The most important thing in baseball pitching is the pitcher's health. All else is irrelevant in the game of baseball.

We Teach The Major League Baseball Pitching Form

Our Pitchers Learn To:

Prevent Arm Injury

Increase Velocity

Throw Consistent Strikes

Change Speeds

Handle Mental Aspects

FOR PITCHERS OF ALL AGES and
ECCENTRICITIES

PITCH COUNT RULE

Wow, since the inception of the Little League Pitch Count Rule, I have heard many coaches complain about it. Many say they hope Little League will go back to the Innings Rule. I imagine it is not that the coaches don’t like to count, they just don’t like to think about what pitcher they might have to bring in to replace the one they have out there. This is especially the case if what they have waiting in the outfield or at third base, or wherever, is not as effective as the pitcher that is currently doing the pitching. Do you really think coaches care as much about the pitcher as they do about the outcome of the game?

Think about this, before the Pitch Count Rule, and this was a fairly typical scenario, the pitcher is throwing strikes. He is not a dominating pitcher, but he is throwing strikes. He throws an average of four pitches to each hitter he faces. His pitches get put into play. And okay, he walks the occasional batter. All that is okay on the face of it, but supposing a couple of those balls that get put into play are base hits. A couple of hit balls just get past the outstretched glove of the infielders, a line drive carries into the outfield. As the saying says, the hitters hit the ball “where they ain’t”. Fine. But now, consider that a ball is hit to the shortstop, error. A fly ball is dropped by an outfielder. Let’s add these up. And, let’s give the pitcher two outs. By the way, all this might sound disastrous, but only two runs have scored. Three of those hitters are on base.

So, the two outs were gotten on 8 total pitches.
One infield error, 4 pitches.
One outfield error, 4 pitches.
Supposing the pitcher has walked a batter. Let’s say 5 pitches.
Now, remember those hits? 12 pitches.
Okay, count the total pitches. 33. That’s in one inning. And the pitcher is not even out of the inning.
If you know Little League baseball, you know that this is more the norm than not, especially with a less than stellar pitcher on the mound or infield behind him. Remember, these players are just now beginning to learn the game and all its subtleties, not to mention properly positioning themselves and their glove while making their plays.

Now, let’s say the pitcher gets the final out on 1 pitch. His 34th. 34 pitches and his team hasn’t even come to bat.

How long do you think it will take that pitcher to reach 100 pitches? Somewhere in the 4th inning if he is lucky.

Now, supposing he reaches that 4th inning and he begins to tire and begins to lose control of the strike zone. It is worth pointing out here that when a pitcher tires, he loses location first, then velocity. And losing control of the strike zone doesn’t always mean the pitcher is throwing high pitches, or low pitches, or pitches in or off the plate. It also means he throws the ball right down the middle of the plate, just where the hitter likes it. What do you think is going to happen to those pitches? Lots of line drives and hard ground balls, I’d say. Even a weak hitter, given a ball down the middle, is going to hit it hard somewhere.

So it stands to reason that as the game moves along, the pitcher’s innings will get longer and his pitch count will rise. I don’t even like to think how many pitches pitchers were throwing before the Little League went to the Pitch Count Rule. Is it any wonder that in the last ten years, surgery on Little League pitchers increased by 700 percent?

High school pitchers are not so protected. Last spring I watched a game in the cold and frigid April northeast. The freshman pitcher threw 109 pitches on Opening Day and won, and then sat on the bench for the rest of the season with tendonitis. When the coach was asked about letting his pitcher stay out that long, he said the pitcher should have been ready. Should have been ready? Most Major League pitchers who work for six weeks in Spring Training are not ready to throw that many pitches their first game.

Do you really think coaches care as much about the pitcher as they do the game? Little League baseball obviously thought not, therefore, the Pitch Count Rule.

“That which you do not know, the doing will quickly teach you.”

---Lao Tsu.

SUGGESTED PITCH COUNT &

RECOVERY TIME

The number of pitches thrown is more important that the number of innings.

The maximum number of pitches allowed in one outing should increase with age.

A pitcher should be limited to two appearances per week (well spread apart).

Compared to younger pitchers, older pitchers can throw more pitches given the same number of rest days.

The participation in multiple leagues should be figured into rest and recovery.

A child can start throwing a fastball at 8, a change-up at 10, and a curveball at 15.

Improper technique is a major factor in injury.

Conditioning of the arm and the entire body can reduce injury.

While the number of pitches should be limited, the younger pitcher should be encouraged to throw.

When symptoms of arm discomfort or fatigue arise, longer periods of rest are recommended. (But start rehab right away using the tubing exercises).

MUSCLE FIBER TEARS

It is normal that when you pitch, muscle fibers are torn. When you come to spring training, scar tissue adhesions have formed where muscles have been torn in pitching. What you have to do is to stretch those muscles out and break those adhesions. Even between starts, when the torn muscle fibers start to heal, you are going to have to stretch out some muscle fiber and get blood back in that area. This is why your arm feels extremely stiff when you first throw. The most important thing to do between starts is throw with your natural delivery. Don’t throw any differently than you do in an actual ball game.

---Jim Palmer, Pitching

METABOLIC WASTE
AND SHOULDER STIFFNESS

Lactic Acid is carried in the bloodstream and accumulates in the muscles during periods of strenuous activity when the body cannot fully keep up with the muscles’ demand for oxygen. At one level this process results in the minor muscle soreness and stiffness experienced by weekend athletes. But if too much lactic acid enters the muscles, they will cramp and ultimately be unable to move at all. A well-conditioned professional athlete can still compete—his muscles will still contract—with considerable amounts of lactic acid in his system.

However, the sooner the lactic acid in converted through stretching and exercises into carbon dioxide and water and exhaled through the lungs, the healthier the athlete will be. A major purpose of the small weight work and the trainer-assisted exercises in to free your body of unwanted substances like lactic acid.

Information Compiled from book: The Art of Pitching, Tom Seaver

Dealing effectively with Metabolic Waste

To get rid of Micro trauma in the joints

Run for 20 minutes to get rid of metabolic waste

20 minutes of cardiovascular activity
Flushes out injured arm with new oxygen in the blood

If there is inflammation, use ice.

Information Compiled from book: Conditioning Manual, p140-150

WHY ICING THE PITCHING ARM IS HARMFUL

Coach Mills: Guys, during this session we’re going to talk about why pitchers should not ice their arms after they pitch. I know that’s contrary to a lot of your understanding, but I’ve got the author here of the book called “ICED! The Illusionary Treatment Option.” Here’s the subtitle – Icing is Wrong. Learn the fascinating story scientific breakdown alternative and how to lead others out of the Ice Age.

Gary Reinl is the author. Gary, I remember back in the late 90s, I was down in Birmingham at the American Sports Medicine Institute Baseball Injuries Course, late 90s now.

I remember we asked Dr. Andrews about icing. Should pitcher ice, shouldn’t they? Dr. Andrews said then that there’s really no evidence that icing works. At that point, I stopped recommending icing.

Just recently watching the College World Series, those pitchers would come out of games and they’re all wrapped up in ice. You can see Major League pitchers every day of the week, they come out of a game, they’re wrapping themselves in ice. What’s wrong with this and what’s the alternative today to icing?

Author Gary Reinl: I appreciate the chance to talk to your audience. Here’s the reality. It’s almost 20 years since you talked to Dr. Andrews. There’s still no evidence that icing damaged tissue is beneficial. In fact, the opposite. We now know that ice does at least four things.

* It delays healing
* it increases swelling
* it causes additional damage
* and it shuts off the signals that alert you to harmful movement

That’s a key point because what you want to do is move. Active recovery is the answer, not sitting still, not sitting still with ice on for heaven’s sake. That’s even worse than just sitting still. We now know for sure that active recovery is how the muscles regenerate.

Coach Mills: In other words, active recovery meaning keep the body moving, keep the arms moving, something to get blood flowing to the tissue?

Gary Reinl: They get the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. When you an I grew up, our coaches all told us something that I know you’ll remember. I don’t have to ask you again because I know you’ll remember. They said, “Walk it off. Don’t sit still. It will tighten up.”

Coach Mills: This is 40 years ago.

Gary Reinl: This is the 1960s coach, 50 fifty years ago. Fifty years ago, the coaches that trained us were so far ahead of the curve, but here’s the big point. The icing incident hadn’t happened yet. [inaudible 02:50] ice. I don’t know a single person who iced through high school. Never heard of anybody icing.

Coach Mills: Do you know when this actually started?

Gary Reinl: I do know when it first started. It started in 1962. A young boy by the name of Everett Knowles hopped a train when he was 12 years old. In jubilation he, put his arm out to the side and waved it, “Yay, I made it,” and on that, he hit the wall and ripped his arm right off. When he was rushed to the hospital, the doctors made a decision they were going to sew his arm back on. This is the first time anyone ever sewed back on a body part. The doc said and I quote, “Put that arm on ice while I prepare in surgery.”

The public misinterpreted it and thought to put that severed body part on ice to put ice on damaged tissue. That’s it. The myth began and off it went. Now, here’s the big point. In 1978, a doctor by the name of Dr. Gabe Mirkin, Board Certified in four medical professions.

Coach Mills: Is he retired now?

Gary Reinl: He’s retired now, but he’s still very active. You can find his work. Every week, he puts out a newsletter. Dr. Mirkin is Board Certified in four different professions, a Harvard grad, but Sports Medicine was his spot. Dr. Mirkin wrote the original Sports Medicine book. It’s actually the green book with the white lettering, remember it?

Coach Mills: Yeah, absolutely.

Gary Reinl: The Sports Medicine book. That’s Dr. Mirkin’s book. In that book, he coined the term RICE, rest, ice, compression, elevation.

Coach Mills: Everybody knows that.

Gary Reinl: He made it up. He’s the Godfather of the Ice Age. Here’s what happened. He read my book. He talked to me on the phone. I asked can I come and see you? He said certainly.

Coach Mills: Where does he live?

Gary Reinl: He lives in Florida. With that, about 20 days later, Dr. Mirkin called me. He said you’re going to like what I’m posting tomorrow. I said, “Well cool. What is it?” He said, “Look in your inbox.” I looked in my inbox and there was an advanced copy. Anyone who’s interested, go to Mirkin – “Why Ice Delays Recovery” and you’ll see that March 20th, 2014, the Godfather of the Ice Age, recanted. Now he said he was wrong and that you should not ice damaged tissue.

Coach Mills: Awesome. Let me ask you this. Why do you think it is then because people who watch Major League Baseball and they’re looking at these guys that are making 10, 15, 20 million dollars a year, and they’re icing after they pitch. Is there something wrong with those trainers? Are they not keeping up with the research? What would you say about that?

Gary Reinl: Very hard question.

Coach Mills: I know that you do have several Major League teams that are using the unit that we’re going to show you in a second and there are several Major League pitchers, top guys, that are using your machine and are not icing.

Gary Reinl: I would guess at this point and a conservative guess, there are over 40 Major League pitchers using an active recovery device after they throw and they are not using the ice, certainly not using the amount of ice they used to use. Why do people still use ice? There’s no evidence. In fact, there’s evidence to the contrary that it’s to your disadvantage to use it.

There’s no technical clinical reason to use it, but there’s that old belief, that old thing hanging on saying I always put ice on. What I ask everyone is a very simple question and I challenge you to ask yourself this question or if you are a coach, ask your athletes this.

What’s your intent? What are you trying to do? Forget about the ice. Forget about active recovery. Just what’s your intent? If your intent is to regenerate the tissue, to recover, then simply go to Guidance Textbook of Physiology, go to the chapter on healing, go to the section on lymphatic drainage, read it. You’ll see that active recovery is how you regenerate tissue. It’s not an option. Stillness is the enemy. Ice is stillness to the extreme. You stop the process and worse, you’ve caused additional damage.

Coach Mills: I remember back probably, it’s been about maybe ten years ago, at another ASMI conference where they were talking about icing and they were talking about some of the trainers were making headway with Major League pitchers. Some of them are not now using icing, so back about ten years ago, but it’s still slow coming to fruition. What people believe is that number one, they want to reduce inflammation. That’s what they believe. Reduce inflammation. The other thing is they think you’ve built up lactic acid in the muscle area, the shoulder and the elbow, and the fact is, there is no lactic acid built up in pitching. It just doesn’t happen.

Gary Reinl: It’s very true. To go to your last point first, even if there were lactic acid built up in the muscle, it would dissipate very quickly, so it doesn’t even matter if there is. It’s not a point. Past that, there are three things that virtually everyone that ices tells me one of the three or sometimes all of the three. They use ice to prevent inflammation. They use ice to prevent swelling or to get rid of swelling. They use ice to shut off the signals that alert you to harmful movement or pain control.

Let’s just take one at a time. Inflammation. Loud and clear, should anybody who disagrees with this, I’m very politely respectfully saying you’re simply wrong and if you don’t believe me, you need to go and read and then you would know. There are three phases to recovery or healing. Inflammation, repair, remodel. You have to have inflammation if you want to heal. It’s a requirement. It’s one of three phases of healing.

Coach Mills: There is a procedure that they do now on the joints whether it’s the knee, the hip, or the shoulder, that’s called prolotherapy where they actually create inflammation to get the healing process working, so you don’t get rid of the inflammation.

Gary Reinl: First of all, here’s the question for anybody who is willing to actually think this through. Do you honestly believe that your body’s natural inflammatory response is a mistake? It’s not a mistake, folks. It’s real. You don’t want to prevent inflammation. That’s completely wrong. Then you say I don’t want the swelling. Big news, there is no chance, zero chance whatsoever, if you put ice on damaged tissue, you’re going to prevent swelling. You may delay it, but you’re not going to prevent it. As soon as the tissue rewarms, the swelling is still there.

Coach Mills: With the pitching, unless you’ve damaged the tissue after a game, you’re probably not going to get much swelling.

Gary Reinl: There won’t be. The body will manage it anyway. By the way, the only way to remove the swelling is via active recovery. Active recovery is the answer. It’s not an option. Active recovery is the answer. Active recovery is your contract and relax the muscle. You work the muscle. What happens in that that causes an inflow of the good and an outflow of the bad. Then the muscles produce and release proteins and other chemicals responsible for tissue regeneration. I’m not making that up. That’s an absolute fact. If you want to get good details of it, I’ll push my book just for a second. For anybody who is interested.

Coach Mills: It’s on Amazon

Gary Reinl : For anybody interested in leading others out of the Ice Age, it’s fine right now to stop icing. That’s a great thing. We’re happy with that. The problem is much bigger than whoever is listening to this. There’s the Mom and Dad who are icing their 12-year-old after he throws because they think they’re supposed to. You’re not helping. Read the book. Get the facts. Lead the others out of the Ice Age.

Coach Mills: The interesting thing is… that we shouldn’t be icing any injury.

Gary Reinl: No.

Coach Mills: Ankles, knees, whatever, there shouldn’t be any icing, period, not just pitching. Again, the active recovery phase, we’ve been talking about this for quite a while, as a matter of fact, probably back in 2006 when I co-wrote that book with Dr. Brent Rushall. One of the things that he said was when you’re done pitching, keep the arms moving. Jump into a swimming pool if you have one accessible, get the arms moving. We have an exercise program that we promote to keep the arm moving, to do some exercises. What Gary has, he’s got a machine that you actually put it on.

Gary Reinl: It’s a wonderful product and what it let’s you do is put it on after a game. It let’s you activate the muscle or the muscles that are tired and sore. You can very specifically target that which you want to activate. Here’s the disadvantage of saying jumping in a pool, which by the say, it’s a great idea that works.

Coach Mills: It’s not going to be accessible.

Gary Reinl: Where are you going to find a pool? If you have one, you happen to have one here, getting the pool is not simple after you throw. You’re flying back home. You’re on a bus. It’s getting late. Sometimes it’s just not practical and anyway, I don’t always want to get wet. How about if it’s just here? Can I activate just there and keep the rest of me relaxed? The answer is yes. That’s why so many pitchers love it. Literally, over 40 Major League pitchers are now activating their arms.

I wouldn’t say that number if I couldn’t prove it. It’s true. Over 40 Major League pitchers are now activating the muscles after they throw with the Marc Pro device. I don’t want to make you think anything crazy here. You could go in the pool and that would work. This is just a lot more convenient and a lot easier to use.

Coach Mills: Absolutely. Again, portable, right here. Gary hooked me up in the office about six weeks ago?

Gary Reinl: About six weeks ago.

Coach Mills: That was interesting. My arm was really moving and you could see it working right there on the spot. Basically, there’s a lot of investigation you can do. There’s a lot of research out there that you can look at. I highly recommend getting Gary’s book called ICED!. Go to amazon.com. It’s right there. If you’re looking for something to work, the Marc Pro Portable, you can have it at home. It’s reasonably priced and something I’d highly recommend.

Gary Reinl: It’s something I will tell you. If you want to see an interview with the head trainer, a Major League head trainer for the Detroit Tigers, his name is Kevin Rand, could you put that link up for them?

Coach Mills: Absolutely.

Gary Reinl: We can put a link up for you. It’s not an ad. It’s not an endorsement. It’s an interview with a head trainer who is using the product before the pitchers throw and after they throw virtually every time.

Coach Mills: Guys, this is like long toss that has now been proven not to work to improve velocity. The research is in. Now you know that icing doesn’t work as well, so don’t waste your time doing that. Go ahead and spread the word and send them over and watch the video. Everybody is going to be better off in the long run. Gary, thanks very much.

Gary Reinl: Thank you, coach.

For more information on what many MLB pitchers are using instead of icing here is the device they are now using: http://www.pitching.com/products/marc-pro.html

This article was copied and pasted in its entirety, from
http://www.pitching.com/blog/icing-pitching-arm-harmful/
For other important articles: http://www.pitching.com/blog/

HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE,

BE SURE TO PROPERLY HYDRATE

If you are thirsty during a game, you are already dehydrated, Be sure to start, and continue to drink plenty of water at least two days prior to your game day. Here is an article written by

HYDRATION FOR BASEBALL PITCHERS

Since summer is approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss proper hydration for baseball pitchers, and strategies for avoiding dehydration.
Whether you are playing summer baseball, or beginning your off-season training regime, it is important that every baseball player understands the importance of staying hydrated. Baseball pitchers exert more energy during warm temperatures because of the constant motion.

It is easier to get and stay loose, easier to throw harder, and easier to see movement on breaking pitches because of the heavy air. While all of these aspects are great, warm weather can also be very dangerous if baseball players are not careful.
Hot weather can result in dehydration, and starting baseball pitchers are much more susceptible because of the duration of activity.
This is why pitchers must develop a strategy for staying hydrated! Before I explain particular strategies, it is important to understand the characteristics of water.

Water Facts

It makes up more than 2/3 of our body weight
A human can only survive 2-3 days without water
The human brain contains 95% water
Our blood contains 82% water
The lungs contain 90% water
Only a 2% drop in our body’s water supply can trigger signs of dehydration
Drinking eight glasses of water daily can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50%, and can possibly reduce the risk of breast cancer. (Source: freedrinkingwater.com)

As you can see, water is an integral part of human life, but especially athletes. So how do we stay hydrated and healthy during the upcoming summer baseball season, and next season?

Hydration Strategies

It all begins in the preseason.
Baseball players should record weight measurements before and after each game or practice. By doing so, you will be able to see typically how much weight is lost during these activities.
With this information you can determine how much water should be consumed during competition.
Players should drink enough water during a baseball game to maintain their body weight. It may be difficult to determine how much water should be consumed, but a simple formula to remember is that one pint of fluid is the equivalent of one pound of body weight.
Another important thing to remember is that you should consume water prior to the game, between innings, and following the activity. With that being said, athletes should be consuming around 64 ounces of water a day when practicing, playing games, or exercising.
Additionally, alcohol and caffeinated drinks should be avoided during the days of baseball games, and avoided in general if you care about your performance. These substances increase the possibility of dehydration.
Dehydration occurs when a players sweat loss exceeds fluid intake.
Dehydration in baseball players can cause fatigue, poor performance, decreased coordination, and muscle cramping. In a worst case scenario, understanding the signs of dehydration could potentially prevent any& unnecessary damage to your health. If these scenario doe not convince to drink more water, than how about the fact that the loss of five percent or more body weight loss can result in heat stroke.
Let’s examine the signs of hydration so that this never happens to anyone.

Signs of Dehydration

dry or sticky mouth
low or no urine output
very dark colored, concentrated urine
not producing tears
weakness
dizziness

Sports Drinks and Water

While water is always the best fluid for preventing dehydration, sports drinks can also be very beneficial for replacing electrolytes and carbohydrates that were lost during strenuous activity. If you have consumed the necessary amount of water than there is nothing wrong with consuming these drinks. Just make sure that water is your number one priority.

In conclusion, drinking water is one of the most important assets to any baseball pitcher’s diet. Drink it daily, and drink it frequently. By doing so, your body will remain healthy, strong, and hydrated.

This article was copied and pasted in its entirety from:
http://www.theulitmatepitcher.com/hydration-for-baseball-pitchers/

As a pitcher you are your own coach when you are on the mound. There might be 50,000 people in the stands, or no one, with one bench yelling encouragement while the other, discouragement, or not.

Whatever the case, you are alone, you are by yourself, with a job that must be done. It is up to you to get it done.

You must know what adjustments to make if you suddenly find yourself in a situation where the ball is not doing what you want it to do the way you want it to do it. This is an extremely important part of your job, of pitching. You must learn your game and know it well. At the same time, you must maintain a calm inner being. You must be relaxed.

Learning the art of pitching takes lots of time, study, and infinite patience to be an effective pitcher. If there is a perfect way to do something, it can be learned. Learn the perfect way to pitch, and then practice diligently. Learning how to maintain a calm inner being, being completely relaxed, is easier than you think.

Scroll down for more information on both these pitching aspects.

"If you want to be the best, you must do what the best do."

---Skip Murray

"That which you do not know, the doing will quickly teach you."
---Lao Tzu

Baseball players, as is the case with all athletes, perform at their highest level when they are relaxed. When the mind is clear the body is body to move freely and easily. When the body is moving freely, the athlete is able to perform at the highest level.

The question is, how does the athlete get to the point where he or she is constantly and consistently competing at that highest level? In other words, how does the athlete get to the point where his or her mind and body are completely clear and performing at peak level? Keep on reading, here is your answer.

One highly effective method is to use subliminal messaging software. This conditions your subconscious mind to work with your body at its optimum level. The technique is simple, you simply watch the proper subliminal message program as recommended, and your subconscious mind automatically learns to do the right things at the right time. It is as easy as that.