Baseball Pitching Instruction

A lot of younger pitchers at the moment don’t have much of an off season due to the rise in popularity of travel teams along with the combination of prep, summer and fall leagues. This has brought on an increase in elbow and shoulder injuries at a young age for pitchers who sadly are not allowing themselves an off season to recover and rebuild. I found myself a recipient of this pattern in my own career. I had a career ending shoulder injury at eighteen to repair a torn rotator cuff right after my first college appearance. Several common issues contributing to my tear, the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI), lead by the legendary Dr. James Andrews, has labeled as the reason behind the rise in elbow and shoulder injuries in youth pitchers on their Position Statement released in 2011.

3 frequent issues of most pitching injuries:

1. Excessive use of the throwing arm
2. Poor pitching mechanics
3. Poor strength and conditioning

This is significant to understand because injury prevention ought to be the principal emphasis of any in-season throwing system. Based on these facts an excellent in-season pitching program should include a lower amount of throws to avoid overuse, drills to help maintain good pitching mechanics and lastly incorporate a fitness program that will institute excellent health and fitness.

Counter Productive Training

Before I structure the ideal in-season training method we need to first establish and number typical methods to pitching that would fall into the category of the aforementioned common injury issues.

Air it Out Long Tossing (Exceeding distances of one hundred and fifty ft)

This kind of training, though it is quite popular, includes a cautionary tale. ASMI performed numerous studies on this style of practice and yes it rendered elbow varus torque inside the pitching arm and throwing mechanics which were not favorable on the pitching mound. ASMI urged against these kind of tosses for rehabilitation and training intentions.

This kind of training could easily bring about unnecessary use of the rotator cuff and elbow and whenever poor mechanics exist, the pitcher is even more vulnerable to injury.

Weighted Baseball Workout (Over Under Load Training)

I have got no scientific studies against this type of practice. I have in fact utilized the two of these pitching methods during my career, but it was before my arm injury. This kind of exercise once again falls into the three common factors of most throwing injuries. This certainly will raise the volume of throws and with poor mechanics, places the thrower in a dangerous situations.

Tv and Web Gadgets

I am not proclaiming that every gadget or attention-grabber in the media or the Net is trash, nevertheless, you must ensure that they don’t place you within the class of the 3 common factors ultimately causing arm injury while in-season. Some of these gadgets encourage a higher number of throws and bad mechanics. I advise you to teach yourself on good mechanics and make use of this ideal in-season training program before you decide to throw away your hard earned money.

The Top In-Season Pitching and Strength Maintenance Program

This system contains the two parts, the throwing program and the strength and conditioning program. It is important to realize that we are really not attempting to enhance velocity or strength while in-season. The inspiration of any ideal in-season throwing system is always to protect against damage as well as to preserve strength. In the event you do well at this you’ll experience consistent velocities in between performances and you will definitely stay away from the Disabled List (DL).

This is simply not a generic method because it is going to cover all ages, all levels of the game along with your pitching work load. Ones own throwing work load incorporates ones own quantity of pitches for each outing.

There’s a critical element with an in-season pitching routine that will not be included here which happens to be nutrition. Good diet facilitates the body’s capability to restore and repair.

Relief Pitcher Workload (According to two day Rotation)

• 21 – 35 throws = 1 day rest from throwing
• 36 – 50 pitches = 2 days rest from throwing

Day 1 (Maintenance & Mechanics)

1. Dynamic Warm-up
2. Pitching Exercises (Tutorials In this article) 3X Medicine Ball Throws, 3X Target Drills on Mound
3. Jumps (1 set, 20 yards) Pogo Jumps, Bunny Jumps, Frog Hopes
4. Anaerobic Training (3-6 sets) Hurdles, Resistance Sprints, Standard Sprints
5. Rotator Cuff Routine (Resistance Tubing or 2-3 pound weights, 3 sets ten repetitions) External Rotation, Positives and Negatives, Shoulder extensions, Up and Out, Windmills

Day two (Eat, Rest & Recover)

1. Dynamic Warm Up
2. Visualization (Visualizing your own self pitching perfect pitches with perfect mechanics, has been proven to be far better compared to actually practicing)

Starting Pitcher Workload (Dependant on 4 Day Pitching Rotation)

• 51 – 65 throws = 72 hours rest from pitching
• 66 pitches and more = four days rest from throwing

Day one (Maintenance)

1. Dynamic Warm Up
2. Plyos (1 each, twenty yards) Pogo Plyos, Bunny Hopes, Frog Jumps
3. Anaerobic Training (3-6 sets) Hurdles, Resistance Sprints, Normal Sprints
4. Core Program (3 sets 10 reps) V-Ups, Medicine Ball, Russian Twists, Two Leg Jack Knife, Medicine Ball Slams, Back crunches
5. Rotator Cuff Routine (Resistance Tubing or 2-3 pound dumbbells, three sets ten reps) External Rotation, Positives and Negatives, Shoulder extensions, Up and Out, Windmills

Day 2 (Mechanics)

1. Dynamic Warm-up
2. Throwing Routine (Instruction Beneath) 3X Medicine Ball Throws, 3X Target throws on Mound
3. Twenty five Pitches On Mound around 60% effort (10 Fastball, 10 Breaking Balls, 5 Off Speed)

Day 3 (Eat, Rest and Recover)

1. Dynamic Warm Up
2. Visualization (Visualizing your own self pitching perfect pitches with perfect mechanics, has been proven being far better compared to actually practicing)

For more knowledge on these kinds of drills and exercises make sure you go to TopVelocity.net. Anyone may make contact with me personally at TopVelocity.net/Contact.

Mechanics Drills

This particular area of the system could incorporate any exercises to help develop the muscle memory for good mechanics without putting a high quantity of throws on your throwing arm. I have listed 2 mechanics drills from the 3X Pitching Velocity program as well as a hyperlink to the 3X Pitching Mechanics Video in the referral segment listed below. I highly suggest viewing the movie prior to using the 3X Exercises therefore you have a good understanding of the approach.

3X Medicine Ball Throws (15-25 Throws with 2 pound med ball. DO NOT Exceed 2 pounds)

Phase #1

Start out in a full stride, which is 80-90% of your height. Both of your feet must be pointing towards the catcher. You are on the powerpads of your back leg foot with most of your bodyweight on your back leg. Your shoulders are closed towards the catcher. The med ball will be behind your head, on top of your throwing shoulder, with the two of your hands controlling the ball. Your chin is tucked and behind your own belt buckle.

Phase #2

Lift your lift leg and triple extend your back leg just before your front foot strikes. Triple extension is the extension of the ankle, knee and hip flexor. Land strong without allowing your front leg knee shove past your front leg heel. When your front foot lands you will feel your hips slam wide open while you keep your shoulders closed. This should generate core torque or hip to shoulder separation which will coil your body and then release your shoulders towards the zone externally rotating your pitching arm.

Phase #3

You should end with your torso out over your front leg along with your chin still tucked. Release the baseball by stretching your arms out and up and don’t PULL THE BALL DOWN TO RELEASE.

3X Target Pitches (15-25 Throws with Ball)

The importance at this point is to develop the motor coordination or muscle memory in the med ball throws into your target throws.

Phase #1

Start in the very same position and stance as the Med Ball Throws Phase #1. Total stride, feet in direction of target, shoulders closed. Truly the only difference is your throwing arm is behind your head cocked and ready as well as your glove side is elbow to zone and baseball glove hand relaxed. Utilize the baseball glove side to help line your shoulders up with the target.

Phase #2

Just like the Medicine Ball Throws Phase 2, begin with lifting your front leg while loading your weight against your drive leg. Carry out this with an explosive push of the drive leg, acquiring triple extension prior to front foot strike. This should build power through your stride and fire your hips open when the lift leg lands and holds. The shoulders must remain closed to generate ideal hip to shoulder separation.

Phase #3

Start off the pitch by allowing your shoulders to release the core torque, leading with your torso in the direction of target. Keep the chin tucked as the chest shoves out over your lift leg and your arm externally rotates. Be sure only at that position your throwing elbow is above your shoulder. End the pitch by internally rotating your pitching arm and stretching your elbow up to release.

Referrals:

1. Position Statement for Youth Baseball Pitchers http://www.asmi.org/asmiweb/position_statement.htm
2. Biomechanical Comparison of Baseball Pitching and Long-Toss http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21212502
3. 3X Pitching 101 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJOM_TOkCoc
4. 3X Pitching Velocity Program http://TopVelocity.net
5. Ideal Pitching In-Season Training Program