Question for Bum

Might I add to this question ... what, if any, weather/temperature restrictions did/do you follow. What temp is too cold? Wind conditions too severe? etc. Thank you.

And best of luck to Bum Jr. in the coming season.

FWIW I can tell you what the advice the Jaeger guys gave my son last season. (his first full HS and was one of the two regular starters) They recommended that he work up to a daily throwing LT routine for pre-season prep. Once the season started they recommended he "listen to his arm" as kids are different some need more recovery time than others.

After a start he would throw lightly the day after and would go out as far as he felt comfortable, with no pull down. Second day he was right back at it with little to no drop off in distance. Bullpens would usually be 2 days before a start. He would do his band decelerators after every start and would always get a 1-2 mile jog in after pitching. He never iced post game.

ladsdad and southpawdad, BOF gives some great advise as he has obviously learned from a top source (Jaeger).

As for Bum, Jr. he threw long-toss 5x week except, like BOF says, he would only lightly toss the day after pitching. He'd typically light toss one other day.. and every so once in awhile take an entire day off if his body felt like it. Bum, Jr. long-tosses right before a start, too. Of course, this is after stretching and band work.

Unlike BOF's son, Bum, Jr. has always iced after a start.. but this may be more tradition than anything else. I'm not convinced either way. One thing Bum, Jr. has done differently, perhaps, is he would HEAT AND ICE, in three cycles of 10-15 minutes each, two days after a start and one day before a start. To loosen things up.

This past Fall was the FIRST TIME in seven years he actually shutdown from throwing for a few weeks.. coaches orders. Although I was worried, it turns out he's come back just fine. He just threw his first Spring scrimmage innings (2) today and did well.

As for weather, Spokane has four distinct seasons so approximately mid-November to mid-Feb (or whenever the temperature is below 43) he would long-toss indoors against a racquetball court wall. (You can rig and indoor net to simulate the same thing.)

One final thought, ladsdad. It is good to hear your son has gathered strength and is especially good to hear about it helping his arm slot. I really believe that it did that for my son, too. But the #1 thing I think it did was enhance is arm speed, important if you want a dominating fastball.

Good luck, all!

BOF and Bum, thank you for the information. My son isn't one of those big freshman, only 5'08/145lbs but was clocked at 81 this fall at a pitchers' camp and cruised at 78-79. I attribute a lot of it to this particular long toss program.

I think the relaxed throws as you increase distance has reinforced the importance of keeping the arm loose and not muscling up. And pulling down as you decrease the distance really emphasizes the arm slot. It is getting hard to catch him when he returns to sixty feet as it is really hurting to catch him.

He was much sharper in the first inning in this past fall season when he long tossed before the game. About what would be the right number of long toss throws to make before a game where it would help the most but not overtax the arm?

That is a great question. I don't know if I've ever counted them before a game.. maybe BOF can weigh in on that one. I would say somewhere in th 50-70 range, I guess. The important thing is to stretch out slowly, listen to your arm and work to maximum distance when it feels good.

Please, LadsDad, forget about size. #1 5'8" as a freshman is good size.. he projects out to what, 6'1 or 6'2? Bum, Jr. may just be the most "height-challenged" pitcher in the Pac-10, but that didn't stop him!

If your son is cruising 78-79 as a freshman that is outstanding. Bum, Jr. wasn't even close to that at that age. He experienced the biggest jump (about 8 MPH) between his sophomore and junior season. Just keep up the long toss, and don't forget the other stuff (cardio, core, plyometrics, band work, strength training, and nutrition).

Thanks, I have told my son about Bum Jr. and what he has accomplished. He is an inspiration for the average sized kid. I have no idea how big my son will end up. I have told him that is out of his control and that he should do what is in his control which is to work hard and see just how far his talents can take him.

Thanks Bum & BOF ... Interesting idea about throwing inside into a net. I had not thought of that. We live off the beaten path and indoor facilities are 40+ miles away (and booked solid by teams). We do have a pop-up net we can set up in the basement if the ceiling is not too low. We'll have to give it a try.

Bum -- Glad to hear Bum Jr is bouncing back from his rest period. I know that the research Coach House and the NPA consortium have done is showing that 2 periods of "active rest" per year (4-6 weeks each) are very important to long-term health. I know that Southpaw Son has benefited from these. He is coming out of an active rest period and threw a bullpen side-by-side with one of the Sr's yesterday. He was quite pleased that his velocity was not far behind the Sr., and that his location was spot on and his movement was crisp.

LadsDad -- Best wishes to your son this coming spring. My guy is just a year ahead of him (a 2011 Soph). It may not be an issue for your son, but you may want to keep tabs on him early in the season as he starts practicing & playing 6 days a week. I have seen lots of kids wear down as Freshman just becasue they are not used to the schedule of HS ball.

Best wishes to all of the boys for a successful 2009 campaign (and beyond).

My son pretty much does the same LT program each time he goes out and then adjusts it to how he is feeling and what he will be doing that day. He will work his way out to his maximum distance, some days it takes more throws than others. (Some times he gets to his max and some times not) I frankly have not counted them, but my guess is that it is around 40 throws or so. If he is not pitching then he will do more pull down throws on the way in. If he is pitching he does fewer, say 10-15ish to get his release point right and then does his pre-game bullpen and he is ready to rock.

I agree with BUM - keep working the arm to develop the arm strength and stamina. Each kid is different and he will find a routine that works for him. Also be careful at season start.- like LadDad said, freshmen are not used to throwing every day.
It takes a while to get up to full strength so I would let his arm guide him, when he is stiff or tight take it easy, (never force it…. there were days when we would go out to throw and he would get ¾ the way out and he would come in and say I feel tight and don’t want to push it and we would just stop throwing and do some stretches and band work and come home) my guess is he will also hit a dead arm period at some point and I would limit the number of pitches early in the season. Let his arm guide him is the best advice we have been given.

I cannot emphasize how important the warm up is, get a sweat going before he throws – make sure he gets out and runs, arm circles and bands to get loose also before he picks up a ball. This is SO critical and once you are aware of it and watch you will be amazed at how few REALLY do it. My son has to start earlier than the team to get ready and this can be a challenge with some HS coaches. Fortunately my son’s coach buys into the Jaeger stuff so he is OK, but my son takes longer to warm up than everyone else on the team. He will also have to find a partner to work with.

By mid season my son could throw a complete game 90-100 pitches with little to no soreness the next day.

78-80 as a freshmen..…wow great stuff! Good Luck!

BOF is right about the arm circles and running.. forgot to mention that. It's funny BOF mentioned his son takes so long to warm up. Bum, Jr. too.. so much so that sometimes I'm standing there worried if he'll ever get to the pen before the game start time!

H.S. coaches have a tendency to squeeze more out of their main pitchers, and that was certainly the case with Bum, Jr. last year. His first game out of the box was a complete-game 110 pitch shutout with periodic snowflurries in the game. Later in the season, into playoffs, he threw a complete game win, was asked to come back on two days rest to throw another complete game win, then.. was asked to do it again on two days rest. That was the first and only time I called the coach and vetoed the idea. So it happens, just be prepared in case it does. Athletes are made in the offseason.

I would also recommend using a squeeze ball and finger snaps with and without a ball. Your hands are the last thing in the chain and they should be developed as well.

Hi everyone...I was wondering how would you go about with your long toss program if the child is. 11 years old?... Long toss every other day?.. And how would it be when the season starts?.. Since age differs I was curious about this I do not want to exhaust his arm..

Bum, Jr. began throwing daily at age 12, although extensive long-toss was about age 13.

Look, don't burn your kid out. He's 11. At that age, just let him have fun and maybe get some good instruction. I don't see a problem with daily throwing for fun, but don't structure into a training regimine or you are bound to be left with a 15 y.o. who no longer wants to play.

Is he a pitcher? 11 y.o.'s have not refined their mechanics so over-pitching is a real problem. Start to take it more seriously at age 13.

thanks..and yes he does pitch...i do keep a close eye on his development..mainly pitches fastball and change ups..he loves playing baseball and is willing to do what it takes to get better since he is on a 13u travel team its quiet hard for him to understand that their velocity is quiet different from his in comparison while they stay at 65ish he stays in the mid 50s...he is working on his mechanics and fixing it here and there..thank you for your advice..