What Parents Need to Know
I've been having a lot of conversations lately with parents whose sons are in that 13-18 age range, and I'm hearing a familiar refrain: "Coach Ron, he's been working so hard, but the velocity isn't budging." Or "We were seeing great gains, and now everything's stalled." Sometimes it's accompanied by real worry: "Is something wrong? Should we be doing something different?"
Let me start by saying this: if you're in this place right now, you're in good company. And more importantly, what you're experiencing is not just normal…it's inevitable.
Every Elite Pitcher Has Been Here
I've been doing this for over three decades, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that every single pitcher who has ever developed into something special has gone through multiple plateaus. Not some. Not most. Every single one. Including my own son.
Think about how your son grew physically. Remember those years where he seemed to stay the same height forever, then suddenly shot up three inches in a summer? Development in pitching follows similar patterns. We don't grow in nice, linear progressions. We grow in spurts and pauses, in leaps and consolidations.
But here's where it gets tricky as a parent. When your son was 8 and stopped growing taller for six months, you didn't panic. You didn't switch pediatricians or try a new diet every month. You understood that physical growth has its own timeline. Yet when it comes to velocity or pitching development, we often lose that same patience and perspective.
The Two Dangerous Responses
The danger isn't the plateau itself. The danger is how we respond to it.
Some parents go into denial mode. "He's fine, he just needs to keep doing what he's doing." They ignore the signs that something needs adjusting, maybe increasing fatigue, maybe mechanical drift, maybe just staleness from doing the same thing too long. This is like continuing to water a plant that's actually drowning. Sometimes love means making changes, not staying the course.
Others panic and start program-hopping. They hear about some kid across town or on a social media post who gained 5 mph doing a certain drill, and suddenly that becomes the answer. Next month it's a different program. The month after that, another one. I call this "chasing the hot program of the month," and it's one of the most destructive patterns I see.
Plateaus Are Your Development GPS
Here's what both responses miss: plateaus are information. They're your son's development telling you something important. Maybe his body has adapted to the current stimulus and needs a new challenge or stimulus. Maybe he's actually consolidating gains…getting comfortable at a new level before the next jump. Maybe there's a mobility restriction that wasn't limiting him at 78 mph but is now at 83. Maybe his strength has outpaced his coordination, or vice versa.
The key is to stay curious without becoming reactive. To observe without panicking. To adjust without abandoning everything that got you here.
One of the biggest traps I see parents fall into during plateaus is the comparison game. "Jimmy down the street is throwing 87 now, and he's the same age as my son." Let me be really clear about this: Jimmy's development timeline has absolutely nothing to do with your son's. Nothing. I've seen kids who threw 75 as sophomores throwing 95 as seniors. I've seen kids who threw 83 as freshmen and throwing 85 as seniors.
Comparing development timelines is like comparing when kids learn to read. Some are reading chapter books at 5. Others don't really click until 8 or 9. By high school, you can't tell who learned when. The same is true in baseball development, but we forget this because the measurements are so visible and the social pressure is so intense.
Your Strategic Response Plan
So what should you do when you hit a plateau? First, take a breath. This is not an emergency. Your son is not falling behind. He's not broken. He's in a normal phase of development that requires thoughtful response, not panic.
Second, get curious about the real state of things. Not just the radar gun reading, but the whole picture:
Third, look at what might need adjusting. And I mean "adjusting," not "replacing." Maybe he needs a de-load period to let his body fully recover. Maybe he needs a new stimulus, some different tool, drill, weighted ball progressions or connection ball work. Maybe his mobility has become a limiting factor and needs focused attention. Maybe his strength work needs to shift phases.
The solution is rarely to throw everything out and start over. It's usually to identify the one or two factors that have become limiting and address those while maintaining what's working.
When "Stuck" Is Actually Building
Here's something else parents need to understand: not all plateaus look the same. Sometimes a plateau in velocity is actually a period where command is improving dramatically. Sometimes a plateau in performance is where durability is being built. Sometimes what looks like stagnation is actually the body preparing for the next leap.
I remember working with a young man who was stuck at 82-83 mph for almost six months. His dad was beside himself. We tried different approaches, tweaked his training, adjusted his mechanics slightly. Nothing. Then one day, almost overnight, he jumped to 87. When we looked back and analyzed what happened, we realized his body had been building the infrastructure for that jump the whole time. His core strength had improved. His mobility had increased. His nervous system had been adapting. It just took time for all those improvements to integrate into his delivery.
This is why I always tell parents to keep their eyes on true north…long-term development, not short-term numbers. The goal isn't to throw 90 mph next month. The goal is to build a pitcher who can throw hard, stay healthy, and throw effectively for years to come.
Real development doesn't come from magic programs. It comes from consistent, intelligent work that's appropriately adjusted based on individual needs. It comes from building a complete athlete…mobility, stability, strength, power, mechanics, and mentality…not just chasing velocity.
So if your son is in a plateau right now, here's what I want you to do. First, normalize it for him. Let him know this is part of the journey, not a sign of failure. Every pitcher he admires has been through this multiple times.
Second, help him stay process-focused. Plateaus are when kids are most vulnerable to getting outcome-obsessed. Keep bringing him back to the daily work, the small improvements, the things he can control.
Third, resist the urge to make dramatic changes based on what others are doing. Your son's development path is his own. What works for the kid down the street might be completely wrong for your son at this moment.
Fourth, if you're genuinely concerned or if the plateau has lasted more than 8-12 weeks, get a fresh set of eyes on the situation. Not to abandon your current approach, but to identify what small adjustments might help. Sometimes a minor tweak is all that's needed to restart progress.
Finally, remember that development is a long game. The kids who throw the hardest at 14 are rarely the ones throwing the hardest at 18 or 22.
Development has its own timeline, and trying to rush it usually backfires.
I've been through this with thousands of young men, including my own son. I know how hard it is to watch your child work diligently without seeing the results you hope for. I know the pressure you feel from showcase culture, from other parents, from your own desires for your son's success.
But I also know this: the plateaus are where character is built. They're where young men learn to trust the process when results aren't immediate. They're where they develop the resilience that will serve them far beyond baseball. And yes, they're often where the body and mind are preparing for the next breakthrough.
Stay the course. Stay curious. Make thoughtful adjustments when needed. But don't abandon ship every time the wind dies down. Sometimes the calmest waters come right before the best sailing.
Your son's journey is unique. His timeline is his own. And his plateaus? They're not roadblocks. They're just part of the route to where he's going.
Trust the process. Trust your son. And remember, every pitcher who ever became great has stood exactly where your son stands now, wondering when the next breakthrough will come.
It will come. It always does for those who stay curious, stay committed, and stay on course.
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 catcher in the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros organizations, 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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