Baseball: Long Toss

Jacob LiedkaKINE 4327- Biomechanics

Objectives The objective of long toss is to build arm

strength and endurance by throwing the ball as hard and far as possible in a mechanically sound fashion.

Special Considerations Closed task Non repetitive Movement takes

place in: Frontal Plane Transverse Plane Sagittal Plane

Special Considerations (Cont.)

Other factors that may be taken into consideration are :

Weather Equipment

Cleats should be worn to maximize traction and prevent injury.

Musculature The power from the long

toss is provided primarily by the legs and the core. Explosive, fast twitch muscle is what makes someone throw hard.

The gluteus maximus, muscles of the quadriceps, hamstrings, as well as the abdominals and obliques create force for the throw.

Musculature (Cont.) The muscles of the rotator

cuff play a huge role in the force producing and recovery phases of the throwing movement.

The pectoralis major, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and biceps all play a role in force producing movement of the long toss.

The teres major, teres minor, rear deltoid, and supraspinatus all figure into protecting the shoulder during the follow through.

Exercises Many different exercises

can be done to improve throwing velocity. Along with extensive resistance training for leg strength, and a light dumbbell routine for rotator cuff strength, the following can be implemented:

Plyometrics (Jumps, agilities)

Abdominal work Sprints

Phases of Long Toss Phase I- Preparatory Movements- Mental Set Phase II- Wind up Phase III- Force Producing Movement Phase IV- Follow Through

Phase I (Preparatory Movements)

To begin the long toss movement, two shuffle steps are taken, using ground reaction forces to build momentum into the throw itself.

This begins the sequential kinetic link.

Keep weight slightly on back foot Have good flow and rhythm throughout

Phase I (Cont.) Movement takes place in the sagittal

plane. Common Errors:

Early rotation No rhythm

Phase II (Wind up) The wind up begins with a great

amount of ground reaction forces being transferred from the ground to the back foot of the thrower.

While force is applied with the back foot, the hands separate and begin to move downward.

Keep movement free and easy Keep front side closed (still no rotation)

Phase II (Cont.) Most movement takes place in

sagittal plane, hands begin to move in transverse plane.

Common Errors: No rhythm Early rotation

Phase III (Force Producing Movement)

The force producing movement begins with the stride, maximum force is applied by the back foot as the front foot strides to the target. There must not be any rotation within the body whatsoever until the front foot hits the ground.

The front foot should be pointing straight at the target or slightly closed, and the elbows should be brought up to the “power position” creating somewhat of an inverted W. This is the ideal position to create force and power within the throw.

The head, shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and foot should all be aligned perpendicular to the target.

Phase III (Cont.) Once the front foot hits the ground, force is transferred

from the lower extremities to the core. The core rotates violently, bringing Newton’s law of action reaction into play, creating a very large amount of torque.

The torque created is transferred to the arm which acts as a whip that delivers the ball.

Phase III (Cont.) The force producing movement should take place

in the sagittal plane for as long as possible, up until a certain point where it will happen in the frontal plane.

Common Errors: Front foot opens Rotation of the trunk occurs too early Arm slot not in proper position to create optimal power Front side flies open (shoulder, elbow, glove)

Phase IV (Follow Through) The follow through is a

very important phase that can alter the flight of the ball, as well as determine how healthy someone’s arm will be over a period of time.

The follow through begins once the ball is released.

Phase IV (Cont.) Once the ball is released,

the athlete’s head should follow the ball to the target. The head moves forward and down while the upper half of the body ends up parallel with the ground.

The back leg should fly through freely, increasing the overall amount of force applied to the back of the ball, as well as reducing the amount of the stress put on the rear deltoid area.

Phase IV (Cont.) This phase should take place

primarily in the frontal plane, too much movement in the sagittal plane will limit the amount of force applied toward the target.

Common Errors Too much movement in sagittal plane, limiting

efficiency Not allowing back leg to come through

Summary Try to be as smooth as possible with

your mechanics, keep movements free and easy.

Keep shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, and foot in line with the target during phase II.

Keep all movement going toward the target.

Let it fly!

References House, Tom. Ryan, Nolan (1991). Nolan Ryan’s Pitcher’s Bible. New York, New

York: Simon & Schuster/Fireside

House, Tom. (1994). The Pitching Edge. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers

Bolt, Becky. (2007). Pitching Biomechanics Evaluation. Retrieved at http://www.asmi.org/asmiweb/pitching%20biomechanics%20evaluation.htm

Hales, Mike PhD. Bauer, Jeff PhD., et al. 2008. Dynamic Biomechanics. Available from http://dartfish.e-publishingplatform.com/account.php?subscriptions

Dillman, C.J., Fleisig, G.S., Andrews, J.R. (1993). Biomechanics of Pitching with Emphasis opon Shoulder Kinematics. J Orthop Sports Physical Therapy. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8364594.