Good read from Mr. Reinhold.
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Go44dad posted:Good read from Mr. Reinhold.
Very good article and an excellent post ! Should be a must read for any head coach, pitching coach, pitcher, pitcher's parents, agent/advisor, and trainer.
Great article! Interestingly enough, my 2019 just started a long toss program for the 1st time. There's kids in his group from 10-17 yr olds. Everyone is being taught the exact same thing. We meet as a group twice a week for 6 weeks. They want these kids to do Jbands and throw every single day, not necessarily the same amount of throws are same velocity but still throw everyday. We decided on our own to only throw 4 times a week. If I had a younger son in the program I would be concerned that their mechanics could get out of whack while throwing at home, especially if the dad had no clue about mechanics. I guess to each his own, but I wanted my son to start this to build up strength in his arm and shoulder, not to throw harder.
Texas 2 Sons posted:Great article! Interestingly enough, my 2019 just started a long toss program for the 1st time. There's kids in his group from 10-17 yr olds. Everyone is being taught the exact same thing. We meet as a group twice a week for 6 weeks. They want these kids to do Jbands and throw every single day, not necessarily the same amount of throws are same velocity but still throw everyday. We decided on our own to only throw 4 times a week. If I had a younger son in the program I would be concerned that their mechanics could get out of whack while throwing at home, especially if the dad had no clue about mechanics. I guess to each his own, but I wanted my son to start this to build up strength in his arm and shoulder, not to throw harder.
I am a believer in long toss - up to a point and with some conditions. Every day is too much. So good for you in cutting back on that. Also, there is no need to throw longer than 40 yds. Nolan Ryan said that anytime he threw longer than 40 yds he was concerned that he would change his release point. And he is right about that. When kids (especially younger ones) start throwing a farther distance than they are comfortable with they start making counterproductive adjustments (throwing uphill, dropping the elbow, releasing the ball at a higher point) in order to carry the ball farther in the air. Proper mechanics must be maintained in order for long toss to be productive. If Nolan Ryan says 40 yds is the max distance for a grown man (HS & college included) that's good enough for me. We conducted an 8 week pitching clinic this summer and I saw what happens in a group long toss setting. Older kids want to try and throw the baseball over the outfield fence and younger kids want to try and throw the same distance as the older kids. Neither of those things are good. Like kids need to be paired up and close attention needs to be paid to each kid so none of the above goes on. Just my opinion, but I work with a lot of kids that have been to high priced pitching coaches and come away with bad habits, so it is an educated opinion.
Nolan KNOWS!! He was like a diety in our house when son was learning to pitch.
Btw I don't think that limiting long toss to certain distances makes sense. What is important is the intensity.
In the end it is about the number of max effort throws, no matter if it is game pitches, bullpen pitches, max distance longtoss or weighted ball pulldowns (or max effort throws from shortstop), each is equally stress and harmfull.
You need a certain amount of max effort throws but there is a treshold when more is not better anymore.
Mike Reinold is terrific. Great guy to talk with. Both my sons have been treated by Mike at different times. The only thing I would say Mike is better at than treating throwing athletes is how nice a guy he is. Very personable, and very, very accommodating. He is also extremely responsive. Mike is very patient answering questions and works on guys until he's finished, not because the clock on the wall says time is up. Tremendous guy with a real passion for what he does. Lenny Macrina works with Mike and he is also excellent. My experience with them has been outstanding.
adbono posted:Texas 2 Sons posted:Great article! Interestingly enough, my 2019 just started a long toss program for the 1st time. There's kids in his group from 10-17 yr olds. Everyone is being taught the exact same thing. We meet as a group twice a week for 6 weeks. They want these kids to do Jbands and throw every single day, not necessarily the same amount of throws are same velocity but still throw everyday. We decided on our own to only throw 4 times a week. If I had a younger son in the program I would be concerned that their mechanics could get out of whack while throwing at home, especially if the dad had no clue about mechanics. I guess to each his own, but I wanted my son to start this to build up strength in his arm and shoulder, not to throw harder.
I am a believer in long toss - up to a point and with some conditions. Every day is too much. So good for you in cutting back on that. Also, there is no need to throw longer than 40 yds. Nolan Ryan said that anytime he threw longer than 40 yds he was concerned that he would change his release point. And he is right about that. When kids (especially younger ones) start throwing a farther distance than they are comfortable with they start making counterproductive adjustments (throwing uphill, dropping the elbow, releasing the ball at a higher point) in order to carry the ball farther in the air. Proper mechanics must be maintained in order for long toss to be productive. If Nolan Ryan says 40 yds is the max distance for a grown man (HS & college included) that's good enough for me. We conducted an 8 week pitching clinic this summer and I saw what happens in a group long toss setting. Older kids want to try and throw the baseball over the outfield fence and younger kids want to try and throw the same distance as the older kids. Neither of those things are good. Like kids need to be paired up and close attention needs to be paid to each kid so none of the above goes on. Just my opinion, but I work with a lot of kids that have been to high priced pitching coaches and come away with bad habits, so it is an educated opinion.
That seems logical..