Exercise bands have become all the rage in baseball with regards to strengthening the shoulder. Especially in the off-season. And I couldn’t be happier. When I played, the Twins organization made it a mandatory part of a pitcher’s daily routine (along with medicine balls – more on that another time).
I can honestly say that using a daily exercise band routine absolutely positively improved my ability to throw a baseball. My arm was stronger. It recovered faster after appearances. My arm strength lasted farther into the season as well. I can say all this because at the college level I never used them. I never even heard of such a thing until pro ball. The difference between my throwing arm at the pro level compared to the college level was significant and I attribute that difference to arm band use.
If you look around online and in stores, you’ll see a variety of different types of exercise bands. Some have built in handles. Some have hooks attached. Whatever the difference, they are essentially the same in terms of what they are meant to do – strengthen the smaller muscles in the shoulder (especially the rotator cuff) to prehab or rehap that area.
A while back I did an interview with a guy who is considered the arm band guru. His name is Alan Jaeger and he runs a company that promotes band use and even sells his own version (J-Bands). Click HERE, HERE, and HERE for the three part interview and HERE for his website.
Unlike weight lifting, exercise bands can be used by players of any age. There are many great exercises that can be done so search around on YouTube. Here are two such videos that show a couple differet exercises and some great general tips as well.
If you, your young player, or your team is not using bands as a daily part of their training, you are definately missing out on an important way to improve their arms.
Tomorrow’s post: Other options for arm bands
