A daily arm care routine for pitchers

The pitchers who last aren't always the ones with the best arms. They're the ones who take care of the arm they have, every single day, even when nothing hurts.

This is the routine I'd give any high school or college pitcher. It takes about 15 minutes before you throw and 10 after.

Before you throw

• Get warm first. A few minutes of easy movement until you break a light sweat. Cold muscles and max effort throws don't mix.
• Dynamic mobility. Hips, thoracic spine and shoulders. Leg swings, open books, arm circles that start small and build.
• Band work. External and internal rotation, then pull aparts and Ys for the shoulder blades. Light band, controlled reps. You're waking muscles up, not training them.
• Build your throws. Start short and easy, then add distance and intent. Your first throws should feel almost lazy.

After you throw

• Easy cool down. Light movement to bring your heart rate down.
• Light band work. A short version of the pre throw routine to get blood moving through the shoulder.
• Log it. How many throws, how hard, and how the arm felt. Patterns show up fast when you write them down.

The part nobody does: recovery

Sleep and food are arm care. A pitcher sleeping six hours and skipping meals is asking his arm to rebuild with nothing. Aim for eight or more hours of sleep, eat real meals with protein, and drink water all day, not just at practice.

Take real time off from throwing every year, too. Year round max effort throwing is one of the most common roads to an injury in young pitchers.

Soreness or pain?

Some soreness the day after you pitch is normal, usually a dull, general ache in the back of the shoulder or forearm that fades in a day or two.

For youth pitchers, follow MLB and USA Baseball's Pitch Smart guidelines on pitch counts and rest days. They exist for a reason.