Posted on by RPP

Do You Have an Arm Care Program?

Do you have an arm care program?  It’s a question we’re often asked by parents of young athletes. Unfortunately, this question also comes with an expectation that any arm care program would be mostly focusing on band work. This couldn’t be farther from reality. With respect to throwing a baseball nothing happens in isolation, and a great arm care program is no different. I can recount many conversations with parents about arm care. And, when I tell them that it’s about a number of different things, including strength training,  I can see it in their eyes. Their response often is “but I’m looking for arm care”.

Let me explain!

First, I think it’s important to appreciate that throwing a baseball is an interconnected and sequential pattern of movements.  Any decent arm care program should appreciate this fact and strive to address all aspects of an athlete’s training program.

This involves a few big players. So, today we’re going to focus on 4 big topics that I feel should embody any good arm care program.

    1. Drill Specificity – Identify the type of mover
    2. Exercise Volume / Fatigue – Reducing stress on the shoulder and elbow
    3. Strength Training – Increasing resilience and durability
    4. Arm Stress – Throwing mechanics and managing volume

So, let’s dig in…

1. Drill Specificity

It’s about identifying the type of mover…

In our assessments, we identify each athlete as a specific type of mover. You’re either…

    • Tight
    • Loose (hyper mobile, laxity)
    • Middle-of-the-road

This has a direct influence on pre-throw exercises and volume.

Tight – These are the guys who commonly don’t hit their best velocity numbers until halfway through their pen. A plan for these guys usually looks something like this:

        1. Extended warm up
        2. Improve lat length (potentially even with some manual stretching, if indicated)
        3. Activation work to help create stiffness in the anterior core and posterior cuff specifically
        4. Movement

TRX Deep Squat Breathing

Hyper Mobile (Laxity) – More is not always better. With these guys, we really don’t need to establish any new range-of-motion. We need to enhance stability in the ROM they already have. An arm care plan for these guys usually looks something like this:

        1. No stretching
        2. Work on motor control pre-throw (Prone ER/IR)
        3. Perturbations

End Range Lift-offs

Manual ER with Perts

Middle-of -the road (MOR)– These guys don’t need quite as much mobility work as the tight guys, and don’t need as much stability work as the guys with laxity. The majority of athletes that we see generally fall into this bracket.

        1. Foam roll / mobility
        2. Work on motor control (Prone ER/IR)
        3. Activation work to help create stiffness in the anterior core and posterior cuff specifically
        4. Movement

Perturbations – Point of Release

2. Exercise Volume / Fatigue

It’s about reducing stress on the shoulder and elbow…

Guys spend waaaayyyy too much time going through a plethora of exercises for the cuff and scapular stabilizers.  Before you know it, it’s an hour later and they’re exhausted before they’ve even picked up a ball. This can be avoided by only prescribing exercises that that particular athlete needs (see above), and not prescribing an excessive amount of unproductive work that’s just piling fatigue on top of the rotator cuff before throwing.

To give you a general idea of volume, here is the typical amount of time we recommend spending on your pre-throw program.

    • Tight / MOR- 20-25 min.
    • Lax – 15-20 min.

3. Strength Training

It’s about increasing resilience and durability…

Taking care of your arm isn’t just reserved for the pre-throw.  A good arm care program also involves being cognizant of backing off volume of med ball work and upper body lifting as pitch counts go up while training in the weight room.

Secondly, form is king. This is never more evident than watching some guys during rowing / pulling movements.

Throwers need to learn how to move the scapula on the rib cage in order to get more efficient upward rotation. For example, simply throwing without any thought of arm position can cause the lats to be overused, cementing down all parties involved around the cuff and interfering with upward rotation.

1-Arm Cable Row w/ Rotation

4. Arm Stress

It’s about throwing mechanics and managing volume…

Throwing Mechanics – Improving pitching mechanics allows for a more efficient transfer of energy by better utilizing the entire kinetic chain while minimizing unnecessary strain on the shoulder and elbow. This is primarily done by engaging the core and hips to generate power first instead of relying solely on the arm. The end result is a a smoother throwing motion with less torque on the arm.

In our baseline assessment, we utilize video to analyze and uncover leaks in the kinetic chain. We also prescribe throwing drills as well as water bag drills like the one below to help create greater stability, while taking some of the thought process out of the throw. Basically, creating a more “reactive” delivery.

Water Bag Mound Hops

Throwing Volume / Pitch Counts – For the purposes of this article, we’ve broken this up to two age groups:

13-15 years old – Throwing volume needs to be monitored for all throwing athletes but especially for our younger, less developed guys. Developing as a pitcher requires building work capacity. While this seems to be more understood with older, higher-level athletes, it’s equally important at the youth levels.

Building work capacity in athletes who are skeletally immature needs to be done GRADUALLY… The problem with throwing them at shortstop or catcher in addition to being on the mound is that it immediately puts the athlete in a position where the wear and tear on the pitcher’s arm over the course of a season is severely underestimated.

16 and older – If we’re talking about throwing 60+ pitches at least once a week, they need to stick to playing DH, 1B, 3B, 2B, or OF in the 2-3 days after a start.  While there will still be the possibility for intense throws at these positions the volume is much lower.

Summary

Understanding the type of mover we are working with helps us better prescribe exactly what that particular athlete may need. Specifically making sure we are  NOT over doing by prescribing 10 extra exercises he more than likely doesn’t need. Monitoring volume and form in the weight room is yet another part of this equation.

Overdoing these two parameters can only cause fatigue and create a tired and unproductive experience during bullpens. Focusing on proper mechanics during pens and monitoring throwing volume round-out the big 4 and will ensure we’re not using too much arm.

See ya’ in the gym…

By Nunzio Signore (BA, CSCS, CPT, NASM, FMS)

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