Throw Until You're Tired?

When does actually practice begin and when does season begin?

Couple of places to start.

Order "thrive on throwing CD" from Jaeger sports with some of their bands. Send Alan or Jim an email and they will give you some advice.

Go to ASMI.org and look around for additional information in the forums. Search the pitching forum here for throwing programs. Go to letstalkpitching.com and look around. I would highly recommend you purchase two books from ASMI. 1) Conditioning program for baseball pitchers 2)Preventitive and Rehabilitative Excerises for the Shoulder and Elbow. Believe it or not they are only $10 each easily the best deal you will find for a pitchers program.

Every kid is different so you can't just put together a canned program for all. Some take longer some get ready shorter. If you take the ASMI throwing program and shoten it up it will probably meet your needs. For healthy kids take 3 weeks to get them ready for flat ground and 2 weeks of flat ground to the mound and then 2 weeks of bull pens so a 6-7 week program will have your kids in good shape for season start.

Good Luck!

TPM: Practice starts the 22nd, first scrimmage the 27th (DH), first game the 6th (DH)...only two (pitching) kids have been throwing...the ones I'm asking about in order to make them bullet proof, a sophomore and junior, both low 80's.

BOF, actually I have the Jaeger throwing program and bands and we follow it to a certain extent. Last year, after much heated debate, I convinced our 76 yr old HS coach that long toss was a good idea and relaxed (Jaeger) long toss was a better idea and the Jager program for long toss was a fantastic idea. He now schedules it once a week but only during season after the fields are plowed somewhat free of snow. Like I said, he winters in AZ and will show up on the 21st and believes no one else can help until he shows up. Can you feel my concern?

I've brought the ASMI program to his attention, gosh darn wish he'd follow their pitching recommendations but also some of their exercises. We actually have a former pro head trainer that retired here and the coach has adopted his arm stretching program....which he makes kids do daily before practice...but that's about it. The former pro trainer showed up to one practice, no others, wonder why for sure.

I kind of wanted an answer as to can a kid throw too much on morning informal workouts if they've been throwing a couple of times a week for three months....can they trust their own bodies when doing flat work, no mounds, or do I need to give them limits. I'm going to question our former pro pitcher to expand on his comments and experience but would like HSBBW comments and experience also.


Thanks,

H

Perhaps one of the coaches here could give you better advice but I alwya feel one should toss (throw whatever you want to call it) with a purpose and that purpose shouldn't be toss until you are tired.

So, TPM, and I'm just asking, your recommedation for morning pre-season workouts would be stay on my schedule of 60 to 80 pitches after warmups throwing "inning" sets of 15 to 20 pitches?

Catchers, after blocking drills and warm ups throw back to pitcher and, when pitcher working from stretch, throw 15 to 20 down to 2nd throws over the course of catching bullpens?

H

No, I said perhaps one of the coaches could offer some suggestions to you.

Have let me make sure I understand you correctly.

Preseason practice starts Feb. 22nd

First scrimmage is 5 days later on Feb. 27th

First game of regular season is a week later on March 6th

Is that correct? I do not understand why some states believe a two week preseason is enough time to get players ready - especially pitchers - for the season and especially in cold weather states. Then to make matters worse they ban coaches from working with just pitchers and catchers before the mandatory start time. Someone at the top needs to get a clue.

Ok enough of my rant and sorry about that. First you need to be commended for taking matters into your own hands to help these kids. I'm usually the one guy you can count on to defend a coach at the drop of a hat but from what you're saying it's not possible. Can you speak to the AD or principal about this?

Got a couple of questions for you

1. How many games do you play in your season?
2. How often do you play on a Monday thru Saturday?
3. How many pitchers will be on staff that can actually throw varsity innings?
4. How often do you play DH?

I think you need to work up to a progression of pitches. Each week you need to increase the number of pitches thrown to build endurance but make sure they don't push themselves too hard if they are having a bad day. They need to push it but if they fall short by 10 pitches then no big deal.

If you can get onto a M-W-F schedule for a couple of weeks and then switch to a M-TH or TU-Fr schedule until games start. So that will give you 4 weeks of throwing until games start. This also assumes you will get to keep working with pitchers when the preseason starts.

If you're throwing in a gym can you get access to wood mounds or any type of indoor mounds? That will speed the process up way more than flat ground work.

Hope that helps and best of luck. If I misunderstood anything let me know and I will try it again.

Harv , no high school kid should be throwing 130 pitches at any point in high school to start with . As far as a throwing regiment , our kids throw warmups every day before practice and a controlled bullpen twice a week . Long toss should be incorporated in there and on weekends , we have them run and follow a program called throwersten.com and this has worked fairly well . We have one of the strongest pitching staffs around by using alot of different kids in different roles to achieve their goals . Never should they throw until tired ! Good luck this season .

Harv,
I may be reading into this, if I am I apologize before hand! If you mean "tired" until you can no longer throw with the proper mechanics, you should never throw until you are tired. Most HS kids are not self-disciplined enough to know when they reach that point (breakdown) because they are not that attuned to their own bodies. Without some structure most will end up throwing till it "hurts". Just my .02's worth.
GED10DaD