Why I Think All Coaches should implement Plyo-Balls/Mini med balls, and Plyo-Walls
Plyo wall and mini med ball
work for baseball players, especially pitchers has become increasingly popular. Driveline Baseball in Seattle has produced so much content in regards to this subject matter and despite their vast research, case studies etc. There are still coaches and programs who are terrified/or against using any kind of weighted baseballs.
So to start, a baseball in general has mass. It weighs 5oz. therefore it can be considered a weighted baseball. So any argument is not so much against throwing things that are weighted, it is more in regards to the overload/underload outside of “the norm” concept. Like anything else, the unknown can be scary, Olympic lifting can be scary, for parents, players AND coaches. But, done with the proper structure and intent it’s extremely beneficial, therefore context is everything and professionals are able to help with this. The same goes for any kind of weighted ball throwing program, and yes there are more than one out there.
To put it simply, whether you’re doing overload drills with a heavier baseball, or a plyo-ball, this isn’t necessarily to always build “strength” or additional “speed” simply because the ball is heavier. The body can start to rework some of the movements it wants to make to be able to accomplish the goal more efficiently with the added weight which can then be translated back into throwing a 5oz baseball. The neuroscience is the focus of many overload and underload programs. And I would think that most people would agree, that any one specific program, or a one size fits all program in terms of duration, and intensity needs to be adapted to each athlete specifically in some cases.
However, in this article I’m going to mostly discuss plyo-balls and plyo-walls in general and we can assume that every ball in question just for this article’s sake is a 5oz ball, simply just a plyo-ball instead of an actual baseball.
I think incorporating plyo-ball training using some form of a plyo-wall can be effective for three basic reasons aside from any strategic programming debate.
#1 Space against productivity
As coaches we are always trying to train in the most efficient way possible. Plyo-wall drills is one way to do that. With balls being deadened by the wall as opposed to having slack in a net and balls getting tangled, and being able to alternate players between reps you can maximize your time and space to avoid players standing around.
Also, by using external cues and goals, players have a simple path to follow without needing to be constantly watched.
#2 SMACK!
We’ve watched pitchers and hitters get a rush from the sounds they are able to make with the plyo-balls against the wall. I personally have seen the intent to swing hard or throw hard increase without having to measure anything other than the initial feedback of the smack against the wall.
We all want our athletes putting in “effort” but it can be easy to be “lazy” and not work as hard when there isn’t direct feedback from a net or even a throwing partner. But when the guy next to you is making a louder noise than you, we feel, it helps players “compete” or practice with more “effort” without even thinking about it.
#3 Variety of Drills
Studies have shown that attention spans in all of us but especially younger generations are steadily going down. Theories suggest that due to the ability to change tasks so quickly, and multi-task with our phones that it is harder and harder to focus on one thing at a time for a long time. When building out a practice plan, having a variety of modalities to help players hit the ball harder, throw harder, improve mechanics, and help create “feel” has immense value to a point.
Also, there are also drills that can be done are just simply more effective with a wall, and most functionally done, with a specifically designed plyo-wall. One of these drills is reverse throws. Reverse throws can help the body organize itself backwards so that it can organize itself forwards more efficiently.
Want to build a plyo-wall for yourself? Checkout our basic design!
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