COMPARISON OF FASTBALL AND CURVEBALL KINEMATICS AND MUSCLE ACTIVITY FOR ELITE BASEBALL PITCHERS THROWING FROM THE STRETCH

Authors

Megan M. Smidebush, Mississippi State UniversityFollow

Category

Injury prevention

Document Type

Paper

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the muscle activation patterns for the Biceps Femoris, Gastrocnemius, Triceps Brachii, Biceps Brachii, Upper Trapezius, Lower Trapezius, shoulder rotation, elbow angular velocity, elbow flexion-extension & pelvis rotation between the curveball and fastball. Participants were current elite baseball pitchers. After the placement of electrodes, Maximal Voluntary Isometric Contractions (MVIC) were completed. Significant differences in elbow flexion-extension, shoulder rotation, and pelvis rotation for the stretch curveball when compared to the stretch fastball were found. The increase in muscle activity and the greater than MVIC values indicate that lower extremity muscles are beneficial in incorporating into the pitching literature and play a role in the dynamic muscle strength needed to complete a pitch from a specific delivery.

Recommended Citation

Smidebush, Megan M. (2019) "COMPARISON OF FASTBALL AND CURVEBALL KINEMATICS AND MUSCLE ACTIVITY FOR ELITE BASEBALL PITCHERS THROWING FROM THE STRETCH," ISBS Proceedings Archive: Vol. 37: Iss. 1, Article 30.
Available at: https://commons.nmu.edu/isbs/vol37/iss1/30