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The
Stresses of Pitching
Well, I am pleased to
announce that we have a guest writer today and
tomorrow in our daily tips section of the website.
My good friend, Sean
Cochran, and I have been talking about the stresses
pitching puts on the shoulder and elbow.
For those of you who
don't know, Sean is a certified personal trainer.
Not just any personal trainer. Sean has been a
strength and conditioning coach for the Milwaukee
Brewers organization as well as the San Diego
Padres. He has many years of experience working with
high level of athletes. The Elite of the Elite.
Sean is also a third
degree black belt in martial arts. I like to call
him Sensei Sean. Wouldn't want to tangle with him in
a dark alley.
Sean currently
travels the PGA Tour with a prominent professional
golfer most of the year, helping this player refine
his fitness level for the demanding rigors of tour
play.
Sean is also Mark
Prior's personal trainer. As you know, Mark is one
of the most dominating pitchers in the major leagues
today.
A lot of our indoor
academy conditioning routines are based on Sean's
proven principles.
Let's get back to
talking about pitching.
Here is what Sean has
to say about the stresses of pitching on the
shoulder and elbow....
Throwing a
baseball is one of the most stressful athletic
movements on the shoulder. During the delivery
motion a pitcher’s shoulder reaches rotational
speeds of 7,000-9,0000 Newton/meters per second.
Those numbers indicate the high amount of stress
that is placed upon the shoulder complex during
the pitching motion. Those rotational speeds are
reached every pitch. Multiply that number by the
number of pitches thrown in a game, and the
numbers get very big.
What is a pitcher
to do to combat this situation, stay healthy,
and maintain a high velocity on every pitch? A
pitcher must do two things; 1) develop efficient
mechanics, and 2) implement a shoulder injury
preventative training program. Point number one
is self-explanatory. The more efficient you are
with your pitching mechanics the less stress
placed upon the body, including the shoulder.
This allows a pitcher to input more energy into
the baseball (i.e. velocity), and become fatigue
less quickly.
Mechanics are
only one part of the equation. Implementation of
pitcher specific training programs are also
necessary, this develops the body to throw a
baseball efficiently and effectively. One
component of this type of program are shoulder
complex programs. Understand that the shoulder
complex stabilizes, and transfer energy during
the throwing motion. In order to perform this
efficiently and effectively, these muscles must
be strong and have high levels of endurance.
What many
pitchers do not realize is that the shoulder
complex is comprised of many small muscles that
fatigue very quickly. If these muscles become
fatigued the mechanics of pitching become
difficult to perform. The end result is lower
velocities, poor performances, high levels of
fatigue, and eventual injury.
To avoid such
situations a pitcher must implement a shoulder
program that develops both the endurance and
strength within the complex. Additionally, this
type of program must be comprised of exercises
that train the shoulder through the positions,
movements, and sequences required of throwing a
baseball.
This type of
program does not require inordinate amounts of
time, but it does require consistency, and the
correct exercises to benefit the pitcher.
Implementation of this type of program in
conjunction with a total body program specific
to pitching; decreases the possibility of injury
and poor performance greatly.
Keep in mind it
is not only the body that requires development.
It is also your pitching mechanics. It is a
combination of both that lead to high velocity,
accurate, and consistent pitches on the mound.
Sean
The training in our
academy is all about improving your performance and
staying healthy.
One of the best ways
to stay healthy is with a great shoulder and elbow
endurance workout. You need to build a solid
base...a rock solid foundation with your shoulder
and elbow strength. Without a solid foundation, the
house you live in will come tumbling down.
We now have a great
program for you to build your base. We call is the
BioForce Baseball 12 minute Shoulder Endurance
Solution.
This program is now
available on DVD. Sean will explain the background
of the workout and demonstrate the exercises for
you, show you the pace you should take, and the
purpose of each exercise.
We don't call it the
12 Minute Shoulder Endurance Solution for nuttin'.
The program shouldn't take more than 12 minutes for
the routine.
It can also be
completed virtually anywhere.
The program requires
only two items.
1) Your own body
weight. Probably the best resistance tool given to
each and every one of us. Some of us have more
resistance than we should, but it is a great fitness
tool.
2) A physio ball.
I've heard these called Swiss balls, exercise balls
and many other things. If you don't already have one
collecting dust in the closet, they are easy to get
at most sporting goods stores. We're not talking
about medicine balls, you know the heavy balls about
the size of a basketball. These are the air-filled
light-weight large balls, about 4 to 6 times larger
than a basketball. We should soon have some
available to purchase online.
If you are interested
in purchasing the BioForce 12 Minute Shoulder
Endurance Solution on DVD, you can pre-order your
DVD by emailing us, stopping by the academy or
giving us a call.
Right now, the
pre-release price for the DVD is $19.99. It is not
available at any store, online website or anywhere
else.
If you have any
questions, feel free to email us at support@bioforcebaseball.com.
Until next time, keep
working hard!
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