Lake Zurich Baseball and Softball Association

After a lenghthy interview process, where 13 candidates were interviewed for all 10U - 14U manager postions, LZBSA is pleased to announce the managers for the 2011 Cougar Travel Baseball Season.

Note:  The number of teams at each age group is dependent upon the number of kids that tryout and the evaluation results.  The final number of teams will be announced after the evalution results are completed.

Spring 2010 will be here before you know it. Here's what to do ahead of time.

For pitchers, the off-season is a time to work hard at getting stronger for the season to come. This involves a combination of workout elements - throwing, running and weight lifting (if your coaches and parents approve).

When planning your off-season program, target the first day of your season and work backward from there. If you think a 60-day schedule is best for you, for example, look at your calendar to find the first day of the season and start your program 60 days before then.

A good, overall program for pitchers involves working gradually. You don't want to throw too hard, too often, too soon. Start with a warm-up routine that gives you 5 -10 throws at 45 feet or less, then move on to another 10-20 throws at 60 feet or more. Let your size, age and comfort level determine how far you throw past 60 feet. And don't forget a good 10 minutes of stretching exercise before you begin.

After warmups, use a soft toss routine that helps condition your throwing arm with repetitive throws at a variety of distances. Remember, the key word here is soft toss.

When doing soft toss, make sure you engage your whole body in the throwing effort, just as you do when pitching off a mound. Don't stand flat-footed; use the crow-hop to get your lower body into the throw, especially when throwing longer distances.

Just as with your warm-up routine, use your own comfort level to determine how far and how many throws in soft-toss. Notice I said how many throws, not how many minutes. A common mistake pitchers at all levels make is counting the time, not the number of throws, in an exercise routine. Some pitchers throw quickly, some throw slowly.  The only way to get a good, consistent read on how much work you've done is by simply counting the number of throws you've made.

Figure on at least three to four weeks of soft-toss routine, depending on the length of your overall program. Only after that do you move on to the mound. Be sure to begin your mound routine with the same warmup routine mentioned above.

Mound routines are about conditioning first, then throwing the ball for strikes next. Chances are, 40-50 pitches might be enough. Once again, start slowly. Begin at 50% speed, move to 75% speed and throw no harder than 90% speed at the end.

When doing a mound routine, it's a good idea not to throw too many breaking balls. Depending once again on your age and experience, you may want to throw fewer than 10 per workout. Or none at all, if you don't normally throw them during the season.

In either case, the off-season is a great time to work on change-up grips. The most important thing when throwing a change-up is to keep the same delivery, and especially the same arm speed, as with your fastball. Use the off-season to test different grips to find one that's right for you.

If you choose to work with weights, try some light weights just after you've thrown. Then take a day off and repeat the same pattern on the next day - or two days - after that.

Using the off-season to get yourself ready for the season ahead is one of the smartest things you can do to advance your strength and ability as a pitcher.