Melugin Heath P, Smart Annie, Verhoeven Martijn, Dines Joshua S, Camp Christopher L
Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine, Charlton LC 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
Minnesota Twins Baseball Club, Target Field 1 Twins Way, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, USA.
Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2021 Feb;14(1):88-94. doi: 10.1007/s12178-020-09686-0. Epub 2021 Jan 6.
Weighted baseball throwing programs have gained significant attention recently. They have been promoted as proven option for pitchers wishing to increase their throwing velocity and improve throwing mechanics. However, there is some concern that, if not applied properly, they may increase injury risk. In this review, we aim to (1) give a brief description of the potential mechanisms through with weighed ball programs that could improve throwing velocity, (2) summarize the available evidence regarding their effectiveness in increasing throwing velocity, (3) summarize the evidence on injury risk, and (4) propose directions for future studies.
Initial research on weighted ball programs was published in the 1960s. Recently there has been an increase in research as interest from baseball organizations, instructors, players, and medical providers has grown. A recent randomized controlled trial demonstrated that pitching velocity can be increased through a 6-week weighted ball program; however, with that, they found that the rate of injury also increased. An earlier systematic review outlined 10 studies that evaluated weighted ball programs effect on pitching velocity and reported that 7 studies described increases in throwing velocity, while most studies did not comment on injury risk. They note that the results on rate of injury have been variable, likely secondary to the variability in time and intensity of different programs. The inconsistency in the methodology of weighted ball programs and studies has made it challenging to draw (scientifically) meaningful conclusions. Nevertheless, several studies have offered empirical evidence in support of the claim that weighted ball programs can increase pitching velocity through improved throwing mechanics. At the same time, these studies have emphasized the improvements in performance, while the potential effects on injury mechanisms have been less well understood. There is a need for improved standardization of these programs to allow for future study and subsequent modification to optimize performance.
近年来，加重棒球投掷训练计划受到了广泛关注。对于希望提高投掷速度和改善投掷力学的投手而言，这些计划已被视为一种经过验证的选择。然而，有人担心，如果应用不当，它们可能会增加受伤风险。在本综述中，我们旨在：（1）简要描述加重球训练计划可能提高投掷速度的潜在机制；（2）总结关于其提高投掷速度有效性的现有证据；（3）总结关于受伤风险的证据；（4）提出未来研究的方向。
关于加重球训练计划的初步研究发表于20世纪60年代。近年来，随着棒球组织、教练、球员和医疗人员兴趣的增加，相关研究也有所增多。最近一项随机对照试验表明，通过为期6周的加重球训练计划可以提高投球速度；然而，与此同时，他们发现受伤率也有所增加。一项早期的系统综述概述了10项评估加重球训练计划对投球速度影响的研究，并报告称7项研究描述了投掷速度的提高，而大多数研究未对受伤风险发表评论。他们指出，受伤率的结果各不相同，可能是由于不同训练计划在时间和强度上存在差异。加重球训练计划和研究方法的不一致使得得出（科学）有意义的结论具有挑战性。尽管如此，几项研究提供了实证证据，支持加重球训练计划可以通过改善投掷力学来提高投球速度的说法。同时，这些研究强调了性能的提高，而对受伤机制的潜在影响却了解较少。需要对这些训练计划进行改进，以实现标准化，以便未来进行研究并随后进行调整，以优化性能。
