4 Reasons Why Arm Injuries Have Increased in Youth Pitchers

ByNathan E Gotch

As some may or may not know, arm injuries in youth pitchers has become an epidemic in the last few years. Some of these arm injuries are so extreme that many of these young baseball pitchers may never get the opportunity to pitch at the high school or college level.

There are several reasons why these young pitchers are suffering arm injuries. I'm going to explain five different reasons why youth pitchers are most likely developing arm injuries.

1. Improper and Ineffective Warm-Ups

This is an issue at all the competitive levels of baseball, but especially prevalent at the youth level. You have probably seen it. A young pitcher will go out to the foul line, do a couple arm circles, and then immediately start throwing.
Baseball pitchers must focus on developing a complete warm-up routine that consists of dynamic, not static stretching. Static stretching does not properly prepare the muscles and joints for strenuous activity.

Throwing a baseball is one of the most strenuous activities in any sport, so it is important that pitcher utilize dynamic stretching before any type of throwing routine. Most importantly, focus on warming up the entire body including the legs, core, and then eventually the rotator cuff and forearm.
Properly throwing a baseball requires a full body kinetic chain of energy, and this is why your entire body must be prepared.

2. Way Too Much Throwing

How many times have you seen an entire baseball team "warming up" their arms on the foul line for what seems to be almost an eternity? This is only the first problem. The biggest issue is that youth pitchers are pitching on three to four days rest after throwing 80-100 pitches in their previous appearance.

This type of irresponsible coaching is largely responsible for the increase in future arm injures due to overuse.

3. No Post-Game or Recovery Routine

Along with ineffective warm-ups, youth pitchers also disregard any type of post-throwing recovery. A pitcher's recovery period usually consists of full body static stretching, especially in the rotator cuff. This is a necessary component of any pitchers routine because it increase the blood flow to the muscles, and allows for quicker recovery between throwing sessions.

Unfortunately, most youth pitchers will not take the time and coaches will not enforce this post-game stretching regime.

4. Inefficient Mechanics

Proper pitching mechanics are essential for prevent arm injury, and for increasing velocity. However, in most instances, youth pitchers have very inefficient mechanics that rely heavily on the throwing arm. These pitchers simply have not learned how to utilize their entire body to deliver a baseball.

For more reasons why these injuries occur to youth pitchers, I recommend you read how to prevent arm injuries in youth pitchers.
 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathan_E_Gotch

3 Steps for Proper Pitching Mechanics

ByShingo Mitsumori

How many of you have heard pitching coaches yell out "find your balance point, just throw strikes, finish off square to the plate, rare back and fire, throw hard now", etc... ? I had coaches like that too growing up and guess what... They don't know what they are talking about.

Throwing, just like any other complex movement, requires many moving parts to flow in the correct sequence. When executed correctly, it should create a single effortless motion. Just throwing the ball is too general; we must be able to throw the ball on a downward plane with the most velocity as possible while putting the least amount of stress on the weaker links (UCL/Rotor-cuff) within the kinetic chain which is throwing.

First, let's split the human body up into 3 main components of power generation. Starting from the ground up, first we have the lower body composed of feet, ankle joints, lower legs (tibia, fibula), knee joint, and upper-leg (femur) all connecting at the pelvis (hip joint.) Second, is where the majority of power is generated and that is the core. The bone supporting the core is the lumbar spine, where the range of motion is the greatest giving the core the ability to create torque. Third, there is the upper torso and arms. This portion of the human machine is the most complex and the majority of throwing injuries occurs in the shoulder or elbow due to the immense stress these joints have to withstand with each throw. The Brain Controls everything! Now to see how we can use each component to the highest mechanical advantage our anatomy allows.

Lower Body

The lower body must be separated into two subdivision, legs and pelvis (hips). The sole purpose of the legs is to create as much speed (distance/time) going towards the target, then stopping as abruptly as possible, which will in turn, speed up the upper-body rotation, maximizing the power output at the point of release. Think of this reaction in terms of a car crash. If a car with a stack of books on the passenger seat drives at 100mph and hits an immobile wall, the cars velocity will drop to zero but the books will continue to fly through the windshield at the original 100mph. The Pelvis (hips) also has major part in the throwing process. Its job is to simply load up (rotate away from target) in the beginning of the motion and to unwind in sync with the landing foot as the legs propel the thrower towards the target.

The Core

The best way to visualize the core is as a very thick coil attaching the upper and lower components. Although the majority of the power generated in the proper throwing motion is produced by the core, it is the simplest process in this kinetic chain. To use the core to its maximum potential the thrower must simply load the upper and lower components simultaneously in the beginning of the delivery and keep the upper body loaded (closed) as much as possible till the front foot plants. At this point, the more separation there is between pelvic and upper torso lines, the more torque the core can produce. This is the true meaning of commonly misused term "staying closed". The separation of the Pelvic and Shoulder lines creates the most range of motion for the already stretched core to explosively rotate; this rotation will be the main source of velocity for the thrower.

Upper Torso

The last but not least of the three components is the upper torso. The main goal of the upper torso is to achieve maximum Scapula load, and to maintain the greatest amount of separation from the Pelvic line till the front foot plants. This will all lead to maximum external rotation of the throwing arm which will directly increase velocity. The most efficient way to load ones Scapula is to do so as naturally and effortlessly as possible. The arms actually have tracks, just like trains do. If the train falls off the track, it doesn't run. This track differs for each individual. To figure out where your track is, stand up with good posture and let your arms hang down to your sides and swing your arms forward and backwards. You will see your arms will naturally want to stay close to the body and swing on a Chest-Back plane. This Chest-Back plane does not ever change, no matter what. As the arms travel on the natural track, the elbows will fire towards each other squeezing the shoulder blades together while the chest expands. This is called scapula load. This Scapula load will occur right as the front foot strikes the ground and plants. This is when the loaded shoulders explosively rotate driving the throwing shoulder up and over towards the target line. The actual release of the baseball is done so by the extension, pronation, internal rotation and wrist flexion of the throwing arm. After the ball is released, the shoulder rotation will come to a stop to do structural limitations, but the now accelerated throwing arm will keep going until it hits the rib cage and comes to a stop. This method of deceleration is the most natural and puts the least amount of stress on the decelerator muscles. As a result of the fast upper torso rotation, the back leg will fly up off the ground and come to a soft landing.
 

Shingo Mitsumori Bio:

Shingo Mitsumori is owner of Torque Athletic Performance located in Deer Park, NY and the only instructor in the World that is teaching the Torque method of pitching. Shingo was an accomplished Minor League and Japanese professional pitcher. Feel free to Google Shingo's stat's from his professional career. Shingo currently throws over 90 MPH himself which more than qualifies him to teach the very same techniques used by many of the current MLB pitchers today. Shingo is a firm believer in video analysis and compares all videos of his students with current MLB pitchers. Please feel free to contact Shingo for additional information or for more detailed information.

Special Offer Worth $60

Anyone interested in receiving a complimentary video analysis of their current mechanics, I will personally review and critique your current pitching mechinics. Please upload your video clip to youtube and send me a file share link to: torqueap16@optonline.net Typically I charge $60.00 for video analysis and you can have access to this for the first time at NO COST TO YOU.

For more detailed information please visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/torque.ap or you can email any questions to Shingo Mitsumori at torqueap16@optonline.net or feel free to call me at 631-392-0944.
 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shingo_Mitsumori

Improve Your Mechanics and Last Longer

By Dan Gazaway
If you have plans to play at a more competitive level as a pitcher, it is time to step it up and learn better mechanics. Proper mechanics will help you during the course of your pitching career because they will help you avoid injury. Proper mechanics have also helped pitchers experience less fatigue in a game because they are using more of their body to get the explosive power it takes to generate a good fastball. Here are just a few mechanical tips that will help point you in the right direction.

Explode to foot strike! This means that you don't move down the hill like a tortoise. Many pitchers will go so slow to foot strike that they gather very little momentum. Momentum is what creates an explosive fastball and good movement on all of your pitches. As you continue reading this article you will find additional tips that will help you get to foot strike faster without putting undue stress on your throwing arm.

If you want to throw faster you must take a stride not a step! In order to establish that explosiveness you want in your delivery, it is imperative that you lead with your hips. This means if you were to lift your leg, your hips lead the way, not your knee. If your knee leads the way you are taking more of a step than a stride. This will slow things down for you.

In order to keep optimal balance toward home plate, it is also imperative to keep your head over your center line until your front foot hits the ground. Balance is what creates control and velocity. Okay, you need to have explosive movements as well. But, you also want to make sure that all of your momentum is going in the right direction and that is straight forward. What you don't want to do is lean back or lean too far forward creating lack of balance.

The last tip of the day is to make sure you keep balance on the balls of your feet. Many pitchers try and create momentum when they lift their leg up, pushing them back toward first base if they are a righty. If they are a lefty their head will go toward third. When this happens the weight of their body goes back and they lose their balance instantly. It is important that your weight (momentum) go toward home plate throughout your delivery.

If you want to learn how to pitch like a professional athlete you need to adopt the right pitching mechanics. Your career will last longer if you do.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Gazaway

Baseball Pitching Mechanics - All You Need to Know

By Alan Karpuch

Problems in life can sometimes cause distraction during a game and if this happens to you, it is best to approach your trainer and ask help especially on different baseball pitching mechanics. Your trainer can help you control your emotion and thoughts and use the important concept on the field. One of the most essential things that should be noticed is their attention on performing at their highest level. Remember that all physical and mental skills can be learned and developed with hard work and diligence.

An important part of baseball pitching mechanics is work out in order to respond faster, build a more athletic body, have a tougher mind, acquire more stamina for games, to practice longer without losing concentration and have the ability to execute even in hot conditions. It is recommended to do stretching for at least two to three minutes after every game. In order to play properly, it is best to have a regular exercise routine. It is also important to concentrate on different small factors involved in baseball pitching mechanics such as discipline, focus, taking care of your baseball equipments and teamwork.

One of the important baseball pitching mechanics is keeping the ball near to the ground as well as on the corners. You should also avoid walking at almost all the time except for some situations. Make sure to be assertive on the bases and never give easy bases to runners. It is essential to keep your mental state strong throughout the game. In order to increase speed, it is recommended to determine your fitness level and go on an appropriate fitness program. You can ask your trainer to perform a test for your conditioning quality and throwing mechanics aspect. In order to enhance your speed, it is best to change your pitch velocity. You must use bigger muscle groups in throwing a baseball instead of using your shoulders and arms only. You must learn the right way to pitch from the ground going up. Remember that speed comes from the forces that are added to the ball.

Alan provides information about Pitching Workout through his website on Best Pitching Workout
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Karpuch