Pitching Articles All Articles List Pitching Articles Baseball Pitching: Pre-game Warm up | Baseball Pitching: Pre-game Warm up |
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As a pitching instructor I get asked frequently about pre-game warm-up routines. The most common questions are these: How many pitches should I throw before I pitch in a game? Or what exercises should I do in preparation for the game? These are great questions that I didn’t have the answers to even in High School. I realize the importance of proper warm-up routines now. Here are some exercises and additional pitching tips for you. Before you throw your first pitch in a game, your entire body should feel loose; not just your arm. You first throw with your legs and that energy transfers through each kinetic chain of your body until release of the baseball. Here is a short list of exercises you can do prior to loosening up your arm (throwing). Lower Body warm-ups - Jog one lap, Form Running Forward and Backward, Karaoke’s right and left, Lunges Forward and Backward, Side lunges (left and right). Upper Body warm-ups- Shoulder Circles (Forward and Backward; thumbs up and down), Bent arm clap on back, Walking Toe Touches. Now that you have your blood pumping it is time to stretch. Hamstrings, Quads, Hip Flexors, Calves, Arm Pulls and pushes, Elbow pulls and so on. There are a variety of warm up exercises and stretches you can do before picking up the baseball and loosening up your arm. Those of course are just a few of them. The point is to warm up your entire body, not just your arm before you pitch. When you start throwing on game day you should only throw about 30-45 warm up pitches, no more than that. Many pitchers tend to warm-up too much and when their arm is needed the most; during the game, they feel like they have already thrown 2 innings and don’t last as many innings as they could. Out of the 30-45 warm up pitches, only 10-15 should be thrown at high intensity; you never want to max out in the bullpen. |
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