Pro Off Season Throwing Program/Progression
 In Arm Care and Conditioning, Article, Year Round Throwing Manual
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Jaeger Sports Pro Off Season Throwing Progression

(September, 2019 — Feb/March, 2020)

“The body is made to move” — Randy Sullivan, Florida BB Ranch

The following Off Season Throwing Program is based on a pitcher’s season ending around September 1st, and preparing for a February 15th or March 1st report date to Spring Training. Because you will probably be receiving this in November of 2019, you will most likely already be in the “Active Rest Period” (if you don’t report until March 1st, your Active Rest Phase will have just started around November 9th). Therefore, De-Loading and Complete Rest are marked “completed” below. Please keep this in mind regarding the schedule below.

The following 5 Phases are segmented into weeks as follows:

  • Phase 1) De-Loading (3 Weeks — Completed)
  • Phase 2) Complete Rest (4 Weeks — Completed)
  • Phase 3) Active Rest (*8 Weeks)
    • Monday, October 21st for February 15th report date
    • Monday, November 4th for March 1st report date
  • Phase 4) Throwing Progression/Build Up (*5 Weeks)
    • Monday, December 16th for February 15th report date
    • Monday, December 30th for March 1st report date
  • Phase 5) Pull Down’s with Full Intent + Bull Pen’s (4 Weeks)
    • Monday, January 20th for February 15th report date
    • Monday, February 3rd for March 1st report date

Note: You may find that you want to adjust your Complete Rest and/or Active Rest Phase’s based on how long or short your season was, how demanding it was or whether or not you have less or more time based on your report date to Spring Training (February 15th or March 1st). In the scenario that your season goes long, you’ll probably find that for every week the season went past September 1st, to simply subtract the same amount of time from your Active Rest Phase. In the event that you aren’t reporting until March 1st, you can actually add on some time to De-Loading, Complete Rest or Active Rest. In all scenario’s, there is plenty of time for complete Rest (4 weeks), most, if not all of your Active Rest (4-8 Weeks), all of your Throwing Progression/Build Up (5 Weeks) and Bull Pen’s (4 Weeks).

Also, keep in mind that if you want to “transfer time” from Phase 2 into Phase 3, or vice versa, feel free to do so. For example, if you want to add 2 more weeks to Complete Rest, and take off 2 Weeks from Active Rest (ie Light Throwing), that’s up to you. But you may also consider another scenario, whereby you gently begin to move the body and arm with some light Arm Care (ie 3 x a week) even after just a couple of weeks of Complete Rest.

Lastly, if you do any upper body lifting during your Complete Rest Phase, please be sure and counter it with some pre and post band work.

A Word On De-Loading (for 2020)

As for De-Loading, I don’t know the exact science behind it, but have leaned quite a bit on Randy Sullivan (Florida Baseball Ranch) for his insight re De-Loading (yes, even after a long season). Randy has written an article about this topic on his Blog (http://floridabaseballranch.com/blog/shut-it-down-or-keep-throwing-maybe-theres-an-alternative/). But I would suggest based on my conversation with Randy, and my instincts, to continue to throw 4-5 times a week after the season, focusing on gradually De-Loading your workload. As an example, if a good long toss distance for you is 300 feet, Week 1 may be 4-5 times a week of progressively less distance, and less intent, going from 300 feet to approximately 200 feet by the end of the week. This would include 2 Pen’s as well in Week 1, also decreasing the intent to about 80% in Pen 1, and approximately 70% in Pen 2. You could continue this approach in Week 2, going from 4-5 times a week of throwing to 3-4 times a week, and similarly, decreasing the workload and effort in your throwing sessions and Pen’s. Week 3 may be 3 times a week of throwing, and decreasing your Pen to once a week, also with decreased intent. At this point, I’d highly recommend listening to your arm and letting it dictate how long to De-Load for. We’re basing this on ~3 weeks, but again, every arm is different based on the variables of your season.

(Side Note: As a reminder, if are getting this information in November, you will be past the De-Loading phase — this will be something to integrate next off season).

Off Season Throwing Program Notes

  1. This Program is based on Pitchers reporting Feb. 15th. If players are showing up at a later date, ie, March 1st, simply start 2 weeks later (assuming your season ended September 1st), and feel free to add on 2 weeks in any of the first 3 Phases (De-Loading, Complete Rest, Active Rest).
  2. The single most important aspect of our throwing philosophy is to Listen To Your Arm. The more intimate you are with your arm, the more you are clearly going to be in tune with what it wants and needs each day. From our experience, don’t be surprised if you find that the arm wants to throw more then you think, or more then you’ve done in the past. Especially when it’s built up from scratch, in the most optimal way.
  3. Focus on doing things slowly, and progressively through each stage. There has been plenty of time allotted for each Phase. The key is to build your BASE properly, or what we like to call, “Stacking Your Base”, and add to this base slowly and progressively with each passing Phase.
  4. Focus on Volume over Distance, especially early on (the distance will come naturally). For those of you that aren’t used to throwing a lot, or see this program as a lot of throwing, keep in mind that the arm will most likely thrive on conditioning. Throwing begets Throwing. The arm thrives on throwing when it’s done the right way. And the arm is extremely resilient (for example, bp pitchers make 300+ throws a day, 6 days a week for 40 years without breaking down). This is why we place a premium on Volume. So please keep an open mind if you are concerned about “throwing too much”. For example, you may think that 15 or 20 minutes is a “lot of throwing” — but keep in mind that 15 minutes of throwing is actually only 7 ½ minutes “per person”, and really, closer to 6 minutes when you factor in that the ball is in the air for a period of time, as well as the time it takes for the exchange from glove to hand. Volume is the key to Conditioning. Conditioning is the key to optimal Recovery. Both of these are keys to optimal Health.
  5. Please note through the Active Rest period, and really, until you start getting out to 200 feet or more, to throw with a great deal of Relaxed Effort. We like using terms like “Loose, Massage, Freedom, Effortlessness”. As a rule of thumb, you may find it helpful to use percentages, like “50% Effort” to help you get the sensation of throwing with relaxation and freedom.
  6. Be sure to focus on throwing with arc from the onset, and continue to allow the arc to increase as you slowly move away from your throwing partner. This allows the arm to gradually “open up” or stretch out at different angles. Just to give you a point of reference, we like using the analogy of a Quarterback “throwing a screen pass” from the onset of throwing, or about 15 degree’s of arc. By the time you get to 300 feet or more, you’ll probably need closer to 35-40 degree’s of arc. This gradual increase in angle, or variability, is great for feel, accuracy and mind/body connection. And keep in mind that throwing Uphill also promotes throwing Downhill (for when you get to the Pull Down Phase). It also helps to activate legs, core and athleticism.
  7. *Be sure the arm is FULLY stretched out/opened up to your max distance before beginning the ** Pull Down Phase (approximately Week 4 of the Throwing Progression/Build Up Phase)
    • *Keep in mind that 90 mph translates to ~270-300 feet, so this puts into perspective how far you could or should be throwing the ball once you arm is completely stretched out. So for a pitcher that’s 90-95mph, you’ll probably be closer to 300-330 feet when it’s fully stretched out, for example. Again, these are suggestions — let your arm dictate how far it wants to go when fully stretched out
    • **Be sure to have a geared up catcher (with mask) on Pull Down Days…if not, be sure you are mindful how close to get to your throwing partner (ie not closer then 70 feet) for safety reasons. You may be surprised how much life, carry and velocity is generated by not only getting your arm fully stretched out, but pulling down correctly. By having a geared up catcher, or staying at a safe distance, you’ll feel “free” to pull down correctly because you won’t be subconsciously concerned about your throwing partner being in danger
  8. Pull Down Defined — A true Pull Down is to take your furthest distance that day, assuming you are fully stretched out (ie 300 feet), and take the “intent” of that furthest throw (x), and maintain that intent (x) as you get closer to your throwing partner (ie not decelerate). Naturally, the angle is going to have to lower or the ball is going to go over your throwing partners head. Also, note that the closer you get to your partner, the more difficult it’s going to be to maintain intent simply because, subconsciously, you don’t want to throw the ball over your partners head, so the tendency is to “decelerate” the arm. Also, from 29 years of training arms, we have seen that maintaining intent or “not decelerating” the arm as you get closer to your throwing partner is an art form. It takes practice to truly maintain the intent of your furthest throw all the way back in to your throwing partner. But this is how you optimize the benefits of Pulling Down. This is where you can truly promote athleticism, leverage, explosiveness and learning how to get over your front side (downward angle). It also takes mental patience and relaxation to “compress” such a great deal of distance and angle into shorter and shorter distances without your mechanics being rushed or compromised. To help you get the feel for Pulling Down with Full Intent, we highly recommend that you “miss lower then higher” as you move back in toward your throwing partner. Knowing that your misses are going to be in front of your partner not only eases the mind, but it actually promotes optimal mechanics. That’s because a lot of really good things have to happen for you to compress large distances into shorter distances — without decelerating — and have the ball miss in front of your partner, rather then over their head. Lastly, we recommend coming in approximately 10-15 feet per throw. This helps you make smooth adjustments as your arc and release point get gradually lower. Also, as you’re making your way back in to your throwing partner, feel free to stay at a distance if you feel that you decelerated, and try to make the adjustment on the next throw to maintain your intent without decelerating. Naturally, this ability to maintain your intent as you get closer gets more challenging, yet, it also yields a greater payoff when you are able to accomplish it.Note re Pull Downs — on a heavy load day, ie pen or start day, we recommend that you actually “take a little off” your Pull Downs until you get to about 50% of your max distance that day, ie 150 feet if you were out to 300 feet. We still want you Pulling Down with at least 75% effort as you make your way back into 150 feet. At that point, you can resume full intent.
  9. On days you aren’t pulling down with full intent, still come back in toward your partner with a lower arc — just be sure to maintain a low effort (stretch) mentality on the way back in. A good rule of thumb is to match the effort based on the % of distance you went out to that day (ie if 300 feet is your max distance, use 50% effort coming back in on days you are out to 150 feet, etc).
  10. Crow Hopping: Be sure to get your legs involved and engage your core as soon as possible when throwing. Simply put, Crow Hopping is an essential part of our throwing philosophy. For starters, it takes pressure off of the arm and promotes athleticism. We HIGHLY recommend you crow hop off of your back leg (right hander’s, crow hop off of right leg, left hander’s crow hop off of left leg). Two major reasons — this simulates how you throw off of a mound (loading on your back leg), and secondly and most importantly, HEALTH. When you “shuffle your feet”, you are losing support from your lower half because it’s getting “ahead of you”, leaving your arm behind without support of your lower half. This puts unnecessary demands on the arm “without the support of your lower half”. Please watch this video — seeing this visually and keeping these two principles in mind will hopefully help you relate to these two points (1:22 mark): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nymvTHR2CSc).
  11. You’ll note that in Phase 4, the Throwing Build Up is a continual progression of distance and time each day. You may find that you want to back off on some days (de-load) regarding time or distance. Considering you’ll have some days “off” during the progression, you may also find that some days you want to go a bit lighter following the day off. And lastly, you may also find that once you get to approximately 200 feet in this phase, your arm is going to stretch out a bit faster than the recommended progression. Again, find a rhythm that works best for you.
  12. Mound Work Days (Pens, etc) should be preceded by having FULLY stretched your Arm Out to your max off-season distance, or there about, ie, 300 feet or more (again, you may want to go lighter on Pull Downs until approx final 150 feet on the way back in to your throwing partner since you are throwing off the mound that day. But once you get to 150 feet or so, you can ramp up your intent)
  13. Long Toss Demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w3xwYIx17s&t=4s  Please note:
    • A) Loose arm action from onset
    • B) Angle Up from the onset
    • C) Gradual elevation of angle with increased distance
    • D) *Crow Hop — though this video does a really good job of explaining the “Stretching Out” and “Pull Down” Phases of our Long Toss Progression, this video is also from 2008 and actually shows “shuffling” the feet — again, we HIGHLY recommend you Crow Hop off of your back leg (as explained above).
    • E) Max Distance ~35-40 Degree Arc
    • F) Pull Downs — Maintaining Intent of furthest throw all the way back into throwing partner
    • G) Gearing up catcher for closer, Full Intent Pull Downs, for safety
  14. A word about Rehab — if you are coming back from Rehab, naturally, complete your Return To Throwing (ITP) protocols. But one thing we’d highly recommend is that once you have completed this throwing progression (traditionally, approximately 120-180 feet), other than some “light mound work” to slowly introduce and integrate the physical and mental transition to throwing off of a decline, please consider integrating our throwing protocols prior to getting on a mound with full intent. Again, the workload may differ from arm to arm, but we have a major concern with a pitcher going from 120-180 feet (often in a more linear approach) on to a mound WITHOUT first getting in more distance, more volume and more ATHLETICISM. We feel that this is a major step that is missed. So, we strongly recommend that once you finish your Return To Throwing program (ITP), plan on spending at least another 4 weeks finishing your Long Toss Progression prior to getting on a mound. This simply adds one step…a bridge…for the arm to get into full Long Toss shape, and all of the benefits of freeing up the body athletically via variability training, prior to getting on the mound. For more information about this please see this link (Rehab sidebar: https://jaegersports.com/the-origin-of-throwing-programs-mechanical-myth-post-rehab-throwing-advice/ and Rehab Podcast/Robby Rowland: https://therobbyrowshow.com/090/)
  15. Arm Care/Band Work — please note that we highly recommend some form of Arm Carm/Band Work as a precursor to Throwing, whether it’s a heavy or light day of throwing (we don’t necessarily recommend taking a day off, but if you choose to, this is an especially important day to do an arm care program). Also, please be sure to have a Post Throwing, Arm Care program in place immediately after you throw (especially any days you throw with full intent).
  16. Keep in mind that EVERYTHING is a SUGGESTION. EVERY arm is different, unique, etc, and everyone will get into shape at their own paced based on several unique variables. Because we are suggesting throwing closer to 5-6 times a week at minimum, remember, you can always go lighter, or take a day off if you feel it’s necessary. Keep in mind that the more properly you do this progression by having a great BASE in place through the first 3 Phases (De-Loading, Rest & Active Rest), the more likely you are going to optimize the last 2 phases (Throwing Build Up + Mound Work).

Summary — The ultimate goal of the Program/Progression is to best position your arm to get healthier, stronger and more durable throughout the Off-Season, so that it can thrive in Spring Training. Naturally, if the arm thrives in Spring Training, it’s in an ideal position to maintain it’s health, endurance and strength throughout the season. A big part of this is because the arm RECOVERS so well when it has been trained and conditioned in the most optimal way possible. That’s why the initial goal of this program is to insure you have a deep BASE, and that base is gradually “stacked” through a slow progression of volume building, leading to great endurance and great recovery. We believe from 29 years of experience that with this formula, you’re not only going to find that your arm is getting stronger throughout the Off-Season, but that the arm will actually want to throw more, rather than less throughout the season then you are probably used to doing. Again, at the end of the day, it will always come back to you listening to your arm. But from our experience, the arm responds well to throwing and is very resilient when it’s taken care of the right way, and it’s allowed to be heard and felt without any “predetermined” limits. And when you look at training from this perspective — wanting to “develop and grow”, rather than coming from a place of “risk aversion”, you may be shocked at what your arm is capable of doing when you free it up and remove boundaries. Again, the ultimate teacher is your arm. So please give it a chance to teach you what it’s capable of doing by removing any artificial time or distance constraints. Even ours! Again, everything below will be a suggestion. Please listen to your instincts. Please LISTEN TO YOUR ARM!

Phase 1 De-Loading (completed)

Phase 2: Complete Rest (completed)

Phase 3 (Part 1) — Active Rest (4 Weeks)

  • Arm Care, Band Work, Range Of Motion, etc

Monday, Oct. 28th  — Saturday, Nov. 23rd (4 Weeks of Active Rest/*Band work/Base Building, etc)

  • Oct 28th — Nov 2nd Arm Care/Bands 4 x a week (15-20 reps per exercise)
  • Nov 4th — Nov 9th: Arm Care/Bands 5 x a week (20-25 reps per exercise)
  • Nov 11th — Nov 16th: Arm Care/Bands 6 x a week (25 reps per exercise, add an extra set of Forward Throws only, ie, 2 x 25 or 50 Forward Throws)
  • Nov18th — Nov 23rd : Arm Care/Bands 6-7 x a week (25 reps per exercise, add in an extra set of Forward Throws, ie 2 x 25 or 50 Forward Throws)

* Our Band program is based on 11 exercises, approximately 25 reps (demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DadrSfSb9fw&t=14s). Naturally, feel free to substitute any band program you may be doing, along with any other forms of Arm Care during this phase.

Phase 3 (Part 2) — Active Rest (4 Weeks)

  • Arm Care, Band Work, Range Of Motion, etc
  • Light Throwing (10-50% effort)/Base Building
  • Arc Only (Relaxed Effort/Massage Throwing)

Monday, Nov. 25th — Saturday, Dec. 21st (3 Weeks of Light Throwing/Base Building/Arm Care/Band Work, etc)

Nov 25th — Nov 30th: 5 x a week throwing (ie M, Tu, Th, Fr, Sat or Sun)

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-75 feet, 6-10 mins of throwing
  • Day 2: Approximately 45-75 feet, 6-10 mins of throwing
  • Day 3: Approximately 45-80 feet, 8-10 mins of throwing
  • Day 4: Approximately 45-85 feet, 8-10 mins of throwing
  • Day 5: Approximately 45-90 feet, 10-12 mins of throwing

Dec 2nd — Dec 7th: 5 x a week throwing (ie M, Tu, Th, Fr, Sat or Sun)

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-90 feet, 10-12 mins of throwing
  • Day 2: Approximately 45-90 feet, 10-12 mins of throwing
  • Day 3: Approximately 45-100 feet, 10-14 mins of throwing
  • Day 4: Approximately 45-110 feet, 10-14 mins of throwing
  • Day 5: Approximately 45-120 feet, 10-15 mins of throwing

Dec 9th — Dec 14th: 5-6 x a week throwing

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-120 feet, 10-15 mins of throwing
  • Day 2: Approximately 45-130 feet, 10-15 mins of throwing
  • Day 3: Approximately 45-140 feet, 10-15 mins of throwing
  • Day 4: Approximately 45-150 feet, 12-15 mins of throwing
  • Day 5 or 6: Approximately 45-160 feet, 12-15 mins of throwing

Phase 4 — Throwing Progression (5 Weeks)

  • Arm Care, Band Work, Range Of Motion, etc
  • Long Toss Build Up (Stretching Out Phase/Arc Only/Relaxed Effort)
  • ** Pull Downs (Once Fully Stretched Out)
  • ** Reminder re Pull Downs: Come back to your throwing partner approximately 10 feet per throw

Monday, Dec. 16th —  Saturday, Jan. 18th (5 Weeks of Long Toss Build Up)

Week 1

Dec 16th — Dec 21st (5-6 x a week of Throwing) — ARC Only, come back in lightly

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-150 feet 10-15 mins
  • Day 2: Approximately 45-160 feet, 10-16 mins of throwing
  • Day 3: Approximately 45-170 feet, 10-17 mins of throwing
  • Day 4: Approximately 45-180 feet, 12-17 mins of throwing
  • Day 5 or 6: Approximately 45-190 feet, 12-18 mins of throwing

Week 2

Dec 23rd — Dec 28th (5-6 x a week of Throwing) ARC only, come back in lightly

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-190 feet, 12-18 mins of throwing
  • Day 2: Approximately 45-200 feet, 12-18 mins of throwing
  • Day 3: Approximately 45-210 feet, 12-18 mins of throwing
  • Day 4: Approximately 45-220 feet, 14-20 mins of throwing
  • Day 5 or 6: Approximately 45-230 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing

Week 3

Dec 30th — Jan 4th (5-6 x a week of Throwing) ARC only, come back in lightly

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-220 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing
  • Day 2: Approximately 45-230 feet, 16-20 mins of throwing
  • Day 3: Approximately 45-240 feet, 17-20 mins of throwing
  • Day 4: Approximately 45-250 feet, 18-20 mins of throwing
  • Day 5 or 6: Approximately 45-260 feet, 18-20 mins of throwing

Week 4

Jan 6th — Jan 11th (6 x a week of Throwing) ARC Only/Light Pull Downs on way back in (50-75%)

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-260 feet, 18-20+ mins of throwing
  • Day 2: Approximately 45-270 feet, 18-20+ mins of throwing
  • Day 3: Approximately 45-280 feet, 18-20+ mins of throwing
  • Day 4: Approximately 45-290 feet, 18-20+ mins of throwing
  • Day 5 or 6: Approximately 45-300 feet, 18-20+ mins of throwing

Week 5

Jan 13th — Jan 18th (6 x a week of Throwing) Begin Pull Down Phase every other day (warm into Pull Downs the first week)

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-250 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing
  • Day 2: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20+ mins of throwing, with Pull Downs (80% Intent re Pull Downs)
  • Day 3: Recovery/Rebuild 45-200 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing, Stretch Only
  • Day 4: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20+ mins of throwing, with Pull Downs (90% Intent re Pull Downs)
  • Day 5: Recovery/Rebuild 45-200 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing, Stretch Only
  • Day 6: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20+ mins of throwing, with Pull Downs (95% Intent re Pull Downs)
  • Day 7: Optional

Phase 5 — Integration of Mound Work (4 Weeks)

  • Arm Care, Band Work, Range Of Motion, etc
  • Full Long Toss — Stretching Out With Arc Only/Relaxed Effort + Pull Downs (Week 1-4, Tu/Th/Sat)
  • Full Long Toss — Stretching Out With Arc Only/Relaxed Effort + Pull Downs + Bull Pen’s (Weeks 2-4, Tuesday/Saturday)
  • De-Loading/Recovery/Rebuild (weeks 1-4, M/W/F)
  • Reminder re Pull Downs: Come back to your throwing partner approximately 10 feet per throw

Monday, Jan. 20th  — Saturday, Feb 15th (1 Week Full Intent Pull Downs, 3 Weeks of Pens, 2 x a week)

Week 1

Jan 20th — Jan 25th  (6 x a week of Throwing) Begin Pull Down Phase every other day

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-250 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing
  • Day 2: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20+ mins of throwing, with Pull Downs (Full Intent re Pull Downs)
  • Day 3: Recovery/Rebuild 45-200 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing, Stretch Only
  • Day 4: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20+ mins of throwing, with Pull Downs (Full Intent re Pull Downs)
  • Day 5: Recovery/Rebuild 45-200 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing, Stretch Only
  • Day 6: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20+ mins of throwing, with Pull Downs (Full Intent re Pull Downs)
  • Day 7: Optional

Week 2

Jan 27th — Feb 1st  (6 x a week of Throwing) Pull Down every other day (Tu/Th/Sat) and Pens (Tu/Sat), Recovery/Rebuild Days (M/W/F)

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-250 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing
  • Day 2: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20 mins of throwing, with Pull Downs + Pen (15 Pitches, FB only, Full Intent)
  • Day 3: Recovery/Rebuild 45-200 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing, Stretch Only
  • Day 4: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20+ mins of throwing, with Pull Downs
  • Day 5: Recovery/Rebuild 45-200 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing, Stretch Only
  • Day 6: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20 mins of throwing, with Pull Downs + Pen (15-20 Pitches FB only, Full Intent)
  • Day 7: Optional

Week 3

Feb 3rd — Feb 8th (6 x a week of Throwing) Pull Downs every other day (Tu/Th/Sat), Pens (Tu/Sat), Recovery/Rebuild Days (M/W/F)

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-250 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing
  • Day 2: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20 mins of throwing, with Pull Downs + Pen (20-25 Pitches, FB + Change Up, Full Intent)
  • Day 3: Recovery/Rebuild 45-200 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing, Stretch Only
  • Day 4: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20+ mins of throwing, with Pull Downs
  • Day 5: Recovery/Rebuild 45-200 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing, Stretch Only
  • Day 6: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20 mins of throwing, with Pull Downs + Pen (25-30 Pitches, FB + Change Up, Full Intent)
  • Day 7: Optional

Week 4

Feb 10th — Feb 15th (6 x a week of Throwing) Pull Downs every other day (Tu/Th/Sat), Pens (Tu/Sat), Recovery/Rebuild Days (M/W/F)

  • Day 1: Approximately 45-250 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing
  • Day 2: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20 mins of throwing, with Pull Downs + Pen (25-30 Pitches FB + Change Up, Breaking Ball, Full Intent on everything but Breaking Ball)
  • Day 3: Recovery/Rebuild 45-200 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing, Stretch Only
  • Day 4: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20+ mins of throwing, with Pull Downs
  • Day 5: Recovery/Rebuild 45-200 feet, 15-20 mins of throwing, Stretch Only
  • Day 6: Full Long Toss (ie 300+ feet), 15-20 mins of throwing, with Pull Downs + Pen (30-35 Pitches, FB + Change Up + Breaking Ball 80% Intent on Breaking Ball)
  • Day 7: Optional

End of Off Season Throwing Progression (February 15th or March 1st)

Spring Training Notes

A word about your transition into Spring Training

Be sure to give yourself ample “transitional time” for arriving to Spring Training. If you are driving a long way (2-4 days), be sure to get in some form of throwing/band work during this gap. Also, give yourself at least 3 days to “catch the wave” with your throwing program, and the foundation that you’ve built, once you get to your complex (especially if you had a long drive). Be sure to communicate to your organization if you need “more time” to make up for the lost time on the road, and away from your training. And if need be, just go a bit lighter on your first couple of bull-pens to give your arm a chance to “catch back up” to your throwing/conditioning base.

As a side note, we strongly recommend that you stick with an every 3rd day Bull-Pen in Spring Training. Since rarely, if ever, do you throw off a mound every other day (and naturally, our program suggests 3 days off per pen), it would follow to not throw Bull-Pens every other day in Spring Training. Throwing every other day off of a mound can quickly deplete your arm, deplete your conditioning, and effect your recovery the next day, not to mention, put your arm in harms way. This is a quick way to jeopardize a lot of your hard work that you put in during the Off-Season to get your arm in great shape. Though this was a common practice (typically, the first 10 days of Spring Training) at the onset of Spring Training for the past 20 years, it seems to be changing for the better in recent years (great article regarding this topic by Mike Vorkunov, USA Today, with Eric Cressey and Mike Reinold: https://www.pressreader.com/usa/usa-today-us-edition/20170214/282102046425847). Hopefully, your organization is implementing this already, but if not, please communicate this with your Pitching Coordinator, etc.

In Season recommendations — We also strongly recommend that you keep this mentality into your Season (if you are a starting pitcher), ie, Bull Pen on your 3rd day after your start, not your 2nd day (ie Sunday start, Wednesday Bull-Pen). This will provide for OPTIMAL Rest, Recovery and Build Up during the Season (naturally, if prefer Day 2 that’s of course your call). This Day 3 concept in both Spring Training, and during the season best position’s you to maintain the principles of our Off Season Throwing Program, and get Healthier, Stronger and more Durable throughout the season.

In Season Notes

Starting Pitchers — Sample Schedule for 5 Day Rotation (based on ~300 ft Long Toss)

  • Day 1: (Start Day): Long Toss (~ Max Distance Stretch Out + Pull Down)
  • Day 2: 120-200 ft (Stretch Only)
  • Day 3: 200-300 ft (*Stretch Out Mainly with Light to Heavy Pull Downs)
  • Day 4: Full Long Toss + Pen (ie 300 feet + Pull Downs)
  • Day 5: Optional (Arm Care, Light Catch)
  • Day 6: Start Day

*Amount of workload re Pull Downs is often based on the amount of pitches that were thrown on your start day

Relief Pitcher Protocols

Here are a number of suggestions to help Relief Pitcher’s maintain their Health, Strength, Endurance and Conditioning of their arm throughout the season. This suggestions should also help optimize your arm’s Recovery.

Article Link — Inside Pitch Magazine: https://insidepitchonline.com/whatpitchingcoachesforgot/

Summary — Again, remember, everything in this program is a “suggestion”. It is based on 15 years of an 8 Week Camp (January/February) we had for professional pitchers leading into Spring Training, and 29 years of experience training arms in general. Again, the ultimate teacher is your arm, so please listen to it. Please trust your instincts. Adjust anywhere you feel makes sense to you. But don’t be surprised if you find that the more you throw, the more you are going to want to throw.

Good Luck!!

Alan, Jim, China and Zach

Additional Resource: Podcast with Eric Cressey: “Building a better Throwing Program” – https://ericcressey.com/csp-elite-baseball-development-podcast-building-a-better-throwing-program-with-alan-jaeger

Year Round Throwing Manual Information

 

 

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