One of our most popular sayings that we use with our athletes is “Listen To Your Arm.” It sounds simple enough but if you just gloss over it’s simplicity you could miss the power of the phrase. 

Often times there are a number of variables put into place that limit the freedom of a throwing program. Whether it is a time restriction, distance restriction or a number of other variables, these can be very harmful or detrimental to a player and their Arm Development. 

A principle that we have stressed since the inception of the Jaeger Sports Throwing Program is that our program is in no way a one-size-fits-all approach. We have fundamentals in place that we stress all players do for Arm Health and Arm Conditioning, but other than that we want players pushing their own boundaries and finding out what works best for them. 

Here are 3 examples of fundamental parts of the Jaeger Sports Throwing Program that we recommend EVERY player utilize:

1- Pre-Throwing Arm Circles

2- Pre-Throwing J-Bands™

3- Two Phase Long Toss (throwing with arc on the way out)

There are obviously more principles that we teach but these are the three that are at the core of our Throwing Program and what we go over in every lesson, clinic or teaching opportunity when it comes to taking care of the arm. 

On the flip side of this, there are a number of things that we would NEVER impose on an athlete in their training when it comes to a Throwing or Arm Care routine. 

Here are 3 examples of restrictions we would NEVER impose on an athlete in an Arm Care and Conditioning program:

1- Time Restriction (Amount of time allowed to throw)

2- Distance Restriction (How far an athlete goes out in Long Toss)

3- Number of Throws Restriction (Never dictating throws at a specific distance, etc.)

Again, these are just examples on both sides of the coin to get an understanding of what “Listen to Your Arm” means to us. No one can feel what is going on with an athlete’s arm except for the athlete. As an athlete you develop a very intimate relationship with your body and what you need to do to optimize performance. As a coach, you should facilitate that relationship and have fundamental parts of your training and programs but in no way treat everyone’s training in the exact same manner.

Athletes: Give yourself the freedom to find out what you are capable of by tweaking your training and find out what works best for you.

Coaches: Allow your athletes to optimize their performance by using your tactics and training routines in a way that works for them and their bodies.

We will leave you with our YouTube Video of our Long Toss Throwing Program. This is a great example of two athletes that used the principles of the Jaeger Sports Throwing Program and adapted it to get the best results for THEM! Enjoy this video here.