360 THROWING MECHANICS
When most pitchers first learn 360 Throwing mechanics, like with the revolutionary approach we called 360 Throwing , they quickly discover the importance of range of motion. Harder throwers can create more range of motion between the hips and shoulder and also in the throwing shoulder during external rotation or the late cocking phase.
The problem is these pitchers will jump to conclusions that the answer to increasing pitching velocity is to only increase range of motion. Well if you have a basic understand of the laws of physics you will know that if you increase range of motion but reduce force in return then you are working against yourself.
For an increase in a pitcher’s range of motion to enhance pitching velocity, the forces coming from this movement must remain the same or hopefully they will also increase with the added range of motion. The key to increasing pitching velocity through more range of motion is with speed and not just with flexibility. Most pitchers will try to take this approach to using flexibility training to increase range of motion. They will stretch and stretch and stretch the arm, through a full range of motion, in hopes this will increase pitching velocity. In many cases this flawed approach reduces pitching velocity.
Before we look into the issues of stretching to enhance performance, let’s first learn the science that proves the correlation between high velocity pitching and increased range of motion, specifically in the shoulder. The shoulder is the most common place for pitchers to use stretching techniques to increase range of motion because the shoulder is easier to stretch than the core.
