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You do not clone pitchers. If an individual chooses to long toss, that's fine. You don't give him a distance. Why there's a limit on 120 feet I do not know." - Leo Mazzone
Long Toss Programs Needed
There are many reasons a pitcher's arm breaks down, why a ligament in the elbow detaches, all or part of the rotator cuff tears, or the shoulder needs to be reconstructed.
These could be the result of poor mechanics, a lack of monitoring [a relief pitcher at a Division 1 program told me that he threw in 14 consecutive games. Later that year he had Tommy John surgery], throwing with pain on a vulnerable arm, throwing too many pitches in one particular outing, throwing too many breaking balls, not enough recovery period time between games, or throwing curves in Little League.
The good news is that most of these problems are obvious and can be corrected.
What really alarms me is a seemingly growing trend that is not so obvious, and perhaps, even more responsible for a deteriorating arm and a career threatening arm injury. And it comes in an era when our levels of instruction and technology are at a all time high. This growing trend is what I refer to as "short toss" (as opposed to "long toss"), a throwing regimen where players are advised not to throw beyond 120 feet.
My experience from working with pitchers is that if they can throw in the low to mid 80's they can easily build up to throwing a baseball 250 feet.
If they throw from the mid to high 80's, they can build up to 250 to 300 feet. Pitchers who throw in the high 80's to low 90's should be able to build up to 300 feet without any problem.
If we use 300 feet as a model for the potential distance a college or professional pitcher can throw, than a 120 foot throw equates to 40 % of that pitcher's potential distance.
"I'll start playing long toss in January. If I can throw it 200 feet, I try to throw it 300 feet. I don't stop at 120 feet, I throw it as far as I can." - Greg Maddux
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Arm Health & Strength Conditioning Program
A systematic throwing program designed to help players and coaches understand what steps must be taken to develop and sustain a strong, durable, accurate, and injury-free arm. Adopted by over 100 professional players, including Cy Young winner Barry Zito.
With your hands together, palms up, rest the bat handle in the base of your fingers. Close your figures around the bat -- your middle knuckles should line up. Bat speed is the most important factor in hitting a baseball hard. This grip helps you get your bat head through the strike zone more quickly than any other.
6 free cards (12 lessons) with the following purchases: