![AVI-58475_AVI-58475_Final_AVI-58475 (1) [Converted] (1)](https://route2athletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/AVI-58475_AVI-58475_Final_AVI-58475-1-Converted-1.png "AVI-58475_AVI-58475_Final_AVI-58475 (1) [Converted] (1)")
Summer is Over – Now What?
As summer baseball comes to a close and fall baseball looms on the horizon, a crucial question for high school pitchers needs to be asked?: How can I keep advancing towards my goal of becoming a college prospect? Should I take a break from throwing off the mound, if so - for how long?
Here are some detailed guidelines to help you navigate this transition:
- Active Rest Period
- Take a 4-12 Week Break: After a demanding High School season and College Prospect Tournament season, it's essential to give your arm a break. If you've pitched a lot over the spring and summer, aim for the longer end of this period. Pitching places significant stress/ force on your throwing arm—up to 6 times your body weight—so planning a clear rest period is vital for the immediate and long term health of your arm. Here's a snippet of information from Mike Reinold and an eye opening study from ASMI that details the potential predictors/ risks factors of pitching throughout the year:
- Pitching> 100 innings in one year = 3x greater risk of injury
- Averaging > 80 pitches per game = 4x greater risk of injury
- Pitching > 8 months per year = 5x greater risk of injury
- Regularly pitching with arm fatigue = 36x greater risk of injury
- Take a 4-12 Week Break: After a demanding High School season and College Prospect Tournament season, it's essential to give your arm a break. If you've pitched a lot over the spring and summer, aim for the longer end of this period. Pitching places significant stress/ force on your throwing arm—up to 6 times your body weight—so planning a clear rest period is vital for the immediate and long term health of your arm. Here's a snippet of information from Mike Reinold and an eye opening study from ASMI that details the potential predictors/ risks factors of pitching throughout the year:
- Fall Baseball: What to Do?
- If you choose to pitch during the fall (Ideally you're a High School rising Junior/ Senior attending specific college prospect camps/ clinics), avoid overloading yourself with pitches and innings, especially if your arm is still recovering from a busy spring and summer. Make sure to have an in-depth discussion with your coach regarding your goals and limitations during the fall to ensure you're not overextending yourself and risking injury.
-
- Daily Throwing Routine
-
- If you've decided to continue to throw throughout the fall (September/ October), make sure to maintain a specific daily and weekly throwing routine that tracks the total amount of throws, distance and perceived intensity of each throw.
- Avoid high-intensity throws or mound work if you're recovering from any injury. Use a variety of balls—baseballs, softballs, footballs, and plyo balls—to keep your arm in shape without straining it during the fall, in between college prospect camps.
- Make sure you understand that by throwing in the fall it delays the start of your 4-12 week Active Rest Period, which now be extended through the early/mid off-season months (November, December & January) to ensure your arm/ body get the necessary rest it needs to fully recover from the previous season.
- Mechanical Focus
- Use the fall and winter months to identify areas of weakness and inefficiencies in your delivery that are leading to velocity leaks and inconsistency in the zone.
- Major mechanical adjustments can be tough during the season due to the constant cycle of practice, games and expected success.
- Use the fall and winter months to identify areas of weakness and inefficiencies in your delivery that are leading to velocity leaks and inconsistency in the zone.
- Strength Training
- Look into adding a specific strength & conditioning program led by strength and conditioning specialists that have a background in working with overhead throwing athletes. This needs to be a non-negotiable item for any high level high school player/ pitcher with the ultimate goal of playing at the college level.
- Participation in Other Sports
- If you're 16 or younger, participating in different sports can enhance your overall athleticism and strengthen muscles and joints not directly used in baseball. This can help prevent overuse injuries and promote a well-rounded athletic development.
- Hydration, Nutrition, and Sleep
- Make hydration, nutrition, and sleep a priority. Drink 2/3 of your body weight in ounces of water daily. Follow a balanced diet with a 40-30-30 ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats.
- Arm Care
- Take responsibility for your own arm care - know what works and what doesn't work for you.
- Use tools like the ArmCare app, Armored Heat program or the Driveline Pulse Workload monitor to track your arm’s health and balance between your accelerator and decelerator muscles. Don’t rely solely on coaches for this—take responsibility for your own arm care routine.
Use these guidelines to effectively manage your off-season, and your body and throwing arm will be well-prepared for another season next spring and summer.