Baseball Pitching: What Causes a Baseball Pitcher to Throw Hard? By Dr. John Mishock, PT, DPT, DC In baseball, it is often said that the pitcher has a strong arm. However, this phrase is a misnomer. Research clearly shows that the arm musculature (hand, forearm, and arm) contributes only about 20-25% of throwing velocity. (Gretchen […]
Single-limb exercises mean that the individual moves with one limb vs. two limbs—for example, a single-arm curl vs. a double-arm curl. There are many advantages to unilateral exercise training that I will highlight in this article. Benefits of unilateral exercise: 1. Increase motor unit recruitment: There is more significant muscle firing during the unilateral exercise. […]
By Dr. John R. Mishock In organized sports from youth to pro there are approximately 4-6 million injuries each year. The majority of these injuries occur as sprains and strains of the upper and lower extremity. (Hopkinsmedicine.org) Many of these injuries are preventable with proper exercise training and load management of training/competition volume, which ultimately […]
By Dr. John R. Mishock, PT, DPT, DC When watching professional athletes play their sport, we marvel at how they effortlessly hit a baseball over 400 feet, throw a baseball a 100 mph, jump over 40 inches to dunk a basketball, and run sub 4.2 sec on the football field. Advancements in strength and conditioning […]
By Dr. John R. Mishock, PT, DPT, DC Lower extremity injuries make up 66% of all sports injuries, the knee being the most commonly injured joint. (Med Sci. Sports Exerc. 2002) The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four ligaments in the knee that holds the thigh and leg bones together. The ACL ligament […]
By Dr. John R. Mishock, PT, DPT, DC The baseball pitcher is the most vital position in baseball. The success of the baseball pitcher not only requires high-level ability but also requires durability and prevention of injury. Science has also shown that in elite baseball pitchers, 85% of throwing velocity comes from leg drive (push-off […]
By Dr. John R. Mishock, PT, DPT, DC Overuse injuries in the shoulder and elbow are the most common problems in baseball players. Injuries of the shoulder account for 14-21%, whereas the elbow account for 16%-22% of all baseball-related injuries. (Agresta et al. Orthop. J Sports Med, 2019, Posner et al. Am J Sorts Med, […]
By Dr. John R. Mishock, PT, DPT, DC In sports, most high-level athletes (70-90%) and elite sports coaches (94%) report using motor imagery (mental or kinesthetic imagery) to enhance sports performance. (Ridderinkhof et al. J Physiol, 2015) There have been over 122 studies demonstrating the effectiveness of motor imagery in basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, […]
By Dr. John R. Mishock, PT, DPT, DC An acute ankle sprain is the most common lower limb injury accounting for up to 40% of all sports-related injuries. The highest incidence of injury occurs in basketball (41.1%), American football (9.3%), and soccer (7.9%). (Vuurberg et al. Br j Sports Med, 2018, (McKay et al Br […]
By Dr. John R. Mishock, PT, DPT, DC Building powerful explosive lean muscle can be a game-changer in optimizing sports performance and injury prevention. To optimize muscle growth and development specific training relative to sport is needed, however, exercise alone is not enough. Nutrition and more specifically protein are needed to attain optimal results. Why […]
