Ryan L. Crotin, PhD, CSCS, RSCC’s Post

Increasing throwing arm strength-to-body weight by 41% is pretty amazing. If an athlete weighs 115 lbs, strength improved by a 50 lbs dumbbell. 📈 LBS/MPH

Congrats to Adam Balan, M.Sc., B.Ed., CSCS at Centennial College in winning a grant to study lean mass loss-throwing arm strength relationships. For a lot of my professional career, I had been taking girth measurements of athletes segments to determine more than fitting them for a suit. Predictively, a total circumference for the dominant thigh, hips, chest, throwing arm biceps and throwing arm forearm reaching 300 cm or more indicated greater throwing velocity capacity. This was especially important in profiling amateur athletes who had the frame, but lacked the contractile elements. During injuries, evaluating throwing arm girth measurements were important to me in the sense of understanding if the muscles actually hypertophied after surgery and rehabilitation (gained muscle size) or did they remain atrophied (did not change or even reduced in size). This could be an indicator of median nerve complications and also if the athlete could be exposed to a revision surgery. In this study, the relationship between changes in total body lean mass on throwing arm strength will shed light into a definite conduit between health and performance. Even more detailed, we are looking at lean mass changes in the throwing arm that is far more advanced in my mind than girth measures to determine if there is a change in the ability to shield tensile stress to the UCL. Stronger arms are harder to kill, but greater surface area to absorb tensile force reduces stress. Here are some hypotheses in mind: 1. Athletes losing regional lean body mass will show throwing arm strength loss 2. Athletes losing global lean body mass will show throwing arm strength loss I know it seems intuitive, but this research has big implications here as many athletes, especially in high school, do not train during the season and can atrophy (lose muscle mass). Similarly, due to the fact that velocity can increase in-season due to increased range of motion (greater stretching of passive structures being one factor) and lowered Strength-Velocity Ratios (throwing arm strength LBS/MPH), this puts athletes at greater risk and also can impact the ability to sustain velocity throughout the season. This altered tissue length-strength relationship, along with loss of global and regional lean body mass, can cause increased variability in UCL loading exposing the athlete to risk, especially if biomechanical compensations are present. If you guys have any questions that come to your mind related to throwing arm strength and the connection to lean body mass changes, please put them in the comments, as the data may be present to answer them.

To reduce the risk of TJ surgery, check your springs to protect your hinges.

A velo bump with high a Strength-Velocity Ratio (LBS/MPH) and high relative arm strength - overcoming the threat of throwing arm weakness.

Lots of talk about MLB Pitching Injuries. Little talk about the actual arm. I have one key study at the end of this post that may not change narratives, but at least some minds. First, I want to dispel 3 myths and then provide 3 truths to this situation. 1. The Inverted-W has not shown to cause pitching injuries versus "clean deliveries." https://lnkd.in/gC2uEsSm 2. Competitive workload metrics or innings restrictions are not predictive of future injury. https://lnkd.in/gQP8YuJB 3. More season ending injuries to professional pitchers are happening in practice that consists of throwing at submaximal intensities (slower velocities) - not in games. https://lnkd.in/gviZqGfP Some Truth (All free downloads)..... 4. Altered biomechanics due to fatigue, or changed motor preferences can increase strength losses to the throwing arm. https://lnkd.in/gY_w54UY 5. Flexor digitorum superficialis strength (a key forearm stabilizer of the inner elbow) can become more fatigued in pitchers who increase throwing velocity due to increased elbow torque. https://lnkd.in/gmJwCcBK 6. MLB-affiliated pitchers who come from North America have the weakest throwing arms in all of professional baseball. Of all the articles above, I want to thank Lori Michener, Adam Barrack, MS, CSCS, Bernard Liebeskind, Ryan Zerega, Jonathan Sum, and Hillary Plummer for inviting me to be part of this critical paper below that is free to download. It has educated me and inspired me in my career and I am grateful to share it with you all. I really encourage people to take hold of the results, as acting upon analyzing and improving throwing arm strength qualities for your developing throwing arms can change the current state of the game. https://lnkd.in/gJhBw5Kh The current "causes" we are reading and hearing about today may in fact be associations in reality. Strength Matters Most.

Over a series of articles on ArmCare.com, we connect on what Tejay has taught us in returning to your highest level of performance after TJS, even if it takes three times.

"The Odds Against Him are Astronomical" and the rise of Tejay Antone is inspirational. If you had TJ surgery, or know someone who has, keep reading. At 1:07 pm on Sunday, my heart broke. Admittingly, I cried because I know what he's been through and I have been with him since just after Spring Training 2023, assisting him in his return to performance. Cincinnati Reds have an incredible staff, all very connected, dedicated, and worked incredibly hard to help him in his return as well. I know they felt the same way. To assist Tejay, key products and protocols to monitor and advance performance were tested. We overturned so many stones and had to overcome setbacks in reaching the field last year. I believe myself and his team have learned more about TJ recovery than I believe anyone in baseball and see a clear path to educate others. ArmCare.com landed Tejay as its first MLB ambassador. His selfless motivation was to make Kova Sports the apex of throwing arm health and safe velocity enhancement and they are in the top 1% for protecting arms. While working with him at KOVA, I witnessed 3 important things: 1. Athletes do not pick up a ball for high intensity throwing days without first testing their arm strength and range of motion. Programs pivoted on the dot according to the data. 2. Everyday, Tejay and Jeremy Kivel, who happens to be the Return to Performance Pitching Coach with the Mets, along with all the staff, have a 45 min meeting to discuss programming and players, their data and modifications, their points of emphasis and coaching cues, and the context of conversations had with athletes concerning their psyche. 3. The coaches share information and support each other, and hungry to learn, and also help Tejay in his offseason training and preparation. It's a family. RC13 SPORTS does not offer 24-hour monitoring yet. I am working between 12-13 hours a day at the moment and was asleep and missed seeing important data, ArmCare.com data. Sunday games are very challenging on players as they follow night games, a complete schedule change, I missed an important opportunity to communicate. Starters are easier to manage, they have a set schedule, we can text them immediately after testing for communication with their team officials, but relievers like Tejay, a player who came all the way back from 2 Tommy John surgeries, the schedule is chaotic. He has to be ready at any time and that is intricate. Tejay is the only athlete I have privately worked for who will undergo Tommy John surgery under my watch. Also one of 3 reported surgeries for athletes using ArmCare.com. At the beginning of our work together, I have been his guide, but he is now my teacher and we won't stop learning. But for everybody in the struggle, he will be your hero. Give him some love in the comments below, or throw some hate, we will take both to add fuel to our fire 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 #baseball https://lnkd.in/gCDFBHRN

Velocity gains + throwing arm strength gains = less throwing pains Regulating throwing arm power (Arm Strength x Arm Speed) at a particular arm length with an optimal amount of stretching is critical 4 Key Interrelated Factors Contributing to Throwing Arm Power: 1. Arm Strength (contractile force to accelerate, decelerate and co-contract joints) 2. Arm Speed (angular velocity of shoulder rotation and elbow extension) 3. Arm Length (the levers - bone segments at a distance from joint centers) 4. Arm Stretch (stretch-shortening cycles of muscles and tendons) When athletes are gaining velocity, dig into their arm strength data. Identify what factors are most contributing to velocity enhancement by understanding their Strength - Velocity Ratios (SVR) . To break it down, the SVR is the athlete's throwing arm strength in pounds over the the ball velocity the arm can achieve (LBS/MPH). A Low SVR means the athlete has greater arm speed versus arm force. A High SVR means the athlete has greater arm force versus arm speed Factors # 3 and # 4 can destabilize joints and weaken tissues if there is not a data-led approach to velocity enhancement and it gets worse if the SVR is less than 1.6. In other words, if the athlete isn't forceful, they will have rely more on stretching to create arm speed and that can increase stretching of passive tissues such as ligaments that increases risk of tensile overload (stretching overload). Furthermore, an adolescent arm that continues to grow in length being # 3 amplifies risks, creates greater ligament and capsule abnormalities as attachment sites for soft tissue on bones are on stretch - this is a major problem. Major League Baseball (MLB) has referenced adolescent injuries and abnormalities from throwing adaptations as a major factor involved in the rash of Tommy John cases present in the league today. They are not wrong. The pitch clock cannot undo damage that has been done. Velocity is associated with MLB pitching injuries, but it isn't the cause. If you are motivated to gain more expertise into understanding safe velocity enhancement with a data-led approach - go here: https://lnkd.in/geZ4V5yG #baseballtraining #baseballplayer #baseballcoach #shoulderpain #elbowpain #sportsperformance

Talking about arm strength is offensive to some - but it's our best defense. In previous posts I have commented on velocity not being a true determinant of injuries or Nolan Ryan wouldn't exist until 46 when he was throwing slower than ever. If biomechanics were the answer, how has no one found an injury prevention solution since the Atwater study in the 70's - arguably the first 3D pitching analysis? If surgery was so good today to prevent revisions, why is the original Tommy John Surgery, the first ever, the best of all-time in post-surgery survivorship? With all the pitching data available and pitch count restrictions, how can we not identify a pattern when a player is about to go under the knife? I feel sorry the players but Major League Baseball (MLB) is not to blame and the Mlb Players Association is not wrong to demand more research. So who's responsible for all this? ArmCare.com is as we have not changed enough influential minds and continue to see the definition of insanity prevail since 2020 when the company orginated. Important Facts: 1. You cannot throw slower and be competitive in today's game. 2. Current pitch count standards are not individualized and pitchers throw less with less fastballs and more rest days than ever. 3. You cannot get more sophisticated biomechanical data or bigger biomechanics departments than what is currently in the game. It's overwhelming how much data and research is available and going on internally with teams. 4. You cannot wait on studies when you know # 1-3 are dead ends and a solution exists right now to monitor and manage throwing arm fatigue at every level play. It's not the pitch clock, or the sticky stuff, or the quest to find the perfect mechanics. An arm can weaken overnight. How it feels is very different than how it functions. Observations made before a pitcher goes into the game is everything. Please repost this...I am not trying to be right, ArmCare.com is not trying to be right. But consistent fatigue monitoring for the throwing arm is right. Right now we can all be right. Strength Matters Most because it does now more than ever. #baseballplayer #baseballcoach #baseballtraining #pitcher #elbowpain #shoulderpain https://lnkd.in/gnW8sBzW