SST's Top 10 Myths About Baseball Training
7. "Baseball players should train the throwing muscles the most"
Your throwing muscles get plenty of work during everyday throwing. What is extremely important is training the antagonist or opposing muscles on the rear of the body. They need to be strong to help the arm for deceleration after throwing a baseball. I place pull-ups/chins and rows in a high place of importance for baseball players.1 The idea of becoming stronger does not just include training the areas that you already use. The muscles that are used the least are the ones that make a difference when it comes to injury prevention and improving functionality. For example, training your shoulders’ internal rotators. These muscles are used every time a throw is made, and they are located in the front of your shoulder. They help in accelerating the arm when getting ready to throw a ball. The external rotator muscles in the shoulder help you on decelerating the arm after releasing a baseball, and they are placed on the back of your shoulder.
However, upper body muscles are not the only ones being used when throwing. The hips are also engaged in this kind of movement, providing the body with rotational force at the waist. The legs are also involved providing the body with stability and support. Furthermore, I am a strong believer that not only should the muscles involved in certain movements like throwing be trained, but every muscle should be treated the same way. Since full body strength promotes greater athleticism, it also leads to better performance.
1 http://www.protraineronline.com/past/Nov&Dec06/article6.cfm
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