FREE 6-WEEK TEMPLATE · PDF INCLUDED
Free High School Velocity Building Program: 6-Week Foundation
This high school template organizes the supporting work around pitching. It is not a promise of a particular velocity gain, and it does not add a high-intent throwing block to an already full team schedule. The coach remains responsible for throwing exposures.
No email required · Healthy high school pitchers with basic supervised lifting experience · By Pitch AI · 2026-09-07
Who this template is for
Beginners should start with the middle school or youth movement patterns regardless of grade. Experienced athletes should still have a qualified coach choose loads and coordinate competition.
An athlete who can lift more but cannot recover for the next practice has not necessarily improved the week. Pair modest strength progress with honest notes on throwing quality, sleep, and soreness. Use the six weeks to establish a sustainable baseline.
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. This template does not prescribe additional pitching counts or maximum-intent throwing.
| Day / window | Plan |
|---|---|
| Monday | Strength A; avoid placing unfamiliar heavy work immediately before pitching. |
| Tuesday | Existing coach-planned throwing. |
| Wednesday | Easy conditioning: 15–20 minute conversational walk or cycle. |
| Thursday | Strength B. |
| Friday | Existing throwing or recovery, chosen by the coach. |
| Weekend | Game/practice replaces throwing work; one full rest day. |
Session details
Before each session: 5–8 minutes of comfortable walking or jogging, marching, bodyweight squats, and easy rehearsal of the first exercise. Use a clear surface and equipment that fits the athlete.
Strength sets should finish with about 3 good repetitions still possible. Rest 60–120 seconds between ordinary sets and 2–3 minutes between explosive efforts. Stop earlier if speed, balance, or technique deteriorates. No lifting to failure or maximum-effort testing is required.
A · Strength and landing
| Exercise / task | Dose / question | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Jump and stick | 2 × 3 | Low height; reset each rep. |
| Goblet squat | 2 × 6–8 | Finish with three repetitions in reserve. |
| Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 2 × 8 | No forced range. |
| Incline push-up and chest-supported row | 2 × 8 each | Rest between exercises; no fatigue circuit. |
B · Single-leg strength
| Exercise / task | Dose / question | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Reverse lunge | 2 × 6/side | Stable foot pressure. |
| Glute bridge | 2 × 10 | Use controlled reps. |
| Band row | 2 × 10 | Secure the anchor. |
| Side plank | 2 × 15–20 seconds/side | Breathe; stop before sagging. |
| Acceleration | 4 × 10 yards | Full walk-back plus 60 seconds rest. |
Practice focus
Do not turn video feedback into five simultaneous corrections. Select one observable task with the coach, use it within normal throwing work, and retest under the same camera and effort conditions.
Week-by-week progression
| Week | Decision |
|---|---|
| 1 | Choose a light baseline, no max tests. |
| 2 | Repeat all loads; improve consistency. |
| 3 | Add one repetition where the reserve and technique remain unchanged. |
| 4 | Use one set per strength exercise during a consolidation week. |
| 5 | Return to two sets; increase load only with coach approval. |
| 6 | Hold the best-tolerated dose. Review training and comparable throwing footage. |
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.
Keep a simple log
| Date | Work completed | Response / next-day notes |
|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________ |
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________ |
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________ |
| ________________ | ________________________ | ________________________ |
Do not enter private medical details in shared team copies. Keep your personal log securely.
Common questions
Can I use this in season?
Only after the coach fits it around appearances. Use the separate in-season template when recovery time is limited.
Why no weighted-ball schedule?
The evidence does not justify assigning an advanced weighted-ball protocol to every unknown reader. Readiness and monitoring require individual assessment.
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.
- Haff & Triplett, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed. (2016)
Chapters 7, 17 and 18: youth training, resistance-program design, and plyometric-program design. Consulted from the supplied book; no program tables reproduced.
- Driveline Baseball, Hacking the Kinetic Chain: Advanced Pitching
Supplied edition, mechanics and training-economy discussion within PDF pages 2–58. Coaching context, not proof that a particular drill prevents injury.
- Reinold et al. (2018): randomized weighted-baseball training study
Velocity improvement does not establish that a weighted-ball protocol is appropriate for every pitcher.