What You Can Throw and How You Can Throw It

Let’s talk about forms of throwing and intent/intensity.

First, we need to understand that there is a massive difference between throwing and pitching. There is also a difference within each of those with regard to intent. If you hang around high quality pitching coaches during practice long enough, you’re going to come across three main types of pitching:

Short box: Pitches are thrown from a shorter distance than normal (45ft instead of 60ft, etc). Goals of the session are usually centered around command/movement improvement.

Flat ground: Similar to a short box, but thrown from a flat surface. Super easy way to work on pitching when there are no mounds available.

Pens/Live: Competitive pitches thrown off a mound. Of all three options, pens are typically thrown with the most intent, while short boxes and flats can jockey, although shorts are usually more intense.

This only scratches the surface of throwing. You also have:

Catch play: The intensity ranges on this, so it can be a very light and easy thing to do a day or two after an outing, or it can be high intensity.

Long Toss: Intensity ranges depending on distance, but this is a staple of throwing programs.

Pull Downs: This is the moving in phase of long toss, and sometimes just a standalone form of training. This is always a high intensity exercise.

Holds: Done with plyo balls or towels, these involve going through the entire throwing motion, but never actually releasing the ball. These improve the functionality of the joints and promote neurological development. Several different weights can be used depending on the developmental stage of the thrower.

Reverse throws: Typically done with plyo balls (see below), these play an important roll in developing decelerators. Remember, you can only move at the speed your body can properly slow down from.

Outfield/Infield defense: Most pitchers below the college level play another position. You’re going to be making throws all over the field.

Now let's discuss the implements you have to chose from:

Football: These are great for limiting early pronation, learning curveballs and gyro sliders, fixing arm path issues, and developing “arm strength” (increasing ROM and improving efficiency).

Plastic Hockey Puck: You can buy training tools that are more effective, but if money is tight, plastic hockey pucks can be great tools for learning how to throw with consistent back spin. As an aside, mine behave like sliders when they're thrown with backspin (oxymoron, I know) because of the aerodynamics of the puck. They're a lot of fun to throw.

Underloaded balls: Also known as plyo balls, these can help with patterning movements, increasing cocking/uncocking speed during the throwing motion.

Overloaded balls: Same as underloaded balls, except these mainly target increased ROM instead of speed.

Medicine Balls: These are thrown with two hands (for very obvious reasons) and can help with improving strength, hip/shoulder separation, and movement patterns in the trunk and lower half.

Baseballs: I don’t think I have to explain baseballs

How do we use these to form a throwing program? The answer is simple: use variety and have a tangible goal. No throwing program should consist of only high or low intent throws. Nor should it only consist of one implement. When we talk about periodization, too many people talk in absolutes. After competition ends for the year (late summer or fall), it’s natural to want to take a break. But when that break gets extended for too long (generally more than a month), we can start to see regression.

Instead of abstaining from all forms of throwing for months at a time, vary the intensity, volume, and implement used in your throwing program. 10 minutes of light catch in the backyard and 45 pitch live bullpens are both throwing. So when someone says to keep throwing, remember that there is a time and place for every form.