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Have elbow pain? Tricep pain? Lat tightness? Just want to throw harder? Then this is the thread for you...
Layback (that whippy feeling your arm gets when you throw) is achieved primarily via a combination of scapular retraction,...
Layback (that whippy feeling your arm gets when you throw) is achieved primarily via a combination of scapular retraction,...
scapular posterior tilt, t-spine extension, and GH (shoulder joint) external rotation. That movement from external rotation and layback into internal rotation of the humerus (upper arm bone) is a massive contributor to velocity. The latissimus dorsi (lat, pictured)
is great at internally rotating the humerus. What it isn't great at is allowing external rotation. It needs to turn off to allow good external rotation. When it doesn't turn off and allow clean layback, high velocity throwers (who are great compensators) will steal..
from other areas (often the elbow) to create velocity.
Some things you might feel if you have this issue are medial elbow pain, tip of elbow/tricep pain, lat tightness, posterior shoulder tightness.
Some things you might feel if you have this issue are medial elbow pain, tip of elbow/tricep pain, lat tightness, posterior shoulder tightness.
Stretching and breathing exercises (great one below) to restore length and get that lat to calm down and allow ext rotation can go a really long way, but we need to go one step further and attack what caused that lat to get dominant in the first place.
One of the key contributors is how we're rowing and retracting the scapula in the first place. A lat dominant strategy where an athlete drives into extension (flares the ribcage) and/or shoots their head forward is a pretty sure sign they're compensating and not getting ...
movement from where we want it, middle trap and low trap, which are ****external rotators****. Pitchers, this is why your band routine and lifting technique are incredibly important. Hammer the details here.
Cues for a good row or retraction of the scap:
1. Ribs down (exhale to pull the ribs down, keep them there as you row/retract)
2. Neck neutral (double chin)
3. Lead with the elbow, let the scap finish the movement (GREAT thread from Conor Harris on this) https://twitter.com/Conor_Harris_/status/1384180057560678407?s=20
1. Ribs down (exhale to pull the ribs down, keep them there as you row/retract)
2. Neck neutral (double chin)
3. Lead with the elbow, let the scap finish the movement (GREAT thread from Conor Harris on this) https://twitter.com/Conor_Harris_/status/1384180057560678407?s=20
Long story short, the layback that comes from good scapular retraction coming from the right places is a huge contributor to velo and arm health. It's one area that you can't afford to get wrong if you want to throw gas and stay healthy.
If you have elbow pain, or lose that whippy feeling in your arm, START WITH THE LAT. Video below of a guy who generates a massive pec stretch via really good retraction as he rotates leading to 
. https://twitter.com/i/status/1345155156120395777
. https://twitter.com/i/status/1345155156120395777
