Throwing hard is a very important skill for pitchers at all levels of baseball and softball. While you can still get outs without much velocity, it is a lot easier to get away with mistake pitches when you are throwing hard. The batter simply has less time to recognize the pitch and react when it gets to the plate in a hurry. Luckily, it is fairly easy to train yourself to throw harder. These are the three best ways to increase pitching velocity.

Take Time Off

The body is not built to withstand the violent motion of throwing a baseball at high speeds on the top of a mound. Every pitch puts pressure on the arm, shoulder, elbow, and hips. If these body parts are overused, then they will gradually weaken over time. This will cause you to see a severe drop in your velocity. The only way to increase your throwing speed is by keeping your body healthy. An easy way to do this is by avoiding the pitching mound for several weeks every offseason. It is still important to keep the arm loose during the offseason, so lightly toss a ball on the flat ground every few days.

Gain Muscle and Strengthen Body

There is a direct correlation between body mass and pitching velocity. The body is just naturally going to be able to throw a ball harder when you have more muscle. Since most of your velocity is derived from the legs, it is important to work on creating a stronger lower half of the body. You want this to be lean muscle mass to stay athletic and prevent unwanted injuries. It is also important to gradually gain this muscle over a long period of time. Quickly gaining mass will completely throw off your pitching motion.

Develop Better Mechanics

Throwing a ball requires a lot of body movements. Streamlining and perfecting these movements will lead to increased pitching velocity. It is even more important to work on pitching mechanics for softball pitchers” because it is harder for them to gain velocity through strength training. Focus on increasing the power derived from your push off the mound. You will also want to make sure your landing leg is touching down in the same spot on every pitch.

There are a number of different qualities a good leader should possess, but one trait that’s seldom discussed is humility. While it may not be a characteristic that you normally think about on a conscious level, it can help you communicate with your team more effectively. Here are a few reasons you should use your own sense of humility as a leadership tool.

Encourage Learning and Advancement

A leader who embraces his own humility isn’t afraid to let his team explore their talents. This allows them to offer their own suggestions for tackling a new challenge, while also giving them opportunities to learn skills that are required in managerial positions. This means the team works better together, and employees will be qualified to step into higher positions within the organization.

Bond With Your Team

A humble leader is also more willing to connect with the workers on his team. Over time, this enables a leader to get to know his team, while also allowing the team members to understand their leader better. This creates a professional bond that helps the entire organization run more efficiently as the leader develops the intuition to predict the needs of his employees.

Maintain a Positive Work Environment

A manager who leads by instilling fear in his employees is creating a toxic atmosphere that meets goals through obedience and punishment. This usually results in a high turnover rate and lower productivity. However, a humble leader creates a more positive environment in which employees are encouraged to use their talents and skills for the good of the organization. They respect their leader and want to perform well for an organization that makes them feel valued.

Stand Out as an Exceptional Leader

Humility often comes after experiencing failures and disappointments. Once you have been through challenges in your own life and know what it feels like to lose, you’ll be better prepared to lead others. Although your focus will be on winning or meeting daily goals, you won’t view a loss as the end of the world. You’ll set a good example for your team by showing them that the best thing to do is to learn something from the loss and strive to achieve the next goal.

It may take time and a conscious effort, but you can develop a more humble persona over time. As you do embrace your own humility, you’ll discover that using it as a leadership trait will benefit you in many other ways. Humility can be a tool that can help you grow in both your personal and professional life.