Specifcially, here are some areas that baseball players REALLY need to have exceptional mobility if they want to maximize their potential and performance on the diamond:
• Hip Mobility – many baseball skills require aggressive hip rotation.
Sufficient internal and external rotation, adduction, abduction, and
extension are key to pitching, hitting and throwing. Proper hip mobility
while pitching plays a significant role in avoiding shoulder and elbow
injuries by decreasing stress on these joint by up to 20%! Check out the
research here
• Thoracic Mobility – Sufficient mobility in the upper back allows essential
separation of the hips and hands during your swing, throws and pitches.
When this separation cannot occur due to lack of mobility, ‘energy leaks’
and timing errors are likely to occur. Lack of thoracic mobility can also
cause anterior shoulder issues in pitchers, who compensate for lack of
range by creating external rotation in the wrong places (ie. excessive
external rotation of the shoulder joint).
• Ankle Mobility – Ankle mobility is important to any rotational movement
in baseball. While the hip may initiate rotation, proper movement in the
ankle allows the feet to be plated in the ideal position for power
transition. Proper ankle mobility is imperative to catchers, as they allow a
catcher to comfortably get in a squatting position, allow for more sway to
frame pitches, and allow them to get into proper throwing position for
base throws.
• Shoulder Mobility and Stability – The Gleno-humeral joint must be
mobile enough to allow for unrestricted movement during the throwing
and pitching motion. However, the surrounding structures must be stable
enough to protect this joint from excessive movement and dangerous
end-ranges often reached by pitchers.
7