What causes a pitcher to lose velocity?

“When baseball pitchers lose release velocity, it is always a result of the decrease in joint stability,” said Marshall, who has a Ph. D. Marshall argues that pitchers can maintain or regain velocity by correcting their motion, weight training and exercise.

What causes dead arm in pitchers?

Shoulder instability: At times, a pitcher may experience what is called “dead arm.” Dead arm results from the strain of overuse. When muscles become fatigued and the joint becomes unstable, the shoulder is no longer able to operate as it should.

What does a dead arm mean in baseball?

The term “dead arm” is commonly used throughout baseball, but it does not refer to an actual injury. The phrase is used when there is no structural damage in the arm or shoulder but instead a feeling of fatigue.

What factors affect the velocity of a throw?

Body weight, strength, and efficient mechanics may all increase the capacity for pitching velocity, but without enough exposure to throwing volumes, the pitcher may not have experienced physical adaptations that allow for the highest expression of these qualities on the mound.

Can a pitcher regain velocity?

We also see that, while some pitchers can gain back some velocity after suffering a loss, the gain is quite small and, on average, doesn’t get them back to where they were the previous season. Additionally, as most pitchers decline the following year, we see that the declines are quite large.

What does it mean when your left arm feels weak?

Causes for weakness in arms include trauma from an injury, repetitive strain injury, nerve damage or compression in the neck or upper back, or blockage in the bloodstreams. Left arm weakness with chest pain may need immediate medical attention.

What does it mean to have a dead arm?

Description. “Dead Arm” is characterized by a sudden sharp or ‘paralyzing’ pain when the shoulder is moved forcibly into a position of maximum external rotation in elevation or is subjected to a direct blow.

Why does my arm feel weak after pitching?

Dead arm syndrome is caused by overuse. It occurs when repeated overhead motions, like throwing a ball, injures the muscles or tendons in the shoulder. Common symptoms of dead arm syndrome include pain, weakness, and numbness in the upper arm.

Does arm speed equal velocity?

The closer you can maximize arm speed to the release of the ball, the faster the resultant velocity will be; furthermore, the better you can directionally apply arm speed directly at the target, the more efficient the delivery will be!

Does muscular fatigue impact throwing velocity in baseball?

More indirectly, though, muscular fatigue can impact throwing velocity by altering pitching mechanics. This is most clearly demonstrated in-game as pitcher fatigues from inning to inning, oftentimes losing velocity as well as command.

How does body weight affect a pitcher’s velocity?

Body weight can foster greater momentum toward home plate, but without adequate strength, increased body weight could be a detriment. Body weight, strength, and efficient mechanics may all increase the capacity for pitching velocity, but without enough exposure to throwing volumes,…

What happens if a pitcher does not rotate his trunk?

Without the trunk rotation, the pitcher will not be able to achieve the same velocities as that of his whole pitching motion. Finally, have a pitcher tense up his throwing arm, and then try to throw it. Yet again, it will not be as effective as the whole pitching motion, as much of the elastic energy is lost by tensing the throwing arm.

What are the factors that strongly influence pitching velocity?

The 9 Factors That Strongly Influence Pitching Velocity. 1 Take an athlete with a 400 lbs. max on the Squat. If the athlete were to put 200 lbs. on the barbell, they could squat it with much greater velocity 2 A pitcher can throw a 4 oz underweight baseball with greater velocity than an overweight 7 oz baseball.