Mobility and Pitching Performance

The Role of Mobility and Muscle Contraction

As a pitcher in baseball, throwing a good game requires a combination of physical fitness, proper technique, and more importantly, mobility. Pitchers must generate explosive power and velocity in their throws, which puts a tremendous strain on their body. Unfortunately, lack of mobility can significantly impact a pitcher’s speed and control with the baseball. In this blog, we will explore the biomechanics of how mobility affects muscle contraction and a pitcher’s performance.

Understanding Muscle Contraction

The speed of a pitch in baseball is determined by various factors, including the pitcher’s mechanics and arm speed, which is dictated by muscle contractions. Muscle contractions are crucial for generating the force needed to propel the baseball at high speeds. During the entire motion of a pitch, the muscles of the body undergo three types of contraction: concentric, eccentric, and isometric.

Isometric Contractions

Isometric contractions occur when a muscle generates force without changing the length. This type of contraction is used during the wind-up phase of a pitch, when the pitcher holds the ball in a stable position before beginning the throwing motion. Isometric contractions are essential for generating the necessary force for a powerful pitch.  Think of this as a catapult that has been wound up with a rock and waiting for the release lever to be pulled.

Concentric Contractions

Concentric contractions occur when muscles on the opposite side to the throwing arm in the body, such as leg adductors, iliacus, psoas, quads, hamstrings, glutes on the opposite side to the body, pectoralis and lat muscles on the same side as the throwing arm shortens to generate forward force to propel the ball.  This is where the release lever on the catapult is released and the catapult flings forward sending the rock into the air.  Research has shown that faster muscle contractions result in higher pitching speeds.

Eccentric Contractions

Eccentric contractions occur when a muscle lengthens while generating force shortly after the concentric contraction phase. During the deceleration phase of a pitch, the muscles lengthen while contracting creating tension to slow down all the muscles and prevent injury.  The leg muscles, particularly the quadriceps, hip rotators, and hip flexors, work to stabilize the lower body and transfer energy from the lower body to the upper body during the pitching motion.  As the arm decelerates, the muscles in the arm undergo an eccentric contraction, lengthening and  generating tension to slow down the motion of the body, by absorbing the energy generated during the pitch.  If the muscles are tight, this decreases mobility.  The quick eccentric contraction can place a significant amount of stress on the muscles, particularly if the pitcher has poor mechanics or technique and can lead to muscle strains and tears.

Improving Muscle Contraction for Pitching Speed

To improve pitching speed, pitchers can work on improving their muscle contraction speed. This can be achieved through chiropractic care to remove skeletal restrictions, deep tissue therapy to break down lactic acid in the muscles, and various training methods, such as plyometrics, resistance training, and sprinting.  Fast-twitch muscles are big explosive muscles such as trapezius, pectoralis, latimus and biceps muscles, in the upper body.  In the lower body, these muscles are, quads, hamstrings, glutes, gastrocnemius and soleus muscle.

Muscle Contraction

Muscle contraction is a complex process that involves the activation of muscle fibers through the recruitment of motor neurons. The motor neurons release neurotransmitters that bind to receptors on the muscle fibers, triggering a series of events that lead to the generation of force and movement.  The primary source of energy for muscle contraction is adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is generated through the breakdown of glucose in the presence of oxygen. However, during high-intensity exercise, there may not be enough oxygen available to support the energy demands of muscle contraction, leading to anaerobic metabolism and the production of lactic acid.

Effects of Lactic Acid on Muscle Contraction

Lactic acid has been associated with muscle fatigue and soreness during exercise.  There are three effects of lactic acid on muscle contraction: pH change, fatigue, and recovery.  If lactic acid is not processed efficiently, it can build up in the bloodstream, causing a condition known as lactic acidosis and lower the pH of muscle fibers, which can have negative effects on muscle contraction. A decrease in pH can impair the function of enzymes involved in energy metabolism and alter the binding properties of proteins involved in muscle contraction negatively affecting blood flow in the body, particularly in the muscles where it is produced during anaerobic metabolism. Lactic acid is a byproduct of the breakdown of glucose in the absence of oxygen, which occurs during high-intensity exercise.  Excessive lactic acid accumulation in the muscles can cause a vasoconstriction of blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the muscles. Vasoconstriction of the blood vessels limits the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscle tissue, causing impairment in muscle function, resulting in a slower muscle contraction.  Symptoms of lactic acidosis may include nausea, vomiting, weakness, rapid breathing, and abdominal pain.