Throwing from the mound

I doubt that Tom would have said that kids can throw as much as they want from flat ground. Rather, I suspect that he said they can throw a lot more than from the mound.

Throwing from a mound is more of a tearing down process for the decelerator muscles on the back side of the shoulder. Gravity helps the accelerators on the front side accelerate the arm beyond what they could do on flat ground and this can over-tax the decelerators depending on how much you throw.

To back up what Roger said..it's why pitchers start out on flat ground instead of going straight to the mound.

So for a 17-18 year old pitcher, what kind of throwing do you guys recommend through a calendar year?

Say he picthes 30 to 50 innings in late spring HS season, about the same 30-50 innings summer, and a few games in the fall, maybe 15-20 innings. No games after 1st week Oct. Spring practices will start indoors mid-Feb. Would you recommend complete shutdown with no throwing sometime in Oct-January? Or just shutdown the pitching for a month but still throw flat ground that month?

THanx,
BaseballPop

I work with younger kids but I prefer my pitchers to completely shut down (i.e. no overhand throwing) for a minimum of 2 months each year. The reason is that most minor health issues that are capable of healing on their own if given proper rest will likely require about 8 weeks to heal. How many times have you or someone you know gone to the doctor with a sprain or strain and the doctor prescribed 6-8 weeks of rest? Anything less and you're asking for health issues to linger.

By the way, some organizations like the ASMI and the NPA recommend 2-3 months off each year.

thats actually kinda ironic, my legion coach said the same thing today and sure enough when I throw flat ground my arm doesn't get sore nearly as fast.

Baseball Pop59, Wyoming huh! Because I'm a baseball nut I have followed a lot of Wy legion ball online over the years. I am also a big fan of the state.
Because you are in a colder climate than some, shutting down won't hurt. If a player can get some late fall throwing inside a gym, it can help him to stay strong. When I lived in New England, we typically shut down during Nov, Dec and Jan. These days some kids are throwing inside nearly year round. I think 2 months is plenty but 3 months of rest won't hurt.
I also train all of my pitchers to work flat often and always before mound work.

I'm pretty sure that is exactly what he said. It stuck in my mind at the time. He spoke at some length about it, and said clearly that kids could throw on flat ground all they want and won't hurt themselves.

BBP, I would recommend shutting down a couple of months to give the arm time to recover.

Just to clarify, when people are talking about "shutting down" for two months, are we talking about all athletic activity, throwing, baseball, or just pitching?

Having said that, with the exception of just pitching, I think that it is not feasible to shut down from any of the others for more than a few weeks, maybe 6 weeks if taken in multiple "portians". I say this because I'm sure it is rare to find a highschool athlete who competes in only one sport, and if they do, they probably play summer and/or winter ball.

Let's keep this real simple (KTRS).

For healthy & stronger tissues and muscles, throw every day or every other day.

If not healthy or have arm fatique, cease throwing for a bit. One key is to know you own body.

Remember, Noly decided NOT to undergo the knife. So he went back to the cattle ranch and moved cows and horses, and hay. Bulls typically let you know when they want to move around!

For those having had (or are having) arm surgery, one must learn the art of throwing all over again. Many have heard of Tommy John surgery, and the extraordinary rehab one needs for that. But have you heard of Tommy Bear {arm and elbow) surgery. Dr Andrews has not done one of those!

cheers
Bear

quote:

Originally posted by Andrew:
Just to clarify, when people are talking about "shutting down" for two months, are we talking about all athletic activity, throwing, baseball, or just pitching?

Usually, the recommendation is no overhand throwing. Other activities - especially other sports - are usually ok. Naturally, other activities/sports might entail some overhand movement but it should be more the exception than the rule.