Pitching Workout Programs - Maintaining the Arm During the Off Season
Today's professional baseball players have more pitching workout programs at their disposal than ever before. The easiest is to just keep pitching in a Latin American winter baseball league. For many marginal North American born pitchers this provides an excellent opportunity to keep the arm in shape until spring training. And unless they are already established as an all-star caliber hurler it's the wisest way to keep pitching during the winter.
Sure, you won't see young guns like Tim Lincecum or Cole Hamels or a veteran like Randy Johnson throwing a baseball down in Venezuela in December or January, but each year the number of players who take advantage of winter league baseball increases. Owners, general managers, and coaches often strongly suggest that younger baseball players to head down south to keep their arms in shape. Many times it is written into a player's contract, making it mandatory.
Gone are the days of the Steve Carlton pitching workout programs where he would work out his arm in a barrel full of rice to keep to keep it in shape. Old school programs such as Carlton's never made sense. Pitching is much more than working the arm. In fact, pitching has more to do with the legs and proper mechanics on the mound than anything else.
There is no better way to keep the arm healthy and strong than pitching in a game situation. Winter league ball used to be mainly for the citizens of the various Latin American countries that baseball players called home. Once the management of major league clubs noticed that these players were coming to spring training more fit and ready to throw in game time situations things quickly changed. Sending players to winter ball leagues became commonplace in the early 1990's. These styles of pitching workout programs make sense for a number of reasons.
a) It allows the pitcher to gain more experience.
b) Rather than simply working the arm, it gave the pitcher the chance to use his entire body.
c) Kinks in pitcher's deliveries are noticed and improved before it is time to rejoin his major league team.
d) Most importantly, the pitcher throws competitively in real games.
And what better way to spend the off season that playing ball in a warm climate while soaking up the culture that their Latin American teammates call home? This provides harmony and a sense of camaraderie between the teammates from the United States and those from the countries where the winter leagues take place.
Pitching workout programs that use free weights or other body building machines are necessary. Weights help develop a players overall physical condition. Pitching alone does not build the strength in the arms or legs. Nor does it allow a player to stretch and tone overused muscles needed on the mound. However, for a young pitcher to best prepare for opening day a combination of a strict workout regimen and a trip to Latin America to pitch in a winter league is imperative.
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