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Friday, August 3, 2012

Throwing Arm Rest and Relaxation

Now that in some areas of the country baseball is played year round, youth baseball players are finding a hard time to to find time to rest their arms.

There are tons of studies out there that talk about curve balls, pitch counts - however there are not many that provide a plan or make a recommendation about how much rest during the year that players should rest their arms.

One of the recommendations that has come to the forefront is that young ball players should rest their arms at least 3 months out of the year. With fall baseball running from September through November and then spring baseball going from January through July - where does a player find the three months to rest their arm.

I would recommend this as a plan for those players that play year round. Between the spring/summer and fall season, the month of August is a good time to take a break from throwing. Between fall and spring/summer, the months of November and December are good to take a break.

During the months when you are taking a break from throwing, you can still hit, take ground balls, as well as keeping your legs in shape - do lots of running - sprints and distance.

Any coach with a view of the big picture, will respect your decision to rest your arm during those months.

When it is time to throw again - be sure to take your time and use a good long toss throwing program to get your arm back in shape. Don't rush this - take your time and keep your arm healthy.