Interesting article on overhead throwing...

So last night I come home, and lo and behold my wife was given a "free" subscription to the Training and Conditioning journal.

Jackpot! I will read anything training related.

The article that caught my eye in this case was a piece on overhead throwing athletes. While I assumed I would read the traditional drivel, this article was really well written - they discussed the various phases of the throw, along with the specific muscle groups that were working as well. Needless to say, I was impressed that they were at least mentioning the role of the scapula and upward rotation as well!

But then I started thinking about it, and if I had one critique it was that the article focused solely on the shoulder, and not the entire unit when it comes to throwing. I guess I'm a little spoiled, but when I can talk to someone like Eric Cressey on a daily basis, I have high expectations. If you haven't seen Eric's talk on overhead throwing athletes, you owe it to yourself to see him. He does an excellent job of breaking down the functional anatomy involved, as well as how the shoulder, hip, and entire opposite limb all work together to produce a smooth, fluid movement.

I guess this wasn't too exciting of a post, so to sum up remember that nothing is done in isolation. If we really want to take our assessment and training techniques to the next level, we need to understand and respect how the body moves not only in isolation, but in integrated movement patterns as well.

Stay strong
MR