Arm Strength Is the Easiest Tool a College Coach Sees

Arm strength is the easiest tool for a coach to see because the first thing he does when he shows up is watch warm-ups. He watches the player play catch, long toss, and then take in-and-out. That’s the tryout before the game.

Show a strong arm there and he will pay closer attention during the at-bats and the dugout too. Show a weak arm and he has to see something special during the game to stay. You are not guaranteed that at-bat.

There has only been one sure-fire way I’ve seen kids actually build an arm: long toss, regularly. Don’t put a fake ceiling on the distance he’s throwing. If the arm feels good, throw until the distance starts to fall off. When you go to play catch, play with a plan to improve. The catch routine is on the Development page.

When you come back in, keep the arm speed up. That’s the pull-down phase. That’s where velo is trained — not in the long hop at 250 feet. Let the arm feel loose and have him accelerate out in front.

If he wants to throw 90, this is not a Saturday hobby. Out of season, most of the kids who got there were on a field 5+ days a week. Some days are shorter than others. Let his arm determine how long he plays catch and at what distance.

A strong arm is also a healthier arm. As a position player, his job is to throw every day. If he can’t because it’s always sore, the future gets small. From here on, a below-average arm is a tool that just needs to be trained, not a personality trait. The arm numbers by position are in The 3 Measurable Tools.