Free Middle School Pitching Program: A 4-Week Beginner Routine

Who this template is for

Choose the actual-age pitching guidance with a parent. If the athlete is already lifting and pitching heavily, use the coach’s existing plan or the 13U/14U guide instead of adding this beginner block. Athletes in a growth spurt with knee or heel pain need assessment before starting.

A useful first month teaches the athlete how to prepare, record a session, and recognize when to stop. More equipment is not a substitute for those skills. Build a routine before adding specialized drills.

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 · No gym required

B · Coordination

T · The throwing week

Practice focus

Give each session a start and finish time. When homework, another sport, or poor sleep makes the week crowded, keep the shorter successful routine. Parents can ask “How did it feel?” rather than requesting a velocity number.

Throwing program

Ages 11 to 12 · 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 110 planned throws

Week 2 · about 125 planned throws

Week 3 · about 120 planned throws

Week 4 (lighter week) · about 90 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 85 pitches at ages 11 to 12, 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

Move to the 13U or 14U guide (by actual age) after four weeks of two completed sessions each, when the athlete can run the warm-up unprompted, hold a side plank for 20 seconds per side, and keep a simple log. A beginner who needs a fifth week takes it.

Common questions

Is middle school the same as 13U?

No. Grade levels contain a range of ages and development stages. Age rules and exercise readiness must be checked separately.

What should a beginner track?

Date, activities, approximate throwing exposure, energy, and symptoms. Do not diagnose an injury from the log.

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. 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.

4. Haff & Triplett, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed. (2016)

   Chapters 7, 17, 18, 20, 21 and 22: youth guidelines (1–3 sets of 6–15 repetitions, 2–3 nonconsecutive days per week, load increases of about 5–10%), exercise order and rest intervals, the two-for-two progression rule, plyometric prerequisites and 48–72 hour recovery with depth jumps contraindicated while growth plates are open, aerobic progression of no more than 10% per week, in-season maintenance with unloading weeks, and criterion-based return to play. Consulted from the supplied book; no program tables reproduced.