The effects of sports-specific training methods on the pitching velocities and arm strength of high school baseball pitchers

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of specific exercises on the strength and ball velocity of high school baseball pitchers/throwers. Eight high school baseball players submitted to exact pre and posttests and were evenly assigned into two groups, one experimental and the other control. Each group consisted of two pitchers, one infielder, and one outfielder. While the control group assumed normal, daily activity for six weeks, the experimental group submitted to daily training extra to their normal, daily activity. Exercises for the experimental group included posterior shoulder, stabilization, and pitching simulation exercises. After six weeks of training, each subject submitted to a posttest. Differences in shoulder and elbow joint peak torque mean values and ball velocity mean values were tested separately with a one-way analysis of variance. With the exception of concentric shoulder internal rotation, all differences were found not to be significant (p>0.05).School of Physical EducationThesis (M.A.