Drills for pitching stamina or arm endurance?

[chinamigarden]

Wrong Sluggers. The ones I had that did that were exceptional and had been trowing since they were 5YO They were at the extreme at that end of the scale. Both went on to college, no injuries.

The 16 YO I mentioned, dont remember seeing her plkaying at the 18U level at all.

Additional;' Both those young ladies had started pitching at 5YO and had worked their way up to that amount over those 5 years. I also felt that amount was excessive but the Dads said it was not, that was their normal workouts. One of the Dads had two older daughters that both went to college as pitchers.

Your 2 are the exception, unfortunately lots of coaches and parents hear such things and think that it it something everyone can do. Lots of 10u girls pitch entire tournaments and are out of the game by age 13

 

[FrozenRope]

Distance pitching:
Starting at 2/3's distance, throw 4 pitches (preferably to locations.) Get 3 out of 4 then take a step back. Miss 2 or more twice and take a step forward. Miss 2 or more three times and start over. See how far back you can go. I like use cones or extra balls to mark intervals. I tend to open up the zone as they get farther back. Curve balls from way back make a a fun challenge. If forms starts to fail as longer distances, I allow walk-throughs.

I really like this one. Can't say we did it exactly as you describe, because strikes were the least of my concerns when it was still warm enough to pitch outside. I did this without DD even knowing. I would periodically intentionally throw the ball over dd's head or bounce it past her so she had to turn her back to me. I would back up a foot or so every 10 pitches when she wasn't looking. I'd try and stop before she could notice to take the mental part of it out of the exercise. When we decided to move up to the 12" ball and 40', her PC was shocked at how quickly she adjusted. I give this drill all the credit for that.

Exaggerating the distance a pitcher must throw helps them increase the whip of the arm and wrist. No doubt in my mind.

 

[slingnit]

Does anybody have any suggestions on drills the girls can do at home to build up their arm endurance? I am not a pitching coach so I am looking for a little help.

Our #1 pitcher will probably be pitching a lot this Spring/Summer and we would like to build up her arm strength.

Thanks

One thing that is overlooked or at least not being talked about is diet and nutrition. With the crap kids are putting into their bodies it's no wonder why so many can't make through a long weekend or end up hurt. Some of these 10-12 yr olds put as much or more work in than college players but do not keep a diet that is consistant with their level of activity. It is amazing how much more these girls can do and how fast they recover when they cut out the nachos and hot dogs and start getting high protein, low fat, and moderate complex carbs in their diets with a couple of additional supplements.

One of the first things student athletes go through once they get on campus is blood work. They look for deficiencies and modify their diets to accomodate the needs. Physical, mental, and nutrtional aspects are all important but for the most part physical is all that is addressed by the player's parents.

 

[Ken B]

Also, not enough water and too many sports drinks.

 

[Pitching Dad]

I have mine start the hydration process the night before, the rule is " If your not going potty once and hour you are dehydrated. Any I totally agree, water is the key!

 

[slingnit]

Also, not enough water and too many sports drinks.

YES, the rule of thumb we use is 3 to 1 water to sport drink.

 

[chinamigarden]

I have mine start the hydration process the night before, the rule is " If your not going potty once and hour you are dehydrated. Any I totally agree, water is the key!

Once an hour? Starting the night before, sleep is important too��