High velocity is a prerequisite to playing baseball at the professional level. In order to reach such velocity, training needs to include high effort throwing. Just like if you want to run faster you have to actually try to run faster, you can’t just jog and hope for results. The same is true of throwing. Maximum intent days, and the use of pulldowns, or maximum effort throws, are a must if increased velocity is the goal.
The most common way of maximum effort throwing is done is through the use of overload and underload baseballs from running throws or a crow hop. These two types of throws are ideal since they both have minimal constraints and cues, as the only goal is to throw as hard as you possibly can. However, not all athletes move well through running throws. For some athletes, the lack of constraints in a running throw causes them to overthink the movement and they end up with low (relative to their ability) velocity readings. Therefore, rather than have them awkwardly attempt a running throw and become increasingly frustrated with the process, I like to choose a different drill to over and underload.
One option is to choose a different, more constrained drill to test. The specific position the athlete is throwing from is a constraint, which means that the athlete is presented with certain boundaries and tasked with finding their best solution-in this case the most efficient and powerful movement-to the problem. For most athletes, this removes the issue of overthinking, as the movement constraints enable them to self organize more easily, allowing them to focus on throwing hard. For example, I have used roll-ins, rockers, quick picks, essentially any drill used in training can be used for pulldowns.
Additionally, some drills, which emphasize specific parts of baseball delivery, may have an even better transfer to the mound than running throws. For example, if an athlete has an issue with hip/shoulder separation a roll-in variation may be a better option than a running throw, as we can address both velocity and mechanical aspects of the throw.
This article is not meant to bash running throws as they definitely have their place in velocity training. It is only meant to offer options for a more individualized approach to throwing training. Like Olympic lifting or any other training modality, we are after certain outcomes, such as increased velocity in baseball, and we shouldn’t be attached to the specific training modalities in order to get us there.