JOINT MOTIONS DURING BASEBALL PITCHING
SHOULDERS
- Abducted at 90 degrees during wind up and remained at 100 degrees until ball release
- 50 degrees external rotation and foot contact and continues to externally rotate to approx. 180 degrees during arm cocking phase
- Maximum external rotation is actually a combination of glenohumeral rotation, sternoclavicular motion, and spine extension
- Horizontal abduction occurs during stride phase and reaches approx. 30 degrees horizontal abd. at foot contact
- Horizontal adduction occurs during arm cocking and abducted during arm acceleration phase, reaching approx. 0 degrees horizontal adduction at ball release
- After ball release arm continues to horizontally adduct reaching 40 degrees horizontal add. during arm deceleration phase
- 90 degrees flexion occurs during arm cocking
- 20 degrees flexion during arm deceleration
- 35-40 degrees wrist extension during arm cocking
- 40 degrees extension occurs at time of maximum shoulder external rotation
- Wrist flexes during arm acceleration, reaching approx. 0 degrees at time of ball release
- 5 degrees radial deviation during arm cocking
- 20 degrees ulnar deviation in arm acceleration phase
- 24 degrees pronation at time of ball release. Reaches almost 60 degrees at moment of maximal shoulder internal rotation at the end of the arm deceleration phase
- Axial spine rotation decreases during stride phase and increases after foot contact
- Neutral position at ball release
- Lateral bending increases during arm cocking and neutral at foot contact
- Leading knee is flexed at 12 degrees at foot contact and 10 degrees at ball release
- Trunk forward tilt angle at 7 degrees at ball release
- Trunk side tilt at 9.6 degrees at ball release