The intent of the Baseball Collegian Pitching Project is to inform coaches and players and parents of some of the many theories on being a successful pitcher.

Most every concept has advocates with very strong opinions on either side of the argument. Too often, a theory is chosen based on popularity, conventional wisdom, or because someone famous does it that way, as opposed to one’s own analysis. With so many contradicting theories, it is essential to have an understanding of all of the possible options before deciding which one to commit to.
These pitching theories are presented without judgment, without confirmation bias, with no preconceptions, and without dogma or commercialism. In turn, the strong hope is that people are inspired to do the work to make up their own mind based on as much information as possible – and in turn, do what makes most sense to them.

Last month, the discussion was about pitch sequencing and pitch calling. This month, the discussion turns to healthy pitching.

Q. Does running make you healthier?

General Belief:
• Yes Ryan Faer – Driveline
Regardless of the situation, an adequately developed aerobic energy system can only help to facilitate the transition back out of the glycolytic energy system (the energy pathway which causes that burning sensation in your legs as high-intensity efforts become prolonged). This is vital, as it will help avoid (or help clear) the accumulation of the metabolic wastes that cause the feeling of fatigue, and interfere with muscle contraction.
Also, aerobic training can help increase the efficiency of each heart beat. Thus, the heart does not have to work as hard to pump oxygen and nutrient-carrying blood throughout the body, even at rest. In this way the body is less taxed in general – during games and practice, and away from the field. (drivelinebaseball.com)

Other Philosophies:
• Long Distance Rob Rabena – Cressey
Most of the research available supports that assertion that pitchers should stop distance running or not make it a focal point of their baseball strength and conditioning program.
The time between pitches is 15-20 sec (Szymanski, 2009), or longer for guys who are known for working slow on the mound. This can really help coaches when implementing interval sprints. Based off research and my time spent at Cressey Performance, anything 40 yards and under for 4-8 sprints, 2-3x a week is recommended. (ericcressey.com)

• Long Distance Steven Ellis – The Complete Pitcher
Not many people enjoy running, but it should be a very important aspect of a pitcher’s training regimen. Running foul poles after a pitching outing can be the key to maintaining a healthy arm throughout the entire season.
Contrary to popular belief, running poles is much more beneficial than icing your arm. When you ice, the fluids in your shoulder slow down and are ineffective in repairing the damage done to the tissues. However, when you run, the fluids are able to circulate more freely and will reach the shoulder better. This will help cut down on the recovery time after a pitching outing. (thecompletepitcher.com)

Q. Does icing your arm make you healthier?

General Belief:
• Yes Glenn Fleisig – ASMI
A few years ago I surveyed the 30 head trainers in MLB about icing. I never published the results but I can tell you what I found. It was unanimous for icing the elbow or shoulder of a pitcher with a history of serious injury to that joint.
The opinions on icing pitchers without history of injury were more of a mixed bag. After talking with these trainers and people like Dr. Andrews, we concluded that icing should be one of several modalities offered by the trainer to pitchers. The feeling was that the trainers should make icing available, as some players feel it helps and others feel it has no effect. There was no concern that icing was detrimental; worse case was that it was just a waste of time. (asmiforum.proboards.com)

Other Philosophies:
• No Lee, Tseng, et. al
A 2013 study found 15 minutes of icing immediately after intense exercise and three, 24, 48 and 72 hours after exercise not only didn’t speed recovery–it made it worse. This study looked at eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage, the same kind of damage that occurs to the muscles while pitching. (sports.yahoo.com)

• No Gary Reinl
Since the “icepack” actually makes things worse (it delays healing, increases swelling, causes additional damage, shuts off the signals that alert you to harmful movement and provides false hope… you believe that you are doing something good when in fact you are doing the opposite)… doing nothing is actually better than icing. (pitching.com)

• No Eric Cressey
We do not advocate cold water immersion for our athletes right now because I feel that there isn’t any evidence to suggest that it has any favorable effects, and for such an annoying experience, you need to be getting considerable benefit in order to be using it regularly. Moreover, I have seen a TON of pitchers who absolutely despise icing their arms after throwing outings, saying that it interferes with their arm bouncing back and gives them stiffness and difficulty warming up in the subsequent throwing outing. There is going to need to be some definitive evidence supporting cold water immersion before I even consider experimenting with it in any of our athletes. (ericcressey.com)