Shutting Down

Not a bad idea to take some time away...everyone needs to recharge the batteries, and you don't want your kid getting sick of the game (I've seen it happen a lot at all levels).
However, if you are attending some important camps he'll have to keep working some to make sure that he doesn't hurt himself when he tries to "hump it up" for the college recruiters.

Can't do both....Talk to coach and see what he suggest.
Fungo

My son attended the WWBA championship 2 weeks ago. I told him that when we get home I didn't want him picking a bat or ball up for a month. He is, however, starting his winter conditioning program (weights and Plyos)

He is playing over Christmas but I figure that if he starts working out again in early December that he will be in pretty good shape by Christmas.

The body and the mind both need the rest.

My son was shut down this fall. He still participated in pitching drills, long toss, weights, swimming, and running. He did not throw off the mound where most of the arm stress originates. If you use your head, I think you can back off high stress work yet stay sharp. The people that run the winter camps understand what season it is. However, make sure you relay to them where you stand as far as conditioning goes.

Several sources I have read say that shutting down is very beneficial. However, I really can't think of anyone article that I've read that suggest anything more than planned 2 week breaks. We take two breaks during our off season lifting and plyo program. Neither one is more than 7 days. We have a throwing program on the same time frame. However, we do shut down for 2 weeks in that program. We do so using the Christmas break as a part of it.

Ditto rz1 and CoachB25. Fall scout team will finish this weekend. Will take 1 week off everything, then resume running, weights, long toss etc thru Thanksgiving, take a week off and repeat in Dec thru Xmas break. All flat ground work...will see the mound again once a week in Jan '05.

The arm will get plenty of rest during the long toss sessions and keep it conditioned. As rz1 said, no stress work from the mound.

Good luck to all!

hsfan,

My younger guy got a 2 1/2 week break from from 2nd week of Aug to end of Aug.

He was still expected to run and stretch during those 3 weeks.

Some of you guys must have missed the article from 'Collegiate Baseball' a couple months ago that was discussed on these boards. The article indicated that medical doctors, specifically those who perform Tommy John surgeries, recommend that teenagers, especially pitchers, take 2-3 months off of throwing during the off-season. I seem to recall most of the members who post on here ignoring that recommendation while writing their posts. I think that in general, even when we solicit opinions, we are looking for opinions that support our own ways of thinking......I have been guilty of that myself.

Grateful, I read that article but I didn't remember that as a part of it. I have it and so, I'll review it. We only throw a couple of days a week. We do a lot of band work and I have posted before about our workouts. We do a mixture of several programs based upon facilities, school guidelines etc. We get the breaks in and we work with a trainer year round. To this point, we have never had an arm injury. I've always felt it is because of this program that we use. Again, I'll re read that edition.

Grateful-
We have fall ball in our program, but they stop throwing in mid-October and don't throw again until the 1st of December, and then only twice a week with limited pitch counts until tryouts in March.
I think there is definitely something to be said for taking some time away.

From "Collegiate Baseball":

July 2004, article entitled "Young pitchers at risk for serious injuries"

Recommendation #6:
"Pitchers should compete in baseball no more than nine months in any given year as periodation is needed to give the body time to rest and recover. For at least three months a year a pitcher should not play any baseball or softball, participate in throwing drills or participate in other stressful overhead activities (javelin throwing, football quarterback, softball, competitive swimming, etc.)."

Another interesting recommendation, # 8:
"Pitchers should be discouraged from participating in "Showcases" due to the risk of injury. The importance of "Showcases" should be de-emphasized, and at the least, pitchers should be permitted appropriate time to prepare for the display of their skills."

CoachB25 and Coach Knight.....

My opinion is that in general, most high school coaches are not going to 'abuse' their pitchers' arms during the off-season.

It is more likely that over-zealous parents, private instructors, and showcase organizers are going to ignore the recommendations of the medical professionals who specialize in baseball injuries.

Most of that is under the guise of putting the pitcher in a position to be the 'star' or earning a college scholarship.

quote:

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Originally posted by Coach Knight:
Grateful-
We have fall ball in our program, but they stop throwing in mid-October and don't throw again until the 1st of December, and then only twice a week with limited pitch counts until tryouts in March.
I think there is definitely something to be said for taking some time away.

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What I do with my sons, is they take the month of November off. In December (Usually) nothing but DRY drills working on Mechanics no throwing at all.

In January they throw 3 sessions per week, all fastballs, 3 sets of 8 pitches each session.

February, 3x a week, 4 sets of 8, all fast balls

March 3x a week 5 sets of 8, 4 fastballs, 2 curves, 2 change-ups.

Pre Season Spring league starts at the end of March and they are in pretty good pitching shape. (Can only pitch 3 innings in Preseason)

HS season starts May 15th and they are in mid-season form by then.

I think the slow progression helps alot.

I said usually above, because this Christmas my son is traveling to Australia with RCW & the Goodwill Games Organization so we have to modify the routine a little.

The season doesn't start until middle of May?


I guess the snow is finally melted by then, huh?

While the Collegiate Baseball article is sound advice in a perfect world, it is a bit impractical for the high school senior looking to show a distant coach what he can do. The holiday season could be the last chance to get on the radar before the college and HS seasons start. If you shut down now for a month, take 3 weeks to get it back for a short workout at the end of December, and then shut down for another month have you come up with a decent compromise?

quote:

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Originally posted by KellerDad:
The season doesn't start until middle of May?


I guess the snow is finally melted by then, huh?

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Almost

HSFAN, that sound like a reasonable plan. That's what my son is going to do.

I suppose a compromise could work.

If you go to the doctor and are diagnosed with something common like High Blood Pressure, and he recommends that you abstain from caffeine, alcohol, and potato chips or you are a heart attack in the making, are you going to compromise and just give up two of them?

Or is it different because it is your body and not your son's arm?

grateful-

That is not a very good analogy. I won't even argue the point.

You are way off base suggesting that I don't care about my son's arm. The fact is that he wants to play college ball. There is one particular school that he is interested in that has not seen him yet. At this point the only way it will happen is to go to their holiday camp. In order to shut down we need a compromise, plain and simple. Shutting down now for three months may be an option for a pitcher who is already recognized as one of the best in the country. My son is not in that position.

hsfan

I also worry about a few things in this sort of scenario

01-- shutting down can put the player in a position of not being in "tip-top" shape when he wants to be ie--at the camps

02-- you run the risk of pitching when not in tip top shape therefore hurting your chances and also running the risk of injury.

03-- the mental aspect--the player may not be as sharp mentally as he would without a shut down

Just a few thoughts from one who has been there