Pitching sidearm increased velocity?

Question

im 14 years old and when i throw overhand my average fastball is 62.

and when i throw sidearm i averaged 67.

also my control was almost 2 times as good.

i dont understand why this works cus most ppl say dont throw sidearm and youll lose velocity????

Answer 1

well if you learn how to do it right it MIGHT help you but if you do it wrong then you'll probly hurt yourself.

Answer 2

your speed most likely increases because your body is turning towards the batter, causing a whip-like motion with the ball.  this can be devastating to your elbow especially at a young age where your bones have not finished growing.  from what i've seen, sidearm pitchers in the majors don't have too much extra velocity on their pitches, but the movement is what troubles most batters.  if i were you, i'd stay overhand and just really master the mechanics of being able to push off the mound and come over the top.

Answer 3

it all depends. some people can withstand sidearm and others cant. there are major leaguers who have thrown side arm their whole life and are fine. but a friend of mine pitched side arm in little league, and while he was one of the top pitchers in the town, now in highschool he cant pitch any more because his elbow has severe tendinitis. so its hard to look into the future and see how ur arm will hold up

Answer 4

Velocity is caused by the speed of your arm.  If you use  your arm like a whip throwing sidearm, this can increase the speed of your throws.  The same thing happened why I was a skinny teenager.

Answer 5

Well...you could be hurting your longevity in baseball by starting to throw sidearm. If it is really sidearm you are putting tremdous pressure on your elbow more than if you throw overhand. It can cause you to lose your velocity because of the pressure on the elbow. Guys take speed off so it doesn't hurt the tendons so bad. Be careful trying to throw hard sidearm....you could end your career at the age of 16 if your not careful.

Answer 6

You will lose your velocity when your arms in a cast. You will end your baseball career before it starts pitching side-arm at such a young age cuz your bones are developing, and sidearm throws faster sometimes cuz your form is better.

Answer 7

that "stick to what your good at" cliche, applies here.