Question: It's getting cold up in the northeast already, at temperature would you recommend that we stop throwing outside? And should we find place to throw inside for the winter?

A: There's no hard and fast rule,but you know that baseball/software are generally played during the warm weather months. There's several good reasons for this, not all related to throwing. In football, quarterbacks throw in freezing weather all the time, but I've never heard of a quarterback arm injury attributed to throwing in cold weather. Of course, they might make only 30-40 throws each game, they usually have a lot of time between each throw, and quarterback throwing mechanics are different than baseball/softball overhand throwing mechanics, so it's an "apples and oranges" comparison. 

     Nevertheless, there's no point in taking chances, especially with youngsters. So, if you can't throw comfortably (as in adequate warmth) in what you normally wear to play or practice in, let that be your guide. If you have to wear a jacket to keep warm, it's too cold to throw. At that point, go indoors. It may not seem like a big deal to throw with several extra layers of clothing on, but it COULD be. 

     If you have to really bundle up to keep warm, and the added clothing affects your throwing mechanics, you have the potential for problems. Add to that trying to keep your fingers warm and properly gripping the ball. So be safe and find an indoor facility - the high school basketball gym, indoor tennis courts, whatever. You may have to show up at odd hours to be able to use a facility, but it's worth it from your health's standpoint. 

     As an example, when I was coaching American Legion ball in Wyoming (they have no high school baseball there) we approached the local community college about practicing several days a week inside of their large gym. They kindly allowed us to do so (at no charge), enabling us to get in a lot of work during the cold winter months. So use your imagination - there are warm places to play catch most anywhere! 

OFF-SEASON THROWING 

     As for off-season throwing, taking a few months off is not going to hurt at all. If your next season begins say next March, starting to throw again in December or January (indoors) will give you plenty of time to develop significant arm strength for the upcoming season. If you're one of those young guys or gals who just can't get enough of the game, consider doing other baseball/ softball -related activities. Work on swinging a bat (bat speed), and doing strength and conditioning exercises specific to baseball and softball.
 
     It is important to understand that the body actually grows on REST days, not on workout days. Allowing the arm to rest for most of the winter, especially if you've played a lot of games and threw a lot last season will be good for your arm.
 
     Last resort: if you just can't stand the thought of taking so much time off from throwing, consider using an underweight (4 oz) ball or a tennis ball (about 3.5 oz) for baseball players or a baseball (5 oz) or underweight softball (5.2 oz) for softball players. The lighter balls will be less stressful on the arm, yet these balls are close enough to regulation balls as to not affect your mechanics. 

     And, as many of you know from the data in the Throwing Velocity Program, underweight balls produce the best velocity increases.