First off In high school i was a reliever/spot starter so i never logged a bunch of innings the most i had in one high school season was 26 not counting fall and winter ball. i still have 4 games left in our season and i am the main pitcher. Lately my arm doesn't hurt it just feels dead. Our next season starts in mid september till early december but i am due to leave to pitch in college in january so my question is how long after september should i rest my arm. I also need to add a little velocity and need to be sharp for next college season. ANY suggestions? Should i rest till october or rest for two weeks in september then start long tossing?

Second off...My whole life i have dealt with what feels to me to be inconsistent velocity. Some games the ball jumps out of my hand and batters are late and some games i feel like i have nothing on it...any suggestions for that?

Work in the off season set you up for success in season. Why waste your precious arm on an adult league if you are going to college?

If it was me I would shut down right now. Start lifting with a good pitcher focused progam and add in a yoga class 2x per week. I would then start long tossing in late Oct/early Nov and build up for a January start.

To answer your second question. Welcome to the mystery of pitching. Some days you have and others you don't.

quote:

My whole life i have dealt with what feels to me to be inconsistent velocity. Some games the ball jumps out of my hand and batters are late and some games i feel like i have nothing on it...any suggestions for that?

Sounds normal to me.

I disagree with BOF . My son never had shoulder problems until he started taking summers off from playing. All the best pitchers I know play SR BB. The teams are loaded with college and ex pros.

My intuition is that if the velocity is very erratic, it is probably due to mechanics.

I agree mechanics could play a role in velocity variation. Not being able to repeat your motion every time you throw.
Taking 2-3 months off from completive pitching can be a great harm to your mechanics.

Here is my game plan tell me what you think. My league should be over by labor day weekend. So what i am going to do is when it is over take 2 weeks off from throwing at all then after the two weeks is over i am going to start long tossing more like 4 to 5 times a week and start lifting and doing core work then return to my team in mid october and start pitching in games (65 pitches every sunday) again until early december then continue my long tossing and core/weight room stuff then until my college season starts.

First BHD you are wrong about taking 2-3 months off from pitching. Every year pro pitchers stop throwing and come back after resting their arms. Year in and year out, thousands of them have done this with no negative effects. I agree summers are fine most if not all pitchers pitch in the summer. The fall is what I was referring to.

ASMI says that over use is the number one problem related to pitching related arm injuries.

That said there are those who throw year round with no problems. BUM and others (ref below)are proof to this.

http://www.baseballnews.com/fe...es/russell_co_hs.htm

I tend to be conservative and prefer rest. I would NOT competitively pitch year round, regardless, you are asking for trouble IMO.

If you are going to throw year round I would focus on long toss and strength and conditioning. I personally like to see at least 8 weeks of no thowing at all. Everyone is different and has their opinion but I prefer to stay toward the rest side of the equation.

BOF pro pitchers are not allowed to play off season under their contracts. Their off season workout are incredibly tough with lots of bull pens.. My son trained with them all winter 3 times a week until spring training. At college they had 3 MiLB players who worked out all fall with his college team
The American Institute of Sports Medicine doesn't have all the answers. They have tried to come up with general guidelines for youth pitchers but the truth is they don't really know.
Also taking a conservative approach may leave you behind the development curve. There is risk in trying to throw hard.
My son took 3 weeks off around Xmas and his arm was in excellent shape.

150 inns sounds a bit much.
The LT is the best way to develop velo along with a pitcher specific weight training bands etc.
You didn't say what college level you play.

FWIW, most milb pitchers shut down sept, oct, nov and resume a throwing program december with bullpens beginning mid-late january, ML pitchers are on different schedules due to reporting to spring training. Your velocity should be around 75-80% when you arrive (not at full). ML pitcher have schedules depending on how deep they go past season. EVERYONE takes time off from pitching. Even position playres shut down for awhile.

But I agree with BOF, no reason why any young player should put in 150 innings in an adult league. A lot also depends on velo, young softer tossers can go longer innings per year than harder throwers. And dead arm can be a signal that something not good is happening. Some pitchers continue with dead arm, some miss a start with lighter pens.

I recommend that you contact your college pitching coach for training guidelines. Never compare yourself to a pro player, they get paid for more time on the mound and better trained.


I do not agree 100% what you feel about your velocity is normal, yes no one has their best stuff everyday, but that only means where you hit your spots, not if your velocity is up or down. And I agree it could be your mechanics. Check that out. And watch for a significant drop in velocity, which could signal a problem.

...

you are right, you said last year in your original post.
Your post is confusing.

NCULEFT,

I think you need to decide whether you truly have "dead arm" or whether things are normal. Some of the advice here isn't appropriate for a pitcher with dead arm, IMHO. Dead arm is a deficit situation that requires rest (or, at a minimum, lightening the load) to recover from. If dead arm is what you have then I suggest you follow BOF's advice and get some rest in before starting up with some conditioning.

RT I agree with you. Very hard to determine exactly what is going on with your arm, and asking opinions on a condition over the internet.