Baseball Development: Intro to Analyze, Evaluate and Incorporate

Baseball Development:  Intro to Analyze, Evaluate and Incorporate

Baseball… America’s past time. A game played by many, but truly understood by few. A game filled with superstitions that demand intense psychological training. More so, baseball is a game requiring remarkable physical attributes that trump those needed for other sports. ­­­­­­­­­­­The demands of the throwing motion have been examined and explained by Glenn Fleisig¹: “From [the] cocked position, the athlete initiates arm acceleration. Elbow extension velocity reaches 2450±250°/s and shoulder internal rotation velocity reaches an incredible 7500±900°/s.” (p. 47). Fleisig discovered that throwing a baseball is, in fact, the fastest joint rotation motion in sport.  

 

The process of hitting a baseball exemplifies one of the most challenging reactive time tasks within sports. The meticulous ability that hitters possess allows them to recognize a pitch (fastball or off-speed), identify if that pitch is a ball or strike, then decide to initiate a swing in the correct path and at the correct time in order to make a successful connection of the bat and ball. All of this occurs in approximately 400 milliseconds² (depending on pitch velocity). Undoubtedly, baseball requires a unique development process in order to compete and be successful at a high level.

Throughout the next ten weeks, we will be discovering and discussing the anatomical limitation and asymmetries that the baseball population presents. Additionally, we will examine the dangers of specific postural imbalances and how proper corrections can substantially enhance a player’s performance. For those reading, please feel free to comment and share personal and professional knowledge and experiences throughout this series.  

 

 

¹Fleisig, G. (2010). Biomechanics of baseball pitching: Implications for injury and performance. International Symposium of Biomechanics in Sports 28, 47. Retrieved from: https://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/cpa/article/viewFile/4377/4069

 

²Adair, R. K. (2002). The physics of baseball (3^rded.). New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.