Weighted balls
Every parent has seen the videos. Some kids do gain velocity with weighted balls, and some kids get hurt chasing it. Both of those things are true, and the difference is almost always whether anyone looked at the athlete before handing them the ball.
What the research says
The best known study on this, published in 2018, put high school pitchers on a six week weighted ball program. The group gained some velocity, and it also had noticeably more arm injuries than the group that did not use them, along with more shoulder layback. That is not a reason to fear the ball. It is a reason to respect what it does to the arm.
Why it happens
A heavier ball changes the timing of the arm and how far the shoulder lays back. A lighter ball lets the arm move faster than it is used to. Both are stress, and stress is how the body adapts, but only if the body is ready for it and the volume is managed. A shoulder that already lacks range of motion or strength is the one that pays.
Who should wait
A ten or twelve year old has easier, safer velocity sitting in how they move, how strong they are and how their delivery is put together. We would rather fix those first. For most athletes weighted balls only come in once they are older, stronger and have been screened.
How PPL uses them
Every athlete at PPL gets a movement assessment from a physical therapist before they are given a program. If weighted implements make sense for that athlete, they go into the phase based plan with a set amount and a reason, and we watch what happens on Trackman and video rather than hoping.
Questions parents ask
They can be used safely with the right athlete and the right plan, but most youth pitchers do not need them. A 2018 study of high school pitchers found more arm injuries in the group on a weighted ball program than in the group that was not.
They can. Studies have shown velocity gains, but the same research showed more injuries and changes in shoulder range of motion. Velocity built on strength and better movement tends to hold up better.
There is no magic birthday. We look for an athlete who is physically mature enough, strong enough and has been screened by a physical therapist. For most kids that is high school, not middle school or younger.
Sometimes, for the athletes they fit. Every athlete is screened by a physical therapist first, and anything we add goes into their phase based throwing program with a set dose and a reason.
The free assessment shows where their velocity is being lost. It costs nothing, and there is nothing to buy on the day.
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