Let It Snow!

Getting Ready for Tryouts When You Can't Get Outside

January 3, 2018

(Click here for a .pdf of this newsletter)

As we start 2018 and many are focused on school tryouts in March, very often the weather does not cooperate and the snow on the ground presents a significant obstacle to doing the proper amount of throwing so injuries don't occur during tryouts as most players go from throwing 1-2x/week to throwing 5 days in a row.

While Pennsylvania saw 5 feet of snow in one week, the Northeast is currently preparing for its' first snow of the year. The question I frequently get asked: how can we get our throwing done if we can't get outside?

Throwing, just like hitting, focuses on repetitive motion to improve timing. Hitters don't always hit live pitching/ in cages but spend significant time hitting off a tea in an enclosed space like the garage/basement. Pitchers can do the same.

For closed-space throwing, you can do the 2-knee drill (click here to watch a newsletter on the drill). If you can get a simple net (they go for an average of $99 but as low as $50, also a throw-back may work) and 10 baseballs, can throw 5-10 feet into the net with the 2-knee drill.

If you're stuck inside, you can do the following program:

• Jump rope for 2 minutes (~300 jumps) to get a complete warm-up.
• Make sure you're sweating before you start throwing!
• Make 10 throws on 2 knees into the net for 3-4 sets, giving a total of 30-40 throws
• The first set at low intensity, the second set at medium intensity, the third/fourth sets at high intensity.
• Jump rope for 2 minutes to finish the workout.
• Perform this 3x/week, taking a day off between sessions and doing the medicine ball program on those days off as a form of active recovery.

REMEMBER!

Choose quality over quantity. It's not how many throws you make, it's how many throws you make correctly.

To learn more about the 2-knee drill as well as pitching mechanics/conditioning, you can suscribe to my video library (click to here learn about the library) by clicking here.

Have A Question About This Newsletter?

Contact (PitchingDoc@msn.com / 631-352-7654) Dr. Arnold!