Top 6 Reasons Baseball Players Need To Be Training Core

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Core or trunk stability is key to elite movement. If you want to throw harder, run faster or hit farther having a strong and stable core is a must. Proximal strength and stability leads to healthier joints and better performance. If you want to transfer freakish amounts of horsepower from the ground through your kinetic chain then consider your core as the transmission to your engine. I know! I know! Training the core sucks, but trust me the benefits are legit and the research proves it.

What Is The Core Or Trunk?

Real quick, the core or trunk is the musculature surrounding the spine, hips and pelvis. The stability and strength of these segments allow the distal segments (arms and legs) to operate more freely and efficiently. This results in less risk of injury, better movement and better performance (running, throwing, kIcking, hitting etc.).

The musculoskeletal core of the body includes the spine, hips and pelvis, proximal lower limb and abdominal structures. The core musculature includes the muscles of the trunk and pelvis that are responsible for the maintenance of stability of the spine and pelvis and help in the generation and transfer of energy from large to small body parts during many sports activities. The muscles and joints of the hip, pelvis and spine are centrally located to be able to perform many of the stabilising functions that the body will require in order for the distal segments (e.g. the limbs) to do their specific function, providing the proximal stability for the distal mobility and function of the limbs. In addition to its local functions of stability and force generation, core activity is involved with almost all extremity activities such as running, kicking and throwing. Therefore, the position, motion and contributions of the core must be evaluated and treated as part of the evaluation and treatment of extremity injuries. - Kibler, W. Ben, Joel Press, and Aaron Sciascia. "The role of core stability in athletic function." (3)

6. Core Maximizes Kinetic Chain Performance

The Kinetic Chain is the utilization of the entire body legs, hips, trunk (core) and arms to perform athletic tasks (jumping, running, throwing, swinging etc.) The core or trunk is literally the center piece of the kinetic chain. When it is strong and stable it allows the kinetic chain to operate efficiently. An efficient kinetic chain allows you to utilize the kinematic sequence while hitting and throwing. That means higher throwing velocities, higher swing velocities, better performance and a lower risk of injury. A weak core will leak energy through the system in your swing, throw or sprint.

Core stability is an important component maximizing efficient athletic function. Function is most often produced by the kinetic chain, the coordinated, sequenced activation of body segments that places the distal segment in the optimum position at the optimum velocity with the optimum timing to produce the desired athletic task. The core is important to provide local strength and balance and to decrease back injury. In addition, since the core is central to almost all kinetic chains of sports activities, control of core strength, balance and motion will maximise all kinetic chains of upper and lower extremity function. -Kibler, W. Ben, Joel Press, and Aaron Sciascia. "The role of core stability in athletic function." (3)

5. Improves Distal Mobility And Movement Quality

Proximal stability leads to distal mobility. Basically, as the core becomes strong and stable it allows your legs and arms to operate more efficiently. This means more range of motion through your hips, shoulders, ankles etc. This is extremely important for hitting and throwing. Especially for a pitcher! Full range of motion in the ankles, hips, trunk and shoulders allows higher throwing velocities and reduces the risk of injury.

Core muscle activity is best understood as the pre-programmed integration of local, single-joint muscles and multi-joint muscles to provide stability and produce motion. This results in proximal stability for distal mobility, a proximal to distal patterning of generation of force, and the creation of interactive moments that move and protect distal joints. - Kibler, W. Ben, Joel Press, and Aaron Sciascia. "The role of core stability in athletic function." (3)

The core acts as an anatomical base for motion of the distal segments. This can be considered ‘proximal stability for distal mobility’ for throwing, kicking or running activities. Most of the prime mover muscles for the distal segments (latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major, hamstrings, quadriceps and iliopsoas) attach to the core of the pelvis and spine. Most of the major stabilising muscles for the extremities (upper and lower trapezius, hip rotators and glutei) also attach to the core. - Kibler, W. Ben, Joel Press, and Aaron Sciascia. "The role of core stability in athletic function." (3)

4. Reduces The Risk Of Injury

There is a huge pattern of injury in pitching. Most of the attention is focused on the arm, but one study looking at 405 professional players concluded, “This study found that poor lumbopelvic control in professional pitchers was associated with increased risk of missing significant time due to injury.” (9) That is pretty significant evidence that the core/trunk and hips need to be thoroughly addressed during training. Doing so should significantly help reduce the risk of injury for pitchers.

These results suggest that focused attention on improving lumbopelvic control could potentially lower the rate of injuries in baseball pitchers. The number of days missed by those in the poor lumbopelvic control group was significantly greater than the moderate or good groups, which is consistent with either an increased number of injuries or increased severity of injuries in the poor control group. Improving lumbopelvic strength, endurance and control have been reported to lower the occurrence of lower extremity injuries or improve lower extremity biomechanics in numerous sporting situations, and these results suggest that a similar result may happen in baseball pitching. - Chaudhari, Ajit MW, et al. "Lumbopelvic control and days missed because of injury in professional baseball pitchers." (9)

3. Increases Throwing Velocity

Throwing requires a lot of range of motion through the trunk in order to maximize hip to shoulder separation. It also is a major power producer during shoulder rotation. One study found the transverse trunk rotation accounted for 69% of the variability in pitchers ball velocity (4). Another study found, the hip/trunk area also contributes around 50% of the kinetic energy and force to the entire throwing motion (6).

In baseball pitching, rapid changes in ball speed (from 0 m/s to over 33 m/s in less than 0.5 sec) are achieved by transferring momentum from proximal (base) segments to distal segments, and finally to the ball. In accordance with the kinetic link theory, force generated by the trunk must be correctly transferred in the proper sequence to the throwing arm, and finally to the ball, to produce maximum velocity. When combined, variations in kinematic characteristics of an individual’s mechanics led to inconsistencies in the pitching motion and to decreased velocity. - Stodden, David F., et al. "Relationship of pelvis and upper torso kinematics to pitched baseball velocity." (7)

Overall, the data from this study and previous studies indicate that elite pitchers produce large forces and torques at the shoulder and elbow, as well as high velocities and extensive ranges of motion in the trunk and upper extremity. An understanding of the kinematics and kinetics of pitching can assist in technique and strength-training programs that focus on performance enhancement and injury prevention. Trunk (core) strength is a very important consideration when training for a complex ballistic movement that demands effective momentum transfer through the kinetic chain - Stodden, David F., et al. "Relationship of biomechanical factors to baseball pitching velocity: within pitcher variation." (5)

The results of this study stress the importance of the trunk during pitching. Based on the results, the transverse trunk rotation accounted for 69% of the variability in ball velocity for the pitchers. This strongly supports the theory that the trunk plays a major role in transferring power from the lower extremity to the upper extremity for ball release. If a player is unable to utilize the power created in their lower extremity to create trunk rotation, they likely will not be able to throw the ball with a high velocity relative to a player that is able to create the rotation. In addition to the performance aspect, this supports the idea that the trunk can play a major role in rehabilitation strategies. If an athlete is returning from injury, the trunk will be a primary source for rehabilitation, regardless of where the injury is at. Based on the results of this study, if pitchers are trying to return to play and are unable to generate powerful trunk rotations then any work they have done on recovering the injury will be somewhat wasted because they are still lacking in a primary aspect of throwing. - Young, Jay. Trunk contributions to baseball pitching velocity (4)

2. Increases Swing Velocity And Batted Ball Velocity

Hitting is a rotational movement. It should be no surprise that a strong and stable core will enhance performance. A strong core will significantly help improve hip to shoulder separation and the kinematic sequence of the swing. Trunk rotation power is correlated to higher swing velocity and batted ball velocity. Developing a powerful core will do wonders for your hitting ability.

The results of this study indicate that a significant relationship existed among static strength, rotational strength, rotational power, bat speed and batted-ball velocity. Baseball coaches, players, and trainers should consider the relationship of static strength, rotational strength, and rotational power, when training for bat speed and batted-ball velocity. - Spaniol, Frank, et al. "The relationship between static strength, rotational strength, rotational power, bat speed, and batted-ball velocity of NCAA Division I baseball players."

1. Increases Sprint Speed And Change Of Direction Ability

Sprinting is about rapidly applying force to the ground. Having a strong and stable core allows proper running mechanics. This allows the legs to apply maximum force to the ground with each ground contact. This improves both sprint speed and an athletes ability to change direction/agility. This is huge for position players from a base running and defensive perspective.

Sprint performance for 100-m was found to be associated with transversus abdominis and multifidus muscle thickness in a biphasic manner. As muscle thickness increased, the sprint time decreased, followed by a plateau phase. - Shimpei, et al. "A 100-m sprint time is associated with deep trunk muscle thickness in collegiate male sprinters." (10)

Field and court based sports athletes perform short sprints repetitively, with more than 50% of sprints involving either anticipated or unanticipated change-of-direction (COD). To enable a faster COD and aid in the acceleration by increasing an athlete's propulsive ability, it has been recommended an athlete reduce their trunk range of motion when sprinting. Reducing trunk range of motion to create a ‘rigid’ trunk during movement via strengthening the core musculature, is a fundamental strength and conditioning practice to improve athletic performance. - Birse, Samantha, et al. "Core musculature thickness is associated with decreased trunk motion during a reactive agility task." (11)

Train Your Core

The top 6 reasons baseball players need to be training their core. It maximizes your kinetic chain, improves distal mobility, reduces the risk of injury, enhances hitting velocity, enhances throwing velocity and improves sprint and change of direction performance. You need a comprehensive approach to train the core. It should consist of challenging stability exercises, barbell and dumbbell exercises, anti rotation, rotation exercises and rotational power exercises. The important thing is that you don’t neglect core training. If you want to learn more please follow us on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook,) @stevenguadagni (Youtube) @5toolsportsscience and feel free to send in video of your pitching or hitting mechanics for a free analysis. If you want to train with us we have several options. Come down for Long Term Training at our facility, Remote 1 on 1 Online Training from home or The 5 Tool Prospect Manual and Nutrition Manual. Learn how to optimize your mechanics and perform at the highest level possible! Hope you guys enjoyed the article. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

References

  1. Butcher, Scott J., et al. "The effect of trunk stability training on vertical takeoff velocity." journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy 37.5 (2007): 223-231.

    APA

  2. Oliver, Gretchen D., et al. "Quantitative Analysis of Proximal and Distal Kinetic Chain Musculature During Dynamic Exercises." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research32.6 (2018): 1545-1553.

  3. Kibler, W. Ben, Joel Press, and Aaron Sciascia. "The role of core stability in athletic function." Sports medicine 36.3 (2006): 189-198.

  4. Young, Jay. Trunk contributions to baseball pitching velocity. Diss. The Ohio State University, 2014.

  5. Stodden, David F., et al. "Relationship of biomechanical factors to baseball pitching velocity: within pitcher variation." Journal of applied biomechanics 21.1 (2005): 44-56.

  6. Kibler WB. Biomechanical analysis of the shoulder during tennis activities. Clin Sports Med 1996; 14: 79-85

  7. Stodden, David F., et al. "Relationship of pelvis and upper torso kinematics to pitched baseball velocity." Journal of applied biomechanics 17.2 (2001): 164-172.

  8. Spaniol, Frank, et al. "The relationship between static strength, rotational strength, rotational power, bat speed, and batted-ball velocity of NCAA Division I baseball players." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 24 (2010): 1.

  9. Chaudhari, Ajit MW, et al. "Lumbopelvic control and days missed because of injury in professional baseball pitchers." The American journal of sports medicine 42.11 (2014): 2734-2740.

  10. Fujita, Shimpei, et al. "A 100-m sprint time is associated with deep trunk muscle thickness in collegiate male sprinters." Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 1 (2019): 32.

  11. Birse, Samantha, et al. "Core musculature thickness is associated with decreased trunk motion during a reactive agility task." Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 20 (2017): e73-e74.