Free 10U Velocity Building Program: Start with Throwing Skills

Who this template is for

Use only when the athlete already participates in pain-free baseball practice. A parent should coordinate all teams and lessons so this template does not become extra workload. Playing several sports is encouraged at this age; this plan is designed to fit around them.

At this age, turn practice into a task the child understands: hit a large target, finish balanced, or land quietly. Scale the task to the child—bigger targets and shorter distances—rather than breaking the throw into body-part drills. The throwing program below gives conservative youth starting numbers, not an adult long-toss chart; the coach can shorten the distance or volume to match the child’s current practice.

For age-specific pitching limits and rest requirements, consult the current MLB Pitch Smart guidance and your league’s rules. Limits are ceilings, not training targets.

Your weekly framework

The days below are movable placeholders. A qualified coach should fit them around current throwing, other teams, and recovery. Throwing volume comes from the throwing program below; it prescribes no maximum-intent throwing and does not stack on top of team practice or games.

Session details

Before each session, 8–12 minutes: easy walking or jogging, leg swings, hip and upper-back rotations, then a light band arm-care series (external and internal rotation, a row, and a scapular raise; one set of 10–15 each), then an unloaded rehearsal of the first exercise. Use a clear surface, a secure band anchor, and equipment sized to the athlete.

Order each session so the work that depends on freshness comes first: jumps or sprints, then the main strength exercise, then accessory and trunk work, with any conditioning last. Main strength sets stop with 2–3 clean repetitions still possible; accessory, youth, and beginner sets keep 3 or more in reserve. Rest 2–3 minutes after jumps, sprints, and main strength sets and 60–90 seconds after accessory sets. Progress by the two-for-two rule: when the final set reaches two repetitions above target in two consecutive sessions, add the smallest available load (about 2.5–5 lb for upper-body and 5–10 lb for lower-body exercises, or 5–10% for youth). End a set when speed, balance, or technique changes. No lifting to failure or maximum-effort testing is required.

A · Control first

B · Playful athleticism

T · The throwing week

Practice focus

For target practice, replace a short portion of normal catch with a wide target. Count comfortable, accurate throws rather than asking for a harder throw after every miss. Say what to hit, never what to avoid. End practice if the child becomes tired or changes their motion to continue.

Throwing program

Ages 9 to 10 · Offseason build · 3 throwing days per week. Build throwing volume and long toss distance first. Intent rises late in the block, after the base is there.

Place the throwing days on your week so the longest or hardest day is not the day before a game, and throw before lifting when they share a day. If a team already runs throwing practice, that practice is the session: use the numbers below as a ceiling and log what was actually done. Games replace a throwing day; they never stack on top. Repeat a week instead of moving on if the arm feels heavy or soreness lasts into the next morning.

Week 1 · about 95 planned throws

Week 2 · about 95 planned throws

Week 3 · about 110 planned throws

Week 4 (lighter week) · about 80 planned throws

Throw counts include warm-up throws. Distances are ceilings, never targets. Pitch Smart for this age group: Ages 9 to 12: daily max of 75 pitches at ages 9 to 10, no more than 80 combined innings in any 12 months, at least 4 months off from throwing each year. Need a different phase or number of days? Use the free throwing program generator.

Week-by-week progression

The weeks are decision points, not deadlines. Repeat or reduce a week when recovery is poor. Exact doses here are original coaching examples, not a research-proven route to a certain velocity.

When to move on

Ready for the next block when two movement sessions per week were completed for four weeks, single-leg balance holds 10 seconds each side, two-foot landings are quiet every rep, and the target game is hit more than half the time at the chosen distance. Then repeat this template with a slightly smaller target or one step farther. Move to the 13U guide only when the athlete is actually 12–13.

Common questions

How far should a 10U pitcher long toss?

The throwing program caps distance at 70 feet or less in this four-week block, and those numbers are ceilings, never targets. The coach chooses a comfortable distance within them without straining or chasing distance records.

Can my child use this during a tournament?

Skip the extra sessions when games already fill the week. The tournament, the Pitch Smart rest days, and recovery take priority.

Why no drills that break the throw into pieces?

Skill research favors scaling the task—bigger targets, shorter distances, lighter regulation balls—over decomposing it. Children learn the whole action better and enjoy it more.

Evidence & source notes

These sources inform the principles, not a guarantee that this exact template produces an outcome. Coaching manuals are labeled separately from research. No proprietary program tables or illustrations have been reproduced.

1. NSCA: Youth Resistance Training position statement (2009)

   Supports supervised, developmentally appropriate resistance training; does not validate these specific schedules.

2. NSCA: Youth training and long-term athletic development

   Development and training experience matter alongside chronological age.

3. ASMI: Position Statement for Adolescent Baseball Pitchers

   Fatigue and throwing workload require active management; fastball and change-up skills come before breaking pitches.

4. MLB Pitch Smart: pitching guidelines by age

   Daily pitch maximums and required rest days by age. Values quoted in these templates were checked in September 2026; the linked page is authoritative and league rules may be stricter.

5. Rob Gray, How We Learn to Move (2021)

   Constraints-led practice: change the task (target, distance, ball, surface) rather than instructing joint positions; use variability from the first session and scale it to the athlete; prefer external, analogy-based cues; define targets by what to hit, not what to avoid; scale equipment for children instead of breaking skills into drills (chapters 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11).

6. Susan Hall, Basic Biomechanics (2023)

   Growth plates stay open until about age 18 and can be injured by repetitive loading; elbow valgus torque rises with ball speed; flexing the hips, knees and ankles on landing lengthens the absorption time and lowers peak force (pp. 86–96, 189–192, 369).