As athletic trainers, we need to take the lead in the implementation of preventative and corrective exercise with our athletes. Too many times, we sit back and pretend that we do not see the problem right in front of our face…
What do baseball, volleyball, swimming, golf, lacrosse, football, softball, tennis and CrossFit have in common? They all require the arms to generate skilled, coordinated, and powerful directed movements. Each of these sports has very specific skill requirements that take years of repetition, training and coaching to master…
The baseball season is in full swing and many players are facing the frustrating characteristics of “Dead Arm.” A month ago you were throwing in the mid-to high 80’s and now you are struggling to touch 80mph. “What happened? What is wrong with my arm?”
The emphasis given to strengthening the scapular muscles in throwing athletes is under-valued and immensely under-addressed. These scapular stabilizing muscles control the position and movement of the scapula which are vital to arm health and performance.
It is not too late to build your arm strength for the upcoming season, but the clock is ticking. When we refer to arm strength, most people think we are referring to your ability to accelerate a baseball, however this is not the most critical component of arm strength. The decelerating muscles of your arm, the brakes for your arm, need to be the primary focus for all ball players.
What are you doing to keep your arm healthy and performing at an optimum level? Are you using a rotator cuff and scapular strengthening system designed for throwing athletes?