Long Toss

He's wrong on the hitting, right on the long toss, although there are people with other opinions on that. However, in addition to throwing for maximum distance on an arc you also need to work your way back in throwing on a "line" to re-establish your release point. I'd recommend that you go over the following article from Alan Jaeger's web-site for an explanation:Long Toss
Station 5, the long toss or stretching out phase is the part where the ball is thrown on an arc.

I forgot to add that he wants us doing this not at max effort or max distance.

EK,

I think a good mix of an arcing throw as well as throwing on a line is optimal. This is based solely on my experience of not having arm soreness in my career.

BTW, avoid the coach who advises you to step in the direction of the pitch at all costs.

Long toss is a waste of time....

....according to Dick Mills.

My college coach had us long toss every day in the fall...and although this may not have a direct cause/effect relationship, I can tell you my arm was very strong and continued to get stronger each year in college. I remember popping 4 or 5 aspirin some days about 1/2 hour before long tossing cause my arm hurt so bad.

I don't think long tossing every day is effective. The arm is like anything else and needs some degree of rest.

Popping pills isn't something I would advise to a HS kid.

RB5, thanks for adding that. I neglected to say that I agree with both of your points. Was simply relaying how it was over 20 years ago.

quote:

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Originally posted by Lamber:
....according to Dick Mills.

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And what sayeth you on this?

Long toss is a way to strengthin the ligaments and everything in your arm. Some infielders may not like doing long toss and i agree because i dont enjoy doing it. Eventhough i have an outstand arm, i dont like throwing hard to get it to the other person, so i throw it and one hop it to the person, gives the same results. It is a great way to improve arm strength! On the hitting..if you stride to the direction of the ball being pitched...your going to pull the hell out of the ball. Sit back..hit it to the right side (if you can lol) Im a power hitter but i still hit it to the right side when my team needs me to. Right side = key to getting needed runs for your team

The game is never over until the 21'st out is made

Why would you want to bounce the ball at all? If your an out feilder and you one hop the ball to the catcher thats fine.
Every thing else should be "in the mitt" Focus on your target and hit your points, practice on your release points and work on your muscle memory.

BobStaman,

I haven't ever heard of infielders not liking to throw long toss...what are some reasons why you don't like throwing long toss? Isn't it easier to catch the ball if it's a chest high throw and not a one hop? Just to keep it in mind, one of the 5 tools of baseball is arm strength so why not show it off if you have a very strong arm?

Does anyone have a good long toss program that they would be willing to share? I am looking to help my sons (13yrs and 11yrs old) develop throwing arm strength.

Thanks.

bigdawgryan@yahoo.com

I think we are straying away from the subject. What it comes down to EK6 is, is it more effective to throw the ball with an arc in practice or on a line like you would throw doing a game. Overall the arc technique may be good for helping to stretch out the arm, but when it comes down to it in order to get maximum arm strength gains, one must throw the ball hard, plain and simple. You cannot throw hard in a game if you do not practice throwing hard.

bigdawgryan,
check the site in CADad's post. it has a ton of great info on long toss programs.

its not that i dont like it..its just that i hate doing long throw then taking practice. our coach has us stretch and throw and while we are throwing..we expand and create long toss. then we go in our regular practice. it hurts my arm when i really throw the ball in long toss.

The game is never over until the 21'st out is made

I don't really see how an extreme arc will elongate the muscles. They might do so in the Majors cause they got to the park at 1PM for a 7PM game and stretched and threw already a few times, plus they already have exceptional arm strength. I think the arc is just a part of long toss. When I throw I start short then get longer and longer, finally when I'm at long toss, I'll throw easy, in an arc working my way toward a hard straight line. Long toss hasn't wasted my time, it's fun to me and has given me a very strong outfield arm. I wouldn't really listen to Dick Mills. He sent me 3 of his free reports, he like using his son Ryan as a testimonial to his program and his 96MPH fastball. He got drafted in 97 or 98 and had serious arm problems a month or 2 after drafted. I sure wouldn't buy his program or take much of his advice. Maybe his son didn't do long toss??? I also don't think long toss should be done everyday, for the same reason weight lifting isn't done everyday.
Why wouldn't any baseball player like long toss? It's your chance to whip a ball without hurting anything. I'm sure every ballplayer likes wacking the snot out of the ball, so why wouldn't they like whipping the snot out of it too? It's fun. It's baseball. Being a sport where you can whip a ball at extreme speed is one reason why I love the game so much. If your arm is sore you might not exactly be throwing properly or maybe you just didn't stretch good enough before you throw. Don't forget you have to take a jog before you stretch to get the blood flowing. af88 is right on in his post. You play the way you practice and games are won at practice.

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference"

I thought that one facet of throwing long toss on a line was to keep the release point consistent. Wouldn't arcing the ball interfere with that?

Why are we so concerned with release points for position players?!? I understand Pitchers but not position players.

An IF should be able to throw from every possible arm angle. What does it matter that he establishes a consistent release point?

If you cannot recognize different release points needed to get the ball where it needs to go, you have bigger problems as a baseball player.