Pregame Warm-up - Pitching Workouts
I have recently been asked by many of my students and parents to write down a pre-game warm-up pitching routine. There are many pre-game pitching workouts to choose from that are effective. Whichever workout you choose, make sure to warm your entire body up before picking up the baseball and throwing. Someone once coined the term warm up to throw. Dont throw to warm up. I love it! You arent just warming up your arm either. Throwing the baseball is a feet to fingertip exercise.
Pre-game pitching workouts
1. Light jog for 5 minutes or two or three times around your field
2. High knees (forward and backward) for about 30 yards
3. Kareokes (each side) 30 yards
4. Butt kickers 30 yards
5. Walking Lunges (forward and Backward; maintaining good posture and balance) 20 yards to start.
6. Walking Lunges with twists (again forward and backward)
7. Lateral Lunges
After you get the blood going in your legs its time to stretch. You can do basic stretches for your hamstrings, glutes and calves. You also want to add stretches like Leg Cradle, Inverted toe touch, inch warms or hand walks, Ankle circles, scorpion, leg over etc.
When your legs are feeling loose you may want to warm-up your core. I will do some prone holds just 2 minutes, and left to right prone holds 1 minute each side.
Moving your Pitching Workouts to your upper body and arms.
1. Arm circles small, medium and large with thumbs up, down and straight. Arm circles are much more effective when you pinch your shoulder blades together.
2. Front to Back arm claps
3. Arm pulls and pushes (shoulder height) I forget the appropriate terminology for this one but, clasp your fingers together in front of you and pull them apart. Then, as you keep pulling, do forward and backward circles and swimmers forward and backward. With pushes, put your palms together in front of you and push; Fingertips together and push.
4. Wall Presses- thumbs up, thumbs down and parallel.
After about 20 minutes you are ready to pick up the baseball and throw lightly. You will feel 10 times better throwing because your entire body is warmed-up and hopefully you have worked up a sweat. If not, you need to pick it up or warm-up with another partner.
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