Catch-Play Warm-Up with a Lightweight Baseball Increases Ball Velocity on Subsequent Throws for Baseball Position Players

PURPOSE:We tested the immediate effects of a lightweight baseball catch-play warm-up on ball velocity and throwing mechanics during subsequent maximal-effort throws in baseball position players.METHODS: Twenty collegiate baseball position players (20.6±1.7 years, 80.7±6.6 kg, 178±4 cm, 9.5±2.6 years of athletic career) completed two sessions using either a lightweight (112-115 g) or standard baseball (141-148 g) in randomised order.After a 10-minute self-paced warm-up (without a baseball), players performed a catch-play warm-up at a self-selected duration, distance, and intensity.Afterwards, players performed ten maximal-effort throws toward a fixed target (diameter: 1.8 m; target centre: 1.3 m) from 22.9 m.Ball velocity was measured using a radar gun, and throwing mechanics (varus torque and arm angular velocity) were recorded with a sleeve-mounted inertial measurement unit.Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and Cohen's d effect sizes (d) were used to compare baseball conditions.RESULTS: Using a lightweight baseball during the catch play warm-up resulted in higher ball velocity (124 ±2.2 km/h, W =28,127, p<.0001, d=0.63) and greater arm angular velocity (5,523.1±298.7°/s,W=23,973, p=.0006, d=0.3) than using a standard baseball (119.9±2.6 km/h; 5,279.2±289.0°/s).Elbow varus torque did not differ between conditions (W=21,929, p=.10).CONCLUSIONS: A catch-play warm-up using a lightweight baseball could be beneficial for immediately increasing ball velocity during subsequent throws in baseball position players without increasing elbow varus torque.