While pitchers throw from a mound, all other players throw from flat ground. To identify differences between these throws, 27 college pitchers were tested throwing from flat ground (60, 120, 180 ft) and pitching from a mound (60.5 ft). The crow-hop technique (similar to an outfielder's throwing motion) was used for all flat ground throws. At the instant of foot contact, a shorter stride and less shoulder external rotation were present when throwing from flat ground. At ball release, the trunk was most upright during long-distance (120 and 180 ft) throws. Deceleration forces in the shoulder and elbow after ball release were lowest during long-distance throws. This may help explain why non-pitchers experience less overuse throwing injuries than pitchers. However, elbow varus torque was greatest during 180' throwing, implying that the lower incidence of elbow injury in non-pitchers is probably due to other factors, such as number of throws, intensity of throws, and type of throws (e.g., fastball, curveball).

Copyright © 2000, American Sports Medicine Institute
October 05, 2004