A good shoulder program is essential not only for building strength in the rotator cuff, but also the maintenance of the cuff over the course of a season. A very good program can be found @ http://www.asmi.org/SportsMed/throwing/thrower10.PDF. These exercises should be done 2-3X per week with day 1 being immediately following work in a game or bullpen. Make sure recovery time is allowed between these exercises as well.
The next major factor in maintaining arm health is rest. Rest is just as important as pitch counts but is usually the most dangerous breakdown for the throwing athlete. Most high school leagues have restrictions to how much a pitcher can throw (usually innings) during the span of a week, but few have restrictions to the frequency of that work. Throwing multiple innings with one day of rest is much more taxing than throwing multiple innings with 4-5 days rest. Having more rest will reduce the risk of injury and increase the effectiveness of the athlete.
Finally, look at the number of pitches an individual throws per inning. 30 pitches in one inning takes much more out of a pitcher that 30 pitches in 2 innings. Think about lifting weights. If you have one set of 30 reps. you will fatigue much faster than doing 3 sets of 10 reps. Also, recovery time is much longer with the higher reps, meaning a higher probability of decreased effectiveness and loss of velocity. Make sure you take this into consideration when throwing deep into a game.
Remember that you can't make a team or compete if you can't throw. Take the time and prepare for the innings in this next season.
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