7 Baseball Pitching Tips For Those Who Long Toss In Cold Weather

I grew up in the Northeast where winters and cold weather can really put a hamper on one's pitching training, long tossing, off-season throwing and bullpens.  For practices and general throwing, I tended to rely on 30 degrees or less, go inside ... 30 degrees or more, you can go outside.

I suggest 30 degrees because when you're throwing, there's always some element of your body that's exposed. It's mostly your throwing hand and your face, so it's important not to expose those parts of your body (especially your hand) to below freezing temps for too long.

However, performance gear has come a long way in the past 5 years so that with a little Under Armour Cold Gear (top and bottoms), you should be perfectly OK for a 20-45 minute throwing session. With your upper body clothing, the tighter the fit, the better because loose long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts and jackets cause "drag" in the air, which can actually slow down your arm and be counter productive.

Here are 7 baseball pitching tips to consider when throwing in cold weather:

1. You want to take care of your hands, especially your throwing hand. So I recommend using a heavy-duty moisturizer to prevent the cold from cracking your skin on your throwing hand on those really cold days. Maybe you don't have a problem with this, but it's worth considering if you've got dry hands already.

2. Don't wear a jacket when you throw. Wear it to warmup. But take it off when you're doing your 10-30 minutes of throwing. You can put it back on later.

3.  If you're not sweating before you start throwing, you're not warmed up well enough. I know that in cold weather it's harder to work up a sweat. But that just means you have to work harder/longer to warm up.

4. Wear a hat (snow hat) to keep your head warm. If you're head's warm, it's easier to warm up and stay warm throughout your throwing session.

5. If you're throwing a bullpen, take it very easy to start out. Get a good feel for your pitches first (and, again, get a good sweat going) before you unleash your best stuff.

6. When you're done with your throwing, the sooner you can change your shirt, put on a jacket, put on winter gloves, and then eventually take a warm shower, the better. I always recommend bringing a second, dry shirt to change into when you're sweating in cold weather. If you're going to be standing around, wear gloves (or thinner batting gloves) to protect your hands.

7. Find a high school gym or a college gym to throw in instead. If you've got access to this resource, it can be a better option than throwing inside -- especially in snow and on those days when it's too cold to throw outside.

How To Help Pitchers Develop Repeatable Pitching Mechanics

In yesterday's blog, I mentioned a coaching strategy I often use to continually bring the pitcher back to his fastball to re-establish his timing and confidence after working on other pitches in a bullpen setting.

Along with that, I think it is important to share another coaching strategy in the bullpen that is just as simple and just as effective.

When a pitcher throws 3 pitches, 2 of them will tend to match. In other words, his mechanics will usually repeat themselves 2 of 3 times.

Being patient and letting the pitcher self-correct is critically important in a bullpen atmosphere, and holding off with instructional cues until trends start to become evident will help.

It is also helpful to remember that the bullpen is not an opportunity to showcase our knowledge about pitching, but it is an opportunity for a pitcher to develop a better feel and to walk away feeling like they made their own discoveries. Our job, as coaches, is to lead them to this. If they can self-correct, without us saying a word, we have done our job.

Throwing Bullpens In Sets To Improve Performance

One of my former minor league pitching coaches, David Haas, has produced this great video in which he talks about throwing bullpens in sets to improve performance. He also provides excellent advice on warm-up and practice routines for pitchers that we used to do in the Chicago Cubs organization.

By the way, if you're looking for professional pitching instruction in the greater Wichita, Kansas area, where Coach Haas resides, I'd strongly encourage you to work with him. Find out more here.

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.

Sample 7 Day Throwing / Conditioning Program For Starting Pitchers

Every college baseball program has a different training routines for their pitchers. Here's a sample 7-day throwing/conditioning program that starting pitchers follow at Div. 1 Indiana State University.

Sunday - Game Day Start (80-110 pitches)

Monday - Rest/30-40min run/med-ball abs/rotator-cuff strengthening

Tuesday - Long toss/long sprints

Wednesday - Light throwing/weights/mild flat-ground bullpen to get the touch and feel of pitches/medium sprint work

Thursday - Really light throwing/short sprint work/abs

Friday - 15-25 pitch bullpen (to get touch and feel) at 75-85%

Saturday - Throw to get the arm loose/pregame running (30yd sprints)

Sunday - Game Day Start (80-110 pitches)

My Thoughts On Flat-Ground Pitching

For younger pitchers, flat ground work is becoming more and more popular. Flat-ground training offers the opportunity for higher numbers of repetitions at relatively greater safety. Research shows that pitching off a mound can put up to 5 times the body's weight of pressure on the pitcher's joints. Working on spotting the baseball from flat ground is smart and can particularly save some added stress on a youth pitcher with an inefficient delivery.

"Dialing down" the fastball is also important when working on locating the fastball in skill work sessions. I have made many mound visits where I will simply ask a pitcher to start throwing his fastball at 85-90%.

Having said this, though, a balanced amount of mound training is important for youth pitchers. Remember, we all pitch from mounds in games. Pitching from mounds in practice teaches pitchers how to handle the slope and develop a comfort zone for it. Mound work also encourages a more natural stride (because you have gravity working for you), a more natural release point and better overall timing.

The older and more advanced a pitcher is, the less flat-ground work is helpful or recommended.

Calculator: How To Calculate Pitching Velocity vs. Long Toss Distance

When long tossing, have you ever wondered what a 90 mph fastball translated to in terms of long toss throwing distance? Does a 90 mph fastball equate to a 300-foot throw ... or a 350-foot throw? Perhaps it's less? How does arm angle and the ball's arc through the air effect how far you can long toss when training?

Here is a throwing distance to pitching velocity calculator from Florida State University that solves the differential equations governing the flight of a baseball based on the model developed by Robert Adair in his book The Physics of Baseball.

Click here: Pitching Velocity vs. Long Toss Distance Calculator

Or enter this Web address in your Internet browser:
http://faculty.tcc.fl.edu/scma/carrj/Java/baseball4.html

Pre-Season Pitching Workouts And Throwing Programs For Pitchers

If you've ever experienced pitching arm pain in the early part of the baseball season, chances are you didn't prepare properly in the pre-season. In this article, we'll take a closer look at pre-season workouts and throwing programs you can do to prepare and be successful.

Your throwing program should have two 4-to-6-week training phases. The first phase should start approximately six weeks before the start of your team's pre-season workouts. Your goal during this time should be to get ready for pre-season workouts, not opening day. The purpose of the second phase is to condition your arm for the season opener.

Pre-Season Pitching Workouts

In the first phase, slowly get your arms, legs and trunk in shape so that pre-season drills will be easy. Warm-up and stretch before and after each workout to reduce soreness and the risk of injury. Condition your total body, not just your arm. Don't neglect your trunk. When throwing, your body is a 3-link chain: lower body; trunk; and upper body. Forces are initiated in the legs, then transferred to the upper body through the trunk and finally applied to the ball by the hands and fingers. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In the body, the weakest link is often the muscles of the abdomen and trunk. A weak mid-section will not let you transfer 100% of the forces generated by the lower body to the upper body for application to the bat or ball. The end result is a loss of arm speed, bat speed and power. The only way to compensate for this loss of speed and power is to place more stress on the arm and shoulder muscles.

Pre-Season Throwing Programs

Use the following throwing program in phase one to prepare for pre-season workouts. Play catch and do long toss drills for at least 2 weeks before throwing off a mound. Toss for 17 minutes on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and play catch for 10 to 15 minutes on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

Start long toss at 50 feet. Throw for 1 minute at 50 feet and then move back to 60 feet for a minute. Move to 70 feet for a minute and then throw for 2 minutes at 80 feet. Back-up to 90, 100 and 120 feet for 2 minutes each. After 2 min at 120 feet, move up to 100 feet for a minute and then shorten the distance by 10 feet each minute, ending at 60 feet. Make quality throws at the end -- throw the ball straight without an arc. Make 90 to 100 throws in 17 minutes. Use your total body, especially your hips, legs and trunk to reduce stress on your arm.

When To Start Pitching Off A Mound

After you have played catch and long toss for 2 weeks, it's OK to start throwing off a mound. Throw off a mound 2 to 3 times per week for 5 to 10 minutes per day. Throw only fastballs and change-ups for the first 2 weeks. Play catch and do long toss drills on non-mound days. Substitute the 17-minute long toss workout for mound work, if you don't have access to a mound.

Once pre-season workouts begin, you will systematically increase the frequency and volume of your throwing program to include work on the side, pitching batting practice and intrasquad games. Hopefully, your coach will have a systematic pre-season plan. If not, there are several books -- including The TUFFCUFF Strength & Conditioning Manual for Baseball Pitchers and The Complete Pitcher's Ultimate Guide to Advanced Pitching -- that can provide valuable information.

17-Minute Pitchers' Throwing Program  

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

(Feet)	(Min)	Throws
50	1	5 – 6
60	1	5 – 6
70	1	5 – 6
80	2	10 – 12
90	2	10 – 12
100	2	10 – 12
120	2	10 – 12
100	1	5 – 6
90	1	5 – 6
80	1	5 – 6
70	1	5 – 6
60	2	10 – 12

Long Tossing: A Long Toss Program For Baseball Pitchers

Long tossing is an essential component of any pitchers development. Although there is some debate in the baseball community as to the specific benefits of doing long toss drills to increase pitching velocity, you'll find pitchers at every level of the game performing long toss for its many other benefits. Here are four reasons why I, like every other pitcher I played with right through pro ball, long tossed:

1. To warm up before throwing bullpens and pitching in games.

2. To maintain arm stamina in between starts and bullpen routines, much like a sprinter will mix in a few longer runs each week between sprint workouts.

3. To stretch the throwing muscles of the arm, shoulder and back, and to get the entire body working together as a unit.

4. To develop better hand and arm speed, which, in addition to the pitching workout program I followed, I felt led to an increase in my own pitching velocity.

Coaches and pitchers should remember that proper long toss throwing mechanics involve the whole body. It's important to take a crow hop, bend your back, get a good follow-through, etc. By paying attention to the details in practice, you'll reap the greatest benefits from longtossing.

Although there are a number of long toss programs that you can follow as each coach and player usually has one that he likes to do, here is one that I used to perform back in the day on my American Legion baseball team. You can find more long toss throwing programs and drills for little league, high school and college pitchers here.

Focus To increase arm strength and velocity as well as throwing distance and accuracy.

Setup Partners pair off by position (catchers with catchers, pitchers with pitchers, and so on). You need enough room for players to throw 200 to 300 feet, depending on their age group. Start with partners about 30 feet apart.

Procedure All fundamentals from previous drills apply. Use the proper grip and pay attention to footwork (including crow hop).

Coaching Points Check for proper grip and footwork. Each throw should be made on line. Players continue to throw until the ball bounces to their partner.

Day 1: 80 percent of maximum throwing distance

Day 2: 60 percent of maximum throwing distance

Day 3: Short toss

Day 4: 80 percent of maximum throwing distance (begin cycle again)

Modifications Every arm is different, so adjust the drill accordingly. Some players can long toss every day.

How Joel Zumaya gained 5 mph on his fastball doing yoga

My friend and pitching instructor Alan Jaeger, of Jaeger Sports, and Detroit Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya talk about pitching, yoga, long toss, and throwing more than 100 mph. (A video will pop-up in a separate window.)

Click here for the video.