Posts Tagged ‘Baseball’
October 2nd, 2009 | 
Author: Probably the most difficult facet of the recovery process has been me, in my head, wondering if I have plateaued, and whether or not I will continue to improve in the coming months.
I remember the first time I threw off the mound. It was timed so that I started in Florida, during our spring break trip, and I can recall my 3rd bullpen session, which I threw on the side at the University of Miami. That day I felt really fresh, and was confident in my arm after having two mound sessions already under my belt.
So I did my 45 throws or whatever at 60 feet, and I remember feeling like I was popping the ball. It was on a line, and it had a nice crisp sound, and I was just pleased as shit about it.
3 or 4 weeks later, I was still doing largely the same routine, but throwing with more intensity. I felt like it was time to get out the radar gun. I was throwing 75%, so I figured I should be around 70 with very little effort. So I start throwing, and they start shouting back my velocities…
64. 62. 61. 64. Really? So now I try to throw a little harder. 64. 64. 63. What? I just muscled up and its still only 64? This is ridiculous. Thing was, I didn’t feel like I was throwing 75%, I felt like I was throwing 100%. It was the hardest I had thrown in 6 months, and it looked and felt like I would never again throw a ball over 65 mph. Not happy. Read the rest of this entry »
This is the time of year in which it is time to turn one’s focus toward next spring, which means making goals and working toward becoming a better ballplayer.
So set some goals. If you don’t, it will be much harder to stay on track this winter as the weather turns sour, school starts to wear on you, and your comfy bed calls your name.
Get there.
I like to set my goals at the upper limit of what’s realistic, and I don’t worry too much if I don’t reach them, as long as I come close. Many people need to do the opposite, and set many smaller, more manageable goals to act as stepping stones toward a final, better product. To each his own. But, no matter your method, there needs to be a finish line somewhere and the vision to reach it.
So for my winter, which lasts from now until March, my strength goals are the following:
-Reach 195 pounds while staying below 8% bodyfat.
-Deadlift 450×5
-8 Reps Rock Ring Chin-Ups with 45lb added
-Develop the core of a gymnast
My assault on these milestones is going to be pretty complex, so brace yourself: I’m going to:
-Deadlift, chin-up, and lift my ass off
-Eat like a man twice my size
-Only eat carbs for breakfast, and pre and post-workout
-Eat more vegetables than a vegan hippy
I also have pitching-specific goals, but they are more broad, not worth sharing, and really just sum up to: be the most polished, healthy and powerful pitcher I can be. That’s every pitcher’s goal, anyway.
One of my favorite pieces of specialty equipment are my Metolius Rock Rings, which are a free-hanging climbing holds. These also happen to be a companion of one of my favorite exercises of late, the chin-up.
The only thing I really dislike about chin-ups (aside from everyone in the gym doing them half-assed) is that they feel stressful on the elbow, due in part because of the way the arm articulates as the body ascends. The hands tend to want to pronate on the ascent, which is rendered impossible by holding a straight bar. Is this catastrophic? No, but I prefer individual, free holds for each arm to allow my joints to move comfortably in whatever path they choose.
The Rock Ring
These are made for climbers to functionally train for their sport. What do climbers have that everyone else does not? Crazy strong backs, forearms and fingers. We could all use a little more of that…
These hanging holds have 4 features(descending from the top, increasing in difficulty):
-a sloper (type of open palm hold)
-4 finger deep edge
-4 finger shallow edge
-3 finger 3/4 inch pocket (very, very tough to do chins with)
One of my readers here wanted to share his throwing program with everyone. It’s unique; I haven’t seen one like his and like I have said before, every player and doctor are different and it’s always interesting to see how the same surgery is handled in different ways. He left this to me as a comment, but I figured I’d do one better and post it.
This is actually a really nice idea, sharing each person’s surgery information. If anyone out there is interested in doing any writing, or sending me anything that they think would benefit the tommy john community, please hit me with an email. I’ve posted my thoughts, maybe we can post yours…
*Understand also that this, and any program posted here, is for reference only, and one should always consult a doctor before starting or altering a rehabilitation protocol*
The following is all courtesy of Steve Eagerton, so I want to send a big thank you out to him for providing this to all of us. I wish him all the best in his recovery, and it’s easy to tell that he is strongly in control of his rehab, which is great.
I thought I would leave my throwing program on here my Dr was Dr. Jordan out of Tallahassee, FL FSU team doctor has well as several other team doctors. I have been following this and am starting week 5’s throwing this week. I don’t follow this to the letter more than anything just listen to your arm. The first 6 weeks are not about velocity at all the DR has stressed just tossing. The Dr actually cleared me to start tossing @ 16 weeks and not at 4 months. My 1st day of throwing was August 16th. I am a 21yrs old RHP pitcher at Jacksonville University redshirt sophmore.
Week 1 @ 4 months
Tossing 50ft 25 throws every other day
Week 2
Tossing 50ft 25 throws daily Read the rest of this entry »
Ever sprinted away from a stinging, furious, vindictive swarm of bees?
If you have, (likely with wet pants) then you know that there is an extra gear deep down that kicks in when the adrenaline is pumping.
This isn’t news; we have all experienced something like this in our lives, and as such we know that the body’s dormant physical potential is pretty amazing.
Thing is, in sport it is often difficult to summon this sort of extra-maximal (yes, I’m aware that term is senseless) effort, especially in situations when no one is watching and the game is not on the line. Read the rest of this entry »
Time makes fools of us all.
At 8.5 months I thought I was ready to pitch in games. I thought I was ready to get back in front of scouts at 10.5 months. Not so fast.
I don’t know where the time went, but my smooth and swift cruise through rehab got choppy, eventually slowing me down to an idle this summer. Read the rest of this entry »
Here are three more shoulder stretches, that when done in addition to the sleeper stretch, will help keep one’s arm nice and loose.
Posterior Deltoid and Infraspinatus Stretch
Pull the arm across the chest to feel a stretch in the back of the shoulder. This will get the infraspinatus (a rotator cuff muscle) and the posterior deltoid.
This stretch can also be done at different angles across the body to get the muscles in a new direction.
Middle Deltoid Stretch
With the arm at 90°, grab the forearm and pull the arm across the back. The range of motion won’t be very long, but you will feel a stretch in the middle aspect of your shoulder.
Anterior Deltoid Stretch
Keep your arm straight and pull directly down the middle of the back.
The key to this stretch is keeping good posture – maintain a high chest and keep your shoulders square.
You don’t want your shoulder to sag or rotate backward as you pull. This would take the muscle out of proper position to stretch.
Notes
In addition to standing, these three can also be done laying face down on the floor.
The perfect time to do them is right after sleeper stretches, as you can just stand up or roll over onto your stomach and complete your shoulder stretching circuit.
Unilateral leg training is great for you. Plain and simple.
For the athletic population, and especially one-side dominant athletes like baseball players, a big differential can develop between legs. Pitchers will often have increased tightness in their stride leg, especially in the hip joint (from rotating on it with each pitch), yet higher strength in their balance leg (chiefly from balancing, loading, and pushing off with it 100 times per game).
The disparity can be in flexibility, mobility, or strength, but no matter the symptom, unilateral training is always a big part of the cure. And, if you have a weak leg your regular bilateral lifts (squats, deadlifts, etc.) are needlessly suffering. Big strength gains can happen in those regular lifts from strengthening the weak link.
The two most prevalent uni-leg squats are the Pistol Squat and the Peterson Step-Down, but I’m also going to throw the rear-reaching uni-leg squat into the mix, which is a better variation of the pistol squat for a few reasons.
Pistol Squat
Take a close look at the above video. It’s important to notice two things about the pistol squat:
1. The back is very rounded, which might not cause problems if done with bodyweight, but would be a serious injury risk if additional weight is used.
2. Weight shifts way back on the heels, which puts more force on the knee than if the weight was more centered.
For the above reasons, I am not a fan of pistol squats. If the off-knee is bent it allows better weight distribution, but even then I think there are better options. Read the rest of this entry »
The following six exercises are prescribed to any ballplayer with elbow pain. Be it tendinitis, UCL strains, sprains, or surgery, these forearm exercises are the ones that strengthen the whole forearm and ward off future elbow problems. To the untrained thrower doing this prehab can also add a few MPHs, as the forearm and hand are the last mechanical parts in the delivery of a throw. Today is the perfect time to start doing these exercises regularly.
These exercises can be done with dumbbells or a flat or tubular Thera-band (Flat is preferred). You can find Thera-Bands here: Thera-Bands 6 Yard Box (6 in. wide)
Pronation, supination and ulnar deviation are best done with a ban, mini-sledge hammer or baseball bat (though they are shown below with a dumbbell).
Forearm Flexion
With palms facing up, curl the weight toward you using your wrist.
Forearm Extension Read the rest of this entry »
Novelty in the weightroom isn’t always a good thing, but sometimes can provide a fun pick-me-up when routines get stale.
The following are two of my favorite exercises that aren’t very well known, both of which, ironically, start with a Z. These were introduced to me by my strength and conditioning coach at UMBC, Fred Cantor.
The Zercher Squat
The Zercher Squat is a front squat in which you carry the bar in the crux of your elbows. Yeah, you could put a pad or towel there, but that takes the fun out of it.
It’s a great exercise because it easily allows proper and deep squatting form, and it requires more core recruitment to prevent forward lean.
And, it is fun to do with a partner because you can laugh as you both grimace in pain. You can also compare pain tolerances and find out which one of you is the soft one.
The Dreaded Zercher Squat
The Zottman Curl
This is a cool exercise because it combines a concentric bicep curl with an eccentric reverse curl. Gives a nice blast to the brachioradialis and the forearm extensors.
A special thanks goes out to Andrew Sacks, the bad mofo demonstrating in the video. Without an intact ACL or a working pancreas, he still had the courage to do the video . Commitment.