By Gene Coleman, Ed. D., RSCC*E
For many youth and high school baseball players, the baseball year no longer consists of one season followed by an off-season. It has become a nearly continuous cycle of spring baseball, summer baseball and fall baseball, often followed by showcases, lessons, throwing programs and off-season skill work.
That makes fall baseball something coaches and parents need to view differently. Fall baseball doesn’t start with a fresh athlete or a fresh arm. It starts with everything the athlete has accumulated since spring.
Season 1 — Spring Baseball
Spring is usually the traditional competitive season. Players practice, throw, hit, sprint and compete several days per week. Pitchers accumulate innings and pitches. Position players accumulate throws, swings, sprints and games. By the end of spring, fatigue has already begun to accumulate.
Season 2 — Summer Baseball
Instead of recovering after the spring season, many athletes immediately transition into travel baseball, tournaments, camps, showcases and private instruction.
Games can increase while recovery between competitions decreases. Weekend tournaments may involve several games in two or three days, travel, irregular meals and reduced sleep.
For pitchers, the workload isn’t limited to pitches recorded in games. Bullpens, warm-up pitches, long toss, lessons, showcases and throws from other positions all contribute to the total stress placed on the arm.
The calendar may say “summer season.” The body says “continued workload.”
Season 3 — Fall Baseball
Then comes fall baseball. The mistake is assuming that because it is a new season, the athlete is starting over. The schedule resets. The body doesn’t.
Fall baseball can begin after months of throwing, swinging, sprinting, competing and traveling with little meaningful reduction in workload. An athlete who looks healthy can still be carrying significant accumulated fatigue.
Fatigue can affect movement quality, throwing mechanics, strength, coordination and the ability to tolerate additional stress. When workload continues while the body’s ability to recover declines, the margin between productive training and excessive stress becomes smaller. That’s why fall baseball can become the third injury season.
Fatigue Is Cumulative – Think of workload as a running total:
SPRING → SUMMER → FALL
Each season adds stress. Recovery helps the athlete adapt to that stress. Without sufficient recovery, however, fatigue can accumulate faster than the athlete can recover. This is especially important with young athletes because they are still growing and developing while simultaneously dealing with school, practices, games, travel and other activities.
The goal should not simply be to determine: “Can he play?” A better question is: “Is he physically prepared to tolerate another season?”
Watch the Athlete, Not Just the Calendar
As Yogi Berra said: “You can observe a lot by just watching.”
Coaches and parents should watch for changes such as declining velocity, loss of command, altered throwing mechanics, reduced energy, unusual soreness, slower recovery, decreased performance or an athlete who simply looks tired. These aren’t signs that an athlete needs to work harder. They may be signs that the athlete needs less workload and more recovery.
Make Fall Developmental
Fall baseball can be extremely valuable when it is used appropriately. For many athletes, fall should involve less competition and more development. Reduce unnecessary innings and pitches. Limit showcases and overlapping teams. Continue strength and conditioning. Maintain mobility. Improve movement quality. Develop baseball skills without turning every practice into another high-intensity competition. And when needed, give the athlete time away from throwing.
The objective of fall baseball should not be to squeeze another season out of the athlete. It should be to help prepare the athlete for the next one.
The Bottom Line
There are no fresh starts when workload is continuous. Spring creates stress. Summer adds to it. Fall inherits it. If we want young athletes to remain healthy, improve performance and continue playing baseball for years to come, we have to stop treating each season as an independent event.
Fatigue is cumulative. Workload is cumulative. Recovery must be planned. Don’t just prepare young athletes to play more baseball. Prepare them to tolerate the baseball they play.
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Gene Coleman, Ed. D., RSCC*E, FACSM, was the Major League Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Houston Astros from 1978-2012 and Strength and Conditioning Consultant for the Texas Rangers from 2013-2020. He is Professor Emeritus in the Exercise and Health Sciences Program at the University of Houston – Clear Lake and Website Education Manager https://pbsccs.org/.