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Preventing and Evaluating Baseball Pitching Injuries

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Troubleshoot Forearm Tightness By Looking At The Wrist

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There are many causes of forearm tightness and one of the first things to investigate is a possible error in wrist mechanics.

To clarify some language: put your hand in front of you with the palm up and wrist straight. This is the wrist in extension, the normal or at resting/neutral position of the wrist.

If you bend your wrist bringing the fingers toward the forearm, this is flexion.
If you bend your wrist fully in the opposite direction, this is hyperextension.

Demonstration of what the hooking flaw by a baseball pitcher looks like.

Demonstration of what hooking looks like

Hooking, or flexion of the wrist, is a common error and cause of forearm pain.

Hyperextension of the wrist, seen less frequently, is also an error that can create huge problems for the arm, because it is usually accompanied by hyperextension of the elbow (an elbow that straightens too much).

Both of these flaws are unwanted actions at the wrist and can create tightness in the forearm, major fatigue especially as the innings progress, and can eventually lead to elbow and ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) problems.

To experience hooking and hyperextension: take a four-seam grip on the baseball and notice that the correct wrist position is in a slightly greater angle of extension (toward hyperextension) but not so much that you feel any activity in the forearm. Go through both incorrect angles of flexion and hyperextension and notice the unnecessary and unwanted activity in the forearm.

If you suspect a wrist problem with one of your pitchers, make sure your start by observing his wrist position inside the glove.

Comparison of a baseball pitcher hooking the baseball inside the glove (flaw) and properly holding the baseball

Left: hooking inside the glove. Right: proper wrist position

Then, track the ball down to its lowest point after hand break, and watch the wrist action as the ball is being raised to the early cocking position. (High-speed video is very helpful!) Most errors occur during this initial phase of the motion.

Once you see exactly the point at which the wrist loses its stabilization, have the pitcher do dry drills of starting in the glove and going to the problem moment and concentrating on eliminating the unwanted action.

As most of my followers know, I am passionate about the topic of forearm health. If you are a coach and think you have a pitcher in trouble with this issue, please feel free to contact me if you need further clarification. Forearm issues are one of the top risk factors for UCL problems so let’s work together to nip this one in the bud.

This One Exercise Can Help Prevent Elbow Injury

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Elbow joint integrity: protect the inside by training the outside

It is common knowledge that the medial (inside) portion of the elbow joint is where the vulnerability lies in regard to injuries causing epicondylitis, UCL sprains, and UCL tears. In addition to directly maintaining the integrity and strength of the inside of the elbow to offset those injuries, giving the outside of the elbow attention in the gym can provide the elbow with an ally to assist it during challenging times.

The brachioradialis is an elbow flexor that, in studies on muscular activity, has shown itself to be the most active when throwing the fastball. It is located on the lateral (outside) of the elbow joint, and because of its structure, it is a major contributor to elbow stabilization during the moments when the medial side of the elbow is stressed. Training it and making it strong is a huge a protective measure for this vulnerable joint.

The hammer curl is the exercise that shows the greatest activity in the brachioradialis muscle. This is a curling exercise performed with dumbbells and a “hammer” grip (just as you would use when using a hammer) is maintained throughout the performance of the exercise. They can be performed two arms at a time, single-arm, or alternating arms. During the season, my pitchers do this exercise at least twice a week and use either the single-arm or alternating-arms method.

Always remember that by virtue of the nature of pitching, there are many things that can happen to your arm over which you have no control. That is why you must always focus on the one thing that you always have control over — which is your level of strength and conditioning for the skill.

Give hammer curls a try and notice the increase in the integrity of the elbow joint — you’ll likely feel it immediately.

The 3 Body Parts Every Pitcher Should Priority-Train

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Getting through the hard work required in the pre-season and the seasons that follow requires that you know how to train in the gym and what to prioritize for special care. While the entire body is important, make “The Big Three” your priority now and see the difference for yourself. From a complete game to a complete season, get ready for big results.

Number One: the rear deltoid
The rear deltoid’s integrity is so important for so many facets of shoulder health and integrity but its special role in deceleration is where it can take the greatest beating.

Number Two: the elbow extensors (triceps and anconeus)
The triceps are extensors of the elbow and its long head is an extensor of the shoulder. Because of this dual role, it plays a huge role in the health of both joints. The anconeus is a small muscle above the posterior elbow that works with the triceps and plays a special role in rapid elbow extension.

Number Three: the forearm
I can’t say enough about the importance of the forearm and maintaining its integrity throughout the performance of a game as well as throughout the entire season. The effectiveness of its musculature to handle the stresses of the pitching motion can make or break your plan for elbow health. Its strength is the number-one weapon against UCL injuries. Because of the forearm’s complexity, it requires different movements to keep it strong.

Here are my pitchers’ favorite exercises for these body parts:

The rear deltoid: side-lying reverse fly (eccentric emphasis)

The elbow extensors: reverse-grip “w” bar pushdowns and cable kickbacks

The forearms: cable wrist flexions and extensions, forearm pronation and supination, and reverse curls using the EZ-curl bar.

Ask your strength coach for additional ideas for priority training these body parts.

3 Vulnerabilities That Cause Baseball Pitching Injuries

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Aches and pains you are having in the pre-season are signals that something is off; it can be that you don’t have good warm-up habits, that you threw too much too soon, or that your mechanics need adjusting. In any case, your body has only way to get your attention and unfortunately soreness is its loudest voice.

The three areas that are the most vulnerable this time of the year are your biceps, the rear of your shoulder and your forearm. Pain or unusual soreness in any of these areas should be a signal to you to pay attention.

Here are some of the most easily recognizable causes of problems with these sensitive areas of a pitchers arm:

Biceps and or rear shoulder: these two body parts work together in the deceleration phase of the pitching motion. Make sure you well warmed-up in the shoulder and arm musculature before you throw a ball. Make sure you are finishing your pitching. Make sure you are releasing your elbow at the end of the arm path as you complete your follow-through.

Forearm: Make sure you are not introducing pitches other than a fastball too soon. Even though a change-up is easy on the elbow, it is more challenging to the forearm because of the spread-out position of the fingers for most of the popular grips. Having a program that maintains and improves the range-of-motion of the wrist for the different pitches is critical to forearm health. Remember that the forearm muscle is an endurance muscle; if you are not recovering or experiencing tightness in this part of the arm, something is not right as it is designed to endure.

Seven Habits of Highly Successful Baseball Pitchers

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Do you have a system that keeps you on track and committed to your excellence?

Because I have been so lucky to work with pitchers from their early age to their college years, I can share with you the seven habits that were instilled in them and to this day they follow. They say that success has its own formula, so why not follow the habits of already successful pitchers?

1) Always warm-up the arm for throwing or pitching with an extensive, complete, and scientifically sound resistance band program that you never miss doing before you pick-up a ball. Need a program? Get one here.

2) Always recover your arm from throwing or pitching with a complete and scientifically sound resistance band program that is designed to enhance recovery for the musculature in a way that reflects an understanding of the demands of the pitching motion.

3) NEVER pitch with a fatigued arm.

4) Always follow recovery guidelines for the pitch count in your previous appearance before pitching again.

5) Always do at least one bullpen in between your starts the day your recovery is completed — and throw ONLY the number of pitches allowed for the recovery days available before your next start.

6) Train throughout the year with workouts designed for pitchers. Cycle your training to accommodate the season and make sure your upper back/rear shoulders and triceps are a priority throughout the year. Respect your body get on top of soreness or pain immediately when it occurs.

7) Respect the skill of pitching; be grateful for the gift you have been given and commit right now to developing it and never being lazy about that commitment.

Following these suggestions can give you what every pitcher needs: a system that you repeat consistently to keep you organized and on point. You will be more available for the job at hand when you are on the mound knowing that you have handled the smaller details that contribute to your greatness.

Sore Arm In Preseason? Six Questions You Should Ask Yourself

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While we’re still a month away from the date that MLB and minor league baseball pitchers report to spring training, many at the amateur levels have already joined their teammates for preseason training or are about to — with scrimmages starting soon, if they haven’t already. With that in mind, this is the time of the year that I love hearing my pitchers say: “my arm feels great and I can’t wait for the season to start!”

Is that what you’re saying?

If your arm does not feel right, it is imperative that you deal with the issue now. For example, forearm tightness, the rear shoulder, the biceps, and the lower part of the triceps are vulnerable areas at this time of the year and you should be paying close attention to the condition of those sensitive spots.

While there may be a serious injury causing the pain or soreness, there are some basic mistakes pitchers make that, when corrected, can get rid of the kinks that may be causing arm problems. If your pitching arm isn’t feeling great when you start preseason throwing, ask yourself the following:

1. Are you warming-up your arm with a light resistance band program before you throw or pitch?
An arm lacking proper preparation is one of the main causes of injury or soreness, especially through the shoulder musculature. Throwing at a short distance does not work as a “warm-up.” Warm-up to throw — don’t throw to warm-up. (Shameless plug: if you want to know how to warm up, consider getting my First Pitch Strike Warmup and Recovery Program DVD.)

2. Are you recovering your arm correctly after you pitch?
Restoration from the demands of throwing and pitching is critical. Be sure you are taking the recommended number of days of rest for specific pitch counts as well as using specific light resistance-band exercises to enhance the recovery immediately following a throwing or pitching bout. (Again, my First Pitch Strike Warmup and Recovery Program DVD provides the exercises you need.)

3. Did you remember to adjust your off-season gym training to accommodate your re-entry into throwing?
If you are still doing the same workouts, you can be creating too much of a load on the sensitive muscles used in pitching. This is especially important when it comes to biceps training: to be safe, never the day before or after you pitch.

4. Did you follow a systematic re-entry program that involved two to three weeks of volume and distance changes at 45 and 60 feet before you took the mound?
Rushing to pitch too soon can cause problems for the arm. Taking a step back and returning to flat-ground (no further than 60 feet) for a week can do wonders for arm conditioning.

5. Did you do a slow-build up of pitches starting at 15 to 25 and increasing no more than five every week?
If you did too much too soon, alternate between higher and lower pitch counts for your pens.

6. Are you fatiguing your arm before you pitch with any of the controversial systems that are advertised to increase velocity?
Remember, some of the programs out there that I know many of you follow actually require recovery in and of themselves. Long distance throwing and weighted balls can create more forces than pitching. If you follow these programs, include recovery from them as part of your protocol.

If your arm does not feel right, take extra rest, think about what could be happening, and reboot your program; a re-start is better than a false start. Get help from your coach, sport professional, or doctor if needed. You will never have the time on your side as you do right now.