The Case Against Weighted Balls?

Understanding the Real Issue

Around 2014, I began to notice a fast-emerging trend in baseball training: the widespread adoption of weighted ball throwing programs. Velocity programs using overload and under load implements were quickly becoming the new fad in American baseball culture.

Now, if you’ve heard of the Texas Baseball Ranch®, you might be scratching your head.

You may be thinking, “Hasn’t Coach Wolforth and the Ranch been using weighted balls for years? Why is he now writing something critical? Has he changed his mind? Is he against them now?”

Let’s set the record straight.

I remain a strong advocate for the use of weighted balls…when they are used intelligently and appropriately.

That distinction is key.

Why I Wrote “The Case Against Weighted Balls?”

We began using weighted balls at the Texas Baseball Ranch® back in 2002–2003, well before they were trendy. In fact, during those early years, we took a lot of criticism from the baseball establishment. We were viewed as unnecessarily edgy and provocative for incorporating them into our development model.

But over the last 5–7 years, a concerning pattern began to emerge.

As the saying goes, “Success breeds imitation,” and soon, others began copying what they thought were our methods. They slightly altered the terminology, added their own branding, and marketed it as their own.

That’s nothing new, it happens in every industry. (Think Yeti vs. RTIC) But baseball training is not like selling coolers. We're dealing with young athletes' arms, careers, and futures.

And that’s where the real problem began.

A Tool Misused Can Become a Detriment

If you haven’t followed our 20+ year journey with weighted balls, how we’ve refined our ramp-up protocols, dosage, frequency, and especially when not to use them, you’re likely to make crucial errors.

Weighted balls are just tools. Tools, when used well, are powerful. But when used recklessly, they can become dangerous.

And, unfortunately, dangerous is exactly what we began seeing.

Some programs were advertising:

“Buy our weighted balls and get a throwing program delivered to your inbox!”

Or...

“Come in for a 6-week velocity program and start throwing harder tomorrow!”

And suddenly, dozens of academies across the U.S. and Canada were jumping on the weighted ball bandwagon, often without any assessments, context, or understanding of risk.

At the Texas Baseball Ranch®, we watched this unfold with growing concern. It felt a bit like that famous scene in Ghostbusters…when they knew shutting down the power grid was a terrible idea… and the chaos that followed was inevitable.

What Almost No One Was Doing

What we saw happening was a textbook case of “Fire, Aim, Ready.”

Almost no one was evaluating athletes for:

•           Structural integrity and asymmetries

•           Baseline strength and stability

•           Mobility and flexibility

•           Mechanical efficiency

•           Prior injury history, soreness, or overall fitness

•           Developmental age and throwing experience

•           Seasonal context (off-season, pre-season, in-season, post-season)

In short, young men were being put under extreme stress without being properly prepared and we knew injuries were going to spike.

And they did.

A Rising Tide of Injuries

Several years ago I was invited by Dr. James Andrews, widely regarded as one of America’s top orthopedic surgeons, to participate in a roundtable discussion at the prestigious Injuries in Baseball Course hosted by the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI).

The question posed was: “Are weighted balls safe?”

With the rise in arm injuries, ulnar collateral ligament reconstructions (Tommy John surgeries), and labrum repairs, the concern was well-founded.

But here's the truth: Weighted balls aren't inherently dangerous in and of themselves. The way they're used makes all the difference.

“I once stated that I was so confident in the work that Ron did in producing young healthy baseball throwers, that if I had to send my grandsons somewhere for training, the Texas Baseball Ranch is where I would want them to go.”  - Dr. James Andrews, World Renowned Orthopedic Surgeon

Why the White Paper Matters

I wrote “The Case Against Weighted Balls?” to make one thing clear:

We intentionally exclude ourselves from the countless programs implementing these tools without care, precision, or preparation.

Weighted balls can be an excellent tool for developing elite-level throwers—but only when implemented with proper assessments, progression, and individualization.

If you or someone you care about is currently enrolled in a weighted ball or velocity program, I strongly recommend reading the white paper. It will help you understand when, where, and how these tools can be used to not just enhance velocity, but protect and preserve arm health for the long haul.

Want a free copy of The Case Against Weighted Balls? Simply [CLICK HERE].

Coach Ron Wolforth is the founder of The Texas Baseball Ranch® and has authored six books on pitching, including the Amazon Best Seller Pitching with Confidence. Since 2003, The Texas Baseball Ranch® has had 141 of their players drafted, and 651 have broken the 90 mph barrier. Coach Wolforth has consulted with 13 MLB teams, numerous NCAA programs, and is often referred to as “America’s Go-To Guy on Pitching.”

Coach Wolforth lives in Montgomery, TX with his wife, Jill. They are intimately familiar with youth select, travel baseball and PG events as their son Garrett (now a professional player) went through the process. Garrett a former catchers in the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros organization still holds the PG Underclass All-American Games record for catcher velocity at 89mph which he set in 2014 at the age of 16.

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Coach Wolforth will be hosting a special 90 minute webinar - "The Velocity Code: 3 Secrets to Improving Velocity and Staying Healthy" Thursday at 7pm CST.  If you'd like to sign up for the webinar, please email info@TexasBaseballRanch.com and request a registration link.

Fall/Winter Events at the Texas Baseball Ranch®

Calling all youth pitchers and families! Once a year the coaches at TBR take a break from working with high school, college and professional athletes to focus on the special age group of 8-12 year olds.  This year’s 2-day youth camp will be Oct. 4 & 5.  For more information, visit https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/youth-elite-pitchers-bootcamp/.

There’s a $300 savings if you register prior to August 20th.

Join our 3-Day “Elite Pitcher’s Boot Camps” designed for pitchers ages 12 and above. These events are the gold standard in the baseball industry and are held every month from September-February. For additional details and dates, visit:

 https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/elite-pitchers-bootcamp/

Interested in learning what sets our boot camps apart? Request our comprehensive information package “What Makes This Bootcamp Different?" by emailing Jill@TexasBaseballRanch.com

Free Book Offer: Want a free copy of Coach Wolforth’s book, Pitching with Confidence?

Visit: www.freepitchingbook.com.

From the Greater Houston area?  Join us for our Fall/Winter classes or private training. 

For more information, email: info@TexasBaseballRanch.com or call (936)588-6762.