Arm Strength Is the Easiest Tool a 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. Long toss. In-and-out. That’s the tryout before the game.

Show a strong arm there and he will watch 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 distance. If the arm feels good, throw until the distance starts to fall off.

When you come back in, keep the arm speed up. That’s the pull-down. That’s where velo is trained — not in the long hop at 250 feet.

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 shorter. Some days they had it. The stamina is the point.

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 plan, not a personality trait.