Download or read book Characteristics of Adolescent Baseball Pitchers and Their Relationship to Throwing Velocity written by Robert A. Schulte and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throwing is a complex biomechanical feat that requires a balance between mobility and stability of the human kinetic chain. Shoulder muscle weakness and adaptive tissue changes have been proposed as a possible risk for developing injury. Objective quantification of anthropometric characteristics has been identified in a population of professional baseball pitchers, but there is a paucity in the literature regarding the adolescent pitcher. The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of healthy adolescent pitchers and determine the relationships between shoulder passive range of motion, eccentric strength, field-testing performance and other anthropometric data to pitching velocity. Thirty-seven healthy Babe Ruth baseball players age 14-15 were tested bilaterally for selected anthropometric and field testing measurements to determine if the throwing side differed in strength, range of motion, and various performance measures from the nonthrowing side. Passive internal and external range of motion was bilaterally measured at 90° of abduction. Muscle strength of the supraspinatus, handgrip, and internal and external glenohumeral rotators were measured with a hand-held dynamometer. Field-testing consisted of the following tests: sit-ups, medicine ball throw, standing long jump, and Davies Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test. Correlational statistics were used to determine if any of these characteristics were significant predictors for pitch velocity in adolescent pitchers. No significant strength difference existed between extremities in external rotator, internal rotator, or supraspinatus strength. However, a significant difference of handgrip strength existed in the pitching arm as compared to the nonpitching arm. When compared to the nonpitching arm, the bilateral glenohumeral passive range of motion tests demonstrated greater passive external rotation in 90° of abduction in the pitching arm of adolescent players. Results demonstrated significantly greater distance by the nonpitching side during the single-leg hop test. Furthermore, this study identified external rotation strength and the single-leg hop test (stride leg) distance as two significant predictors for pitch velocity in adolescent pitchers. The strength, range of motion, and performance characteristics identified in this study can assist the practitioner in evaluating and treating adolescent athletes who use overhead throwing motions.