Dynamic stretching is MANDATORY for all of our players, and should be for your’s too! To perform at our best we need to be flexible and have good range of motion. However, not all stretching is created equal. Different types of stretches benefit players in different ways. Research shows thatdynamic stretching better prepares athletes for performance, and should be done before practices and competition. Static stretching is great for improving flexibility, but can actually hinder athletic performance when done prior to competing. The key is making sure your players are stretching properly and consistently.
Ever done jumping jacks, high knees, or grapevines as part of a warm-up routine? Then you’re familiar with dynamic stretching whether you know it or not! Dynamic stretching is stretching through movement. The key to a proper dynamic warm-up is to slowly increase body temperature and intensity. You also want your dynamic stretching routines to mimic the movements that you’ll be doing during your practices/games. Therefore, pitchers should have a dynamic warm-up for their shoulders, core, and lower body.
If you’ve ever searched for information about stretching and proper warm-up routines, you may quickly find yourself overwhelmed with information. There are TONS of it out there. I’ve simplified a list of benefits (demonstrated by research) explaining why dynamic stretching is the way we encourage players to warm up before EVERY outing (practices AND games).
Elite athletes all over the world use dynamic warm up routines prior to competition, including members of Team USA. Perhaps you’re familiar with 23 time Gold Medalist, Michael Phelps, doing his infamous back slap prior to beginning his races. (We’ve paid homage to Michael Phelps in our own Dynamic Shoulder Warm Up Routine using his move. See if you can find the “Phelps Flap” in the video below.
A good dynamic warm up routine should include light aerobic activity for 5-10 minutes and increase body temperature. You want to slowly increase intensity in your dynamic stretching routine to reduce chance of injury. Obviously, arm circles are certainly a key element in a dynamic shoulder warm up for a softball player. However, you’ll want to include movements that work all parts of the rotator cuff, back, abs, scapula, lats, etc. The movements should be slow and deliberate, but increasing intensity as the muscle’s temperature rises.
For most of us, when we think of stretching, we think of holding a specific pose for several seconds while we feel a slight pressure on the muscle we’re trying to stretch. This holding still and stretching is what we refer to as static stretching. Not too long ago, this is how most athletes would prepare themselves at the beginning of practice or games. Recent research has shown that static stretching prior to competition actually hinders athletic performance. If that’s the case, then why should we do it at all then? Static stretching still has it’s place and importance on creating an all around great athlete, just not as the warm-up.
Pitchers need to warm-up their arms to throw, not throw to warm-up their arms! They must get their body temperature warmed for each muscle group that they’re going to use in their pitching motion. Simply running laps is not going to warm up a pitcher’s upper body enough to keep her safe from the pulling and stretching in her shoulder joint. To protect your pitcher and get the most out of her warm-up routine, incorporate dynamic stretching into daily practices and game warm-ups! The video above is just one example of a dynamic shoulder routine that you may find useful. There are also resistance bands (such asJ-Bands) that are helpful when doing a dynamic shoulder warm-up. Stay tuned for a future article explaining how to use resistance bands for warm-up and injury prevention. Pitchers MUST take care of their arms, and it starts with proper stretching.