The Mound Visit
December Velocity Phase
December 2, 2024 · 2 min read · Jared Gaynor
December is a critical month for development.
For many, the season is within a couple months. What you do in December and January will have a profound impact on your season.
Today, I want to walk through what I am having some of my clients do between now and the season.
Let's begin with my high school players.
High School Players
In Arizona, tryouts are the first week of February with the games beginning at the end of the month.
Most of my guys had a de-load for the majority of November.
That entailed 3-5 days a week of low and medium intensity throwing.
The last week of the de-load finished with a high intent day to prepare for the next development block (December).
December is focusing primarily on velocity training.
This includes plyo velo on the mound, pulldowns, and max intent throwing on the mound.
Most will have 2 velo days per week (Monday and Friday).
This phase lasts for all of December before transitioning to mound work (pitch design and execution) to start January.
The second half of the month will have one pitch design or execution bullpen and one simulated inning(s) bullpen to build pitch count per week.
That is the general layout for high school arms.
JUCO Players
Now for my JUCO players, they have their first game at the end of January.
This timeline is obviously much shorter.
Similar to high school arms, my JUCO guys de-loaded in November.
For those that need it, they will do a short velo phase for a couple weeks in December before shifting to pitch design and pitch count building.
D1 Players
D1 guys are somewhere in the middle of the previous two groups. They have a little bit more time for velo focus in December or whatever the development category is that they need to focus on.
The key is to know what you need to focus on the most to be at your best for the season.
I've talked a lot about velo today, but it could be more of a pitch design or command focus in December if that is what you need.
Have questions about your own throwing? Reply to this email with your questions!
That's all for today.
See you next week!
Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
1. Remote Training: a personalized throwing and lifting program built for you and your goals.
2. In-Person Training: Work with me in Phoenix, Arizona. Personalized training program to help you reach your goals. Trackman and edgertronic for bullpen sessions.
3. Pitch Design "U" Course: A complete blueprint for developing nasty pitches and optimizing how you use your stuff. 3+ hours of easy to follow video lessons.