Dangerous Warm up Drill?

[Coach Lia]

Warming-up may entail any light activity but players shouldn't exert too much effort to cause strain. I should agree that 50ft is quite far.

Some coaches may suggest to have their players catch and throw for warm-up at a short distance. I don't do that for my team because my girls tend to throw with power even if i tell them not to throw hard so I start with a light jog with them.

 

[FJRGerry]

Last year was my daughter's first year of travel. Practices typically started with a catch from 20 feet and progressed to eventually around 100 feet for about 10 minutes after a light jog. Static stretching followed this. After educating myself through this site and others (thanks Marc!) I pushed repeatedly for using dynamic warm-ups first and the coach finally relented (in the spring). Some girls passively fought back by not making the attempt at proper warm-ups, but I guess that's to be expected with 11 & 12 year olds.

This year my daughter moves up to a 13U team and I plan on continuing using dynamic warm-ups with her before the official practice begins. Since I'm not a coach at this point I hope her efforts will be noticed and adopted by the team. If not, at least she'll be properly warmed up.

 

[shockcoach]

I do a similar long toss drill, but it's not until all my players are fully warmed up. I would not have my own DD play for this coach.

 

[Cannonball]

This drill is a scap loading drill and my dd begins this way when she throws. However, she has done a lot of dynamic exercises beforehand. My dd and the young lady she typically throws with both like the loading action of this scap loading drill and get more benefit from it than the soft tossing others do. A little history on this drill for us. My dd went to a showcase and was not the appropriate age. They rated her arm - poor. Naturally, they didn't realize that she was 2 years younger than everyone else there. We started on this drill soon after wards. We watch the St. Louis Cardinals do this drill in spring training as well. Now, I don't think you'd rate her arm as poor. She had 11 assist last year from the OF to lead our entire area.

Also as an FYI, I consider this drill to have the potential for damage to your daughter's arm if it is done improperly. We always limit the number of throws to 10-12. Then, they do their other progressions.

 

[calgofo]

This drill is a scap loading drill and my dd begins this way when she throws. However, she has done a lot of dynamic exercises beforehand. My dd and the young lady she typically throws with both like the loading action of this scap loading drill and get more benefit from it than the soft tossing others do. A little history on this drill for us. My dd went to a showcase and was not the appropriate age. They rated her arm - poor. Naturally, they didn't realize that she was 2 years younger than everyone else there. We started on this drill soon after wards. We watch the St. Louis Cardinals do this drill in spring training as well. Now, I don't think you'd rate her arm as poor. She had 11 assist last year from the OF to lead our entire area.

Also as an FYI, I consider this drill to have the potential for damage to your daughter's arm if it is done improperly. We always limit the number of throws to 10-12. Then, they do their other progressions.

And you base this number of throws as being optimal based on what? just curious.

 

[Cannonball]

Personal throwing. I don't intend to suggest that this is scientific. It is simply what my dd has done and now her team.