TO TOSS OR NOT TO TOSS? Two Truths About Long Toss
The internet is replete with thousands of ideas and opinions on the efficacy of long toss for pitchers. Some coaches and gurus contend long toss is one of the most dangerous activities a pitcher could possibly engage in from a health and injury perspective. Others claim it’s simply a waste of valuable training time because it doesn’t reflect in-game mound mechanics. Still others praise it as a godsend, the answer to almost any pitching ailment with which your athlete could possibly be confronted.
shortcuts the long toss route. To me personally, most of these recipes are simply attempts at marketing their product, and they usually amount to a flat-out red herring.
So where does The Ranch fall on the long-toss continuum?
The answer is way , way toward the “long toss is a godsend and the answer” end of the spectrum. While we don’t quite view long toss as the ultimate answer for every ailment, we see it as a valuable instrument in our toolbox for developing electric arm strength. When people knock the value of long toss, it’s because they fail to grasp two primary truths. Truth 1: One can throw without pitching, but one can never pitch without throwing. To become a prolific pitcher, one must first become a prolific thrower. This truth is simply not debatable. Truth 2: There are two primary elements involved in being a world-class pitcher. One is skill. The other is ability. You will need both. Long toss creates, augments, enhances, and develops ability. Long toss stimulates muscle groups in original ways by focusing on the goal of maximum distance. This assists us in creating the training effect we often seek.
The result of these myriad opinions is that many parents and coaches get frozen. They don’t want to hurt their young man or place him in a high-risk situation. On the other hand, they know how important development of a power arm is to advancement. Confronted with so much conflicting information, they choose a middle course that all but guarantees mediocrity.
A few internet gurus even claim they have a specific recipe which overrides or
UPCOMING RANCH EVENTS ALUMNI CAMP October 7-9, 2017 (Saturday-Monday)
1-2-3 LEADS TO 602 Mariano Rivera Breaks the All-Time Saves Record Closers are an integral part of the modern game, but that wasn’t always the case. In fact, saves weren’t even an official MLB statistic until 1969. Most baseball historians point to Dennis Eckersley as the model for the one-inning shutdown closer, and after his Cy Young win in 1992, that model quickly became standard. Despite the tangled history of closers and saves, there’s no doubt as to who the best to ever do it is: the inimitable Mariano Rivera. On September 19, 2011, Rivera cemented his already-sterling legacy when he passed Trevor Hoffman for the all-time saves lead. Rivera’s cutter is one of the most storied pitches in all of baseball history, so it’s fitting that he set the record with that pitch. Chris Parmelee was Rivera’s victim for save number 602, striking out as the ball clipped the bottom corner. Mo would go on to record 50 more saves before retiring in 2013. There are very few surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers in baseball. When Rivera’s name hits the ballot in 2019, you can be sure he’ll be counted among them.
YOUTH CAMP (8-12 YR. OLDS) October 21 & 22 (Saturday-Sunday) ELITE PITCHERS BOOT CAMPS
November 18-20, 2017 (Saturday-Monday) December 16-18, 2017 (Saturday-Monday) December 27-29, 2017 (Wednesday-Friday) January, 13-15, 2018 (Saturday-Monday) COACHES BOOT CAMP December 7-10 (Thursday-Sunday)
More information can be found at www.TexasBaseballRanch.com/events.
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