Is my coach right or not

You're not giving enough info. How old are you? When did you last do much game pitching? Are you going to be a key starter or a reliever? How'd you feel during and after the 2006 season? How fast do you throw?

Doesn't Wisconsin play their HS baseball over the summer? (I thought I've been told that)

well im a left handed senior. I'll be both starting and reliving. I felt real good after last fall season which ended in October. I dont throw hard only about 75-78 but throw a lot of off speed and locate my pitches well. Wisconsin plays highschool ball in march-june and then legion ball starts in june

I would suggest that you use Jan. as a time to polish your mechanics (if you haven't done so already). During this time if you can get in during morning where you can go play long toss 1 or 2 days that would be ideal. You want to set the foundation prior to letting your arm go.

As for pitching regularly, I'm a firm believer in the 40 ft. bullpen as it isn't as stressful on the arm. Start off going from flat ground and work your way to the portable mound. We want our pitchers throwing 75 pitch pens by the time of the first game, however our pitch count will be around 60

micdsguy,
That's Iowa that plays the summer HS season.

quote:

DPHSbasbllplyer

If you've mostly rested since October and your arm feels good, I can't imagine why you shouldn't do some throwing now.

Try out a new pitch. Cutters work well for HS pitchers but not many kids know how to throw them effectively. They prefer the flashier curve/sliders for their "Wow" factor. A cutter is more hitable but can be much harder to whack solidly, resulting in ground-outs and popups.

quote:

micdsguy,
That's Iowa that plays the summer HS season.

Thanks. I know Minnesota plays during the regular Mar-May seson but many of their teams go south for spring break.

If you have taken off at least a month or two, and had no arm injuries or issues at the end of the season, then there is no reason not to start throwing now, if you have a place to do so.

However, you MUST START SLOW. For example, no throwing off the mound for a few weeks, and don't go 100% / full effort for a while either.

Start by throwing easy - both in effort and distance - and limit throws to around 25-30 the first day, then build up by increments of 5 or 10 throws every time after. You may want to mix in some drills to help mechanics. Listen to your arm, and ease up if you feel tightness or pain. Ideally you want to throw at least 3-4 times per week, but in short sessions (no more than 40 easy throws). After 2-3 weeks you can start increasing distance and effort.

Often players will get tendinitis by starting off with too much too soon --- so starting now, and building up slowly is a good idea.