Pitch counts ?

I agree wholeheartedly Coach... It has happened to all of us, getting caught upin the moment, it has happened top me also. We have to be the ones to make a decision that's best in the long run for our kids, and I hope I can always do that myself... I hope I can continue to do what is best for the kid and be the adult when it comes to staff and arm management.

 

I feel pitch count and rest (shutting down) are key factors to keeping a pitcher out there for the long haul.

As Prepster's son, my son was fortunate enough to have a Coach (Coach Bagwell) that had my sons future in mind and kept him on a pitch count throughout his HS career....this also continued last year in his first year of Minor League Rookie Ball...he stayed on a strict pitch count the entire season. They also shut him down from throwing from October thru the end of December. You would think if the Pro guys do it that it would make sense for the High School players as well.

The body needs time to rest and recovery....I applaud the Coaches that put the players best interest at heart versus watching the Win/Loss collumn.

 

how many kids are ruined before they even get to middle school?

 

This comes right from Alan Tyson (PT with the EpiCenter) and the surgeon Dr. Fleischli (Ortho) who did my sons TJ surgery this past April ........... Throwing year round (for a pitcher) is not recommended. Your muscles and tendons all need to rest. Why do you think that MLB shuts down in October the pitchers don't start throwing again until the middle of January to get ready for spring training. The body and especially a pitcher's arm and shoulder need rest! Pitching year round is asking for trouble. I know that some people will disagree with this, and say, "my son never has had any arm trouble". Well, if he hasn't, consider him very lucky. It will probably be only a matter of time until there is a problem. Dr. Andrews and many others know what they are talking about! LISTEN TO THEM!!!!!

 

I was wondering about the old man from Japan.He makes his pitchers throw 150 pitch bullpen's. Does he know something we do not know.The pitcher from Boston trained under him.They said he pitched 17ininings one day pitched one the next and then pitched 9 the next.Never had any arm problems.I do not beleive in this but I wonder if he knows more than we do?

 

I'm sure this will rattle some cages, but I bet they never touch weights.

 

The article was in USA Today and I have the article.It did not say anything about lifting.He did talk about core work but did not go into details.From what I hear he is still throwing 150 pitch bullpens along with the rest of the Japan pitchers who trained under the old man. The paper said the workouts were very hard and if you did not want to do them you could leave the building!

 

Here's the point I want to make. As a parent of a pitcher, there are so many theories on pitching that it is confusing. I try to find the commonalities from the different guru's and go with that. The problem I have is there are so many people, supposedly experts, that differ so much in their beliefs.

Throw every day, don't throw everyday, long toss, don't long toss, lift weights, don't lift weights, etc.,etc.

The three areas that they all agree is with core training, running and stretching. I grew up in a different era where any kind of weight training was frowned on...and pitchers were adamantly warned against it.

Now, with the new technology and information we have specific exercises for pitchers. We have so much conflicting information that it is confusing. I have seen pitching coaches change philosophies from one year to the next depending what clinics they attended.

It can be mindboggling and it is dificult to know what to believe. But I can say this with great certainty. All the old pitching coaches that I knew 25-30 years ago must have known something. Their pitchers rarely went down with rotator cuff injuries, ucl tears or torn labrums.

But college pitchers, with the exception of the one's that went to the Cape or to Alaska didn't play summer ball. (we went to summer school)

I've always admired and respected Orel Hershiser. Orel never lifted more than 2 lb weights.. He would lift them in particular angles to gain shoulder strength.

Throwing a baseball is "the most unnatural act in sport." After a starter has thrown 100+ pitches, including warmups, he has stretched the ulnar ligament on a verge of a breaking point. "If you take a tissue close to the point of tearing, there will probably be some microruptures of tearing"

A shoulder that rotated freely on Monday might have inflamation by Tuesday; the tissue is damaged; it's a pitcher's hangover. "Your body can repair itself, it just needs time"

The previous quotes were made by a Dr who partners with Dr James Andrews.

The point is, I am confused. But rest appears to be the most logical answer to me.

 

I read a article from Tom House I think on heavy and light balls.He said to throw a regular baseball on flat ground at 60feet 6inches.Have someone stand about 20 feet away on the side.When you throw a strike right down the middle get the person on the side to get the heigth of the ball when it comes by.Say if the ball is chin high set up a target chin high and throw to the target first using heavy balls then using a light ball.I think a 9 was as high as he went making about 10 throws.I have alot of respect for House. I think the article read how to increase your arm speed by 3 miles an hour in 4 weeks.It said the key to throwing at 20 feet it would not affect your release point when using both a light ball and a heavy ball.I know they claimed that Randy Johnson used a light ball alot. Just my thoughts.

 

I have had 2 arm surgeries, thankfully both came in college. The worst thing about the explosion of baseball and AAU/USSA is that they play way too many games. In Legion I would catch 8 innings and then come in and close in the 9th. I think that this led to my arm injuries. When I went and saw Dr. Andrews for my 2nd surgery he told me that the things that were wrong with my arm were things that happen to a 35 year old pitcher. My best advice is limit your kid's innings and give him at least one off day a week where he can completely rest his arm.