Preparing For Game Day: Arm Circles

Wow!  There is a lot to do to prepare for game day.  We cannot possibly tell you in one article how to prepare for each game.  So, we will be sending you a ton of information about game day preparation as your season progresses.

You have heard us say several times you need to warm up to throw, not throw to warm up right?

Well, Here is a warm up exercise you want make sure you do everyday.

Arm circles. 

Why?

Arm circles warm up the smaller muscles in your shoulder; the muscles that support  large muscle groups.  These are the muscles that can get tight and prone to injury when pitching.  These are the small muscles of your rotator cuff, that if not taken great care of, throwing will be painful and you will increase your chances of injury.

The muscle groups are infraspinatus, supraspinatus, teres minor and the subscapularis)

Remember, it is very uncommon for any pitcher to injure a large muscle group area like a bicep or tricep.  Pitchers always injure the weaker muscles we just talked about.

These are the arm circle warm ups:

These arm circles: small, medium and large circles forward and backward.

One set thumbs down (both forward and backward)

One set thumbs up (both forward and backward)

One set palms to the ground (both forward and backward)

Doing these daily will help provide good flexiblity and range of motion in your rotator cuff muscles.  The arm circles also help create endurance, a better recovery, muscle balance and oxygenates the shoulder.

To be continued until tomorrow….

We have included in our pitching workouts DVD a lot of exercises that, if done correctly, will help you take care of your rotator cuff.  Don’t make the mistake like many pitchers have before you.. get the knowledge you need to protect your arm so you can lengthen your career.