Baseball Training: Throwing Programs, Arm Care, Strength and Speed

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January, and there’s snow on the field. Inside a school gym, a row of high school pitchers plays catch at 45 feet, slowly, with a coach holding a clipboard. Nobody is throwing hard yet. That patience is the heart of good baseball training. Unlike most sports, baseball has a body part that can only take so much: the throwing arm. A smart year is built around rest from throwing, a gradual build-up, arm care, and strength and speed that protect the arm instead of wearing it out. This page covers all of it for every level, from Little League to college and the pros.

General information, not medical or coaching advice. Pitchers coming back from an injury should follow a program set by their doctor, PT or athletic trainer. The big picture is on our baseball hub.

Start with rest: time off from throwing

MLB and USA Baseball’s Pitch Smart guidelines build the year around an off-season for the arm. For players 14 and under, it says to take at least four months off from throwing every year, with at least two to three of those months in a row. For ages 15 to 18, it’s at least four months off from competitive pitching, including two to three months in a row with no overhead throwing at all. For ages 19 to 22, it’s at least three months off from competitive pitching, including at least four weeks in a row with no overhead throwing. Pitch Smart also caps innings for young pitchers: no more than 60 in any 12-month period at 8 and under, 80 at ages 9 to 12, and 100 at ages 13 to 18.

There’s a reason. AAOS says the rate of elbow injury is closely tied to pitches thrown, innings pitched and months spent pitching each year, and it lists showcases as a risk because they fall in the off-season, when the arm should be resting. In a 10-year study of youth pitchers, those who threw more than 100 innings in a year were 3.5 times as likely to be seriously injured.

Pitch Smart pitch counts and rest days

Pitch Smart says leagues, travel teams, showcases and tournaments should set rules to follow it. Because many players play in several leagues, the parent and the player are responsible for keeping track across the whole year.

Age	Daily max (pitches)	0 days rest	1 day	2 days	3 days	4 days
7–8	50	1–20	21–35	36–50	N/A	N/A
9–10	75	1–20	21–35	36–50	51–65	66–75
11–12	85	1–20	21–35	36–50	51–65	66–85
13–14	95	1–20	21–35	36–50	51–65	66–95
15–16	95	1–30	31–45	46–60	61–75	76–95
17–18	105	1–30	31–45	46–60	61–80	81–105
19–22	120	1–30	31–45	46–60	61–80	81–105

At every age, Pitch Smart also says: no pitching on three days in a row, no pitching in more than one game a day, avoid playing catcher while not pitching, avoid playing on more than one team at a time and watch for other signs of fatigue. For players 14 and under, it adds: play other sports during the year. At 12 and under, it advises avoiding pitches other than fastballs and changeups; from 13, players can begin breaking pitches once they have a consistent fastball and changeup.

Off-season throwing programs: build up slowly

After the break, the arm comes back in stages: short, easy catch first, then longer distances, then the mound, then full effort. That’s the idea behind an interval throwing program, a schedule that adds throws and distance step by step. Interval programs began as rehab after injury or surgery, and they’re still the standard there. A 2024 study by well-known baseball researchers rebuilt one using modern workload data. Their updated rehab program runs 217 days and raises the load more gradually than the classic 136-day version. A healthy pitcher’s preseason ramp is shorter, but the principle is the same: no big jumps.

Long toss is part of most programs, but a 2021 review found there’s no agreed definition. Straight-line throws at moderate distance behave differently from maximum-distance throws on an arc, which raise the twisting stress on the shoulder and elbow. Ask your coach which kind your program means and why.

A word on weighted balls

Velocity programs with heavy and light balls are everywhere. In one multi-region study, 63% of high school pitchers had used one. The best trial so far is a warning. In a randomized study of 38 healthy pitchers aged 13 to 18, a six-week weighted-ball program (2 to 32 ounces, three times a week) raised pitch speed by 3.3%. But 24% of that group got hurt, four with elbow injuries, while nobody in the regular-ball group did. If you try one, do it with a qualified coach, never stack it on top of a heavy pitching load, and stop at the first sign of arm pain.

Arm care: strength and motion

Arm care means exercises for the rotator cuff, shoulder blade and forearm, plus keeping shoulder motion. The best-studied youth program comes from Japan. Players aged 8 to 11 did 9 strengthening and 9 stretching exercises in the warm-up or at home, at least once a week. Their rate of inner-elbow injury was about half that of players who didn’t (0.8 vs 1.7 per 1,000 athlete-exposures). In professional pitchers, losing more than 5 degrees of total shoulder rotation on the throwing side was linked to more injuries, so many teams measure it in preseason.

Most arm care routines use light resistance bands like the THERABAND Beginner Kit, which comes in three color-coded strengths. Our resistance bands guide compares more sets. A PT or athletic trainer can pick the exercises and check your shoulder motion.

Strength and speed

Baseball power starts in the legs and hips and travels up to the arm and bat. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says supervised, technique-first resistance training is safe for kids and teens, with gains from two to three sessions a week for at least eight weeks. Many players lift harder in the off-season and keep one or two shorter sessions going in season.

Speed is easy to measure in today’s game. MLB’s Statcast “Sprint Speed” counts feet per second in a runner’s fastest one-second window, and any run of 30 feet per second or more is called a “Bolt”. Speed work also protects. Hamstring strains are the most common injury in pro baseball, and MLB practitioners rated regular high-speed running and managing workload as the most effective prevention. Short sprints, starts and footwork drills, for example on an agility ladder like the SKLZ Quick Ladder, keep the legs ready for that first dash to first base. Our speed training equipment guide has more tools.

Warm-up, and the rest of the athlete

AAOS suggests starting practice with easy calisthenics and light running, such as running the bases, then gentle stretching of the back, hamstrings and shoulders. Stretch again at the end, holding each stretch for about 30 seconds. AAOS also warns against playing one sport year-round: regular breaks and other sports matter for skill and for injury prevention. Conditioning matters too, but baseball is a game of short bursts, so sprints and intervals fit it better than long slow miles. A heart-rate strap like the Polar H10 helps you see how hard those intervals really are. See our baseball wearables page for arm and bat sensors.

Baseball training FAQs

How many months a year should a pitcher not throw?

Pitch Smart says at least four months off from throwing each year for players 14 and under, with two to three in a row. For ages 15 to 18, it’s four months off from competitive pitching, including two to three months in a row with no overhead throwing. For ages 19 to 22, it’s three months off pitching, including four straight weeks of no overhead throwing.

When can kids start throwing curveballs?

Pitch Smart advises fastballs and changeups only for players 12 and under, and breaking pitches only once a player has a consistent fastball and changeup. A study of 9- to 14-year-olds linked curveballs to more shoulder pain and sliders to more elbow pain.

Are weighted ball programs safe?

The evidence says be careful. In a randomized trial of teen pitchers, a six-week weighted-ball program added a little velocity, but 24% of the group was injured, compared with none of the regular-ball group. Talk to a qualified coach and your athletic trainer first.

Should young baseball players lift weights?

Yes, with supervision and good technique. The AAP says resistance training is safe for children and teens when it’s properly supervised, and that it builds strength with two to three sessions a week.

Is long toss good for pitchers?

Almost every program uses it, but “long toss” means different things. Maximum-distance throws on an arc put more stress on the shoulder and elbow than straight-line throws. Build distance gradually and follow your coach’s plan.

Rest the arm, build it back slowly, train the whole body and keep sprinting. Next, read our baseball injuries guide, recovery for the days between outings, and nutrition. For another sport’s off-season, see soccer training.