Long Toss Ruins Pitching Mechanics And Increases Pitching Arm Injuries

http://www.pitching.com Long toss has not proven to increase velocity. Does long toss improve pitching performance or reduce arm injuries? On January 25, 2009 I spoke at the 27th annual American Sports Medicine Institutes Baseball Injuries Course on why long toss does not work to improve velocity and why long toss actually interferes with and possibly ruins pitchers from developing good throwing mechanics from the mound. And why long toss is more stressful and may be one of the leading causes of pitching arm injuries in baseball today.
According to Alan Jaeger of Jaeger Sports, who runs a long toss school, long toss increases arm strength, pitching velocity, improves pitching mechanics and reduces the risk of injury. However, Alan Jaeger cannot explain why.
Based on the latest sports science research long toss does not improve arm strength or pitching velocity. The sports science research clearly proves this and yet baseball and Alan Jaeger continue to ignore the research.
I honestly believe that long toss is one of the big reasons why there are so many arm injuries and arm surgery today as well as why pitchers have such poor control...since the are doing more long toss and less mound pitching.
The secret to pitching velocity as demonstrated by Giants' Tim Lincecum who is 5'10" 170 lbs...is to develop maximum momentum into a long stride so that the body does the work while the arm is along for the ride.
Pitchers must learn how to gain velocity from their body and not their arm. Trying to build arm strength or more total body strength has proven not to improve pitching velocity.
http://www.pitching.com

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[leftyDM]

Tim Lincecum has lost nearly 5 mph on his fastball over the past couple of years. Long toss has neither helped Zito or Lincecum. Zito was throwing 91-93 mph in college and now even though he is a long toss advocate throws mostly 85-87 mph. Whether Zito or Lincecum, if they want to improve their velocity it can only come by improving their mechanics by pitching from a mound. Long toss cannot help them. Dick Mills

[leftyDM]

Why is Tim Lincecum a freak? Because he is 5'10" 170 lbs and can throw 95-100 mph? Could it be he moves down the mound faster and into a longer stride than all other major league starters and that's why he is able to produce such velocity?

Pitchers cannot use the same mechanics during long toss as from the mound because there are no similarities in both except the baseball. Because each is so different that is why long toss interferes with pitchers pitching from the mound. Dick Mills

[leftyDM]

Please provide video of a major league pitcher using proper mechanics while doing long toss of 180 ft or more... which is a normal distance long toss distance. You won't find any.

Dick Mills

[leftyDM]

Any pitcher who is 5'10" 170 lbs. who can throw 95-100 mph and win a Cy Young Award you and the baseball world should be trying to figure out how he can do that. I would not say his mechanics are wacko at all. Certainly not perfect but very explosive with very good timing so that his body does the work so his arm is along for the ride to control the ball.

Dick Mills

[leftyDM]

If long toss improved your velocity why doesn't it work to improve all major league pitcher's velocity. Pitchers that are still developing (high school) gain velocity mostly from growth and development...not from long toss or weight training. Dick Mills

[leftyDM]

Big,

The point is nobody including Jaeger has looked at any research. Have you read the Principle Of Specificity and fully understand that long toss violates this important principle? No other sport has anything as non-specific as long toss for practicing how to improve. Why? Because it never works to practice non-specific activities like long toss. Even Tommy John says pitchers should not long toss. What did he do after the first elbow replacement surgery? Pitched from the mound.

Dick Mills

[basebull]

Mills, I agree with most things you say, but this viewpoint is a little extreme. First, I believe the body IS used a lot when doing long toss. I also think that doing full effort long toss can help you maximize your capabilities off of the mound.

The player you used in this video most likely has poor mechanics on a mound also, I don't think it is caused by long toss.

[kevinelay]

I guess Andy Benes, Randy Johnson, Felix Henrandez, and Roy Oswalt are all wrong on preaching the worthiness of long toss?

Show me a pitcher who does long toss longer than 180 ft, with BAD mechanics in the MLB.

Not all mechanics are the same. Pwer pitchers, finesse pitchers, Fall pitchers, drop and push pitchers all have different mechanics..

[bigmule100]

It's funny how everyone who has commented has bashed the video and supported their opinion with no scientific proof. The author of this video has a scientific study to back his claims.

[bigmule100]

It's funny how everyone who has commented has bashed the video and supported their opinion with no scientific proof. The author of this video has a scientific study to back his claims. And if you are saying that the guy in the top pictures isn't long tossing the correct way then listen to who he is practicing with. He's with jaeger sports, the head of long toss. Get your facts straight and quit being so narrow minded.

[bigmule100]

It's funny how everyone who has commented has bashed the video and supported their opinion with no scientific proof. The author of this video has a scientific study to back his claims. And if you are saying that the guy in the top pictures isn't long tossing the correct way then listen to who he is practicing with. He's with jaeger sports, the head of long toss. Get your facts straight and quit being so narrow minded.

[Raybrown48]

Hi, my name is Ray Brown, I was a professional pitcher and I am an advocate of long toss. You mention Linecum and how he uses the bottom half to explode towards the batter, well long toss can assist with that if the pitcher uses his bottom half, one drill I use with long toss is the crow hop drill which gets the bottom half envoled with the throwing action.

[kelleno]

If it makes a player throw an extra 5 mph, who cares about mechanics

[kruger901015]

all i gotta say is u should be pitching off the mound far more than long toss so it shouldnt effect the mechanics on the mound

[mcgomp]

@leftyDM \

With all due respect......even Ttim Lincecum says that Long tossing is the biggest part of his velocity....he got pissed at the Giants pitching coaches late in the season and told them that he was going back to long toss to get his velocity back up ....and the rest is a World Series Championship...The Giants ruined Zito when they made him ,long toss last year...but thank God ....Lincecum put his foot down.....dude.,...long toss works...leave it alone!!!!

[mickel256]

isnt long toss just to stretch out the arm? obviusly you wouldnt do the same mechanics from the mound. thats why you work off the mound too. You cant compare anybody to TIm Lincecum.

[thebandittransam]

If done as a progression while playing catch long toss should only be a matter of two minutes max every day by all baseball players. Educating, teaching, and modeling for your players can increase muscle memory and improved mechanics over time. Why do i have to mention that building strong lower lumbar and legs are essential to reduce stress on the arm? Long toss should just be the end of a correct and possitive progression game of catch! Teach efficient movement and correct mechanics i b