TAP® Pitching Range™ 4–7 oz Weighted Baseball Set - HOW THEY FIT YOUR PRACTICE TIME

What We Mean by a Training Block

A training block is a planned period of practice with one defined purpose, a written schedule, a starting point, and regular check-ins. In the historical weighted-ball studies discussed here, blocks lasted about ten weeks and included multiple throwing sessions each week. That does not make ten weeks the required format for every athlete.

For a coach, the practical point is simpler: do not introduce altered-weight throwing as a collection of occasional extra throws. Decide what the block is intended to improve, define its duration and weekly schedule, establish the athlete's current throwing workload, and decide in advance what would cause you to hold, reduce, or stop the work.

Start Here: The Time Math

Most weighted-ball programs fail on the calendar, not the field. A training block needs a gradual ramp-up, a defined purpose, enough recovery between high-intent exposures, and time to reassess. Historical programs took time. Use that as a planning reference, not as a one-size-fits-all prescription.

Historical programs ran roughly 75–105 minutes per session, three times per week, for ten weeks after a completed ramp-up. That is a useful calendar reference, not an Oates prescription. A coach should be able to explain the block's purpose, schedule, throwing volume, recovery plan, and the conditions that would require a change.

If your calendar cannot support a gradual build up, do not compress the work just to make it fit. Use the available time to build the athlete's general preparation, regulation-ball throwing foundation, and workload record instead.

Who This Is For

Run this with an athlete who:

• Is 13 or older
• Repeats a regulation-ball delivery under fatigue
• Has finished a general preparation base and is currently throwing without pain
• Has a coach observing the session
• Has daily throw counts tracked across every team they play for

Do not run this with an athlete who:

• Is returning from time away without a completed ramp-up
• Has current arm pain or soreness that has not settled
• Cannot repeat a delivery with a regulation baseball
• Is still growing unless directly supervised and loaded conservatively; younger arms respond differently, as explained in the research linked below
• Would be doing this alone; there is no version of this work an athlete should run alone

Why This Set Uses 4, 5, 6, and 7 Ounces

The TAP® Pitching Range™ 4–7 oz Weighted Baseball Set is our four-ball set: 4 oz, 5 oz, 6 oz, and 7 oz synthetic-leather baseballs spanning the range examined in the core mound-biomechanics study behind this guide.

DeRenne's original training research used balls at roughly 20% under and over a 5 oz regulation baseball. That describes the studies behind this range. It is not a claim that our current set sits at that exact percentage, and our 5 oz training ball is not intended as a regulation-ball substitute, but it is a constant ball in the middle of the set that will be the same weight throughout the training block.

The TAP® Pitching Range™ does not tell you which ball an athlete needs. It gives you a narrow, incremental range when your assessment says a change is appropriate.

Synthetic material matters here for a different reason than exact weight: it holds steady. Natural leather can absorb ambient moisture over a season, shifting a ball's mass session to session. A synthetic ball does not drift that way. Each ball stays at the same weight, session to session, so any ball in the set weighs the same in week ten as it did the day it left the box.

For the research behind the range, read The 4-to-7 Ounce Range: What Sets This Set Apart.

Step 1: Decide If the Athlete Is Ready

Ron Wolforth of the Texas Baseball Ranch uses four questions before a pitcher takes on this kind of load. Treat them as a gate, not a warm-up prompt.

• Is the athlete tighter in the ankles, hips, or thoracic spine (mid-back) than their peers?
• Do they have shoulder-blade control, shoulder, or arm issues?
• Do they have trouble connecting the hips to the trunk and shoulders?
• Do they decelerate poorly? Deceleration is how the arm slows itself down after the ball leaves the hand.

A yes is not an automatic no. It tells you that athlete needs specific preparation the athlete beside them may not need.

Then ask the athlete to rank five areas from most limiting to least: arm health, velocity, command, pitch quality, and consistency. Work on the top two. If arm health ranks first, that is the project. Weighted-ball work is not.

Randy Sullivan, the physical therapist who runs the Florida Baseball ARMory, puts the principle plainly: adding energy or strength on top of dysfunction is usually a bad idea. He also notes that only a small share of his own clients use weighted balls and that plenty of pitchers gained velocity without ever picking one up.

We agree. Address the movement or readiness issue first.

Step 2: Build the Warm-Up

The rule is simple: warm up to throw; do not throw to warm up.

Wolforth's framework is a 20–35 minute, full-body process completed before high-intent throwing. The goal is to raise temperature, prepare usable range of motion, and get the athlete ready for rotation and quick direction change.

Wolforth does not publish a single mandatory exercise list, and neither do we. Build a warm-up that fits the athlete and the day. Keep more than one version available.

Have a short five-to-ten-minute version for days when the schedule breaks. That shorter version is a preparation option, not permission to skip preparation.

Step 3: Run the Throwing Work

The DeRenne studies provide a useful historical reference. They used a narrow range around regulation weight, three sessions per week, ten-week blocks, and regulation-ball work within every session. They do not tell you that every athlete should use the same volume or schedule.

The 1994 program progressed from roughly 54 to 78 throws per session across ten weeks. One group mixed light, heavy, and regulation balls in each session. Another used heavy plus regulation balls for five weeks, then light plus regulation balls for five weeks. Neither structure was reported superior.

Assign one purpose to each session. Decide whether the day is for mound work, controlled target work, long toss, lower-intensity throwing, or assessment. Do not combine high-intent exposures merely because they all involve throwing.

How to Apply That to a 4–7 oz Set

Keep the throwing task recognizable, and keep the competition ball part of the session.

• Use a regulation-size ball for altered-weight work.
• Use a mound at regulation distance when pitching from a mound is the planned task.
• Use stationary flat-ground throwing at a controlled distance when a mound is not available.
• Keep the approach stationary unless the session has a separate, deliberate reason to include movement. The 2017 study found higher measured elbow and shoulder loading during crow-hop throws than during mound pitching; the authors attributed that difference to running forward while throwing, not ball weight alone.
• Keep a regulation baseball in the session. The 5 oz ball in this set is a training ball, not a substitute for a regulation baseball used in competition.
• Finish the planned altered-weight portion with regulation-baseball throws when the athlete is able to repeat normal timing and intent. This gives the athlete an opportunity to organize the delivery around the ball they will actually use in games.
• Treat those final regulation-ball throws as a blend-back, not as extra unplanned volume. They should have a defined target, purpose, throw count, and intended effort.
• Change one variable at a time. Do not add a new ball weight and a large volume increase in the same session.

The historical DeRenne protocol kept regulation-ball throws at both ends of the altered-weight work: a regulation-ball warm-up, 20 full-intent regulation-ball throws, 20 altered-weight throws, and 10 final regulation-ball throws. That sequence is useful historical context—not a required prescription—but it illustrates an important principle: altered-weight work should remain connected to the competition implement rather than replacing it.

The TAP® Pitching Range™ gives coaches small, incremental changes across a 4–7 oz range. The practical decision is not simply which ball to use. It is whether that variation has a clear purpose for the athlete today, and whether the athlete can return to a regulation baseball with normal movement, intent, and command.

The 7 oz ball showed the lowest measured arm-force values in the acute mound study. The one training study built around a 7 oz ball, however, found no velocity advantage. Treat the 7 oz ball as a variation when you have a reason to use it—not as the next mandatory rung on a ladder.

Space, Targets, and Throwing Options

Space is part of the programming decision. The available facility should determine which throwing task is appropriate; it should not pressure the coach to improvise a higher-intent drill in an unsuitable area.

The research is clearest when pitchers throw at full, regulation pitching distance. The available mound and flat-ground studies compare mound pitching and stationary flat-ground pitching at 60 feet 6 inches, while the weighted-ball mound study examined full-distance pitching with 4, 5, 6, and 7 oz baseballs. That evidence does not establish that every shorter-distance, indoor, or facility-specific throwing setup produces the same mechanics or arm loading.

A full mound or regulation-distance throwing lane is useful when pitching is the planned task. A stationary flat-ground lane at regulation distance can also work when a mound is not available. In either setting, use a catcher or a secure backstop screen with a defined target so every throw has a purpose and can be counted.

Many facilities do not have a full regulation-distance lane. Our practical view is that a controlled throwing option is often more useful than no throwing option—as long as the task matches the space, the athlete's response is monitored, and the coach accounts for total throwing stress and volume. This is a coaching judgment, not a claim that research has validated every reduced-distance setup.

A smaller space can be useful for preparation, lower-intensity throwing, movement work, and controlled target throws. If a backstop screen and target allow an athlete to make planned, repeatable throws safely, that may be a workable option within a broader throwing plan. Define the distance, target, intended effort, ball used, and throw count rather than treating these throws as casual or untracked work.

Do not assume that a shorter distance automatically means a lower-stress throw. The available research does not support a universal distance rule for every athlete, facility, or throwing task. Monitor the athlete's arm-feel check before and after practice, command, timing, effort, total throws, and the other throwing they complete that day.

A smaller space is not automatically suitable for full running throws, crow hops, or maximum-distance throwing. Those tasks require adequate runway, a protected throwing lane, a secure receiving or backstop area, and sufficient room for the athlete to decelerate safely after release. The 2017 weighted-ball study found higher measured elbow and shoulder loading during flat-ground crow-hop throws than during mound pitching, while a separate long-toss study found the greatest elbow and shoulder torques during maximum-distance throws.

If the space does not allow the planned throwing task to be performed safely and consistently, choose a different task that day. Space limitations are a programming constraint—not a reason to force the next progression.

Long Toss, Distance, and Weighted-Ball Work

Long toss is not the enemy in this decision. Many coaches use long-toss work as part of broader throwing development. A coach may reasonably include it when it fits the athlete, the phase of the year, and the day's total workload.

The issue is not whether long toss belongs in an athlete's development. The issue is whether it belongs in the same high-intent exposure as weighted-ball work, especially when the athlete's throwing volume is already climbing.

Maximum-distance throws produced higher elbow and shoulder torques than mound pitching in the long-toss study. Those findings do not ban long toss. They tell a coach to account for distance, intent, recovery, and total throwing volume when long toss and altered-weight throwing appear in the same week or session.

Keep the weighted-ball task defined. Use a planned throwing drill, a catcher, or a protected target, not untracked casual throws between drills.

Count every throw. Track daily totals across every team the athlete plays for. In the prospective workload evidence summarized in the linked research, daily throw count predicted injury while the per-throw measure did not.

One important baseline: these findings compare weighted balls with full-intent throws using a regulation baseball. “No significant increase” does not mean no arm load. Throwing a regulation baseball hard is already demanding, and workload still matters.

Step 4: Cool Down

Most programs skip this. A 10–15 minute, low-intensity cool down gives the coach a repeatable transition from high-intent throwing to recovery and a place to ask how the athlete responded before they leave.

Wolforth's practical method is simple: take the athlete's preferred warm-up process, repeat it at lower intensity, and reduce volume by roughly half to two thirds.

Sullivan frames the cool down as low-intensity movement that supports circulation, comfortable motion, and readiness for the next throwing exposure. That is practitioner guidance, not a validated weighted-ball recovery protocol.

The practical rule is simple: do not end a high-intent session by immediately sitting in the car. Use a short, repeatable cool down, complete the post-practice arm check, and log the day's throwing work before the athlete leaves.

Sullivan has also questioned routine icing in his published work. That is his practitioner position, not a universal medical directive.

Four fundamentals both practitioners emphasize: sleep, nutrition, hydration, and a written log. The log matters because it is how a coach learns what worked for this specific athlete.

Step 5: Monitor the Athlete During and Between Outings

Monitoring is not an extra form to complete after the fact. It is how a coach decides whether today's plan still fits the athlete. Record the athlete's response before practice, after practice, and at the next throwing exposure. Compare the response with that athlete's normal baseline, not with another athlete's answer.

Ask the same question at the beginning and end of every throwing session:

A score of 3 is not an option. If an athlete starts to choose the middle, ask for a clearer description and have them choose the direction that better reflects their condition: closer to normal or closer to concerning.

Record the score with the day's throwing log: ball type or weight, number of throws, estimated intent, throwing task, location or distance, and any performance notes. The record is not a diagnostic tool. It helps the coach recognize trends, identify changes in tolerance, and avoid increasing more than one variable at a time.

Arm status is only one part of the check-in. Monitor whether the athlete can still perform the task that was planned. A coach does not need advanced technology to do this consistently.

Record:

• Total throws, including warm-up, regulation-ball work, altered-weight work, and throws made for other teams that day
• Throwing task and intent: mound, stationary flat ground, target work, crow hop, long toss, or other planned drill
• Ball used and the labeled target weight
• Command or target quality
• Velocity when a reliable radar reading is available; use it as a trend for that athlete, not as the sole clearance test
• Whether delivery timing, effort, or ball shape changed during the session
• The athlete's post-practice arm-feel score and their score before the next throwing exposure

These are coaching observations, not diagnostic tests or validated injury screens. They are reasons to reassess the athlete's workload, readiness, mechanics, and recovery—not labels or predictions on their own.

If the athlete can no longer repeat the day's intended throw with normal timing, shape, or effort, reassess the session rather than simply adding more throws. Reassess instead of adding more throws when command, timing, effort, velocity, or the athlete's reported arm status moves in the wrong direction.

Stop immediately for sharp or unusual pain. Do not push through it. Sharp pain, altered throwing because of discomfort, loss of normal function, or symptoms that do not settle call for stopping and involving appropriate support.

Four observations to watch:

• Velocity drops with no clear mechanical explanation
• Elbow tightness after shorter outings than usual
• Slower bounce-back or more soreness between appearances
• Command changes, especially repeated misses high to the arm side or spikes to the glove side

Treat soreness as information, not as a verdict. Compare it with the athlete's normal response, the amount and type of work completed, and whether normal function returns as expected.

The randomized weighted-ball trial discussed in the research reported four elbow injuries in the training group: two occurred during the six-week program and two occurred in the following season. A clean block does not prove that the work was harmless. If pain is sharp, function is lost, or symptoms do not settle, involve an athletic trainer or qualified healthcare professional. [Reinold et al., 2018]

What This Does Not Promise

• It does not promise a velocity gain for any individual athlete. Research findings are group-level findings.
• It does not claim any weighted-ball protocol is safe. The injury question remains open.
• It does not claim the mechanism behind velocity gains is understood. It is not.
• It does not claim deceleration-phase loading is equal across ball weights. That has not been measured.
• It does not claim this specific commercial set has been tested. No study has tested our product, or anyone else's product, as a product.
• It does not replace assessment, supervision, workload management, or a coach's judgment about the athlete in front of them.

What You Need

You can use this decision process with equipment you already own. Here is where Oates tools fit when a coach decides the work is appropriate.

TAP® Pitching Range™ 4–7 oz Weighted Baseball Set

Four synthetic-leather baseball-sized balls: 4 oz, 5 oz, 6 oz, and 7 oz, spanning the range this guide's research covers. Ball labels identify target training weights. Small ball-to-ball variation within normal manufacturing tolerances is expected. Facilities that need an exact documented weight for a particular use should verify the individual ball before use.

Use for planned mound, target, or catcher work. For throws into a wall or onto a floor, use a purpose-built wall/floor tool such as the TAP® Max-Grip Weighted Ball.

Warm-up and preparation

• Oscillating shoulder device: Shoulder Tube®
• Sheathed resistance tubing: TAP® Sheathed Safety Tubing
• Throwing sock: TAP® Baseball Training Sock
• Connection and alignment implements: Connection Ball and TAP® Connector Throwing Club

Cool-down options

• Low-intensity throwing sock work: TAP® Baseball Training Sock
• Oscillating shoulder device: Shoulder Tube®
• Light resistance tubing: TAP® Sheathed Safety Tubing
• Compression wrap: Rocket Wrap

Every one of these tools has functional equivalents from other manufacturers, and the programs discussed here predate all of them. We build ours to hold their intended specification through regular use, and we would rather you know exactly what you are buying and why.

Read the Research Behind the Set

Sixty Years of Weighted Baseballs, and Nobody Knows Why They Work

The full history, the velocity record, the studies that found no benefit, and the mechanism nobody has established.

The 4-to-7 Ounce Range: What Sets This Set Apart

Why these four weights, what the mound and flat-ground studies covered, what the research does not show, and the full source context for the findings summarized here.

Read both before choosing a weighted-ball plan. They explain why the range is 4–7 oz, what the research does and does not support, and where individual coaching judgment takes over.

Frequently Asked Questions