Softball players can throw harder with less pain if they take care of their shoulders and rotator cuff. But, it seems that arm strengthening exercises for softball players are very much overlooked.
I hope that softball soon catches up with baseball, and to help with this I’ve built my own strength program (with arm strengthening exercises) just for softball players.
Baseball players spend a LOT of time doing a dedicated arm strength regimen because pitching injuries are so common. In today’s article, we’ll share some secrets from the baseball world and help you choose smart exercises to strengthen your throwing arm in fastpitch.
Gain Arm Strength with Better Training
We need to start looking at arm strengthening for softball players not just as injury prevention, but as performance enhancement. It’s easy to tap into a few extra miles per hour when we get the muscles that accelerate and decelerate the ball strong, stable and in great condition.
First: The Best Band To Use: Theraband CLX
In my academy we really like the Theraband CLX. We like them so much that we bought 100 yards of it, and cut a 4-foot strip for each of the players in our travel organization.
Theraband CLX (affiliate link) is versatile, durable, lightweight and can roll up to fit in the back pocket. It’s latex-free, which is also a plus for those with allergies. We recommend the GREEN resistance for anyone starting out.
You can use them for much more than just shoulder strengthening exercises–they’re versatile and can be used for hip exercises and much more.
Exercise #1: The No Money
This is one of the best, simplest exercises for external rotation strength, which is crucial in decelerating the arm on a throw.
The no-money is really easy, can be performed anywhere, and hits the rotator cuff HARD. It’s one of my favorite arm strengthening exercises for softball players, especially youth players.
Exercise #2: Pull Apart T
This exercise is great for strengthening the rear deltoids, rotator cuff and mid-back muscles that control our posture.
The pull-apart is really easy, simple and resistance can be increased over time by choosing a thicker band, moving the hands closer, or both.
Exercise #3: Sword Pull
The sword pull is basically a reverse throw. Thus, it strengthens the arm in the deceleration pattern, helping it slow itself down.
Because the sword pull is basically the same motion as a throw (but in reverse) it does a great job of targeting the deceleration muscles that keep the throwing arm healthy.
Softball Arm Strength Exercise #4: External Rotation
For softball players, the external rotators are often weak, causing an unstable shoulder that struggles to accelerate and decelerate the arm. This exercise is crucial in throwing harder and keeping the arm healthy.
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