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Article Series: Baseball
Teach Me About Baseball
Pitchers
- How To Maintain a Healthy, Strong Arm
A
pitcher’s game is extremely valuable to any baseball team.
Every successful pitcher has a few special
exercises that help keep their pitching arm in optimum shape.
When a pitcher is first starting out, things can be tough.
Young baseball players need to be careful of arm injuries but
they also need to condition their whole body. Any baseball
team that hopes to find any success must have a good pitcher. There
are several exercises that can improve a pitcher’s game and
keep his arm healthy.
Every
pitcher wants to be the one with the cannon arm and a lot
of strike outs. Most have
little chance of being MLB material, but there is no reason
not to shoot for the stars. There are safe, legal ways to develop
the pitcher’s game but they require time and a some
knowledge about the dynamics of the motion.
First
let’s dissect a pitch. A pitch consists of five parts:
wind-up, cocking, acceleration, deceleration and follow through.
At the beginning of the pitch, the wind-up, the shoulder muscles
are involved only a little. Surprisingly, the wind-up starts
in the legs. When the arm is drawn back and up, the pitch is
in the cocking phase. One leg starts pushing off the mound
and the lead leg moves forward.
A number of muscles in the arms and legs are at work during
the cocking phase. The back and stomach work together when
the arm is drawn back. After this, the pitch progresses to
the deceleration phase which is the point at which the pitch
is released. The conclusion is the follow-through. The arm
travels over the body and the back legs wind up in front of
home plate. The pitch is a fast motion that is over before
you know it, which is a testament to the velocity and speed
that the pitcher is moving at.
While pitching plenty of innings helps keep the pitcher’s
arm in shape, it is not the most important factor. The number
of pitches thrown is what contributes to good arm health but
for a pitcher to have a well-rounded complete game, the entire
body needs to be in great shape. A number of exercises can
be used to help get the pitcher ready for the season.
Practice pitches are important in properly conditioning the
arm. The coach should count the number of pitches to assure
the player does not over do it. The player’s health and safety
should never be put in danger by over pitching.
In addition to practice pitches, rotator cuff exercises can
also be helpful. A light hand weight can be used, but be sure
to only do a few reps at a time. Place an ice pack on the shoulder
afterwards to assure no swelling occurs. A few days should
be taken off in between rotator cuff exercises to avoid injury.
Create
a schedule several weeks prior to the start of
a season. Build the
number of practice pitches. Occasionally,
leagues establish throwing level schedules to help keep track
of player’s pitches. If your league has one, do not go over
the recommended amount of pitches. Also, is it vital to not
overwork one person. Every team should have a few pitchers
to carry the load. One pitcher per team is not enough.
Managers of baseball teams know that they will have to deal
with sore arms. This is not so much an injury as it is a young
player’s arm adjusting to the task at hand. As the arm gets
into shape for the season, the pain will dissipate. To help
alleviate the initial stress put on the arm by pitching, start
off slow and build the workouts are time progresses.
Developing the pitcher’s game is essential to good team management.
Keep in mind that the pitcher is in the spotlight. A position
that takes a little getting used to. Allow ample time for young
pitcher’s to develop their skills. Good training and patience
will be key. Although baseball is a team effort and only a
good team is going to be successful, the pitcher’s game is
special and deserves a fair amount of attention.
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: 2009
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