5 Ways to Increase Throwing Velocity !!

Challenging)the)physiological)limits)of)a)young)developing)body)by)playing)too)much)or)trying)to)throw)too)hard)can)be)detrimental.))Try)following)these)sugges:ons)instead)to)improve)throwing)velocity.)!!

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1)#Age#+#Maturity#/#Throwing!velocity!will!improve!simply!by!aging!!If!they!do!nothing!else,!as!young!athletes!grow!and!physiologically!develop,!

throwing!velocity!will!naturally!increase.!!!

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2)#Strength#&#Condi8oning#(Core#/#Power)#<!Throwing!velocity!is!a!product!of!force,!torque!and!technique.!If!you!don't!use!your!legs!properly,!fail!to!produce!the!right!amount!of!torque!in!your!torso,!and!have!a!poor!arm!and!wrist!angle!to!finish!off!the!chain!reacAon,!you!will!not!have!a!

cannon!arm,!regardless!of!your!strength.!So,!first!learn!the!mechanics!of!the!throw!and!how!everything!is!generated!from!the!legs.!

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The!lower!extremiAes!are!vital!in!the!development!of!force!during!the!throwing!moAon.!Core!stabilizaAon!drills!and!lower!body!training!further!

enhance!the!transfer!of!kineAc!energy!and!proximal!stability!with!distal!mobility!of!the!upper!extremity.!Any!deficits!in!strength,!endurance,!or!

neuromuscular!control!of!the!lower!body!will!have!a!significant!impact!on!the!forces!of!the!upper!extremity!and!the!athlete’s!ability!to!produce!

normal!pitching!mechanics.!

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3)#Arm#Care#Program#(Rotator#Cuff#Strengthening,#Scapular#Stabiliza8on#Exercises,#Maintaining#Mobility,#Range#of#Mo8on)!<!I!oIen!use!an!analogy!with!my!athletes!called!‘the!rock!in!the!shoe.’!!For!example,!maybe!you!have!some!shoulder!pain!towards!the!end!of!the!season.!!Your!

shoulder!pain!when!throwing!is!like!a!rock!in!your!shoe.!!It!was!creaAng!a!bruise!and!hurAng!your!foot!every!Ame!you!walked.!!You!followed!the!

suggesAon!to!take!some!Ame!off!of!your!feet!and!let!your!bruised!foot!heal.!!Now!it!is!4!weeks!later!and!your!foot!feels!great,!so!you!take!that!

first!step.!!What!do!you!think!is!going!to!happen?!!Yep,!you!hurt!your!foot!again!because!you!never!took!the!rock!out!of!your!shoe.!!

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You!have!to!address!your!underlying!issues!and!not!just!rest!and!hope!you!feel!beRer.!!Get!that!rock!out!of!your!shoe!before!you!start!

throwing.!!Your!body!is!really!good!at!adapAng!and!compensaAng.!!It!will!find!a!way!to!perform.!!This!is!likely!one!of!the!reasons!that!the!

number!one!predictor!of!future!injury!is!past!injury,!meaning!if!you!strain!your!hamstring,!you!are!more!likely!to!strain!it!again.!!Think!of!it!this!

way!<!take!care!of!your!body,!work!on!your!imbalances,!clean!up!any!lingering!issues!of!Aghtness!or!soreness,!and!then!get!your!body!strong!

and!ready!to!throw.!Get!your!body!back!to!neutral!and!be!as!prepared!as!you!can!be!for!the!next!game.!

!  Resistance!band!exercises!improve!arm!strength!as!well!as!flexibility!to!prevent!injuries.!

!  Ice!aIer!throwing!(20min),!take!a!few!days!off!if!you!are!Ared.!It's!very!simple.!If!your!arm!hurts,!take!a!break!from!the!game.!!

!  Maintain!shoulder!internal!rotaAon!by!performing!a!"Sleeper!Stretch"!(Fig!1)!and!"Side<lying!cross<body!Stretch”!(Fig!2).!!Perform!these!

stretches!on!BOTH!arms!to!maintain!range!of!moAon!throughout!the!season.!

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#4)#Biomechanical#Assessment#/#If!a!pitcher!wants!to!improve!his!throwing!velocity,!whether!he!is!a!9<year<old!or!a!19<year<old,!he!must!make!

sure!he!is!using!his!body!in!the!right!sequence!in!order!to!transfer!maximum!force!to!the!ball.!!Using!the!body!correctly!to!produce!proper!

pitching!mechanics!and!maximum!force!requires!that!all!the!joints!of!the!body!are!used!in!proper!sequence!or!with!good!Aming.!!Mechanics!are!

the!most!important!thing!when!it!comes!to!just!about!anything!for!baseball!pitchers.!Perfect!mechanics!can!easily!add!a!few!miles!per!hour!

onto!your!fastballs!and!other!pitches.!Poor!or!degrading!mechanics!will!quickly!lead!to!losses!in!performance!and!injury.!!An!aspiring!pitcher!

needs!a!good!instructor!to!develop!good!mechanics.!!!

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5)#Throwing#Programs#(long#toss,#weighted#balls)#<!Long!toss!is!one!of!the!most!effecAve!and!popular!arm!strengthening!exercises.!!Long!toss!is!

great!for!any!type!of!ballplayer.!It!will!maintain!and!increase!your!throwing!strength,!improve!arm!endurance,!and!possibly!hone!your!control.!

Making!the!throw!in!the!air!isn't!important.!The!goal!is!to!use!normal!mechanics.!!Make!sure!you!reach!your!limits!and!use!your!hips!to!prevent!

arm!problems.!!!

!  Because!of!changes!in!mechanics!and!increased!joint!torques,!cauAon!is!advised!regarding!long!toss!for!near!max!distance!in!training!

programs,!especially!in!pre<season!and!in<season.!!!

!  Because!of!relaAvely!few!biomechanical!differences,!both!pitching!and!long!toss!“on!a!line”!at!shorter!distances!(eg,!120!I)!seems!

appropriate!for!both!rehabilitaAon!and!training.!

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