How To Reduce Pitching Arm Injuries…Improve Control And Velocity

Their are two reasons why most pitchers never reach their full potential and end up injured. Why most have poor pitching mechanics and also why many never maximize their pitching velocity or develop command of all their pitches.

The first reason is because they simply lack pitching skills. They do not practice enough mound pitching or enough volume of practice pitches to improve their mechanics as well as all their pitches.  After all isn’t pitching a baseball a skill activity?

Secondly, they end up injured because they do not throw enough pitches in practice to keep their bodies fit to pitch to deliver their arm game after game. In other words, if a high school coach expects his starting pitchers to throw 85-100 pitches in a game, how does that pitcher maintain his body’s level of specific fitness by only throwing a 30-40 pitch bullpen?

Remember this important point that sports science research has proven.  The absolute best form of keeping a pitcher fit to pitch during the season is by actually pitching from the mound because that is what a pitcher must do in games. No other activity such as weight training or even sprints can keep a pitcher fit to pitch more than actual pitching…even though pitchers should do some conditioning during the season.

Today most coaches have pitchers throwing less in order to save their arms for the game.  Why is this?  This coaching philosophy exists because most coaches still believe the arm is the source of power when of course it is the body that produces velocity while the arm is for ball control and ball movement.

So how much should a pitcher throw in between games? 

My philosophy has always been that whether a starting pitcher is in Little League, high school or college that he should pitch in a game once a week and throw two bullpens in between games while being videotaped. Relief pitchers should also pitch more pitches and more often.

The two bullpens allow the starting pitcher to work on improving what may have occurred in the last game. The game provides the feedback needed to understand what skills need to be improved upon whether it’s mechanics or a particular pitch or just better location. But prudent pitching practice is the key to maximizing potential not game pitching. The game simply gives you feedback as to whether the pitcher is improving or not.

Pitchers are getting injured because they are not throwing enough game intensity pitches in practice

Typically I hear that pitchers are throwing far too few pitches in practice in order to save their arm for the game. But that is how they can get injured. For example, let’s say a high school pitcher throws one bullpen in between games of say 40 pitches. And let’s say he only throws that bullpen at 80% intensity. When he gets in the game he will be required to throw at 100% intensity and the coach expects him to throw 85-100 pitches. But his body is only used to throwing at less than game intensity and less than 50% of the number of pitches required in the game.

How will the pitcher’s body and arm be fit to pitch in a game?  It won’t. So what occurs is the pitcher’s body fatigues shortly after he reaches his number of practice bullpen pitches…of say 40 and yet he must continue to throw after he fatigues.  His arm then must do much more of the work when we know that it is the body that should produce velocity…not the arm.

Understanding how to throw a bullpen in blocked sets of pitches while being videotaped is another way to help a pitcher create pin-point control.  Remember a pitcher’s control is about consistent mechanics and then “target practice” by throwing enough pitches to specific locations over and over so that the pitcher is able to learn how to make the needed location adjustments to improve the command of all his pitches.