J-Bands™. Another piece of equipment? A vital part of Arm Care and Conditioning? Something you can’t leave home without? When you hear the term J-Bands™ what comes to mind?

We realize that there are numerous equipment items in a player’s bag or in a coaches repertoire at any time. The J-Bands™ have evolved over the years and are now offered in two sizes (Adult and Junior) and 15 colors, but the program and principles have remained the same.

The philosophy behind J-Bands™ has remained the same since the beginning: prepare the arm to throw. Band work in general came about in the post surgery world to rehab an injury. We took that philosophy and applied it to a healthy arm and we look at it as pre-hab. This puts the arm in a great position to remain healthy and get strong throughout an entire year.

The reason we love J-Bands™ to prepare the arm to throw is the same philosophy we all have applied to our bodies throughout history when it comes to physical performance. If we told you that you had 10 minutes to prepare to run your fastest 40 yard dash time, what would you do? You would stretch, jog and do anything you could to get your legs warmed up to perform at their best in that 40 yard dash.

So why do we not look at the arm the same way?

For years, and some players and programs still do this, people would pick up a ball and start throwing it to “warm up” when in fact they had not done anything to prepare the arm or shoulder to be ready for that act. It should be clear that this is a flawed approached to throwing and the great news is it is a simple fix that could change careers.

Do something before you throw! Arm Circles, J-Bands™ Exercises, anything and everything to get blood flow, heat and range of motion going to put you in a great position to perform the act of throwing on a given day. You have ONE ARM. You have ONE CAREER. Take care of your arm so it can take care of you!