Maintaining Arm Health with Pitcher-Specific Strength and Conditioning Techniques
by Avery Bridges, And Jeffrey Hartman, PhD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
NSCA Coach
April 2025
Vol 11, Issue 3
This article discusses baseball-specific strength and conditioning techniques, focusing on lower extremity training and improving shoulder mechanics.
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This article originally appeared in NSCA Coach, a quarterly publication for NSCA Members that provides valuable takeaways for every level of strength and conditioning coach. You can find scientifically based articles specific to a wide variety of your athletes’ needs with Nutrition, Programming, and Youth columns. Read more articles from NSCA Coach »
Additional Reading
REFERENCES
- Carter, AB, Kaminski, TW, Douex Jr, AT, Knight, CA, and Richards, JG. Effects of high-volume upper extremity plyometric training on throwing velocity and functional strength ratios of the shoulder rotators in collegiate baseball players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 21(1): 208-215, 2007.
- Cornell, DJ, Paxson, JL, Caplinger, RA, Seligman, JR, Davis, NA, Flees, RJ, and Ebersole, KT. In-game heart rate responses among professional baseball starting pitchers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 31(1): 24-29, 2017.
- Cross, JA, Higgins, AW, Dziuk, CC, Harris, GF, and Raasch, WG. Relationships among shoulder rotational strength, range of motion, pitching kinetics, and pitch velocity in collegiate baseball pitchers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 37(1): 129-135, 2023.
- Feldman, S. Tempo training for baseball. SimpliFaster. August 10, 2021. Retrieved 2024 from https://simplifaster.com/articles/tempo-training-baseball-performance/
- He, R, Yang, X, and Ma, L. Physical fitness recovery of athletes based on high-intensity sports intermittent training. BioMed Research International 3370499, 2022.
- Livingston, JL, and Tavoukjian, NM. Lower extremity strength and recovery time in youth baseball pitchers: A pilot study. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 34(7): 1990–1998, 2020.
- Reinold, MM, Gill, TJ, Wilk, KE, and Andrews, JR. Current concepts in the evaluation and treatment of the shoulder in overhead throwing athletes, part 2: Injury prevention and treatment. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach 2(2): 101–115, 2010.
- Sato, K, and Driggers, A. Strength and conditioning transferring to performance from baseball perspective. Physical Education Journal 52(3): 281–294, 2019.
- Tempo runs for baseball. Ideafit. Retrieved March 7, 2024, from https://www.strengthcoach.com/resource/62c890a41ce9f0e6260936c2.
- Overtimeathletes. Falling starts. Overtime Athletes Blog. May 13, 2022. Retrieved 2024 from https://blog.overtimeathletes.com/falling-starts/.
- Velocity Sports Performance. Curved running in sports. Novemebr 30, 2020. Retrieved from https://velocityspusa.com/curved-running-in-sports/.
Available to:
Members only
Members only
Audience:
Coaches
Coaches
Topics:
Exercise Science Exercise Technique Program design Organization and Administration Testing and Evaluation Client Consultation|Assessment
Exercise Science Exercise Technique Program design Organization and Administration Testing and Evaluation Client Consultation|Assessment
Keywords:
Shoulder mechanics Pitching Overuse injuries Anaerobic training Biomechanics Baseball players Periodization
Shoulder mechanics Pitching Overuse injuries Anaerobic training Biomechanics Baseball players Periodization
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