Posts Tagged ‘long toss’
May 2, 2012 | 
Author Here’s a nice little article courtesy of the Wall Street Journal about Long Toss, a topic which I am passionate about. Upon reading it, I peeked at the one comment…it was by pitching “guru” and long-toss critic Dick Mills. Dick knows a lot about pitching mechanics, but believes long toss has no value…and he likes to make the world knows it.
Check out the article, then read the comments; it becomes a substantial debate on long toss between myself and Mr. Mills.
I flew out to Southern California almost two weeks ago to attend Alan Jaeger’s pro camp. Alan stumbled upon my blog a year ago after I linked to one of his long toss articles, and we both thought I’d learn some good stuff from the trip.
The camp was 4 days and geared mostly toward mental training, which I will discuss more in another post. Though I have been a lifetime self-taught long-tosser, I learned a few things from Alan that have had a profound affect on the way I’ve approached the training in my Warbird Academy since I returned home. Read the rest of this entry »
Some pitching instructors like Dick Mills claim that long toss is a waste of time, as it doesn’t replicate the mechanics used when throwing from a mound. This anecdotal argument is actually the reason long toss is effective – because it gives the arm a different stimulus: while throwing at max distance it stretches, reaches and works at peak efficiency all at the same time, which when compressed into a 60 foot throw requires the arm to move faster than it ordinarily could.
The Long Toss Benefits
1. Stretches the arm out while under tension
2. Utilizes a slightly different motion compared to mound throwing, allowing for a new muscle stimulus
3. Teaches one to reach out and really extend toward the target
4. Allows the body to find peak arm slot efficiency in throwing the ball as far as possible (i.e if you pitch over the top, but throw farthest at 3/4, maybe it’s time to pitch at 3/4)
5. Develops synchrony in the body’s movements, which helps cure mechanical timing issues
6. Teaches to pull the arm down hard when coming back in, developing more arm speed and even more forward reach Read the rest of this entry »
Picture this: You set a goal to bench press 200 pounds. To accomplish this goal, once or twice a week, (maybe three times) you go into the gym and bang out 5 hard reps of bench press and call it a day. Would this manner of training get you to your bench press goal? No way. Why? Because your muscles aren’t getting enough of a stimulus to grow or get stronger. Duh.
Throwing is the same way: throw sparingly and you won’t develop your arm to its potential. Throw often and your arm will be strong and durable. Ever see an infielder, especially a catcher, go down with arm problems? Probably not too often. But if you’ve been around baseball long enough, you’ve surely noticed that outfielders complain about their arms hurting as much as anyone. The reason for this is that outfielders infrequently throw, both in practice and in games, and when they do it is often with maximum effort.
Why, physiologically, does throwing a ton make you throw harder? Your body just recognizes the need to build strength because the muscle group is consistently stimulated. This is why climbers have incredible hand strength, and cyclists have monster calves and thighs. They’re both just doing what they do for hours a day, and their bodies respond by sending the muscular reinforcements.
Pitchers should not consistently go hard and rest on alternate days. It’s stressful, the arm doesn’t learn to recover quickly, and the repetition needed for growth isn’t there with too many off days. Off days are needed every week, but limiting them to 1 or 2 is ideal, and the other days should be filled with high volume, low intensity throwing to keep your muscles working. Read the rest of this entry »