By Isaiah Trevino –
Whether you are looking to gain velocity, improve movement patterns, improve command, or increase movement on your secondary stuff, they all require you to have thousands of repetitions to do so. Without our arm being as healthy and as durable as it can be, none of that will be very efficient.
One of the more common things people will come to train at the Texas Baseball Ranch® for is velocity. We are all for that! But as stated above, arm health will always be #1. So, we first ask about arm health… but it isn’t just a “yes” or “no” answer we want. We measure arm pain/discomfort on a scale of 1-10: 1 being very minimal pain/discomfort (if any), and 10 being “something is definitely wrong” and you can’t throw at all without pain. The goal for all of our athletes is to get that pain down to a 1-2, even when throwing at maximum intensity. The process to get to that number is a different discussion in itself, but only when we can get the pain down can we then throw enough and with a high enough intensity to gain velocity.
A common mistake that is made is someone will hop on a velocity enhancement program with their pain already at a high number like 5+, and while they may take a step forward, they soon take a few steps back. They may gain velocity in a short amount of time, but if we haven’t solved the issue that is causing pain in the arm, it is just a matter of time until something serious happens that can cause us to have to put the baseball down for an extended period of time.
While working to improve your arm health and durability may not be the most glamorous thing to do, it is the most important. Without arm health, you cannot train, and without training, you won’t be able to perform at your highest level possible. Once we can solve the issue of arm health, only then can we start working on other things that may be holding us back.
Important TBR Updates
- December Coaches Clinic information coming soon!