Pitching Workouts

[FrozenRope]

I've found all kinds of posts on pitch counts, but every one I found was related to "Game" counts, primarily focused on tournament play with a pitcher throwing multiple games per day/weekend. I'm curious on everyone's thoughts for pitching workouts. How many and how often? DD just turned 10 and is 6 weeks into taking this serious. She's thrown 5-6 days a week for the last 6 weeks. At least one day per week of those workouts is JUST playing underhand catch.

Second question. During last night's session, after she got loose, without me prompting her to do so, she started throwing with more velocity than she ever has and she was in or around the strikezone with most. She probably threw about 15-20 pitches like that, then she got really wild and slowed down. I could tell she got tired, but I asked her anyway "What happened to the fireballs?" She said, it's tiring throwing that hard... I can't control it. Do I:
A Let her throw hard for as long as she can, then let her drop off, or
B Encourage her to continue to throw hard, but cut the sessions off at maybe 40 pitches instead of the 75-100 we have been throwing or
C Fill in the blank.

Keep in mind, during those 75-100 pitch workouts, all are fastballs, and not thrown very hard. More working on mechanics than velocity.

Thoughts?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

You are doing fine and it is exactly like I teach. Bare in mind that I teach control and most people teach speed. I don't have them throw hard until the end of the lessons. But, we warm up and do power Ks and walk throughs, and those are hard. If she likes the way you are doing it, fine. If she can do 20 that way, then one day see if she can do 22, etc.

I wouldn't start moving her back further, just yet. Let her have some success where she is at, but general underhand long toss is good, too.

I have the girls (and they are 8-12 YOs) pitch 20 at a time. That way, I know how many they have thrown and then, we get water. So, you are right in the ballpark using the figure 75-100 and it will probably be more towards the 100 mark. But, if one day she can't hit the side of a barn, just tell her to not worry about it. Go ahead and hit or take grounders. Sometimes, it happens.

 

[rdbass]

I also like over hand long toss. I use this as a warm up before DD starts her pitching workout. We have an over hand catch first. After about 10-15 throws I gradually start moving DD back, a couple steps at a time. Where she will wind up in the outfield. After long toss then we start DD pitching practice. My thoughts are DD may not be a pitcher as she gets older. She will need a strong arm no matter where she plays.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Yes. We always warm up overhand. Thanks, bass. I sow the pitchers the similarities between overhand and underhand. I do a drill called Over and Under, where they throw home overhand and then, pitch. Overhand and then, pitch. They can only do that about 3 times, before they need a break.

 

[rdbass]

Thank you also, why I never thought of also doing underhand long toss. Will add that to our practice.

 

[Gbucz]

We used distance pitching and rapid fire (3 sets of 5) to build her speed and stamina. Our workout is every other day and is structured like this:

Overhand warmups, wrist snaps working different spins, relaxed 12 o'clocks then pitch starting from a lunge. Lastly she does walk throughs where she steps back one step then pitches one, steps back another then pitches one, etc. until she reaches the outfield. Targets are not important she just needs to get it to me in the air. Then I pick up a ball and she pitches from the mound. When I catch the pitch I throw the second ball back to her so she reloads and pitches the next. This gives her the rapid recovery and natural speed that comes from it. We then work on a pitch for 10-15 throws followed by another set of rapid fires then get a drink. Work the next pitch and contininue the pattern. When all pitches are working we then pitch 2 innings and I call balls and strikes (or monster hits if she throws a meatball). This takes us 45 -55 mins and we really have fun with the last part as some days I call good and others I'll intentionally call bad so she re-throws a pitch tighter to 'prove' I was wrong.

When we finish we always go back to overhand as a cool down and ICE the shoulder for 15-20 min. On the other days we work on fielding and hitting more and no pitching.

 

[starsnuffer]

I notice a lot of kids throw very hard at the start of a session, and then taper off. The interesting thing is that once they're "tired" (most kids dont' know what tired is) and sweaty, and essentially resigned to their task, they will start throwing harder, even harder then at the start.

The word "harder" is not correct, however, and it is the problem. What we're looking for here is "faster".

At the start of the session the kids are trying to muscle out the pitch, they're giving it their all and straining to make it go. At the end, they're warm, loose, and relaxed, and they become FAST. They're able move faster and whip much better. This is the goal. This is what you want them to feel in their game mode. This is the point that coaches want their pitcher to get to when they warm up for a game. They should be sweating with an elevated "game time" heartbeat.

The problem is when you have out of shape kids. Leg drive is important, and if the kid isn't an athlete with good stamina then she's going to give up the bottom side when she's tired, which in turn breaks down everything else, and she becomes unusable. I see a lot of the "4 inning wonders" who can throw real rockets and then taper off, they're usually the kids that resemble softballs more then they resemble bats.

The pitchers that can go longer tend to have better control. Because they're not dependent on their diminishing stamina for their performance, instead they're consistent.

Now. . . this does not mean that the pitcher has to throw 100 pitches before they get in the circle. What it means is that the pitcher needs to have a warm up routine that involves a good warm up, cardio, and intervals incorporated into their pitching. The number of pitches actually depends on how many pitches the pitcher throws in a game. I like to see 10 of each pitch AFTER the pitcher is warmed up. If the pitcher has 6 pitches, she'll throw more pitches in warmups (that was a joke).

-W

 

[EP Dad]

You are doing fine and it is exactly like I teach. Bare in mind that I teach control and most people teach speed.

You're just like my DD's pitching coach then. Now I know why I like your posts so much.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Along these lines of the end of the practice, I tell them it is the last 2 minutes of the basketball game and they need to "press." Some don't know what I mean, but they figure it out. I tell them to finish strong. I always try to end the practice after an exceptional pitch.

 

[FrozenRope]

We do quite a few things as part of the warm up. Pitching instructor gave her a routine.
Short jog, equivalent to 3 times around the bases
Arm stretches and arm circles
3 O'Clock throws (DD now does these into her glove)
Pull downs as the instructor calls them, or K drill as I often hear it referred
Walk throughs, during which time she's gotten into the habit of saying "Up together, Down together" (Sound familiar?). I believe that is actually used in a mod of the K drill in the Hillhouse video, but she adopted it in walkthroughs.
Then she goes over the footwork. 10-15 reps of lean forward, bend the knees, burst out to a strong foot plant, center of gravity back, knee to knee and hold it for a five count.
Everything to this point is in the garage, with the throws against a carpet remnant. Then we head out to the yard and start with 5 minutes of catch. Mixing overhand and underhand. Then we start to pitch!!! To make it interesting, we'll do pitch counts. I keep track of overall balls and strikes with a phone app. Not that I am harping strikes, but I notice it keeps her interested and focused. She knows she's not allowed to lolipop one in when she needs a strike. Those are Home Runs! All in, the full workout is about an hour.

Be intersesting to hear how others start a workout for a beginning pitcher.