The catcher has the most demanding position in the games of baseball and softball with no regulations on how many throws they make during game. It was the purpose of this study to describe the kinematics and kinetics of the throwing motion in catchers when throwing down to second base. It was hypothesised that younger and older catchers would display significantly different throwing kinematics ...

CONTEXT Several investigations have noted that throwing athletes exhibit a more posteriorly oriented humeral head (humeral retrotorsion) in the dominant arm. This asymmetry is believed to represent an adaptive response to the stress of throwing that occurs during childhood. The significance of this alteration and factors that affect its development are currently not clear. EVIDENCE ACQUISITIO...

The purpose of this study was to examine variability in overarm throwing velocity and spatial output error at various percentages of maximum to test the prediction of an inverted-U function as predicted by impulse-variability theory and a speed-accuracy trade-off as predicted by Fitts' Law Thirty subjects (16 skilled, 14 unskilled) were instructed to throw a tennis ball at seven percentages of ...

This study compared physical characteristics (body height [BH], body mass [BM], body fat [BF], and fat free mass [FFM]), one repetition maximum bench press (1RM (BP)), jumping explosive power (VJ), handball throwing velocity, power-load relationship of the leg and arm extensor muscles, 5- and 15-m sprint running time, and running endurance in elite (n = 16; EF) and amateur (n = 15; AF) female h...

The overhead throwing motion is an extremely skillful and intricate movement that is very stressful on the shoulder joint complex. The overhead throwing athlete places extraordinary demands on this complex. Excessively high stresses are applied to the shoulder joint because of the tremendous forces generated by the thrower. The thrower's shoulder must be lax enough to allow excessive external r...

CONTEXT Shoulder external rotators are challenged eccentrically throughout the deceleration phase of throwing, which is thought to contribute to overuse injuries. To evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs, as well as identifying deficits, reliable and responsive measures of isometric and eccentric shoulder external rotation are necessary. Previously, isometric measures have primari...

One characteristic of perceptual expertise in sport and other domains is known as 'the quiet eye', which assumes that fixated information is processed during gaze stability and insufficient spatial information leads to a decrease in performance. The aims of this study were a) replicating inter- and intra-group variability and b) investigating the extent to which quiet eye supports information p...

The schema theory of learning predicts that varied training in motor learning should give rise to better transfer than specific training. For example, throwing beanbags during practice to targets 5 and 9ft away should better generalize to targets 7 and 11ft away, as compared to only throwing to a target 7ft away. In this study, we tested this prediction in a throwing task, when the pretest, pra...

Proper scapular motion is crucial for normal shoulder mechanics. Scapular motion affects glenohumeral joint function during throwing, yet little is known about this dynamic activity. Asymptomatic subjects (10 male and 10 female), ages 21 to 45, were analyzed. Electromagnetic surface sensors on the sternum, acromion, and humerus were used to collect 3-D motion data during three trials of low-vel...

CONTEXT Application of cryotherapy modalities is common after acute shoulder injury and as part of rehabilitation. During athletic events, athletes may return to play after this treatment. The effects of cryotherapy on dominant shoulder proprioception have been assessed, yet the effects on throwing performance are unknown. OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of a cryotherapy application on sho...