Rain, Rain, Go Away
The College, High School, Travel and Rec league seasons are here! Players have trained so hard over the past 5 months to get themselves ready to play the game they love so much.
Pitchers, particularly, have been slowly building up their arm strength during this time. They are at peak condition for what will be the most important 3 months of their baseball season.
Pitchers of all ages have been allowed to pitch more innings and throw more pitches all in the name of their collective team needing them to win a tournament, getting ready for League games and then the playoffs.
However, a slow moving pattern in the clouds above us lead to what ‘experts’ call an El Niño pattern of clouds developing that potential can shut teams down for the beginning of their season.
Pitchers have to figure out how to throw in the rain during that wet week…..especially here in Southern California where rain has been consistent and without stoppage since the past weekend and leading into what might be 5-6 straight days of unstable patterns.
This is also where pitcher’s arms and, ultimately their season, can be derailed by injuries. All that work over the past 5 months of training can be an end of a career because of the impossibility to consistently throw on an everyday basis.
Harken back to 1981, when yours truly was a rising Sophomore on the baseball circuit. We had started our season and the first 2 weeks of games I pitched several times…..of which led me to only describe what felt like a terrible soreness in my bicep..as if I was given charley horses back to back to back. I was terrified as I never had an arm issue before. Fortunately for me, 1 1/2 weeks of rain shut everyone down…including me and my arm….and afterwards that rest allowed me to continue my season without any problems all the way through my Senior year.
I was lucky that I got hurt when I did…..then the rain forced me to rest…..then I started throwing again and I was good to go. But the reality is that in most cases the opposite is true.
Players train and train…..start throwing bullpens consistently and then…..1-2 weeks before the season start, they get pummeled by rain systems back to back to back. The players that I work with have not been able to throw because the fields are TOO wet.
However, the games must go on…. so fields will get readied for play…..Head coaches will continue with scheduled games regardless of practicing…..and pitchers will inevitably have to pitch in games and most of the time too much initially.
I predict 40% of HS and youth pitchers will come down with at least arm soreness within the first 2 weeks back. Hopefully minor but then there will be 10% who will have major arm problems all because they did nothing during that period of rain.
I see it happen every year….over and over again.
However, there is a way to combat the potential for injury:
- Get outside during a storm break and throw on a hard surface….the street, the basketball court at the park around the corner…..church parking lot. You MUST plan on a time to throw and that can be done by watching a weather app and see where a break might be.
2. Go to your facility where you train such as our place, Throwzone Academy. Or any other indoor place where batting takes place. My door is open to any HS here in Santa Clarita to get bullpens in…..however, only 1 school takes advantage of it and that is the HS where I coach. It is an easy ask of me as I would be happy to help out for anyone.
3. If you have baseball equipment such as bands, weighted balls/plyocare balls, shoulder tube and so forth, players should be utilizing these on an everyday basis. Go outside on the side of your house and throw heavy balls…..anything to continue building arm strength.
4. Simple catch is imperative during rain forecasts. If you are able to throw a bullpen of any sort then you are far ahead of most players who idly sit around and wait for the weather to get better before doing anything.
If you go to the gym and they have a basketball court… ask if you can throw there. Players must do anything they can do to stay in shape because once the sun appears it is game on.
Mentally, we are fired up for the spring season but during rain shutdown periods, players physically are behind and this is where injuries occur. Do whatever means necessary to protect your baseball livelihood and throw, hit and run on a daily basis….regardless of the rain.
It will go away…..but will you be ready.
Until next time…
Jim
Jim Wagner's ThrowZone Academy 