No warmup!!!

[SoCalASABlue]

If a "pitcher" is doing the work outside of regular practice, and has something other than a fastball to work with, being asked to come into a game with only five warmup pitches or some other limited warmup is definitely a challenge but is not "throwing her to the wolves". Even if the coach publishes a pitching lineup, every "pitcher" should expect to be called on at a moment's notice and should do some level of pre-game warmup.

"Throwers" can get away with just firing away because the coach is just expecting speed anyway. But the defense better be on their toes.

 

[CoachKevin]

I find the whole "warm up" debate perplexing as a coach and as a father of a pitcher.

How long does "warming up" take? If you do it before the game, how long does it last?

If you are playing in bracket play how many pitches do you really want to burn warming up? Aren't you already warmed up from pitching before the game, doing dynamic stretching and currently playing in the game?

Some parents here seem to think it's a crime against children to not let their daughters warm up for 20 minutes prior to pitching. From 12u on up you should be ready at all times to pitch.

I find most of the time parents want to blame bad outings on the coach who didn't let them "warm up properly". Again I still haven't seen a correlation between the quality of the warmup and pitching performance.

Meh.

I think "warm up" comes prior to the game. During the game I call it staying loose (if I am using the same 2 pitchers that warmed up) If the pitcher is playing another position in the game, I will have her "stay loose" between innings when she isn't due to bat for awhile. If the starter keeps up a great game at least the other pitcher got some throwing in, and if the starter gets into trouble, the other pitcher can come in ready. There have been those games where I have used 4 pitchers...lol, but I try to anticipate that and get the 3rd one going soon.

I do agree that if they are pitchers, they need to know when they should be warming up or staying loose, however they are kids and a coach should remind them if the coach sees it isn't being done. Heck how many times do you have to "remind" your DD to clean her room?

 

[InsidePitch]

it might not be the best of situations but if your kid warmed up with overhand, she is warmed up. I see a molehill while to many see a mountain.

 

[ConorMacleod]

it might not be the best of situations but if your kid warmed up with overhand, she is warmed up. I see a molehill while to many see a mountain.

I hope your DD isn't a pitcher, because mine is. Playing overhand catch does not prepare your daughter to tote the rubber and start throwing different pitches at full speed. It's completely different. Is it ok for a batter to sit all game and then just get into the batters box and take full swings because she warmed up before the game? And I'm not even talking about the chances of her being successful. I would just be hoping she doesn't strain a muscle in her arm, rotator cuff, elbow, ligament, groin/leg muscle, strain her core, etc. She gets 5 pitches with her full windmill with no warm up at all? Pfft...if the worst thing that happens is she can't find the strike zone, you're lucky. You name me any level of ball where the relief pitcher gets tossed in on a moments notice because he/she played catch prior to the game.

 

[ConorMacleod]

I agree that the coach should get the pitchers warmed up before and during the game. With that said, the OP said the coach has sent pitchers out to pitch without warming up in the past so it shouldn't have been a surprise to his DD that she might get put in the circle with little or no warm-up. Most of the pitchers I am familiar with have been pitching regularly since they were 7 and 8 yos and by 12U they have a set routine that they go through before each game and have done this routine countless times for many years. So if the coach isn't going to formally warm-up the pitcher and she thinks she might pitching that game, she needs to take some initiative on her own to warm-up. The HC sounds like a real loser but the lesson learned is that as a pitcher you need to be ready to go on a moments notice.

I guess the problem I had was people saying (or me misinterpreting) that pitchers need to make their own decisions on when to warm up. Of course pitchers need to know their own routine. But are people advocating that a pitcher just leave the dugout during a game and start warming up "in case" the coach needs her later? Are people saying, if the coach is warming up the team with ground balls, batting, fielding, etc. before the game, that the pitcher just step out of line, grab a catcher, and go do her own thing "in case" she pitches that game? I was saying, it is incumbent upon the coach to say; "Susie, grab catcher Janie and do your regular warm up in case I need you today. You're not starting, but I want you warmed up prior to the game".

 

[InsidePitch]

It's called a substitution, a pinch hitter and they do get into the box after taking a few dry swings. FWIW, outfielders go in with little more than 4-5 throws to a teammate and expected to make 120' throws on the run.

Did your child get hurt? It sounds like you have a bee in your bonnet and just want the coach gone. Good luck.

 

[Jojo]

it might not be the best of situations but if your kid warmed up with overhand, she is warmed up. I see a molehill while to many see a mountain.

You tell your pitcher she won't be pitching till game #2 on Saturday.
She takes Friday off to rest for the tournament. Game #1 starts and 3/4 of the way through with runners on 3rd & 2nd, the coach pulls her off the bench and puts her in the game. She gets a few fastball warmups. She's really not warmed up and there is a good chance she could hurt herself (Like I posted before, I've seen it happen).
Then the batter steps up and coach calls a screwball. When is the last time she's thrown a screwball? Thursday? Now with the game on the line he wants her to throw a pitch she isn't warm enough to throw nor has she thrown it in a couple of days and the first time out of her hands he wants a strike pitch with velocity and movement? Good luck there.

Best to warm them up prior to 1st game and do light warm ups till needed. In my DD's younger teams, 12-14u, All the pitchers warmed up before the first game and I caught each one for a few minutes personally. I was the pitch caller and I wanted to see how they were throwing that day. The pitchers are your teams biggest asset and they need to be treated that way. They are not spare tires you throw in the trunk and just drag them out when you have a flat. One of these days that spare is gonna blow.

 

[bucket pinata]

There is allot of mental preparation that goes on during warm up. Its surprising to me that this has not even been brought up. also for any top level pitcher at any age you are absolutely risking injury by pitcher her cold. any coach that even tries to blow that off is totally irresponsible and any REAL ace should run like the wind. Personally I would walk out to the circle and grab my DD before she was allowed to pitch cold. Also it takes two to warm up so talking about pitchers getting warm on there own is just crazy.Just a bunch of bad excuses for bad coaches.

 

[Rocketech1]

Very interesting thread involving multiple issues (coach not warming up pitchers, how long does it take to get warm, and should the pitcher warm herself up if not asked to). A few comments:

- My definition our "warmed-up" means that the pitcher has gone through her usual warm-up drills and has thrown all of her pitches at full speed so she would be ready to get in the game;
- bucket pinata - you are absolutely right that "warming-up" is also mental preparation and a familiar routine which is important;
- jojo - yes, as a coach you want to see what pitches are working and which ones are not before she enters the circle;
- Amy - in my experience with 12Us, not a single pitcher takes 30 - 45 mins to warm-up before a game. More like 15 - 20mins (start to finish). Note: this does not include warm-ups like dynamics stretching and overhand throws.
- insidepitch - this statement is shocking coming from a parent of a pitcher "it might not be the best of situations but if your kid warmed up with overhand, she is warmed up. I see a molehill while to many see a mountain."
- gunner shotgun - "Again I still haven't seen a correlation between the quality of the warmup and pitching performance."???? I don't know what to say about this statement....

 

[GunnerShotgun]

Also it takes two to warm up so talking about pitchers getting warm on there own is just crazy.Just a bunch of bad excuses for bad coaches.

I have told my daughter when she pitches for other teams it's her responsibility to get warm. If no one is there to warm her up then she should do it herself. She can do "up together/down together" in her glove. She can take a bucket of balls and go throw in a fence. She can take a bucket of balls and just throw them.

Is it ideal, no, but at the end of the day it's her arm and her responsibility as a pitcher. This is why we practice 50 out of the 52 weeks of the year and she goes to pitching lessons.

My DD has missed, coin flips, pre-game infield practice, coaches speech before the game, soft-toss before the game, all because she was warming up.

Always be ready. No excuses.