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.
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.
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.
Long Toss with Kinetic Chain Exercises
Long Toss using Driveline Constraint Exercises
This video shows the technique used for Driveline Kinetic Chain throwing exercises. Using a normal baseball or cricket ball (not weighted ball at this stage), we demonstrate the Pivot Pick, Rocker, Roll In and Walk-In WindUp Exercises to develop throwing techniques.
Commence about 5 m apart facing each other and loosen the arm with 10 stationary feet warm up throws. We then commence the Extension Phase. First we commence with 5-10 Pivot Pick throws aiming for the chest of your partner. Once completed take 5 steps back and perform 5-10 Rocker Throws. Take 5 Steps back and then perform 5-10 Roll In Throws. Finally we progress to the Walk In Wind Up Throws. Here every 2 throws you will take 5 steps back until you reach the designated distance or your limit (when the ball is making a shot hop). Remember as we extend out we are throwing nice and loosely and the ball will travel at a gentle arc.
Once we reach our distance limit, we commence the Compression Phase of the long toss exercises. Here we aim to throw the ball flat and hard straight to our partner.. With each throw step in 5 steps aiming to throw each time as hard as the previous throw and on the same flat plane. Keep progressing this until you close to a distance that remains safe and comfortable for both partners.
J Band Shoulder Stability with Retraction
This Video is part of the Performance Plus J Band Warm-Up Series. The Scapular Stability with Shoulder Retraction Exercise is a good dynamic stability exercise to assist with control of the shoulder blade. Work at keeping the shoulder blade back and snug as you pull your arms back. As with all the band exercises try and maintain trunk control as you perform the exercises. Best done as 3 sets of 10.
J Bands Biceps Curl With Supination
This Video is part of the Performance Plus J Band Warm-Up Series. The Bicep Curl with Supination is a good exercise to strengthen and control Elbow and Shoulder Flexion as well as Wrist Supination. It is really useful in improving the throwing action. Commence in an athletic position with facing the bands and your palms facing backwards. Smoothly bend your arms in front of you at the same time turning your hands so that your palms are facing over your shoulders. Return slowly in a controlled manner to the starting position remembering to turn the hands so that now the palms are facing behind you. As with all the band exercises try and maintain trunk control as you perform the exercises. Best done as 3 sets of 10.
J Bands Front Fly Exercises
This Video is part of the Performance Plus J Band Warm-Up Series. The Front Fly with J Band is a good exercise to strengthen and control shoulder movement. It is a really important exercise for the throwing action and helps to stabilise the shoulder blade. Commence in an athletic position face on to the bands. Commence with the shoulder elevated at 90 degrees with out to side. Bring the hands together and then drive then straight up above the head. Ensure you keep the shoulder blades snug during the action. Slowly return to the chest before returning to the starting position. As with all the band exercises try and maintain trunk control as you perform the exercises. Best done as 3 sets of 10.
J Band Shoulder Internal Rotation
This Video is part of the Performance Plus J Band Warm-Up Series. The Shoulder Internal Rotation with J Band is a good exercise to strengthen and control shoulder rotation and stability. It is a really important exercise for the throwing action. Commence in an athletic position side on to the bands with the exercising arm closest to the bands. Elevate your shoulder to 90 degrees with your elbow also bent to 90 degrees. Rotate the arm slowly inwards, keeping the shoulder snugged back and the elbow and shoulder at 90 degrees. Slowly return to the starting position. As with all the band exercises try and maintain trunk control as you perform the exercises. Best done as 3 sets of 10.
J Band Tricep Curl with Pronation
This Video is part of the Performance Plus J Band Warm-Up Series. The Tricep Curl with Pronation is a good exercise to strengthen and control elbow and shoulder extension. As there is the pronation component to this exercise, it is really useful in improving the throwing action. Commence in an athletic position with your back to the bands and your palms facing backwards. Smoothly extend your arms in front of you at the same time turning your hands so that your palms are facing the ground. Return slowly in a controlled manner to the starting position remembering to turn the hands so that now the palms are facing over the shoulder. As with all the band exercises try and maintain trunk control as you perform the exercises. Best done as 3 sets of 10.
J Bands Shoulder External Rotation Exercises
This Video is part of the Performance Plus J Band Warm-Up Series. The Shoulder External Rotation with J Band is a good exercise to strengthen and control shoulder rotation and stability. It is a really important exercise for the throwing action especially the deceleration phase. Commence in an athletic position side on to the bands with the exercising arm away from the bands. Elevate your shoulder to 90 degrees with your elbow also bent to 90 degrees. Rotate the arm slowly out wards, keeping the shoulder snugged back and the elbow and shoulder at 90 degrees. Slowly return to the starting position. As with all the band exercises try and maintain trunk control as you perform the exercises. Best done as 3 sets of 10.
J Band Reverse Fly Exercises
This Video is part of the Performance Plus J Band Warm-Up Series. The Reverse Fly with J Band is a good exercise to strengthen and control shoulder movement. It is a really important exercise for the throwing action and helps to stabilise the shoulder blade. Commence in an athletic position face on to the bands. Commence with the shoulder elevated at 90 degrees with hands together in front of the chest. Separate the hands and take them straight back and out, level with the torso. Then elevate the hands to meet above the head. Ensure you keep the shoulder blades snug during the action. Slowly return to the side before returning to the starting position. As with all the band exercises try and maintain trunk control as you perform the exercises. Best done as 3 sets of 10.
