The Quadricepts Myofascial Release is part of the Performance Plus Stretching Series. Lie on your front and place the foam roller underneath your leg. Bend the opposite leg and bring it out to the side to help you move back and forth. Roll the entire length of the thigh muscle, staying off the knee joint.
ITB / TFL Myofascial Release
The ITB / TFL Myofascial Release is part of the Performance Plus Stretching Series..Lie on your affected side and place the foam roller underneath the IT band. Cross the top leg over the front of the lower leg to help you move back and forth. Roll from just below the boney bit of your hip, to just above the knee joint. Do not roll over bone on a foam roller, stay on the soft tissue.
Hamstring Myofascial Release
The Hamstring Myofascial Release is part of the Performance Plus Stretching Series. Take the foam roller and place it underneath the back of your affected thigh. Cross the other leg over the top in order to apply more pressure to the movement. Lift yourself up onto your hands and roll forward and backwards along the hamstring muscle on the back of the leg. Do not roll onto the back of the knee with the foam roller.
Thoracic Stretch
The Thoracic Stretch is Part of the Performance Plus Stretching Series. It is a great stretch to provide mid back mobility which is really useful in all aspects of throwing and hitting. Start on your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Take one hand off the floor and reach in and through between your other arm and your legs. Allow your body and head to follow, moving your shoulder down towards the floor as your hand reaches through. You should feel a stretch down your side, your shoulder blade and neck. Hold this position for a few seconds, and then return to the starting position. Reach your arm out to the other side, and then up towards the ceiling. Follow the movement of your hand with your head, twisting in the other direction to look up towards the ceiling. Hold this position, and then repeat the sequence. Repeat 10 times each way.
Horizontal Adduction Stretch
The Wrist and Elbow Extension Stretch is part of the Performance Plus Stretching Series. It is a really important stretch in maintaining arm health. Stand upright and prepare to start the shoulder stretch exercise. This exercise stretches the muscles in your upper arm, upper back and shoulder and can be performed either sitting or standing. Move your arm across your chest at the height of your shoulder. Use your other hand to gently hold your elbow and pull the arm a little further across. You should feel the stretch across the back of your arm and shoulder. Hold this position for 20 seconds and return to the start position and repeat to the other side. Complete twice each arm.
Wrist and Elbow Extension Stretch
The Wrist and Elbow Extension Stretch is part of the Performance Plus Stretching Series. It is a really important stretch in maintaining arm health. Start in a seated or standing position. Bring your arm out in front of you, keeping your elbow straight and wrist and fingers relaxed. Use your opposite hand to stretch the wrist and fingers back so that your palm faces in. Hold this position in a stretch for 20 seconds before relaxing the arm. Repeat 3 times each arm.
Cobra Stretch
The Cobra Stretch is part of the Performance plus Stretching Series. Its a really useful stretch to loosen the lower back and pelvis. Start position is lying face down on the floor in the prone position as if ready to start a push up but keeping the hip and legs in contact with the floor. From the prone position, gently press up using the arms and shoulders keeping the legs, pelvis, and lower abdomen in contact with the floor. Perform the exercise in a slowly to the end of the movement range and then pause briefly, rather than holding as if performing a traditional static stretch. Repeat 10 times
Sumo Stretch
The Sumo Squat Stretch is part of the Performance plus Stretching Series. Its a really useful stretch to loosen the lower back hips and calves. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and squat down between your legs with your knees turned out.
Put your fingers underneath your toes for balance, and bring your chest up. Push your elbows into your thighs to push the knees out further, stretching the inside of your thighs. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat 3 times
Quad Stretch
The Quad Stretch is part of the Performance Plus Stretching Series. To perform the stretch, Stand up straight, close to a wall or supportive surface. Bend your knee on the affected leg, taking your heel towards your buttock. Hold onto the top of your foot with your hand, and gently pull your heel closer in towards your buttock, until you feel a stretch in the front of your thigh. Ensure you keep your knees together. Hold this position for 20 seconds and repeat on each leg 3 times..
Hip 90/90 Stretch
The Seated 90 Stretch is Part of the Performance Plus stretching Series. Its really effective at stretching out the hips which can get really tight from baseball. To perform the stretch, Sit upright in a chair. Cross the ankle of the affected leg over the opposite thigh just above the knee. Lean forwards, bending from the hip. Increase the stretch by placing your hand on the inside of the affected knee, and apply some downwards pressure. Do not round your back whilst you hold this position. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat 3 times each leg.
Reverse Throw Drill
The Reverse Plyo Throw is part of the Performance Plus Strengthening Series. Reverse Throws train the posterior shoulder, activating the muscle group but also providing a strong physiological stimulus to develop power. Reverse throws also provide a good backwards-chained mechanical stimulus, which helps the athlete develop kinesthetic awareness of how the pitching arm is delayed in the delivery. While kneeling on the throwing-side leg and the glove-side leg out in front, assume a forward position across the body with the PlyoCare ball in your throwing hand. Your throwing forearm should be pronated and your scaps should be protracted with shoulders forward. Initiate the movement by rotating towards your throwing arm side, driving the shoulder backwards and around the spine. Keep the hand pinned to the body as long as possible until inertial mass pulls it behind you in a backwards throw as you supinate your forearm into neutral posture. Drive the glove-side midfoot into the ground, anchoring the hips. The feeling is a powerful backhand slap to someone directly behind you! Try to mimic your normal arm slot when doing this drill. Repeat 10 times.
Plyoball Pivot Pick
The Pivot Pick video is part of the Performance Plus Strength and Conditioning Series. They are really useful in teaching the arm to create an effective throwing motion. While standing perpendicular to a solid surface with your throwing arm side facing the target, grip a PlyoCare ball in the throwing hand. Start in the high-cocked position with the forearm slightly supinated. Initiate the throw by pulling the glove-side shoulder around the spine, folding the glove arm downwards and close to the side of the ribcage. Roll the throwing elbow into the driveline by raising the elbow upwards as the mass of the PlyoCare ball pushes the forearm back into layback. Drive the chest forward and unwind the throwing arm by pronating the forearm during internal rotation. Finish with the throwing shoulder forwardly rotated to the target; the ideal throwing arm path will have the throwing hand hit the throwing arm side pants pocket. Do your best to not finish across the body. This drill trains internal rotator and elbow extensor strength, shoulder mobility, and forearm pronator-flexor dynamic strength. Video of this drill must be reviewed on a regular basis to make sure the athlete is forwardly rotating the torso, pronating the forearm correctly (throwing curveballs and sliders with 1kg PlyoCare balls is not uncommon when first starting this due to poor awareness of forearm positioning), and driving the chest forward to maximize linear and rotational velocities.
Plyocare Rocker Drill
The Rocker Throw video is part of the Performance Plus Strength and Conditoning Series, this drill emphasizes the linear momentum and the importance of the lead leg block. Stand with a PlyoCare ball in the throwing hand, facing away from the target with the glove side pointing at the target. Rock forwards into the glove side leg, then backwards into the throwing side leg, then explode off the back leg while putting force into the ground with the lead leg. Throw the PlyoCare ball as usual to a mid-chest high target, driving off that lead leg. Rocker Throws help the athlete feel how the strong lead leg block contributes significantly to torso rotation.
Wind Up Drill
The Walking Windup drill is part of the Performance Plus Strength and Conditioning Series. Walking Windup Throws are a progression off the Roll-In Throws, which teaches the unwinding of the lower half and how it contributes to the upper half. By using a step-step-rotate pattern, the athlete begins to understand the interconnection between ground reaction forces, hip rotation, and torso rotation in the delivery. This drill is done with lighter PlyoCare balls to more closely mimic the actual delivery. Stand with a PlyoCare ball in the throwing hand, facing the target. Step with your glove side foot, then plant the throwing side foot into the ground as you bring the glove side foot up into the drifting “balance” position. Lean the torso back slightly as you drift through the traditional balance position, using the momentum of the step to continue through the linear portion of the delivery. Begin striding to the plate and unwind the counter-rotation that was initiated earlier in the delivery, then throw the PlyoCare ball to a mid-chest high target.
Roll In Throw
This video is part of the Performance Plus Strength and Conditioning Series. Roll-In Throws are a progression beyond Pivot Pickoff Throws, as it involves a dynamic movement with the lower half. The drill was designed to minimise lower half rotation and maximise upper half torso stacking and rotation, as these are the real mechanical keys to throwing high velocities. Stand facing the target with a PlyoCare ball in your throwing hand at waist level. Take a walking step with your throwing side leg with minimal hip rotation, then drive powerfully off this leg leaning your torso slightly backwards as you do so. Bring the PlyoCare ball into the high cocked position using your standard arm action, and as your glove side leg makes contact with the ground, separate your glove and throwing side shoulders by pulling the glove shoulder around the spine and drive the chest forward. This will lay the throwing arm back in external rotation. Unwinding the arm in internal rotation, elbow extension, and forearm pronation, throw the PlyoCare ball to a target approximately mid-chest height. Focus on forwardly rotating the torso and gaining “extension” to the target.
