Physical Therapist
University of Colorado Health-Poudre Valley Hospital

Lets say a baseball pitcher wants to throw the ball faster. The pitcher figures that lifting weights and increasing his arm strength will get him there. This pitcher already understands the importance of having a strong arm for pitching, but he is leaving out a few other strategies that can also help increase his pitching speed. A couple of these strategies are working on his pitching mechanics and increasing his abdominal strength.
In a journal article by Shane Seroyer and colleagues called, The Kinetic Chain In Overhand Pitching: It’s Potential Role For Performance Enhancement And Injury Prevention, they explain how the arm is not the only body part playing a role in pitching but that both the legs and core muscles contribute to increasing the speed of the pitch. The article further explains how we need to visualize the body as a chain with many links. To keep it simple, lets say there are 3 major links. The bottom link being the legs, the middle link being the core muscles, and the last one being the arms. If we can incorporate each link in a pitch along with the proper body mechanics we can significantly increase the speed of the pitch. |




1) Your abs play a role in: how fast you throw a ball, how strong your swim stroke is, and how hard you spike.
2) The human body is one big kinetic chain, don’t neglect a part of it.
3) Having a 6 pack is not only for the beach but it is also for improving your athletic performance
Seroyer, S. T., Nho, S. J., Bach, B. R., Bush-Joseph, C. A., Nicholson, G. P., & Romeo, A. A. (2010). The kinetic chain in overhand pitching: its potential role for performance enhancement and injury prevention. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach, 2(2), 135-146.
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