Biomechanical analysis of a pitching strategy for adolescent baseball players to prevent pitching injuries.

The purpose of the present study is to demonstrate the correlation between the force applied to a ball and the joint motion of the hip, trunk, shoulder and elbow in adolescent baseball players. The subjects were 15 adolescent baseball players (13.7±0.8 yrs) and 15 college-age baseball players (22.1±1.5). Pitching motion images were captured by three high-speed cameras, and 3D analysis established by the direct leaner translation method was performed to obtain the angles and the angular velocity of each joint, as well as the acceleration of the wrist toward the target at ball release (Acc). In the adolescent players, a significant linear correlation was found between Acc and trunk rotation angle (r=-0.59), elbow extension angle (r=-0.75), shoulder internal rotation velocity (r=-0.76) and elbow extension velocity (r=-0.61). In the college-age players, a significant linear correlation was found between Acc and hip adduction velocity (r=-0.51) and elbow extension velocity (r=-0.61). The finding indicates that adolescent players may depend more on the upper extremity motion than the hip joint motion when pitching. Coaches and athletic trainers may need to focus on the hip joint motion in order to prevent pitching injuries among adolescent baseball players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]