By Jonathan Massey –
If you’ve attended one of our Elite Pitchers Boot Camps over the past six years, you know that everyone who signs up has the opportunity to schedule a pre-camp phone call with one of our coaches. This phone call gives us a chance to get to know players before they ever step on campus. More importantly, it helps us better understand what each player wants to get out of the camp.
Of course, the overwhelming majority of players tell us they want to throw harder, which is perfectly understandable. But when they make that statement, I always like to dig a little deeper. I’ll ask how their arm feels after outings, where they typically get sore post-game, and how long that soreness tends to last.
As you can imagine, I’ve heard just about every answer under the sun. I’d say around 25% of players recognize that arm health is an issue and something they need to address. What I’ve learned from these conversations is that most don’t realize their recovery is often a real limiting factor.
When I ask about their recovery process, the overwhelming majority say they won’t touch a baseball for at least a day after pitching, followed by another day of very light catch play.
If you’re reading that and thinking it sounds perfectly normal, let me explain why that might actually be a constraint.
Let’s say, hypothetically, you’re my Friday night starter for the next year, and after every outing, you need the next two days off just to feel 100% by the following Friday. If you made every start that year, that’s 104 days of lost training opportunities.
Now, stretch that over a four-year high school or college career. That’s 416 days—more than an entire year of missed opportunities to train and develop.
Now, I fully understand nobody is making 52 starts in a year. My bigger point is that many players don’t even realize they have a recovery problem. They assume that because they feel ready by their next start, their recovery is fine.
But if you have to take multiple days completely off, or significantly scale back your throwing, just to be ready for your next outing, there should be a light going off in your head telling you that you have a problem. Recovery isn’t just about feeling good by game day; it’s about how quickly you can bounce back and how much quality work you’re able to stack between outings and/or high-workload training sessions.
The good news is that recovery can be developed.
If you can improve your ability to recover, you create more opportunities to train while everyone else is taking time off. Over time, that adds up. It gives you a chance to close the gap on players ahead of you or separate yourself from the ones trying to catch you.
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Important TBR Updates
- Our summer events are underway! Join us for an upcoming Elite Pitchers Boot Camps
June 19-21 (Fri-Sun) – Spots LIMITED
July 3-5 (Fri-Sun)
July 31-August 2 (Fri-Sun)
September 5-7 (Sat-Mon)
October 10-12 (Sat-Mon)
To register or learn more CLICK HERE
- Have you been considering attending one of our 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamp but are still on the fence? To help, we have a detailed information package entitled “What Makes This Boot Camp Different”. If you’d like to receive this package and start making plans for the summer, email Jill@TexasBaseballRanch.com and request a copy.
- Our “Summer Intensive Development Program” is in full swing! It will run through August 6 so you can still join us this summer! For more information on this one-of-a-kind Summer Training experience and for a registration form visit https://www.
texasbaseballranch.com/events/ tbr-summer-program/ or call our office at (936) 588-6762 and speak with Anna.
- Would you like to participate in the Ranch Summer Program but can’t find 2+ weeks in your schedule? We have an option for you! Attend one of our 3-Day EPBC’s and add the summer program week after. It’s seven days of training and is a great option for those players with an extremely busy summer schedule. Give us a call and we can provide you with more details – (936) 588-6762.
- Mark your calendar. Our annual Youth Camp (for players ages 8-12) will be October 3 & 4. Registration opens soon. Email info@TexasBaseballRanch.com to be added to the Priority Notification List.
- Coach Wolforth is hosting a webinar – “The 4 Pitching Pitfalls that Sabotage Velocity, Arm Health & Long-Term Success” Mondays at 7 pm. CST. CLICK HERE to register.
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