IF YOU WANT TO THROW HARD…DO THESE THINGS FIRST!

I have people all the time ask me how to increase throwing velocity. Some strategies to increasing velocity are long toss programs, and weighted ball throwing programs. Listen to me when I say these programs are not inherently bad, and can be beneficial in some instances. However, if a pitcher fails to stabilize the shoulder, via the rotator cuff and surrounding muscles, these throwing programs can often lead to injury.

Before you start a throwing program you should strengthen your shoulder! It is so easy to go to the park and throw for 20-30 minutes and call it a day. But throwing is only half of the picture, maybe less. If your shoulder muscles are not able to keep your shoulder in proper alignment, then every time you throw a baseball you are creating an opportunity for injury. As a baseball player, you have probably heard your entire life about the importance of the rotator cuff, or you have heard about pitchers blowing out their rotator cuff. The primary function of the rotator cuff is to stabilize the shoulder joint. It is true that the rotator cuff moves the shoulder in different direction, but there are bigger muscles that produce the velocity in throwing and those muscles work better when the shoulder is held in the proper position.

Another stabilizer group of the shoulder that gets overlooked are the shoulder blade stabilizers. The positioning of the shoulder blade is extremely important to proper throwing mechanics, and weakness in shoulder blade stabilizer muscles can lead to many problems. A shoulder blade stabilizer that often times is overlooked is the serratus anterior. This is the muscle you have seen in body builders that fans out underneath the armpit. The serratus anterior helps to align the shoulder blade so that shoulder impingement does not occur. Shoulder impingement occurs when the bones of the shoulder are not positioned properly by the stabilizing muscles. Shoulder impingement pain can often be felt as the arm is lifted to throw, or at the very end of the throwing motion after the ball has been released. The biceps also plays a role stabilizing the shoulder. I was always told that biceps were just beach muscles to impress the girls. Well that is false! The biceps plays an important role in stabilizing the shoulder during extreme external rotation. Plus it looks good.

It is extremely important to strengthen these shoulder stabilizing muscles as this can greatly reduce the chance of injury. Often times your throwing arm is already stronger than your non-throwing arm. If you want to get an idea of what weak stabilizers look like, try performing some of the exercises listed below on your non-throwing arm. If you feel uncoordinated, that is because the stabilizer muscles are weak and not working together. This can be happening on your throwing shoulder as well, and can be exposed when you are throwing a baseball as hard as you can. Remember, if your shoulder is stabilized properly the big muscles that rotate your shoulder will become more efficient and can lead to a velocity jump. Keep those shoulder stabilizers strong!

-Caleb Kutsche

References:

Samuel S. Park, M.D., Mark L. Loebenberg, M.D., Andrew S. Rokito, M.D., Joseph D. Zuckerman, M.D., The Shoulder in Baseball Pitching Biomechanics and Related Injuries – Part 1NYU-Hospital for Joint Diseases, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 301 East 17th Street, New York, New York 10003, 2003.                                                                                                                                                                                                              DiGiovine NM, Jobe FW, Pink M, Perry J: An electromyographic analysis of the upper extremity in pitching. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 1:15-25, 1992. Glousman R: Electromyographic analysis and it role in the athletic shoulder. Clin Orthop Rel Res 288:27-34, 1993.                                                   Itoi E, Kuechle DK, Newman SR, et al: Stabilizing function of the biceps in stable and unstable shoulders. J Bone Joint Surg 75B:564-550, 1993. Rodosky MW, Harner CD, Fu FH: The role of the long head of the biceps muscle and superior glenoid labrum in anterior stability of the shoulder. Am J Sports Med 22:121- 130, 1994.                                                                                                                                                      Mileski RA, Snyder SJ: Superior labral lesions in the shoulder: Pathoanatomy and surgical management. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 6:121-131, 1998.