The 3 major factors concerning arm health and the risk of arm injury.
How you Throw …How much you Throw ……How often you Throw

Here is a list from a prominent national organization highlighting the contributing factors to youth pitching injuries.

• Pitching While Fatigued
• Throwing Too Many Innings over the Course of the Year
• Not Taking Enough Time off from Baseball Every Year
• Throwing Too Many Pitches and Not Getting Enough Rest
• Pitching on Consecutive Days
• Excessive Throwing When Not Pitching
• Playing for Multiple Teams at the Same Time
• Pitching With Injuries to Other Body Regions
• Not Following Proper Strength and Conditioning Routines
• Not Following Safe Practices While at Showcases
• Throwing Curveballs and Sliders at a Young Age
• Radar Gun Use

Glaringly missing is:
Develop an Athletic throwing motion to reduce the stress on a young pitcher’s arm and enable them to have a healthier and more productive pitching career.

How much and How often a young pitcher throws are both vital components of this issue and must be addressed with vigilance. However, showcases, summer travel and the radar gun are here to stay. The genie is out of the bottle and honestly there is too much money to be made on the “Scholarship Express.” To quote a famous expression, “Build it and they will come.”

Not putting “Develop a fluid Athletic Throwing Motion” at the top of anyone’s list belies all logic and common sense. Throwing a baseball is the most violent motion is sports. Yes, the above guidelines serve to educate coaches, players and parents in an attempt to decrease the prevalence and growth of youth pitching injuries. However, as with all sports instruction, the goals of staying healthy and maximizing one’s productivity always begins with “How to.” Learning the proper fundamental motion and athletic movements which serve as the foundation to minimize the athlete’s risk of injury and maximize their performance.

Yes , over use and lack of rest are key factors in promoting arm health. But whether a young pitcher throws 10 pitches or 110 pitches it is imperative that they learn how to throw the baseball with an Athletic motion , which creates energy from the ground up not the waist up.

The greater the energy created by the lower body, the less energy required of the arm.
The less energy required of the arm, the less stress on the arm and most importantly …the less the risk of arm injury.

The Athletic Pitcher: Improving Arm Health, Improving Performance
“A Complete Guide to Pitching, all for the cost of a half hour pitching lesson.”

For more information and to view the benefits of developing an Athletic Throwing motion and training program visit athleticpitcherseries.com