The Mound Visit
Should you shutdown or de-load?
October 26, 2026 · 3 min read · Jared Gaynor
As we approach November and coaches are deciding on shutting down their players, I wanted to provide my perspective.
The first thing we have to figure out is how long can we afford to take off?
In order to determine this we have to start with the end in mind.
What do I want my pitchers to be built up for on opening day?
How many pitches and innings?
From there, you simply work backwards.
If he needs to be ready for 5 innings and 80 pitches on February 19th, what does he need to do the week prior?
You keep working backwards till you get to today.
You'll be amazed what you discover.
To build up properly after a 3+ week shutdown, it takes much longer than you are likely thinking in your head.
Now that we have brought some awareness to this, I want to talk about your 2 options between now and the season.
Shutting down and de-loading.
First let's define both.
Shutting down is stopping all throwing for a period of time. This is usually 2+ weeks.
De-loading is reducing volume and intensity, but continuing to throw in some capacity.
Now, let's dive into the pros and cons of both and who is a good fit for each.
1. Shutdown
Who this is good for:
Pitchers that have pitched a lot of innings during the summer and fall without any time off.
More specifically, for players that feel fatigued, rundown, and performance is going down.
Pitchers that are in a great spot from a development standpoint and don't have much to work on between now and season (virtually no one).
Who this isn't good for:
Pitchers that are fighting for innings and need to make substantial improvements in their development.
Pitchers that don't have enough time to shutdown and properly build back up.
2. De-load
Who this is good for:
Pitchers that need a little time to recover, but can't afford to take substantial time off.
Who this isn't good for:
Pitchers battling injury and need to completely shutdown.
Pitchers who have time to shutdown, build back up, and have time to work on development.
My Opinion
In my opinion, 99% of pitchers should de-load this time of year and not shutdown.
The reason is most pitchers don't have enough time to properly shutdown and build back up.
Not to mention, majority of players have something they need to work on between now and the season.
De-loads give you the best of both worlds because you are able to recover without losing much and needing to start from square one.
There are a few ways to de-load, but here is a general way I would approach it if I was a college coach:
November
3-4 days a week of throwing
2 at 50% effort, 60-90'
1-2 at 70-80% effort, 120-150' - maybe grip work or light mound drills
December
Shift focus to skill work and development
Pitch design
Velo/high intent work
Command work
4-6 days a week of throwing
1-2 high intent days a week
Starting mound progression build up at end of month
January
Focus is on execution and building volume
Once lives start, add 15 pitches and 1 inning per week
If time allows, doubling up on same inning count each week can be valuable (2 weeks of 2 inning, 2 of 3 innings, etc)
February
Prepare for opening day
Final couple of lives before season
Once again, this is a general template. Each situation is different with multiple variables. Starter verse reliever, date of opening day, etc.
To help with this process we have created a FREE throwing build up resource.
All you have to do is input when opening day is, how many pitches/innings you want to be built for, and answer a few other questions and it will generate your entire throwing progression from now until opening day!
P.S. We are preparing to build another course for coaches.
Reply to this email with your preferred course topic:
Command
Game Planning/Scouting
Mechanics
See you next week!
-Jared
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