Off Season Pitcher Workout

[Turn&burn]

My DD just finished her season as a 12u pitcher. For the first time she’s asking for a break from softball. No pitching or hitting lessons for at least two weeks. She’ll be entering her second year as 12u player. I wanted to know from other pitcher dad’s and coaches what kind of workout you plan for your DD’s off-season? Do you take any kind of break and for how long? Can someone share their script for off-season workout for pitchers? Her next game will be in late September (Fall Ball).

[hotwheels]

My DD just finished her season as a 12u pitcher. For the first time she’s asking for a break from softball. No pitching or hitting lessons for at least two weeks. She’ll be entering her second year as 12u player. I wanted to know from other pitcher dad’s and coaches what kind of workout you plan for your DD’s off-season? Do you take any kind of break and for how long? Can someone share their script for off-season workout for pitchers? Her next game will be in late September (Fall Ball).

Give her as much time as she thinks she needs....There is NO rush to get back for Fall ball....She knows her body and the mental break will be good for her as well....

[Sam]

My DD just finished her season as a 12u pitcher. For the first time she’s asking for a break from softball. No pitching or hitting lessons for at least two weeks. She’ll be entering her second year as 12u player. I wanted to know from other pitcher dad’s and coaches what kind of workout you plan for your DD’s off-season? Do you take any kind of break and for how long? Can someone share their script for off-season workout for pitchers? Her next game will be in late September (Fall Ball).

Complete rest and no softball related activities for 5 months. Tell her enjoy being a kid.

[DonnieS]

Complete rest and no softball related activities for 5 months. Tell her enjoy being a kid.

With all due respect to Sam, I cant imagine a 12 y/o kid having complete rest. And I wouldnt set a time frame, I have not had a problem with kids being sedentary, but if your kid gets lazy, get them busy doing something else. In the fall my girls played flag football and then basketball and lots of beach time. If I ever told them to do those things, I dont remember. I remember them telling me that I had to coach.

With regard to pitching, during off time, i.e. time of no tournaments, we would still throw once or twice a week, but we would have it be just basics, 20-25 minutes, usually a good warmup and throw 3-4 simumlated innings. Just enough that we werent starting all over again when we ramped up. Just think up things to make it fun, innings, or like Hal Skinner suggested, perfect pitches. His suggestion was dont throw for an hour or 1 and 15 minutes, or whatever. Throw 20 perfect changeups one day, on the other day, throw 15 pitches that are at your target speed or at 2 miles over. We backed off on lessons then as well, to once a month as I recall.

[hit4power]

When DD was 12, she had not started TB yet so summer schedule ended in July and she would take 3-4 weeks off (went to camp and family vacation) and then start back up when school started in late August. We used the fall to learn new pitches and so mostly worked on spins and mechanics rather than as much full speeed pitching as she would do in the spring. She was also playing club volleyball back then and that ate up a good chunk of time but it kept her in shape during the "off season". She's now in HS, so the break is two weeks after Nats, and then back to the usual practice/workout schedule when school starts. She puts more emphasis on strength & conditioning in the fall when she has the time and when the tourney/game schedule is light (relative to spring) and then dials the S&C work back in the spring and really focuses on the practices (HS &TB).