Something To Consider The Next Time You Throw A Bullpen

This week I am planning to share some simple, and hopefully helpful, guidelines for throwing bullpens.

The first idea is to make sure the pitcher doesn't throw too hard, too soon.

A pitching coach once shared something with me that I tend to use quite often. I ask pitchers to imagine themselves driving their car out of a driveway. The speed of the car is obviously slower - or should be slower(!) - than the speed at which they accelerate down a busy street or when driving down the freeway.

That gradual increase of speed from the driveway to a residential street, down a busy "major" street and to the on ramp of a freeway should be the guideline for arm-acceleration. Rushing this necessary process can and will cause arm problems.