Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Warming up pitchers

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This question is for all the coaches out there, Do your pitchers warm up before every game? Over the weekend i seen a pitcher go in that had pitched
that morning, but had not warmed up for the next few games, then was put
in to finish up a game, isn't warming up the pitchers a must do at any level?

 

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No, I do not warm up all the pitchers before every game. I warm up two, and if that is not enough, then it is not worth burning up another arm in that game anyway. Its a long weekend. I make sure they get plenty of time to properly warm up.

 

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Do not warm up all pitchers before every game, but usually two before the first game. If something unexpected happens, like #1 pitcher getting into trouble, then will have another pitcher try to warm up before game. If #1 is injured, have some time to get relief pitcher warmed up.

 

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This is very interesting you bring this up...Earlier this week one of my summer girls was playing third base for her HS team, and is also a pitcher. (History: Granted the coach for her team is new and I have now watched four of her games.) He only warms up one pitcher for a game. Needless to say he has a pitcher sitting on the bench that he could be warming up or enter into the game to take the place of the girl at third to warm her up. Nope, gets into a bind and still doesn't do anything to prepare for the "what if". Takes the field and the other team is hammering the girl. He then pulls the girls from third and throws her in to pitch without ANY warmups. When she tells him she not warm he, yells at her "that's just an excuse". Player smiles and goes to work warming up. Took her a few batters to truly get warm but in the mean time the opponents score and go ahead.

That night player has knots in her back from her muscles tightening up. Next day at practice she tells the coach her back is hurting and he tells her she needs to start s u c k it up and stop making excuses. Thank goodness the kid is smart enough to put her glove down and go straight to the trainer near where she is at. . .trainer starts questioning player why she is not stretching and warming up enough. . .Hopefully coach got the message!

I can't imagine not having more than one pitcher warmup prior to a game to be prepare for the "what if" factor. If the pitcher in the lineup and the pitcher on the bench have the same speed/general ability, the second pitcher should be warmed up in preparation of the "what if". Just being proactive can prevent a lot of issues with a pitcher.

 

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I have two pitchers - both warm up for a good 20-25 minutes before the first game. the second pitcher stays loose by throwing some pitches around the 3rd &5th inning between at bats. from the 2nd game on both pitchers warm up for 10-15 minutes before each game.

Warm-up time is also training time... I usually catch for part of the warm up, if not catch I'm there with them. If its hot I give the catchers a break and I catch for the pitchers.

 

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feiste, i heard that story earlier today from the young lady involved,, i cannot believe that a "coach" would put a girl through that especially when she told him she was aching... wait till her pitching coach heres this one....pdad7

 

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20-25 minutes of warm up before a game? That's like pitching a whole game before the game! 10 minutes should be enough--- do the little drills and throw about 15 pitches.

 

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feiste, i heard that story earlier today from the young lady involved,, i cannot believe that a "coach" would put a girl through that especially when she told him she was aching... wait till her pitching coach heres this one....pdad7

Let's just say I am very concerned about the back issues this can cause and is causing this young lady. I went to the game yesterday know that the parents involved took this player and her catcher early to ensure she was warmed up just incase a need arose for her to pitch.

I just don't understand why, as a coach we don't look at the "what if's" and prepare for the "what if's".

Yes, I was VERY Upset about this! Please get summer ball here quick!

 

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thetruth08, Please note theat David Beckham said 20-25 minutes before the FIRST game. The pitchers then warm up 10-15 minutes before each game after that. I am the Dad of an 11 yr old, and I follow a philosphy similar to his. Even at 11 yrs old, she is throwing 6 different pitches (they are always consistent of course) and I generally have her throw for about 20 minutes before the FIRST game. She will generally throw for about 15 or so minutes (or until I feel she is loose) after that. I have heard of pitchers throwing more than that.

 

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I would think it is better to err on the side of caution when dealing with pitchers young or old. If you expect a girl to throw 100 or 200 pitches for a game or doubleheader, 20 or 25 minutes to fully warm up isn't going to hurt.

 

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Kids are all different, some take longer then others to loosen up, others simply don't have great muscle memory yet at younger ages so the longer the better.

Slammers pitcher last year threw 8 games in less then 24 hrs last year, and warmed up before each game and won all eight. WOW! think that kills any thoughts about too much warm-up.

Each Pitcher NEEDS to know what they NEED and make sure they are given the time they NEED.

My dd got off a two hour bus ride last week and was forced to take the mound with only 10 minute warm-up. She probably needed 20-30 after that ride. Needless to say, she gave up a ton in the first inning and was stellar after that. Unfortunately, game was out of hand after first. I told my daughter that was her fault for letting anyone, including the ump make her take the mound before she is warmed up. Granted her Coach didn't help either. But Pitchers NEED to own their game and their body and do what they need to, in order to be safe and successful.

 

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for us it is pitcher dependent. We usually warm up 2 always and leave the timing up to them. No more, no less...

 

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DD warmed up for 10 min. before a game than sat the bench until the coaches DD had a melt down in the 5th, tied score and her 12u team playing up at 14u.coach puts her in cold but the kid did well, the game went 8 innings w/ the 12u team losing when her catcher throws the ball 6ft over DDs head , home team had a runner on 3rd w/ 2outs end of game.sometimes things right themselves.FR

 

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I'm at a different age layer, one where you could go through several pitchers in a game. I warm up two before the game and if I think there is a chance (you never really know) that another pitcher will be needed, or it is still early in the game, I'll put a pitcher on the bench to warmup when we are in the field.

 

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Lester... if you leave it up to them, then I think you are making a mistake. they are kids... My 16u pitchers warm-up till I say they are ready. on occasion they say they need even more time. The more competitive the ball is - the less you can aford them to finish warming up during the first inning. We have a 90 minute warm-up ritural that includes extensive stretching, hydration, throwing, fielding, sprints, hitting and pitching before the first game. It's the coach's job to put them in the best position to be their best on the field. they just need to execute.

 

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cool, I understand your thoughts... here's my deal...our pitchers pitch 3, 4,5, times or more a week. These pitchers and their parents work enough to know when they are loose-I don't tell them when "their shoulder, back, arm" is loose. Wish I could!!!! They are taught how to make decsions on their own, yes at 10, so they can handle game situations too. I'm not saying this is for the team, but, the pitchers know the drills their instructors teach and the timeline required to get to game time readiness. They still do the stretching, team building, running, fielding, throwing (all the things you mentioned). I'm always preparing them to be fundamental and preparing their day is very important as you are eluding too. Good stuff. Thanks for the feedback.

 

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Don't quit now guys, I'd learning every time you post something. We're still cautiously building up my dd's pitching stamina. She's up to about 100 pitches now. But there'll get to a point after an hour or hour and half where she'll say, my shoulder's starting to get sore. And I'll say, OK let's stop. I think on this I have to trust her assessment of her body.

 

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At this point, the warm-up regimen is still sort of mysterious to me. I'm still collecting stretches and things to do to help my dd gain strength and stamina, while trying to protect the shoulder.

 

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if you want to build up stamina in your daughter start with the legs.
I have my pitchers run much more than anyone else, keeps their legs strong so they are not just throwing with their arms after a long day.

And use alot of long toss both overhand and pitching style to build up arm strength.

hope that helps

 

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Great ideas. Thanks, Coach.