TJ Contributing factors

Intro - Jason Kimball is a distinguished former high school and collegiate pitching coach with an extensive career as an evolving strength and sports conditioning specialist. Renowned for his expertise in the biomechanics of sport and exercise arenas, Jason is also an elite Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiologist (CHEK) and posturologist. As well as an advanced flexibility specialist and post-secondary rehabilitation specialist. His profound understanding of the biomechanics of pitching, kinesiology, and the human body has made him a sought-after expert in sports and exercise. Throughout his career, Jason has developed and worked closely with athletes at all levels, including big leaguers, Indy ballers, and collegiate athletes. His commitment to excellence and passion for his work is evident in his dedication to enhancing athletic performance, holistic restoration, and preserving athletes' health. Beyond his professional pursuits, Jason is also deeply committed to animal welfare, demonstrating his compassion and drive to make a positive impact both on and off the field.

Topics Baseball has been thought of as a physical, mental, and emotional development game. Where have you seen the most changes in the areas of pitching development both positive and negative?

TJ epidemic (tip of the iceberg). your thoughts and where do you see the most damage being done in your day-to-day operations? Contributing factors: Improper throwing mechanics.

Improper rest (weekly, monthly, annually), throwing year-round. Max effort philosophy in throwing and performance Pitch counts are adhered to in MILB and MLB but not in privatized amateur baseball Travel and Showcase baseball. Ex. 6 games on a weekend, where else does this happen?

Your thoughts on overall pitching development. Where do you place the importance in how you teach and coach? Arm drag or lag or layback…… Back leg drag (anchor) Larry Monroe's research (Split finger FB into short stride recoil)

Any thoughts on how we reverse this injury trend? What can we learn from successful pitchers in the past (ex. Palmer, Seaver, Ryan, Gibson, Jenkins…..etc…) Limits in development due to fear of workload and injury It is a small world but sometimes it is difficult to get the message to the players, parents, and coaches due to all the noise……

Many of the leading experts in the field of baseball and athletic performance such as Dr. James Andrews states, “Baseball is a development game”.

One thing that we continually hear is, if we get this guy stronger, he's going to be way better. They skip essential steps along the way such as proper movement patterns, creating force with the prime movers, and the ability to move force through the kinetic chain with proper stability in the joints.

What are the problems that this way of doing things has created in young ball players and athletes? Examples: max effort long toss / light dumbell vs tubing

What are the areas of most need in the young athletes that you work with? Many times in the Little League Age ball players work so hard on creating rotational force, but they haven't done any work on their ability to stabilize and provide a foundation for that rotational force.

Do you believe that resistance training in the rotational planes should be for 14 years or older (physical maturation)

We often discuss the importance of the ability to hinge, is there any particular exercise progression that you use with your clients to help them improve this ability We live in the world of Max effort throwing and often is very difficult to get young players to understand the importance of rhythm and timing.

Is there anything in particular that you do to help athletes improve in this area? Can you explain the problems created by bad posture, such as winged scapula improper, scapular stability or improper, scapular rhythm and timing in overhand throwers?

Along these lines in the young athlete, we often come across upper-trapezius dominant individuals. What are some of the ways you have helped to improve mid to lower trapezius function? and please discuss the importance of this. Why do you think modern training goals have become so focused on strength and power? Can you explain some pitfalls of this mindset?