctly. When it comes to things like squats, bench presses, etc. I spent some time with DD showing her the proper way to perform each exercise because I knew the PE instructors at her school were not doing that. I'm honestly not sure if her PE instructors actually know the correct ways to do each exercise. From what I have heard, they basically tell the students what to do, and then act as a spotter for them. They don't offer any demonstrations or corrections whatsoever.

From a pitching perspective it shouldn't have any direct impact on velocity one way or another (by itself). You certainly shouldn't see a drop in velocity as a result of weight lifting.

Typically kids get faster a couple miles an hour every year in high school. Those that lose or maintain velocity are typically ones that aren't as diligent with their pitching time in the off-season.

I would recommend weightlifting, cardio, AND pitching practice time in the off season.

I'm fishing for what's going on. She didn't pitch for 3 months because of basketball season. With that and school work, there wasn't a lot of time for pitching. This could be a contributor but she's missing time like this every winter.

DD also took weight training classes in HS and played Bball. Her pitching speed peaked in freshman year and dropped significantly as a sophomore. The weight training didn’t hurt her, if anything she should have done more. Basketball just took up way too much time. Playing multiple sports sounds great, but if you’re in a bigger school it can be very difficult. She was the only girl on varsity that wasn’t on an AAU team. Fitting in pitching during bball wasn’t bad. If she was ever going to be a starter in bball she’d have to practice during the softball season and that just wasn’t gonna happen. After sophomore year she dropped bball, but still set aside two months with workouts, but no pitching. Physically and emotionally getting some rest helped a ton and everything took off again.

My DD is missing the weight room during the high school season (long story)

She can't wait to get back there as soon as the season is over.

As a former HS head football coach for 17 years
and DD of a 12U year old pitcher with a cyst inside her spinal cord, most HS softball coaches would have no idea how to set up a program. When my DD becomes old enough to play HS ball I'm going to offer to purchase a WL program of the coaches choice for softball. Also, I'm going to offer to teach the lifts. I'm scared to death for my DD and her issues and WL with unqualified personnel.

Yes = unequivocally continue physio/weight training. If she's serious about athletics, she'll have to keep up with the kids who are bigger, stronger, faster. They're on every corner of every town. Not only beneficial to power improvement, but also for prevention of inury.

It may be a very wise decision for you to seek complimentary evaluation and pitcher-specific training routine from a reputable health center physio trainer. The verification process is worth it's weight in gold.

Chris

Workouts plans are not "one size fits all", especially for softball pitchers. Strong legs and a strong core are important, but you want to keep your arms flexible. PM your email address I will send my DD's summer workout plan as soon as she receives it. We are playing the ACC tournament this week, so our season will be over soon.