Baseball Article Archives

Check out all my articles on baseball injuries, rehabilitation, and performance.  Explore the archives below or click the button to subscribe and never miss another post.

The Effect of 6-Week Weighted Ball Training Program on Baseball Pitchers

The Effect of a 6-Week Weighted Ball Training Program on Baseball Pitchers

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I’m very proud to say that our first research project on the effect of baseball pitchers training with weighted balls has finally been published!  Big thanks for my coauthors Lenny Macrina, Dr. Glenn Fleisig, Kyle Aune, and Dr. James Andrews.

By now, many people have seen the results of the study.  I’ve presented the data at APTA, ASMI, PBATS, Sabermetrics Seminar, and many more as we went through the publication process.  We felt this study was very important for the game of baseball as we have seen such a large growth of interest in weighted ball programs, without a complete understand of what happens to the body.

I believe we have found the mechanism behind why throwing weighted balls enhances velocity.  It’s not a change in biomechanics, arm speed, or strength.  It’s a gain in layback.  This likely also explains why these programs are more stressful and show higher injury rates.  I’ve written a summary in this article, but I urge you to read the full study for all the details.

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Understanding Tommy John Surgery and How to Avoid It

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Today’s post is an excellent article from New York Yankees team physician, Dr. Chris Ahmad, and Frank Alexander, ATC. We know that Tommy John injuries continue to rise. Chris and Frank have written a new book to help educate your baseball players, parents, and coaches about Tommy John injuries, and more importantly, how to avoid them.

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How to Develop Elite Pitching Performance

3 Things Baseball Players Need to Develop Elite Pitching Performance

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To truly understand how to best train youth baseball pitchers, we must understand 3 things: 1) What do elite level baseball pitching mechanics look like? 2) What are the mechanical faults most common in youth baseball pitchers? And 3) How does youth pitching mechanics change as they age? In this article, we’ll discuss these differences and how to train baseball pitchers to develop elite performance.

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The Science of Weighted Baseball Training Programs

The Science of Weighted Baseball Training Programs

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Weighted baseball training programs to enhance pitching velocity are becoming more popular each year.  However, there are so many questions regarding the proper use of  weighted baseballs. We still do not understand so much about these programs. We’ve recently finished a huge 2-year research study on the safety and effectiveness of weighted baseball training programs.

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sleeper stretch

5 Reasons Why I Don’t Use the Sleeper Stretch and Why You Shouldn’t Either

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Ah, the sleeper stretch. Pretty popular right now, huh? Seems like a ton of people are preaching the value of the sleeper stretch and why everyone needs to use it. I don’t like the sleeper stretch and I haven’t used it for years. Here are 5 reasons why I don’t use it, and you probably shouldn’t either.

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keys to effectively stretching the forearm

Keys to Effectively Stretching the Forearm

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I’ve always been complimented by my athletes and patients about how I stretch their forearms. As with everything else, I do put a lot of thought into my technique to stretch the forearm. I wanted to share a quick video demonstrating how I stretch stretch the forearm. Not rocket science, but paying attention to the little details will surely help you stretch the forearm more effectively.

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do velocity programs cause pitching injuries

Are Baseball Velocity Programs to Blame for the Rise in Pitching Injuries?

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One thing is certain when it comes to baseball pitching injuries, they are rising.  Another thing is also certain, baseball velocity programs are ridiculously popular to enhance pitching velocity. This winter I was honored to be a speaker at both the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society Medical Meeting and the American Sports Medicine Institute Injuries […]

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Assessing for tightness of the posterior capsule

How to Assess for a Tight Posterior Capsule of the Shoulder

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Over the years, the idea of posterior capsular tightness and glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD) in baseball pitchers has grown in popularity despite not much evidence. I routinely see baseball players ranging from kids to MLB pitchers that have been told they have GIRD and need to aggressively stretch their posterior capsule and into shoulder […]

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