Inside Baseball

Chasing The Baseball Dream

2009-09-22T07:58:00.001-07:00

Fall Baseball

2009-09-09T10:23:00.001-07:00

I've watched several fall league baseball games the last few weeks and it seems to me that a lot of players are playing without a purpose. It's as if playing fall ball is the thing to do, but why? Is it because they think it's expected by their summer league or high school coach? Are they playing because their buddy is? Is it something their parents want them to do? With few exceptions, they just seem to be taking their turn at bat and walking out to their position.

And pitchers, I'm very disappointed in their pre-game prep. I know most teams don't have the luxury of a pitching coach or a bull pen coach and the pitcher is left to prepare on his own. But, they often just start firing away in the bull pen! I'm sure that most of them have been instructed to use a Bull Pen Routine to help them prepare the arm, find their rhythm, work on location and find the feel for all their pitching grips. Most hitters can crush a fastball, if you ever watch a major league game, even the elite hitters have trouble with off speed pitches when the situation is set up properly. So pitcher,why don't you throw your bull pen the way you've been instructed. There should be a sequence off pitches featuring your fastball, change and curve ball. Fast balls should be thrown at 3/4 speed concentrating on mechanics, grip and location.
If possible, the pitcher should have a hitter standing in to make the bull pen game like. Wait until your last 4 or 5 fast balls to "air it out".

Another waste of time and effort is the warm-up pitches between innings. This is an opportunity to work on that pitch that's not quite working or to see if you can get a little more movement or to work on location. Yet I see pitchers doing little more than just playing catch with the catcher for 5 pitches. During a seven inning game, the pitcher gets a minimum of 35 pitches to work on something.

And hitters, there's so much you could and should be working on. Can you sac bunt with confidence? The drag & push bunt are important bunting skills that must be practiced. How about working on hitting behind the runner when the situation calls for moving the runner? How about learning to drive in runners from third base with less than two outs? Where are the infielders playing the hitter? If they're in for a play at the plate, you should be working to drive the ball to the outfield, If the infield is playing back, work on hitting ground balls to the middle infielders. There isn't a player that couldn't benefit from working on his base running skills. How about working on an extended lead? Reading the pitcher and getting better jumps? More aggressive secondaries? Practice cutting the corners tighter?

Outfielders can also work on their weaknesses. Many young outfielders have trouble taking the proper angle to a fly ball, work on it in your fall games. Play a few steps shallower than normal to work on fly balls over your head. How about "do or die" ground balls?

Baseball is a tremendously demanding game that requires many skills, fall ball is the ideal time to work on all aspects of your game.

Remember, "you never know who may be watching"!

Bob Harris
Former Pro Scout

The Baseball Coaching Bible

2009-09-08T11:11:00.001-07:00

Dustin Pedoria

2009-07-23T09:11:00.001-07:00

Heads Up Baseball

2009-07-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

Instructional DVD's, Videos & Books

2009-06-23T11:55:00.001-07:00

Coaching DVDs at Championship Productions

Catchers - Block Pitches

2009-03-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Catchers Block All Breaking Pitches -

Catchers, make it a habit to block all breaking pitches in the dirt, even when there are no runners on base and even with less than 2 strikes. Keep in mind that your #1 job is to make your pitcher look good. Blocking pitches is very important and emphasizes your generalship of the game.
Here are some key points:

Make it your goal to block 100% of the balls in the dirt. This will increase your pitcher's confidence.

Your pitcher may want to throw a curve ball in the dirt to try to get a hitter to chase it and he knows you won't let it get past you.

Don’t show pain or disgust when your pitcher throws balls in the dirt.

You must practice blocking pitches often. Each pitcher's breaking pitch is a little different. Practice with every pitcher on your staff. Use your bullpen time for practicing blocking balls.

By blocking these pitches the entire game, you are ready and have confidence that you can do the job in the 9th inning with the game on the line.
Thanks to Rob McDonald for these tips. Rob is the head Coach at Murray State University

Catchers - Blocking Pitches

2009-03-09T10:13:00.001-07:00

PITCHING VELOCITY

2009-02-25T10:37:00.001-08:00

Pitching Velocity- Three kinds of velocity?
Did you know there are three types of pitching velocity? They are real, perceived and effective velocity. I am going to spend more time talking about perceived and effective pitching velocity more than I will real velocity because there is simply more to them. Real pitching velocity is what shows up on the radar gun; easy enough. That’s all there is to it.

Perceived pitching velocity is truly how the hitter sees the pitch. You see, as a pitcher, we really have an advantage over any hitter, regardless of who they are. Not only is hitting a baseball one of the hardest things to do in any sport; as a pitcher you have many ways to effect the hitters inability to hit the ball. Some of these are to ensure your stride is at least as long as you are tall; you have a great delayed shoulder rotation etc. Why would that help? The closer you are to home plate at release of the baseball the better. It has been said that every foot closer you are to home plate at release; the perceived pitching velocity is 3 miles an hour faster to the hitter. Perceived, meaning, the ball appears to be traveling faster to the batter because the ball is released closer to home plate; less reaction time for hitter to react to the pitch. Would you rather have Randy Johnson throw 50 feet away from you or 45?

Effective pitching velocity deals with what pitches you are going to throw, what location you will throw those pitches and in what sequence. It is very deceiving to a hitter’s eye when your arm speed and angle are the same whether you throw a fastball or a changeup. Many times hitters predict a certain pitch like a fastball and you throw a curve; or vice versa. Those scenarios explain what effective pitching velocity is.

Article from the "Pitching Academy"

Albert's Swing

2009-02-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

MLB Top 25 Salaries 2008

2009-02-12T09:04:00.001-08:00

Year / Top 25 players
2008
Rank Player Salary Team
1 Rodriguez, Alex $ 28,000,000 New York Yankees
2 Giambi, Jason $ 23,428,571 New York Yankees
3 Jeter, Derek $ 21,600,000 New York Yankees
4 Ramirez, Manny $ 18,929,923 Boston Red Sox
5 Beltran, Carlos $ 18,622,809 New York Mets
6 Suzuki, Ichiro $ 17,102,149 Seattle Mariners
7 Santana, Johan $ 16,984,216 New York Mets
8 Helton, Todd $ 16,600,000 Colorado Rockies
9 Hunter, Torii $ 16,500,000 Los Angeles Angels
10 Abreu, Bobby $ 16,000,000 New York Yankees
11 Delgado, Carlos $ 16,000,000 New York Mets
12 Pettitte, Andy $ 16,000,000 New York Yankees
13 Zambrano, Carlos $ 16,000,000 Chicago Cubs
14 Hampton, Mike $ 15,975,184 Atlanta Braves
15 Ordonez, Magglio $ 15,768,174 Detroit Tigers
16 Furcal, Rafael $ 15,730,195 Los Angeles Dodgers
17 Thome, Jim $ 15,666,666 Chicago White Sox
18 Guerrero, Vladimir $ 15,500,000 Los Angeles Angels
19 Hudson, Tim $ 15,500,000 Atlanta Braves
20 Sexson, Richie $ 15,500,000 Seattle Mariners
21 Schmidt, Jason $ 15,217,401 Los Angeles Dodgers
22 Johnson, Randy $ 15,100,546 Arizona Diamondbacks
23 Ramirez, Aramis $ 15,000,000 Chicago Cubs
24 Rivera, Mariano $ 15,000,000 New York Yankees
25 Tejada, Miguel $ 14,811,414 Houston Astros

BASE RUNNING 101

2009-02-11T08:11:00.001-08:00

Although foot speed and quickness is a tremendous asset to the baseball player, a baseball player can learn to be a good base runner even if he lacks these skills. Any player that takes the time to practice and learn the following 20 base running
fundamentals can be an asset to his team.

Base Running 101

A. When the Batter/Hitter is running from home to first base:

1. The right handed batter takes his first step out of the box with his right foot.
2. Make the first step as quick and as fast as possible. Should practice this in BP.
3. The left handed batter takes his first step with a cross-over step with his left foot first.
4. The hitter must take a look into the infield after his 4th or 5th step to determine whether or not the ball is going through the infield or whether the infielder is going to make a play on the ball.
5. If the ball stays in the infield, the hitter makes a "Hard 90" (Hard 60, 70 or 80 depending upon the age group) directly to first base using good running form and running straight toward the first base bag in long, rapid strides.
6. The hitter should hit the front edge of the first base bag and toward the middle to avoid contact with the first baseman and to avoid twisting an ankle.
7. The hitter must run through the bag at full speed.
8. The runner/hitter breaks then down after touching the bag in full stride.
9. While breaking down, the runner should look to his right to determine whether or not there was an over-throw.

B. Leading Off First Base:

1. The base runner gets his sign from the third base coach while in contact with the first base bag.
2. The base runner acknowledges the coach's sign by raising his had and indicating the number of outs.
3. The base runner then checks the positioning of the outfielders as well as the SS and second baseman.
4. In a non steal situation with a right handed pitcher on the mound, the runner then takes a 3 - step primary lead with his left foot first and then two slide steps.
5. The runner takes another slide step toward second base when the pitcher comes set.
6. The runner should place his right foot slightly behind his left foot, approximately toe of right foot to instep of left foot while remaining in a balanced, athletic position.
7. The runner "reads" the pitcher's front or stride leg as well as the back heel to determine whether the pitcher is going home or to first base.
8. When it's determined that the pitcher is going to the plate, the runner takes two additional slide steps toward second base.
9. If the ball is hit, the runner crosses over with his left foot from his last shuffle and continues to the next base.
10.If the ball is not hit, the runner must immediately sprint back to the first base bag to avoid a "back pick".
11.When in a steal situation, there is no secondary lead, the runner takes off the instance he determines the pitcher is throwing home.

Practice these techniques and you can become a good baserunner!

CATCHER'S EQUIPMENT & BAGS

2009-02-07T14:59:00.001-08:00

STEELERS - CARDINALS Fatheads!

2009-02-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

MARK TEXIERA

2009-01-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

HITTER'S CHECK LIST

2009-01-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

1. STANCE - Form a strong, balanced base with weight on balls of feet.

2. GRIP – Hold bat out on fingers and align middle set of knuckles of top hand with middle knuckles of bottom hand. Knob of bat should start over the back foot.

3. Back of bottom hand should face the pitcher.

4. Bat should be held at about 45 degrees to the ground.

5. Load – must go back to go forward – use toe tap or lift knee, but coil front knee toward back knee for either approach to develop torque. See photo of Matt Holliday, former Colorado Rockies.

6. COCK WRISTS – and take bat head back toward helmet, but do not wrap the bat around your head.

7. STRIDE – must get stride foot down before starting your swing, keep stride length short & minimize lateral head movement.

8. LAND ON STIFF FRONT LEG - (Pujols, Ordonez, Texiera, Lee)

9. STEP AWAY - from your hands, keeping your weight back. See photos of Albert Pujols, Mark Texiera, and Alex Rodriquez.

10. Open hips and keeps hands back.

11. PIVOT ON BACK FOOT - SHOE LACES – should face pitcher at contact with ball. See Photos)

12. HANDS STAY INSIDE THE BALL - hands behind the ball results in hooking the ball and hitting balls that are on the inner-half of the plate to be pulled foul. Also slows bat speed.

13. PALM UP – PALM DOWN – The Palm of the top hand should be facing up while the Palm of the bottom hand should be facing down at contact।

14. KEEP HEAD DOWN – Track the ball all the way to the bat.

15. FOLLOW THROUGH – Bat head should finish above front shoulder

Items 5 through 15 best checked via video of your swings. Consider having parent or friend video game swings.

Note: Mechanics are to be worked on during weekly or pre-game BP sessions. Never think about you mechanics once you’re in the batter’s box during a game. That’s the time you must entirely focus on the pitcher and the baseball! Your objective is to get a good pitch to hit and to “Track it and Whack” it!

More MLB photos can be viewed on the internet at BestSportsPhotos.com
Click on baseball and then click on a Major League Team to see photos.

Bob Harris - Former Scout Cincinnati Reds

Matt Holliday - Rockies

2009-01-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

Baseball Express

2009-01-06T14:27:00.001-08:00

Absolutes Of Hitting

2008-12-30T09:38:00.001-08:00

Hitting a baseball is a difficult and complicated skill to master. Trying to hit a round object that's moving at an accelerated speed with the potential for movement either in or out, and down, and trying to hit it with a cylindrical shaped object - a bat, hitting a baseball is possibly the most difficult feat to accomplish in all of sports!

Coaches teaching hitting mechanics try cover everything from the proper placement of the bat in the hands and alignment of the knuckles to the proper stance, the load process, keeping the head on the ball, follow through, etc. All are important but there are 5 main ingredients or ABSOLUTES that make for a successful swing and are used by every good Major League hitter.

The Absolutes of Hitting used by all of the best hitters in professional baseball include the following:

1. The front knee must coil, at least slightly, in order to start your loading process. Think of it as taking the front knee toward the back knee, in short it's "knee to knee". This is where torque is developed.

2. As you coil your front knee, the hands must start back and the wrists must be cocked in order to generate power. The bat head should move just slightly behind the hitter's helmet. Do not wrap the bat around your head though.

3. You step away from your hands when you stride. Some coaches talk about walking away from your hands, but you actually step away while your body stays back. This action of staying behind the stride foot is one of the main elements in generating power in your swing. If you move your body toward or even worse, move out over the front foot, you have no power to hit!

4.Then, the stride foot must land before you start your swing. If your late getting the stride foot down, you lose momentum and of course you consequently lose power in your swing. And, of course, you must keep your eyes on the flight of the ball all the way to the bat.

5. Finish high. Your swing should finish above the front shoulder. This where all professional power hitters finish.

Watch yourself in a mirror or have your swing video taped so you can see what your swing looks like. Use a Tee and over emphasize your front knee coil during practice swings. Also use the "walk through" Tee Drill and again exaggerate the knee coil during your swing. This will help train you utilize good hitting mechanics come game time!

Major Leagur Baseball Online

2008-12-23T13:07:00.001-08:00

2008-12-20T14:25:00.001-08:00

Baseball Express - All The Brands You Trust

Champs Sports

2008-12-20T11:54:00.000-08:00

My 2009 Baseball Goals

2008-12-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

MY GOAL SCHEDULE

Today’s Date: ______________

Signature: _____________________________

Following is a list of my GOALS for the 2009.

My OUTCOME GOAL # 1: (Where I want to be and/or what I want to accomplish this year)
1. ______________________________________________________

My PERFORMANCE GOALS: (This is my plan, my road map of how I’m going to achieve my outcome Goals)

1. ________________________ 4. ___________________________

2. ________________________ 5. ___________________________

3. ________________________ 6. ___________________________

My OUTCOME GOAL # 2: (Where I want to be and/or what I want to accomplish this year)

2. ________________________________________________________

My PERFORMANCE GOALS:

1. _________________________ 4. ____________________________

2. __________________________ 5. ___________________________

3. __________________________ 6. ____________________________

My OUTCOME GOAL # 3: (Where I want to be and/or what I want to accomplish this year)

3. ________________________________________________________

My PERFORMANCE GOALS:

1. _________________________ 4. ___________________________

2. __________________________ 5. ___________________________

3. __________________________ 6. ___________________________

Everything For The Baseball Player

2008-12-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

Click On Banner To View Baseball Express Catalog

The Lost Art Of Long Toss By Alan Jaeger

2008-12-15T19:15:00.000-08:00

Originally Appeared in May, 1999 "Collegiate Baseball"

"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, Atlanta Braves

Kerry Wood, Matt Morris, Kerry Lightenberg, Alan Benes, Paul Wilson (twice), Jason Dickson, Jeremi Gonzales, Jason Isringhausen, Bill Pulsipher, Ben McDonald, Jeff D'Amico, Jason Bere, Mike Grace, Jeff Wallace, Mike James, Roger Salked , a who's who of extremely promising pitchers struck down by a major arm injury -- and that's just the beginning.

Coincidence? I don't think so.

For every famous case, ala Kerry Wood, there are those lesser known examples where arms are breaking down before they have the opportunity to reach the Big Leagues... to sign a professional contract... to step foot on a college campus... to finish their high school careers.

In your hometowns, you will find the Dan Oppermans and Darren Kerkreits of the world. First round draft picks that you may never hear of. The Drew Pearces (Cal Berkeley) and John Phillips (UCLA) -- promising college pitchers that never got the chance to play pro ball. The Joel Zamudios (Monroe High) and Justin Dunns (St. Francis High), high school pitchers who can only hope that their careers can be preserved.

"Last year (1998), three pitchers from my team all had major arm surgery (two "Tommy Johns," one major shoulder reconstruction) on the same day." - Anonymous Member of a Division I power

The numbers are mounting and the Dr. Frank Jobe's, Dr. Lewis Yocum's, and Dr. James Andrew's of the world are getting busier. As a baseball community, it's time to WAKE UP. There's a serious flaw in our system, a weak link in our development of baseball players' arms, and it's undermining their futures.

Why?

"Without the opportunity to long toss the arm isn't able to gain the strength, length, and endurance it needs. Your arm will eventually reject you." - Seth Etherton, Cincinnati Reds, Former 1st Round Draft Choice

There are many reasons a pitcher's (baseball player'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.

The 120-Foot Phenomenon

"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, Pitching Coach, Atlanta Braves

When I think in terms of a baseball player's arm being deprived of throwing beyond 120 feet, I immediately feel a tight, tense, short and rigid sensation from my shoulder to the tips of my finger, the opposite kind of qualities I would use to describe a healthy arm or a healthy muscle.

When I think of a healthy arm I think of such characteristics as stretch, loose, length, strength and endurance. Qualities that are hard to attain when we're shortening, rather than, lengthening our arms.

I'm not sure who started it or where it came from, but it seems that in recent years this 120 foot theory has taken root at every stage of the development of baseball players. It seems to have become the rule rather than the exception.

"Actually, I realize that throwing 300 feet isn't such a bad idea...in fact I used to do it myself, but the manual says to stay at 120 feet, so you must stick by it" - Head of player development for a Major League Organization to his first round pick after player pleaded with him to do a long toss program in the off-season

The idea originally behind the "short toss" was that if you keep a player at 120 feet, he'll throw the ball on a line. This theoretically will serve two purposes:
1. The player will be able to keep his shoulders level (avoid "dipping")
2. The release point will stay in similar place because there is minimal change in the arc of the ball

Some even suggest that this "short toss" will save the players' arms by reducing the amount of throws they make.

"You make a living throwing a baseball so we encourage them to throw as often as possible." - Leo Mazzone

Mechanical reasons aside, there are two other major contributing factors to the evolution of the 120-foot throw:
1. Timed throwing
2. The influence of Major League Organizations

Timed throwing occurs because coaches are often pressed for practice time and pitchers have to be at a certain station by a specific time. But, may I ask, how do you time throwing? After all, isn't the amount of time that you need to throw a personal thing? Should your arm become a casualty because the bell rings or you need to go out and shag?

Off-season training programs given out by certain Major League Organizations have contributed to the short toss phenomenon by specifically stating not to throw beyond 120 feet in the off-season (which then tends to carry over into Spring Training). They do this in order to insure that pitchers have a structured throwing program in January/February and that they come to camp under the same homogenous throwing program. But how can one regimen be good for all players? Players are unique, players have different needs. Many need a lot of time or a lot of distance to get properly conditioned.

The reality is that not throwing beyond 120 feet just so you can keep the ball on a line prevents the arm from getting stretched out, loosened up, and opened up to it's potential. It deprives the arm and muscles of much needed length, extension and stimulation. It inhibits the growth of the arm by placing boundaries and limits on the arm. And for what reason? Because coaches value keeping the ball on the line. Because coaches have a packed practice plan and Major League Organizations have to keep everyone at a "secure" distance. But what could possibly be more important than the health and longevity of a pitcher's arm?

The arguments against long tossing are that the back shoulder dips a little and the release point is slightly altered. Before we go any further, let's take a look at these two misconceptions.

Pulling Down: Reinforcing A Lower Release Point

"The pull down phase of the "long toss" has actually solidified my release point on all three of my pitches, especially my curve ball." - Barry Zito, 2002 Cy Young Winner

When a player throws beyond 120 feet, granted, there does comes a point where his front shoulder must lift slightly and the release point is slightly altered. This must be done in order to get the much desired stretch and distance that the arm needs to build length, strength, endurance and health. It is unavoidable.

But the irony is that the same slight adjustments that are created by the lifting of the front shoulder and the altering of the release point are actually regained and reinforced at a lower release point as the player works his way back in from the desired distance (pull down phase). This is because when you begin to take a 250-300 foot throw into 150, 120, 90 and eventually 60 feet, the release point must get lower. This occurs because the pitcher must learn not to decelerate the arm as he gets closer and closer to his partner. In other words, he must take the arm action of his maximum throw that day (i.e. 250 feet) and "pull it down" into 60 feet.

A 300 foot throw at 60 feet (without decelerating the arm) will force pitchers to finish through their release point on a downward plane without trying to throw hard. Concentration skills are developed because the pitcher must learn to pick a very low focal point to pull down through (i.e. his partner's shoe), otherwise the ball will end up going a long way over his partner's head. There is no way around it.

A number of additional benefits take place when a 300 foot throw is correctly compressed into a 60 foot throw:

The arm can generate natural arm speed and strength because the arm is throwing through a stretch.

The player must learn how to lower, and ultimately accelerate, through his release point.

The mind must learn how to concentrate and finish through a specific focal point (accuracy).

The looseness and power of an arm that's been properly stretched out into a shorter throw (60 feet) takes sound mechanics, balance, rhythm and concentration, which translates into further reinforcement for a pitcher in a game situation.
"I think long toss is a great way to build your arm up, to get in shape to throw off the mound." - Greg Maddux
So the pull down phase actually helps to reinforce a lot of the same principles that are critical for a pitcher on the mound: loose arm action, maximizing arm speed and strength through a properly stretched out arm, acceleration (finish) through a lower release point, maintaining concentration, balance and composure. A far cry from the criticisms of those who discount throwing distance.

The trade-off is simple. Promote health, length, strength, acceleration, and endurance by long tossing. Promote a shorter arm, tighter muscles, minimal endurance and vulnerability to arm injuries by throwing short distances.

Realizing Your Potential

Put a four-foot snake in a five-foot cage and its expansion is limited. Put that same snake in a twenty-five foot cage and an opportunity of growth presents itself.

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.

That means his arm is only stretching to 40% of its capability. Now forgive me if I'm having a hard time with this, but how can it make any sense to suppress the arm's need to expand? I mean, why do we stretch before we play any sport? Isn't it to enhance our performance, to give us agility and flexibility, to avoid injury? So then why is it okay to stretch our arm to only 40% of its need? Would a sprinter only stretch 40% of his hamstrings before running a 100-meter race? Would a hockey goalie stretch only 40% of his groin before a game? Would a golfer enter a long drive contest after stretching just 40% of his back?

"If you don't stretch your arm out, you are more susceptible to an injury. I know that from experience." - Rudy Seanez, Boston Red Sox

The point is that a pitcher who throws a baseball 80 to 100 miles an hour without properly stretching his arm puts himself in jeopardy. It may not be obvious because 120 feet is just far enough to feel like a stretch, but it is not a real stretch. It is not the kind of stretch that the arm truly needs to open up, lengthen out and establish a base.

"Organizations, coaches, etc. discourage pitchers from throwing or put so many limitations on them as to what they can do because they feel that they will get blamed if there is a breakdown." - Leo Mazzone

Can you tell I'm frustrated? Wouldn't you be if you put a pitcher into a training program to stretch, strengthen and condition his arm, only to watch his arm regress because he's been put in a throwing program that does not allow him to exceed 120 feet? Or worse, to watch him spend a year and a half rehabilitating his arm after a major arm surgery because he wasn't given the proper time or distance that is necessary to keep his arm healthy.

I haven't seen the throwing program at every High School, Junior College and four year College. I haven't seen every Major League's off season throwing manual. But I have seen enough and heard enough over the past several years to be alarmed. If we don't make an adjustment soon, we are going to continue to see this growing trend of major arm injuries. In other words, shattered dreams and broken hearts.

"Long Toss is a very important part of conditioning and training for everyone." - Dr. Lewis Yocum, Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic

For those coaches who subscribe to distance throwing, to some form of long toss, I can only say that you are doing your best to insure that your players are optimizing their arms and staying healthy. For those of you who have subscribed to the theory of the 120 foot toss or timed throwing, I hope that you will take this article to heart and reevaluate your throwing program.

We are, after all, all dedicated to the same thing: the well-being and success of our players.

Note: I would sincerely like to thank Atlanta Braves Pitching Coach Leo Mazzone and his pitching staff and all of those players who have contributed to this article and cause. - Alan Jaeger

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Alan Jaeger is the founder of the Jaeger Baseball Academy in Woodland Hills, CA and has worked with several High School and College players, as well as over 70 professional players, including Major Leaguers Barry Zito, Randy Wolf, John Snyder, Mike Lieberthal, and Glendon Rusch. He holds a degree in psychological training from California State University at Northridge and his post-graduate studies include a certificate from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. For more information about Alan's long toss program and other philosophies, check out his Armed & Ready Program, currently available exclusively at Baseball Tips.com.
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