Pregame warmups? Pitching guys chime in please.

[Rolling Hard]

How long should it take for a pitcher to warm up? I know every pitcher is different, but approximately. More importantly, how close to game time do you want her to complete her warmup? The reason I ask is because I see some pitchers get better/faster as the game goes on. Maybe even have a bad first inning. Thinking the maybe didn't warm up enough or they had too much time between warmups and the first pitch.

Note: Coaches need to check with ump or team score keeper to find out what time the game before them is going to end. Nothing worse than going thru the pitchers/team's pregame regiment only to find out that the game in front of yours is 30 minutes behind schedule.

 

[Traps71]

As you say, every girl is different but mine (now 16 and playing 18U) would prefer about 25-30 minutes to go from cold to hot. She would not feel rushed with that kind of time. Stopping her warm up about 10 minutes or so from game time would be ideal. If she had already loosened up before the game and needed to come in in relief, she could get hot again in 10 or 15 minutes. In an emergency, she's gone in off the bench with no additional warm up beyond the warm up pitches they gave her on the rubber. I would say, overall, that my daughter is pretty efficient in her warm ups and doesn't really need that much to get going. I have seen other girls who seem to take forever and I am there thinking, are you going to have anything left for the game? My feeling is that you should expend the least amount of time and energy necessary during warm ups to emerge from it loose and confident.

 

[Lightning]

It really depends on the pitcher. My DD takes 15 minutes to warm up from cold, and 5 minutes is usually enough to come into a game if she warmed up before. But her warmups are very efficient - no chatting with the catcher and she just wants the ball back to her as fast as possible. The other pitchers on the team don't like warming up at the same time as DD because they prefer a slower pace. In a perfect world DD finishes warming up about 10 minutes before game time, unless she knows they're batting first in which case she finishes just as the home team is starting to take the field.

 

[PJR202]

I would warm my kid up with overhand first, then underhand for probably 15 pitches. She only had 70 or 80 good pitches in her at the time. I basically went until she hit the zone several times in a row.

NOW? I'll probably start having her warm up arms, legs, core, etc. Full body. Dynamic warmups as opposed to just stretching. Basically the whole body is involved in a pitch so it's good to think about minimizing the possibly of injuring something like a hamstring, a lat or trap muscle, as opposed to only thinking shoulders and rotator cuff. And then backchain into some full pitches.

 

[Jeffrey]

Assuming she warmed up everything else with the team...stretching, overhand, batting; Minimum 5-10 minutes, max 15-20 minutes depending on the kid and where we are in the weekend. My DD (17) goes pretty hard in warm-up so she then like 5 minutes or so to just chill on the bench, hydrate, and get in the zone.

 

[Mike-Coach-Q]

Pitchers warning up is more about the habit of getting ready coupled with mentally getting ready than the actual physical act of warming up the body to pitch. It probably starts at 8U when they are inconsistent at throwing strikes and when they get two over and feel like they are ready after 15 minutes of warming up. The habit is set.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

It starts and the end of the previous game. You tell Suzy, she is the starter or the next game and Lisa will be the next pitcher available. Each player can do with that information what's best for them.

We only start warming up 1 hour before the actual game start time (not the scheduled game time). We are pretty good at estimating this.

The whole team warms up dynamically and then pitchers and catchers hit first. After that pitchers can use that 45:00 - 40:00 minutes as they wish. Warm up long, or short, start early or late they can do what they want.

Most pitchers warm up and then jump in the team fielding portion at the end. All pitchers secretly want to be position players.

 

[Mike-Coach-Q]

It starts and the end of the previous game. You tell Suzy, she is the starter or the next game and Lisa will be the next pitcher available. Each player can do with that information what's best for them.

We only start warming up 1 hour before the actual game start time (not the scheduled game time). We are pretty good at estimating this.

The whole team warms up dynamically and then pitchers and catchers hit first. After that pitchers can use that 45:00 - 40:00 minutes as they wish. Warm up long, or short, start early or late they can do what they want.

Most pitchers warm up and then jump in the team fielding portion at the end. All pitchers secretly want to be position players.

We do the same with our HS team.

 

[_MIA_]

I usually go from cold to hot in 30 seconds if I sit anywhere near (most) other parents..

 

[uncdrew]

If she's done regular, team warm-ups, stretching and throwing, she likes between 15-20 minutes. If she gets less, like the OP said, she gets noticeably better as the game goes on.