A quick disclosure first: this is the Pitch AI blog, and Pitch AI is an app that builds throwing programs. We cover it below as one option among several, and we have tried to describe the other approaches the way their own authors describe them. If you want to understand how a program is built in general, read our guide to building a baseball throwing program.
Why there is no single best program
Researchers have looked hard at the throwing programs people actually use, and the results are humbling. Boos and colleagues (2025) reviewed 99 publicly available interval throwing programs. More than half (54%) were designed for return from injury or surgery, about 40% gave no criteria for when to start, and only 63% said what to do after a setback. Long toss distances ranged from 90 to 250 feet at the top end. Standardized warm-ups, arm care and other training were missing from 32%, 63% and 47% of programs. Only 20% cited even one peer-reviewed reference.
Langhans and colleagues (2025) then reviewed programs published in the medical literature. Comprehensiveness was poor, with a mean score of 20 out of 30 on their checklist, and there was very little formal validation. Most published programs, they wrote, are variations of an original program published many years ago.
None of that means throwing programs do not work. It means you should not pick one because it is popular. Pick one because it does the specific things a good program needs to do.
The main types of throwing programs
1. Interval throwing programs (ITPs)
The classic interval throwing program comes from sports medicine. Reinold, Wilk and colleagues published guidelines in 2002 for interval programs in baseball, tennis and golf, built on gradual steps in distance and volume, with the note that the program should be modified to meet each athlete's needs and paired with strengthening, flexibility, plyometric and neuromuscular work. Many clinic and team programs descend from that model.
Strengths: clear, gradual progression; designed with tissue loading in mind. Limits: most are built for rehab, often lack intent and mound work for healthy pitchers, and vary widely in quality, as the reviews above found. If you are coming back from an injury, use the program your clinician gives you.
2. Workload-based interval programs
Reinold and colleagues (2024) rebuilt the interval program around workload data. They estimated elbow torque per throw from throwing distance, then tracked daily, acute and chronic workload and the acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR). The traditional program ran 136 days, spent 18% of its days outside a 0.7 to 1.3 ACWR range and peaked at 1.61. The new program ran 217 days, was outside that range 9% of the time and peaked at 1.33.
Strengths: the most data-driven public design so far; it builds chronic workload gradually instead of in jumps. Limits: it is a return-to-competition program, it is long, and its workload estimates are modeled rather than measured on each athlete.
3. Jaeger-style long toss
Alan Jaeger's long toss approach is one of the best known in baseball. As Driveline describes it, Jaeger tells athletes to "listen to [their] arm": throws go out with arc while the athlete gradually backs up, then come back in on a flatter line with more intent, and the day's distance is set by how the arm feels. Driveline compares that to autoregulated training.
Strengths: simple, popular, builds volume and range, and adjusts to the day. Limits: the research on long toss is thin. Driveline itself notes that long toss as year-round or programmed arm care "has not been researched." Fleisig and colleagues (2011) found that maximum-distance throws produced the greatest elbow varus torque and shoulder external rotation of any condition they tested, so the furthest throws deserve respect. Our long toss program guide covers how to build distance safely.
4. Driveline-style offseason blocks
Driveline publishes how it structures offseason throwing. In a 2020 article, Michael O'Connell describes four phases: on-ramping (from little or no throwing up to high-intent throwing), velocity (scheduled throwing at 100% effort), mound blending, and mound development (pitch design, command and bullpens before the season), arranged in two to six week blocks. The article stresses that "every baseball throwing program is based on need," that a professional offseason is different from an amateur one, and that amateurs tend to need more rest. Driveline also suggests some form of long toss roughly 2 to 5 times a week, and its programs often include plyo balls, weighted balls and pulldowns.
Strengths: clear phases that build toward the season, intent is planned rather than random, and the programs are written with velocity as a goal. Limits: the most detailed versions are individualized by Driveline staff after an assessment, and weighted ball work needs care, especially for younger pitchers. Our review of the weighted ball program research covers both the velocity gains and the injury findings.
5. Pitch Smart guidance
MLB and USA Baseball's Pitch Smart is not a throwing program, but every program for an amateur pitcher should respect it. It sets daily game pitch limits and rest by age, recommends yearly innings limits, and calls for at least 4 months off from throwing or competitive pitching each year, with at least 2 to 3 of those months continuous for ages 18 and under. Fleisig and colleagues (2011) found that pitchers who threw more than 100 innings in a year were 3.5 times more likely to be seriously injured. Use the pitch count calculator to check the limits for any age.
6. App-built programs
A newer option is an app that builds the program for you from your profile and adjusts it from day to day. Pitch AI is one of these. It builds a throwing program from your age, level, years pitching, recent pitch counts, schedule, equipment, season phase and goal, organizes it into progressive blocks with long toss, plyo work, pulldowns, bullpens and arm care as appropriate, and changes the day's volume and intensity from readiness check-ins and an acute:chronic workload trend. Limits: an app cannot assess you in person, it estimates workload from what you log rather than measuring each throw, and it is not a substitute for a clinician-led return-to-throw plan.
Checklist: how to judge any throwing program
Use this table on any program you are considering, including ours. A good program should answer yes to most of these questions.
| Criterion | What to look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Age fit | Volume, distance and intent scaled to the athlete's age and maturity, with Pitch Smart limits respected | Young arms and adult arms are not the same, and youth guidelines exist for a reason |
| Season phase | Different structure for offseason, preseason, in-season and return to throw | Building capacity and maintaining it in season are different jobs |
| Progression rules | Small, planned steps in volume, distance or intent, one variable at a time | Sudden jumps in workload are where problems tend to start |
| Workload tracking | Every throw counted, ideally with effort, and some way to compare this week with your recent base | Long toss and practice throws carry real load; Melugin (2019) found "75%" throws still reached 93% of max elbow torque |
| Readiness and autoregulation | A way to adjust the day for soreness, sleep, arm feel or a bad week | A fixed calendar cannot know how you feel today |
| Criteria for advancing | Clear rules for when to move forward, repeat a step or back off after a setback | About 40% of public programs gave no start criteria and 37% gave no setback guidance (Boos 2025) |
| Includes strength and arm care | Strength, power and arm care work planned alongside the throwing | Capacity is built in the weight room too, and many public programs leave this out |
| Transparent sources | Says what it is based on and who wrote it | Only 20% of public programs cited a single peer-reviewed reference (Boos 2025) |
Gabbett (2016) described athletes who were accustomed to higher training loads having fewer injuries than athletes training at lower loads, with large, sudden spikes being the real problem. A good throwing program is how you get to a higher load safely. The pitching workload calculator shows whether a given week is building on your base or spiking it.
How to pick by situation
- Youth pitchers (about 9 to 12). Keep it simple: regular catch play, short long toss, skill and target games, lots of other sports, and Pitch Smart limits. There is no need for max-distance throwing or weighted implements. The goal is to build a base of athleticism and a love of throwing.
- High school pitchers. A phased offseason (build volume, then add a little intent, then mound work) plus strength training two or three days a week. Count every throw and protect the 2 to 3 continuous months off. Our guide on increasing pitching velocity in high school lays out a sample year.
- College and adult pitchers. Blocks with planned high-intent days, mound blending before the season, and in-season maintenance between outings. Weighted implements and pulldowns can fit here if they are introduced gradually and counted in workload.
- Returning from injury or surgery. Follow the interval throwing program your clinician prescribes, with their criteria for advancing. Do not swap in a generic program, including an app's. Our return to throwing planning workbook can help you prepare questions for that conversation.
- Pitchers with no plan at all. Start with a structured base. The free 4-week throwing and command program is a regular-baseball template, and our throwing program generator builds an example week-by-week plan from your age group, season phase and days per week.
Running a program well matters more than picking the perfect one
Most programs fail in execution, not design. A pitcher plays catch for a team, throws a bullpen for a private coach, does a long toss day from a PDF, and pitches a weekend tournament, and nobody adds it up. A few habits fix most of that:
- Run one program at a time. Team throwing and games replace planned sessions; they do not stack on top.
- Change one variable per week. Distance, volume or intent, not all three. Our guide on how to progress a throwing program goes deeper.
- Check the next morning. If the arm is heavy or sore, repeat the step instead of progressing. Pain means stop and see a qualified clinician.
- Ramp before big events. Showcases and the first weeks of the season are where spikes happen, so build toward that intensity in the weeks before.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best throwing program for pitchers?
There is no single best program. The best one fits your age, season phase and goal, progresses gradually, counts every throw, adjusts to how your arm feels, and gives clear rules for when to move forward. Reviews of published programs in 2025 found that most public programs fall short on several of those points.
Is the Jaeger long toss program good?
It is one of the most widely used long toss approaches and it is built around letting the arm decide the day's distance, which Driveline compares to autoregulated training. There is no strong evidence that any one long toss philosophy produces more velocity than another, so judge it by how well it fits your week and how you count the throws.
Should I use an interval throwing program if I am healthy?
Interval throwing programs were designed mainly for returning from injury, and a 2025 review found 54% of public programs were built for that purpose. Healthy pitchers can borrow the idea of gradual distance and volume steps, but usually need more intent work, mound work and strength training than a rehab program provides.
How long should a throwing program be?
Most offseason plans run in blocks of a few weeks. Driveline describes offseason phases in two to six week blocks. Return-to-throw programs are longer: a workload-based program published in 2024 ran 217 days. The right length depends on where you are starting and when your season begins.
What should a throwing program for a high school pitcher include?
Catch play and long toss that build volume gradually, a small number of high-intent days once the base is there, mound work before the season, strength training, and rest periods that follow Pitch Smart, including 2 to 3 continuous months off from overhead throwing each year.
A program built from your profile
Let Pitch AI build and adjust your throwing program
Pitch AI builds your throwing program from your age, level, years pitching, recent pitch counts, schedule, equipment, season phase and goal, then progresses it in blocks. Readiness check-ins change the day's volume and intensity, logged throws feed an acute:chronic workload trend, and Pitch Smart rest days are applied after logged games. Coaches can manage a whole staff in Coach View.
Sources and further reading
- Boos AM, et al. Interval Throwing Programs for Baseball Players: Methodological Assessment of the Quality and Construct of Publicly Available Programs. Sports Health, 2025
- Langhans MT, et al. Current State of Baseball Interval Throwing Programs: A Systematic Review of Content, Structure, and Variability of Published Throwing Programs. Sports Health, 2025
- Reinold MM, et al. Interval sport programs: guidelines for baseball, tennis, and golf. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 2002
- Reinold MM, et al. An Interval Throwing Program for Baseball Pitchers Based upon Workload Data. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 2024
- Fleisig GS, et al. Biomechanical comparison of baseball pitching and long-toss: implications for training and rehabilitation. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 2011
- Melugin HP, et al. Baseball Pitchers' Perceived Effort Does Not Match Actual Measured Effort During a Structured Long-Toss Throwing Program. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2019
- Fleisig GS, et al. Risk of serious injury for young baseball pitchers: a 10-year prospective study. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2011
- Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016
- Reinold MM, et al. Effect of a 6-Week Weighted Baseball Throwing Program on Pitch Velocity, Pitching Arm Biomechanics, Passive Range of Motion, and Injury Rates. Sports Health, 2018
- Driveline Baseball: Everything Long Toss and Long Toss Programs (2023)
- Driveline Baseball: Off-Season Throwing Program (O'Connell, 2020)
- MLB and USA Baseball. Pitch Smart pitching guidelines