Today’s post was a suggestion from several of my pitching coach colleagues who all shared similar horror stories. As you can probably tell from the title, it comes from their pitching students being put into game situations (usually very difficult ones) without the opportunity for a proper warm-up.

If you’ve been seeing this rest assured you’re not alone. Apparently it’s happening all over the softball world based on the stories I’ve been hearing, and expect to hear in the comments afterward.

Now, let me state up-front that I don’t think too many coaches are doing it intentionally. It’s more a matter of circumstances.

Here’s a typical example. Pitcher A starts the game and is doing fine for three inning. Then, in the fourth, the other team figures her out and starts hitting her, or she starts walking batters like she’s being paid to do it, or a combination of both.

Suddenly the coach realizes he/she needs to bring in a reliever and calls in Pitcher B from first base, or right field, or the bench, or wherever Pitcher B has been spending her time this game. No warning, no warm-ups, just her name called and a frantic gesture to come to the circle.

Of course, Pitcher B isn’t at all ready to come in and pitch effectively, either physically or mentally, so she throws her five allotted warm-up pitches and then proceeds to struggle. In the meantime, the coach gets mad because Pitcher B is not performing up to her usual standards; doubly mad if Pitcher B is normally his/her reliable Ace.

It happens. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve counseled distraught pitchers after it happened, because they feel like they let their teams down, their coaches yelled at them for not pitching their usual games, and in some cases they’ve now lost confidence in their ability to pitch at all.

But the problem isn’t with the pitcher. It’s with the coach who didn’t plan ahead and perhaps doesn’t understand that going in to pitch is a little different than subbing in at second base or shortstop or center field.

There is a reason pitchers typically warm up for anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes or more. Pitching a softball well requires a complex set of movements that are unique to that position and that must be precisely timed.

A little stiffness here, a little imbalance there, and the whole mechanism is off enough to cause pitchers to struggle. It doesn’t take much. It also requires a certain rhythm that must be found before the pitcher is ready to go full-out. And that’s just for a basic fastball.

Each pitch also needs its own warm-up time to help the pitcher home in on the precise mechanics that will make it do what it’s supposed to do, whether it’s to move in a certain direction, give the impression it will come in at a different speed, or do something else that will cause the batter to either swing and miss or hit the ball weakly.

On top of all that, pitchers need that warm-up time to prepare themselves mentally for the battles ahead. They need to find their inner calm or inner fire or whatever it is they use to help them compete, and they need to feel ready to face the trial by fire that is inherent in the position.

None of that will happen if the pitcher is suddenly yanked into the game and given five warm-ups. It also won’t happen if a pitcher is pulled from the game or the bench and told to go warm up quickly and then two minutes later the coach is asking “Are you ready yet?”

Oh, but you say, the pitcher warmed up before the game. I guess that’s better than nothing, but just barely. Keep in mind that that warm-up likely happened more than an hour ago.

In the ensuing time most if not all of the benefits of warming up have been lost. The pitcher’s motion is cold (even if the arm isn’t), her rhythm has been lost, and her mind has been focused elsewhere.

It’s almost the same as saying she warmed up before the game yesterday so should be ready today. In pitching terms, that hour is so long ago it’s as if it never happened.

I understand that there are times when it’s unavoidable. Sometimes the pitcher gets injured, whether it’s taking a line drive off the bat, having a runner slide into her on a play at the plate, getting hit by a wild pitch when she’s batting, or twisting her ankle landing halfway into a hole that resulted from no one dragging or raking the field after the first of the day was thrown.

At that point someone has to take over. In these types of emergency scenarios it’s important for coaches to keep their expectations (and their game plans) realistic.

Keep pitching calling simple (fastballs and changeups most likely) and don’t be surprised or express disappointment or anger if the pitcher isn’t as effective as she usually is. She’s trying, coach.

In any other situation, remember these wise words: Your lack of planning does not constitute my emergency.

Even when things are going well, coaches should have a backup plan in place. Keep a pitcher warmed up and ready to go in at a moment’s notice, just in case whoever is in right now needs to come out. Unless there is a huge disparity, a warmed up #3 will probably do better than a cold #2, or even a cold #1.

Also keep in mind the health and safety factor. A pitcher who has not gone through a proper warm-up is at higher risk of injury, especially in and around joins like the shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles. Giving your pitchers adequate time to warm up before heading into that stressful, high-impact position will make it far more likely she’s ready to go not just this time but the next time you need her too.

Pitching is hard enough on the body, the mind, the emotions, and the spirit. Don’t make it harder by pulling a pitcher in without a warm-up.

With a little planning and forethought you can keep your pitchers healthier and produce better results for the team.