The third part of the Jaeger Sports Throwing Program is the implementation of Long Toss. Once you have efficiently prepped your arm for throwing with Arm Circles and J-Bands™, you are ready to implement the Long Toss Program.

WARNING:

You should only implement the 2 Phases of the Long Toss if you are in shape to do so. We are explaining the 2 Phases as if the athlete has substantially built a base of strength and health with a 4-8 week build up of Long Toss. The build up and progression can all be found in our Year Round Throwing Manual.

Phase 1: Stretching Out Phase

The first phase of our Long Toss is the Stretching Out Phase. When you begin throwing you should think of words like Relax, Massage, etc. You want the arm to open up gradually and you want to slowly move back away from your partner and throw with arc. This will open up the arm gradually and optimally. 

The more you do Long Toss, the more intimate the relationship with your arm will become. You will feel what your arm needs on a given day and how quickly or slowly you should move back.

Phase 2: Pull Down Phase

Once you have implemented the Stretching Out Phase, and completely opened up our arm, you are ready to implement the Pull Down phase and move back in towards your throwing partner. This is where the magic happens in terms of Velocity, Arm Strength and an Athlete’s Mental Approach towards throwing. 

The key to the Pull Down Phase is maintaining your max distance effort on every throw on the way back in towards your partner. Here is a great example to visualize below:

If you reach 300 feet in the Stretching Out Phase, every throw during the Pull Down Phase should be 300 feet effort. What that means is the effort it took you to throw your furthest throw of 300 feet is the effort you should use on every throw during the Pull Down Phase on your way back in towards your partner. The only thing that changes is the extension, focal point and release point required to continue to hit your partner at waist high or below. 

This is one of the keys we see to athletes unlocking their maximum Arm Strength and velocity. When they figure out how to give themselves permission to use their max effort, and trust their focal point and release point, they unlock huge gains in their arm.

These are the 2 Phases of the Jaeger Sports Long Toss. Stretch the arm out progressively to prepare it for aggressive and training based throwing. Pull down with intent to maximize what is in your arm.

As always, LISTEN TO YOUR ARM!