Links
I am constantly searching the web
looking for good information about safe and effective pitching. Here
are links to some of the best things I have found.
ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Below are some articles
that highlight the risks that face young pitchers and what can be
done to reduce them.
Effect of
pitch type, pitch count, and pitching mechanics on risk of elbow
and shoulder pain in youth baseball pitchers
In my opinion, this is one of the most important articles ever
written about the risks of pitching and what to do about them. I
also find it infuriating that the authors of this paper label as
flaws things that they say will reduce the risk of elbow and
shoulder injuries.
The
“Moving Valgus Stress Test” for Medial Collateral Ligament Tears
of the Elbow
This article explains what happens in the elbows of pitchers and
why.
GURUS
There are a ton of would-be pitching gurus out there, but only
a few know what they are talking about.
Dr. Mike Marshall
I stumbled across Dr. Mike Marshall's web site a while back when I
was researching ways to prevent injuries in young pitchers (my son is a
pitcher). In addition to having great credentials (he is a Cy Young
award-winning pitcher and also has a Phd in Kinesiology) I believe that
Dr. Marshall is the best of the pitching gurus. He has developed a
pitching motion that addresses all of the problems with the traditional
pitching motion and leads to dramatic reductions in the likelihood that
pitchers will injure themselves. Because Dr. Marshall, like many
extremely smart people, isn't the greatest communicator, I have written
a number of articles that help to explain his ideas.
Bob Shaw
While Bob Shaw doesn't have the academic credentials of Dr. Mike
Marshall, he was a professional pitcher and I have read his book "Pitching" and have found that it
contains a significant amount of advice about safe and effective
pitching mechanics. He has also co-authored at least one academic paper
about the physiology of pitching.
Steve Ellis
I really like Steve Ellis'
approach. He knows what he is talking about and serves as kind of the
Consumer Reports of the pitching coaching industry.
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