80 ft — 1 throw In fact, a good rule of thumb is to not even think about the Pull Down phase until you are comfortably throwing what feels like your max distance, and you are able to stay there comfortably for 5-10 throws. 60 ft — 10 throws (and any additional throws if needed), Week 2 — (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) Our philosophy is pretty simple — it’s of minimal importance as to “when” a pitcher is expected to throw his first bull-pen in the fall/winter, considering that the pitcher has the balance of the year to work off of the mound. Phase 1: Player starts at a distance of 15 steps, 2-3 sets of 25 throws on a line with 5 minutes recovery between sets. This is the focus of this article. 40-60 ft — 15 throws STEP THREE: MOUND PITCHING Players throw from mound to get comfortable with throwing on downward slope and locating pitches Throw out of stretch and wind-up delivery Focus on locating pitches to specific areas of the strike zone (inside/outside, high/low) Use a stand-in batter toward the end of your sessions when possible 130 ft — 1 throw 120 ft — 1 throw As you will see below, I have broken down our Throwing Program into 3 phases. However, what variables do seem to apply to nearly all pitchers is, 1) the amount of rest a pitcher needs to take after a long season, 2) their approach toward their off season throwing program and, 3) the integration of their off season throwing program into their season. This manual is a throwing program. V�d$�3�ˡ[���� �`2�17C�L ������L��a��@�` �s When a pitcher is doing the wrong things mechanically and 100 ft — 1 throw Proper arm care is vital if becoming a top level pitcher is a goal. 180 ft — 1 throw You may find that 250 feet has turned into 300 feet and 300 feet has turned into 330 feet or more. As you will see below, I have broken down our Throwing Program into 3 phases. *** Flat Ground Work Begins on Tuesday/Friday (10-15 Change Up’s), Week 4 — (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) This throwing program for pitchers encompasses several types of throwing activities for developing good command of pitches, pitch movement, and arm strength: 1. 300 feet). 0000000790 00000 n 110 ft — 1 throw Note: If you choose the option of throwing beyond the predetermined “peak” throw that day (e.g. Your job is to put it in a position where it can best maximize it’s potential — and I can tell you from a lot of experience that this usually happens when you are doing more throwing, rather than less. A simple rule of thumb is to get in at least 2 good days of long toss during the season, and these days tend to be most optimal on your bull pen/game day (if you are a starter). 195 ft — 3 throws We want them to come back toward their throwing partner 10 feet per throw or so, with the same dynamics they made with their furthest distance throw that day (e.g. 75 ft — 10 throws And that’s we want our players to ultimately learn to do….know their arm. 160 ft — 1 throw A pitcher may get a week or two off the mound before Spring Training, but not much more. 0000001502 00000 n 0000003149 00000 n 180 ft — 3 throws Therefore, depending on your arm strength and the history of your arm, you may find that these distances are too restricting, or not challenging enough for you. Because you are staying off the mound, don’t be surprised how often, and how long your arm wants to throw. This is where many pitchers, who have never truly built their arm the correct way in the off-season, may have a pleasant surprise waiting for them. 0000012726 00000 n 110 ft — 1 throw 120 ft — 1 throw The primary goal of our throwing program is to build an extremely strong base or foundation, progressively. H�t�Oo�0��|�9ګ@l������UV�i}k��\٦Q���]BR��m00�~D2������y��^�!���Šv�T�!aclb���ee�?����"+�beV�8&odm����X��HGӜ���ac����G8t��Sოl[ش��$�. 838 24 Some may throw a lot on the first day of their pull downs, and then only want to go out to 250 feet the next day and not pull down at all. 3. 170 ft — 1 throw 861 0 obj <>stream Finally, remember that the bottom line is to listen to your arm. FLAT GROUD THROWING – A basic type of catch used primarily to warm up the arm and get loose. Throwing a baseball over hand is a very un-natural movement for the body. That’s because each pitcher has their own unique history. Quite the contrary. This is what happens when you learn how to listen to your arm and let it dictate the pace. The reason for this is that the arm tends to respond better on the mound after a good long toss session — it’s been trained for it. 160 ft — 1 throw How many throws you make at each increment is dependent on how your arm feels. 60 ft — 5 throws (and any additional throws if needed), Week 3 — (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) Utilize that 5-10 minute window to allow your arm to continue to open up beyond 240 feet. 190 ft — 1 throw When pitchers truly understands the importance of “resting” and “rebuilding” their arms over a substantial period of time (4-6 weeks) in the off-season without stepping on a mound, they will best position themselves to not only peak at the right time (beginning of the season), but maintain or even enhance their base throughout the season. The best throwing program to increase pitching velocity while reducing risk of injury is a drill based approach that trains elite biomechanics based on the latest research. Knowing when to shut down after a demanding period of time and how to best prepare the arm in the off-season is the key to maximizing a pitchers health, strength, endurance and recovery period in season. Again, the arm will tend to want to increase it’s workload from week to week as it progressively gets into shape. 100 ft — 1 throw I threw them a lot, but I had no real rhyme or reason or program. Return to throwing following an Upper Extremity Injury2. 105 ft — 5 throws 75 ft — 10 throws In that case, the rest period may only be a week and the conditioning period may only need to be 2 weeks because the base from the Fall/Winter is still relatively strong). 0000006005 00000 n ��՞4mi��'� �d| 70 ft — 1 throw Our off-season throwing program is based predominately on 4-6 weeks of Arm Care exercises (Surgical Tubing) and Long Toss. On days that you don’t feel great, try throwing through this feeling unless it is obviously a sign of pain. February: One week of mound development 70 ft — 1 throw Results: Data-based age and level-of-play interval throwing programs for pitchers, catchers, infi elders, and outfi elders have been developed, tested, and implemented for more than 10 years. Additionally, after the 2nd week of throwing, there is an “option” to throw for an additional period time as each player reaches his “furthest distance” on that given day. Again, the priority is RECOVERY. Finally, the following distances are based on a college freshman with average arm strength. 120 ft — 1 throw Though most throwing programs are formatted so a pitcher has structure throughout the off-season, our throwing program places more responsibility on a pitcher listening to his arm. 210 ft — 1 throw Although Symbolically, your first 10-14 days of throwing should also follow this same mentality: stretching, loose arm action, range of motion, freedom, and so on. Taking into consideration that a pitcher is coming off of an extended rest of 2-3 weeks, like anything else you would “build” in life, start off slowly and surely — walk before you jog and jog before you run. 75 ft — 10 throws THROWING PROGRAM GENERAL RULES 1. endstream endobj 839 0 obj <>/Metadata 23 0 R/PieceInfo<>>>/Pages 22 0 R/PageLayout/OneColumn/StructTreeRoot 25 0 R/Type/Catalog/LastModified(D:20090902164016)/PageLabels 20 0 R>> endobj 840 0 obj <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]/ExtGState<>>>/Type/Page>> endobj 841 0 obj <> endobj 842 0 obj <> endobj 843 0 obj <> endobj 844 0 obj <> endobj 845 0 obj <> endobj 846 0 obj <>stream 60 ft — 5 throws (or any additional throws if needed) 230 ft — 1 throws This is a really underestimated facet of developing pitching speed that is greater. What matters most is what the pitcher does in this 4-6 week window leading up to the first bull-pen, and understanding how to maintain or strengthen this base throughout the remainder of the Fall, Winter and Spring. Things to look for in Weeks 3 and 4 are pacing and recovery period. 100 ft — 1 throw It’s as if the better shape your arm gets into, the more it wants to throw — the more it “needs” to throw. Regardless of how far out you get on Day 1 or how much time you may throw for, if you go out virtually everyday for the 10-14 day period, and you are religious with your arm circles/surgical tubing exercises, your arm should begin to feel better with each passing day. 40-60 ft — 15 throws Rotator cuff strengthening 5. A pitcher should be able to go from throwing a 25 pitch bull pen in week 3 (late January/early February) to throwing 35 pitches in an inter-squad game by week 4. 0000009188 00000 n 120 ft — 3 throws 120 ft — 3 throws Make it the best it can be. 120 ft — 1 throw This too should come quickly. 165 ft — 3 throws January: Four weeks of on-boarding. In this 10-14 day period, the goal is to build endurance and distance through the Stretching Out phase of Long Toss (Long Toss is broken down into 2 parts: Stretching Out as you move away from your throwing partner, and Pulling Down or Strengthening as you move back in toward your throwing partner). In addition, all exercises included are specific to the thrower and are designed to improve strength, power and endurance of the shoulder complex musculature. Hi guys: I was talking with a AA baseball pitcher last summer, and he was telling me about a college pitching program that consisted of throwing a regulation baseball, a football(to notice spin) a tennis ball , a whiffle ball (to notice arm acceleration) and I’m not sure, but he may have included a softball. The beauty of going out each day without the demands of bull-pens, etc., is that a pitcher can enter into a new threshold simply because he is allowing his arm to open up most effectively. BRIGHAM & WOMEN’S HOSPITAL Department of Rehabilitation Services. This manual is a throwing program. For example, the more you throw, the more you arm will probably want to throw. All rights reserved. For example, you may begin to notice that 20-30 minutes of throwing has turned into 30-40 minutes of throwing on certain days. By not being in a hurry to “get in shape”, the muscles have a chance to stretch out more progressively, develop more efficiently, and recover more quickly. When a pitcher is doing the wrong things 120 ft — 5 throws The premise is the same — work on building your base by walking before you jog, and jogging before you run. 40-60 ft — 15 throws 60 ft — 5 throws (or more if needed) I’ve found that pitchers who can get out to 300 feet throw in the 88mph range, those who can get out to 330 feet may push the low 90’s and those who can get out to 350 feet are typically in the 93-98 mph range. 180 ft — 3 throws 90 ft — 5 throws 90 ft — 5 throws Note: Once a pitcher starts throwing bull-pens/innings in the Fall/Winter, he will find that the days he is going to throw off a mound are actually his best Long Toss days because he will have the most amount of recovery period days between mound work. x��ѡ 0ð4t���:� The Top Weighted Ball Throwing Program for Pitchers. As you will see, this program is based on 3 days of throwing for week 1 and then evolves into 4 days of throwing for the next 5 weeks. 6 Week Program –Speed, Power Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 WEEK 1 (time on gun) Basketball – 10 full distance at 100% Distance – 10 at 100 ft at 100% Pitching –20 min. Others may actually throw further distances the next day because the Pull Down phase actually opened their arm up even more, and they will have an even more aggressive pull down the next day. Generally performed in the outfield during practice or prior to a game. 160 ft — 1 throw For some players, that may mean stretching out and pulling down nearly everyday for Weeks 3, 4, 5 and 6. resume throwing, and performed under the supervision of the rehabilitation team, (physician, physical therapist and athletic trainer). Progression is based on type and location of injury, symptoms in response to throwing, and preinjury performance profi le. 150 ft — 1 throw It’s hard to put a number of throws on it, or a time or distance measurement, but from my experience, based on a pitcher that throws in the 82-90 range, he will probably start pushing 240-300 feet by the end of the second week. For those pitchers who have been pretty aggressive in weeks 3 and 4, weeks 5 and 6 are considered to be “more of the same” throwing. In 1997, I incorporated 4-ounce balls into my throwing program. The Program’s goal is to be an organized and concise exercise program. 165 ft — 3 throws Flexibility. *** Flat Ground Work Tuesday/Friday — (15 Change-Ups, 10 Light Breaking Balls), Week 6 — (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) 225 ft — 3 throws This is where we bring a stretched out, well conditioned arm from Weeks 1 and 2 into the more aggressive and explosive throwing dynamic of the arm into weeks 3 and 4. Again, from my experience, the more you throw after building the base right, the more the arm seems to want to throw. Increase from 4 to 5 days a week (5 to 6?) 200 ft — 1 throw 135 ft — 3 throws 0000005499 00000 n The arm will tell you what to do from day to day, and even throw to throw. I strongly suggest pitchers taking at least 10-12 weeks off after your season is over to give your arm time to heal and give you time to focus on your overall strength. 70 ft — 1 throw 70 ft — 1 throw You may be surprised how far out your arm will take you because of the base you’ve developed from the first month. For the first few days of Week 3, there may only be 10-15 pull downs after the pitcher has peaked out to his furthest distance on that given day. fastballs SOCK Program LEG BANDS – 10 pitches with lighter ball Pitching –20 min. Naturally, if a pitcher is truly listening to his arm, these increments may fluctuate. 195 ft + (optional — 5-10 minutes of additional throwing at same distance or increase distance if the arm “asks” for it) The Throwing Program. The difference is it loads and unloads the entire kinetic chain or body to get a better result in performance enhancement. 150 ft — 1 throw Or, as we like to say, “the more you use it (correctly) the more it produces.”. %PDF-1.4 %���� 60 ft — 5 throws (or more if needed) I love the metaphor of allowing your arm to take you for a walk. Your job is to put your arm in a position to throw as often as possible, with awareness and sensitivity to your arm, in order to progressively build a strong base. Ironically, the more throwing you do, the more you understand the difference between unhealthy feelings and a “good” soreness that you can throw through. trailer I strongly suggest pitchers taking at least 10-12 weeks off after your season is over to give your arm time to heal and give you time to focus on your overall strength. 838 0 obj <> endobj We also want them to understand what it means to maintain a loose and relaxed arm action (loose and relaxed mind) as they make their way back to their throwing partner. 150 ft — 1 throw The desired rest period of the pitcher, along with the 4-6 week window of conditioning is the single most important factor in determining the pitchers health, strength, endurance and recovery period for the entire year (season) — or until that point in which he feels he needs another significant break (rest), and begin a new conditioning cycle. The beauty of allowing the arm to stretch out without any aggressive throwing in Weeks 1 and 2 is that it best positions the arm for Week 3 and 4, which is the “pull down” or Strengthening Phase of the throwing program. Though we still want our pitchers thinking “stretch”, “loose” and “freedom” on their pull-downs, we want them to do it in an aggressive manner. Again, your arm will dictate it’s own needs to you. 40-60 ft — 15 throws Throwing program 4. It also happens to be a crucial pitch to command for any pitcher. 140 ft — 1 throw 0000003399 00000 n 150 ft — 3 throws 80 ft — 1 throw Each phase lasts approximately 10-14 days. Pitchers arm workouts The rotator cuff and shoulder accelerate and decelerate the throwing arm, and it's no surprise that if you want a healthy arm, arm exercises are a must.