Baseball Shoulder Program

A wise man once said; develop shoulder integrity before developing shoulder mobility. What this means is you should develop rotator cuff strength and the three heads of the deltoid muscles, prior to starting your throwing program. The “great challenge” of the throwing shoulder involves the smaller muscles of the rotator cuff and shoulder blade being asked to control and decelerate the larger, prime movers of the shoulder. Flexibility and stability of the throwing shoulder is paramount in the dynamic throwing act. The joint capsule must be flexible enough to provide fluid delivery. Your goal is to create balance between the anterior and posterior muscles of the shoulder. You should incorporate bands and tubing exercises to develop the endurance necessary for the rotator cuff and shoulder to withstand the stress of throwing. The exercises we utilize are:

• Internal Rotation – Start with your throwing elbow flexed at 90 degrees, pull in your arm while keeping your elbow at your side. Return tubing slowly and under control. Perform set of 15 reps.

• External Rotation - Start with your throwing elbow flexed at 90 degrees, pull out with your arm while keeping your elbow at your side. Return tubing slowly and under control. Perform set of 15 reps.

• Shoulder Flexion – Grasp band at hip with thumb up. Bring hand up parallel to the ground as shown. Pause at the top and return to starting position. Perform set of 15 reps.

• Shoulder Extension – Grasp band 6-8 inches in front of hip. Pull hand back behind hips and hold. Make sure elbow is straight. Return tubing slowly to starting position and repeat. Perform set of 15 reps.

• Cross Body Pull – Grasp band with hand and pull arm across the body keeping the elbow straight and thumb up. Be sure to squeeze and hold shoulder blade at the end-range for 2 seconds. Return to starting position and repeat. Perform set of 15 reps.