10-Month Throwing Program For Youth Pitchers

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Let's talk about baseball throwing programs for pitchers...

Youth baseball pitchers can really benefit from a year-round throwing program. Studies show that throwing on a regular basis reduces a player's risk of unwarranted elbow and shoulder injuries.

From Little League to high school baseball, when pitchers make the effort to play catch consistently 8 to 10 months out of the year, their pitching performance increases while their risk of injury decreases.

This article lays out a game plan for creating a year-round throwing schedule for the youth pitcher, showing what time of year to throw, how much throwing is appropriate and how often.

But first, here are definitions to key components of the training charts:

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6 different types of throwing for pitchers

This throwing program for pitchers encompasses several types of throwing activities for developing good command of pitches, pitch movement, and arm strength:

1. FLAT GROUD THROWING – A basic type of catch used primarily to warm up the arm and get loose. Generally performed in the outfield during practice or prior to a game. Excellent for maintaining arm health and learning to throw with perfect mechanics.

MLB pitcher Bartolo Colon long tosses in the outfield before a game. Long tossing is an extended form of throwing that can be incorporated into a pitcher's throwing routines. ( Paul Gorbould)

2. LONG TOSS THROWING – An extended type of flat-ground throwing but at longer distances up to 250-300+ feet using a crow hop. You have moved back too far when you or your throwing partner breaks down mechanically. The key is to maintain parallel shoulders. Long toss is excellent for developing arm strength, stamina and "velocity endurance" or the ability to maintain first inning velocity in the later innings of a game.

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3. SKILL WORK – Designated time for developing your pitches and improving your command. Throw with perfect mechanics always having a specific goal with each pitch. Goals include: 1) Movement, 2) Location, and 3) Movement with location. And it's done at the same distance as Flat Ground Throwing previously mentioned.

MLB pitcher David Price throws a bullpen in Spring Training. Bullpen throwing is a regular part of a pitcher's practice routines.

4. BULLPENS – 32 pitch and 56 pitch bullpen plans thrown at 60-90% max effort. Excellent for learning to throw all of your pitches with command and perfect mechanics in simulated game scenarios.

Remember, the purpose of throwing a bullpen is to get comfortable with your mechanics, your release point, the feel of your pitches and your mental approach. So every time a pitcher goes into a bullpen, he should do it with a specific goal in mind.

For example:

• Working on your fastball command of the outside part of the plate keeping the ball down.
• Working on getting to a good balance position, chin over your belt and weight on the ball of your foot.
• Keeping the eyes and head level and everything going right at the plate.
• Working on getting to a consistent landing position.

Challenge yourself to keep all pitches, and especially fastballs, from mid-thigh to the knees. 

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Pitching drills for baseball pitchers are a great way to isolate specific areas of the pitching delivery to make mechanical adjustments and improvements.

5. DRILL WORK – Isolated repetitions for helping you learn to rotate late, sequence properly, and throw with good balance and posture. It takes about 2,000+ repetitions to change a habit. Drill Work = Hard Work.

Here are 33 videos of my best youth pitching drills.

Studies have shown that pitchers who've done a weighted baseball program have been able to increase velocity.

6. WEIGHTED BASEBALLS – Here's an optional weighted ball throwing program that older pitchers may wish to consider using in the off-season 1-3 times per week for 6-8 weeks.

You'll need a lighter 4 oz baseball, a standard 5 oz baseball, and a heavier 6 oz baseball. Decker, Markwart and Driveline Baseball all offer quality weighted baseballs.

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3 interval throwing phases for pitchers

Your off-season throwing routine should be separated into training phases or intervals relative to the upcoming baseball season:

1. Building Phase: Training phase following 1-2 months of active rest away from baseball. Focus on developing rock solid mechanics & gaining strength in key areas, i.e., core, throwing arm/elbow, lower body.

2. Skill Development Phase: Training phase prior to the start of the new season. The focus is to improve your pitch-ability, which includes your ability to throw hard & throw strikes, and, to consistently locate your pitches in and around the strike zone.

3. Maintenance Phase: Training phase during the baseball season. The average major leaguer loses 20% of his strength base by the end of the season. The goal is to maintain the strength & mechanical efficiency developed from the previous two training phases. Your throwing routine here will help you recover from outing to outing. Drill work will help you stay mechanically efficient.

These charts are based on a weekly training schedule. Use at your own discretion.

Pitcher throwing schedules for year-round baseball training

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Are pitchers throwing enough?

Before I conclude, I want to leave you with something to think about...

We always, ALWAYS hear concerns about baseball pitchers throwing too much. But may I offer a counterpoint that most pitchers may, in fact, be throwing far too little?

With the dramatic rise in pitching injuries in recent years, there's a lot of emphasis in youth baseball on protecting pitchers' arms by limiting their throwing off the mound.

The idea is that we can protect a pitcher and save his arm by having him throw less in practice than in a game.

But if a pitcher is only pitching 30-50 pitches in a bullpen, how does that prepare him to pitch 80-100 pitches in a game?

It does not.

If a runner is training for a marathon (26.2 miles), but only runs 5K's (3.1 miles) once or twice a week, how do you think he'll do?

My guess is he'll end up having to walk some, if not all, of the second half of the race.

So every starting pitcher is always pitching with a 50-70 pitch training deficit. 

This is a mistake that has clearly not worked well in youth baseball, as there are more arm injuries today than ever before.

Pitching and playing catch have very little in common from a training prespective. One is a throwing activity on flat ground at less than 50% game speed while the other is game intensity pitching from a mound that's sloped 10 degrees.

One is slow and controlled while the other is one of the most explosive and stressful acts in all of sports.

If you want to save a pitcher's arm and help him remain injury free, you'd better make sure he is able to throw a lot of pitches at game intensity from a mound in practice so that he's fit to pitch come game time.

 

What do you think?

Now it's time to hear from you:

Are there any pitcher's throwing program tips that I missed?

Or maybe you have an idea of how I can make this list even better.

Either way, leave a comment and let me know.

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