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Jimbo Wood, MS, PT
PHYSICAL THERAPY & REHABILITATION
Friday, February 21, 14
Throwing Mechanics: Improving Velocity & Decreasing Injury Risk
Friday, February 21, 14
Jimbo Wood, MS, PT Friday, February 21, 14 Throwing Mechanics: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Jimbo Wood, MS, PT Friday, February 21, 14 Throwing Mechanics: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
PHYSICAL THERAPY & REHABILITATION Jimbo Wood, MS, PT Friday, February 21, 14 Throwing Mechanics: Improving Velocity & Decreasing Injury Risk Friday, February 21, 14 What are the 2 most commonly injured joints in little leaguers?
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What are the 2 most commonly injured joints in little leaguers?
Friday, February 21, 14
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What are the 2 most commonly injured joints in little leaguers?
- 1. Elbow
- 2. Shoulder
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What are the 2 most common causes of little league elbow/shoulder injuries?
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What are the 2 most common causes of little league elbow/shoulder injuries?
- 1. Faulty mechanics
- 2. Overuse/Inadequate
rest
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What do coaches need to look for?
- 1. Proper throwing/pitching
mechanics
- 2. Pitch counts
- 3. Proper warm-up/cool-down
- 4. Early (<13) specialization
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Proper Throwing Mechanics
- Identifying and correcting
improper mechanics is integral for injury prevention/treatment
- Slow-motion video is the only
way to fully identify mechanical flaws.
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Proper Throwing Mechanics
Let’s look at a slow-motion example...
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Proper Throwing Mechanics
Eliminate “the inverted L”
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Proper Throwing Mechanics
Eliminate “the inverted W”
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Proper Throwing Mechanics
Eliminate “the inverted V”
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Proper Throwing Mechanics
PERFECT!!
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TRUNK ROTATION
- Early trunk and pelvic rotation creates
excessive elbow and shoulder stress in pitchers.
- Pitchers should keep their shoulders square
to 1st (L handed) or 3rd (R handed) until front foot strike.
- Late trunk/pelvic rotation
increases velocity & decreases arm stress. WRONG!!!
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Throwing Mechanics 101
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Throwing Mechanics 101
- Efficient throwing mechanics is predicated
- n a pitcher’s ability to perform a sequence
- f movements from the legs, pelvis, and
trunk to the shoulder & arm segments.
- appropriately timing the rotational
movements of the pelvis and trunk after front foot loading greatly increases velocity and decreases arm stress.
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OverUse Injuries
- A recent ASMI study noted that “the
forces that result from throwing a youth curveball aren’t great enough to cause the kind of injuries that younger pitchers are experiencing.”
- The study concluded that rest and
pitch counts are FAR MORE IMPORTANT for injury prevention than the types of pitches you allow your young pitcher to throw.
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The Bottom Line
- APTA’s stretching protocol before
and after all pitching outings.
- Ubersense App to identify mechanical
flaws in your players.
- avoid the inverted L’s, V’s, and W’s.
- Proper pitch mechanics starts with
the lower body, followed by the hips, pelvis, trunk, shoulder, elbow, wrist, & then the hand.
- Pitch counts and rest days are of
PRIME importance.
- Year-round throwing is not ideal.
Friday, February 21, 14
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Jimbo Wood, MS, PT
jwood@horizonphysicaltherapy.com www.horizonphysicaltherapy.com (706) 548- 7300
PHYSICAL THERAPY & REHABILITATION
Friday, February 21, 14