Underhand throw softball full#

When mechanics are altered and left unaddressed, it can alter joint kinetics inversely affecting injury potential.Ī study has shown that throwers with pain in their upper extremities had different mechanics compared to those pain-free. This then leads to stabilizer fatigue and unnecessary compensations increasing the potential for overuse injury.

Muscle fatigue from constant load and tension with a continual demand of movement will force a synergist (other joint stabilizers) to pick up the slack to maintain strength and velocity. Both sports create a competitive demand on the athlete to produce the greatest velocity possible, in turn placing constant tension from neck down. This shows that the underhand motion has similar joint loads as the overhand, yet there is a lack of regulation on pitch volume and rest time in softball. In the latter half of the motion, the elbow has a maximum compressive force of 70% of body weight and a maximum extension angular velocity of 570°/s. In the first half of the underhand pitch, the arm is in maximum adduction and internal rotation torque leading to a maximum angular velocity greater than 5000°/s while approaching top of backswing.

Underhand throw softball full#

With the windmill essentially being a full circular motion, it allows for twice the amount of time (two cycles in transverse plane) for a mechanical error to occur compared to the half circular motion of the overhand, leading to an increased amount of stress on the thrower’s spine, hips and shoulders.

Throwing from a flat surface forces a greater amount of work against gravity, causing it to be more challenging to create separation of hips from the shoulders. The underhand motion differs from the overhand in that it is done in all three planes of motion (frontal, transverse, sagittal), while the overhand is only done in two planes (transverse and sagittal).Īdditionally, softball pitchers throw from a flat surface compared to a mound with a downward slope, changing the effect of gravity on the thrower.