When body tissues are cooled, nerve cells in the chilled area initially force adjacent blood vessels to constrict, leading to a marked reduction in blood flow to that part of the body. However, if the temperature of the affected area continues to drop, nerve activity is depressed and the blood vessels begin to open up, flooding the injured tissues with blood, even though cold is still being applied. This flood-of-blood (Hunting effect) is the human body’s reflex reaction to thwart severe cold injury in a body part subjected to chilling stress.

Dr. Meeusen’s studies showed that icing initially stops the swelling and blood flow of the damaged blood vessels into the local muscle tissue but after a period of 10 minutes it can begin to have an opposite effect to the area. His documentation continues to state this damage continues on to another important system of healing.

Lymphatic Vessels: Prolonged ice application can cause lymphatic vessels (which ordinarily help carry excess tissue fluids back into the cardiovascular system) to increase in permeability. This causes large amounts of fluid to pour from the lymphatics “the wrong way” into the injured area, increasing local swelling and pressure, potentially contributing to greater pain. If icing goes on too long, the lymphatic vessels can actually be nearly obliterated, losing all of their fluid to surrounding tissues.

The lesson here is NOT that icing is bad. What we have learned is that icing is effective initially but begins to cause problems after about 10 minutes. Read the description below for the proper way to ice the arm after a game to help aid the healing process.

Ice the elbow or shoulder region for 10 minutes immediately after pitching (DO NOT PUT ICE ON ULNAR NEVER), remove the ice for about 30 minutes, and then reapply it for 10 additional minutes. Repeat this cycle of about two 10-minute icings per hour as often as desired, based on how many pitches thrown, during the first 24 to 48 hours after pitching.

I also recommend that you use a heavy bag of icing. A little bag of ice will not cool off the area enough. You can put a towel on your arm to prevent freezer burn but try to use a bag of ice that almost hurts it is so cold. I also recommend taking a cold shower instead of a warm or hot shower post game for the same healing benefits of icing.

So you have pain in triceps or biceps or both and it has more than likely been hurting for a while. You are searching the web for answers because you need this pain to go away so you can get back to business. I get it! I was you!

When I had this problem and I couldn’t find the answers to a quick fix of the problem, I just looked for ways to hide the pain. I was taking Advil almost everyday and I started to have to take tons more of it because the pain was getting worse. The pain first started in my elbow and then it moved up my bicep into my shoulder.

It got so bad that I had to take the maximum dose of pain killers, along with icy hot and in between innings, I had to hit my arm so I would feel the pain of the hit and not the pain coming from my throbbing arm. This was the day that my rotator cuff tore and my career completely stopped. I was shocked and depressed, at this time in my life, because I had let the pain get so bad, that it ended my career.

I am writing this article here to help you because I wish someone would have helped me at that point in my pitching career when the pain first started. If you have pain in your lower, or upper bicep, or your lower or upper tricep and maybe even in the back or front of your upper forearm, you are overusing and abusing your arm. If you have anyone or all of these pains, then you need to stop and listen to your body.

Pain is your bodies way of telling you that something is wrong. Pain does not just go away. It will only get worse, like it did in my career, if you do not make some changes immediately. Unfortunately, you should have not waited this long to make the changes but better late than never!

Why the Pain?

Here is a list of possible reasons you have pain in your arm.

1. Inflammation of soft tissue due to pattern overload of the joint. Here is a great article to learn about pattern overload and pitching.
2. Bone spurs or bone to bone contact.
3. Muscle or tendon damage.
4. Pain caused from twisting or torquing the hinge joint of the elbow. This is due to poor mechanics.

I believe that most arm pain is the sign of not just one thing but a few. It usually is the cause of poor mechanics, poor joint integrity (strength and conditioning) and overuse. Most pitchers who have this pain, all they need to do is address one of these issues and the pain will usually go away if there is not damage to the muscles, tendons or bone. Fixing all three of these issues, will not only remove the pain completely, but it will also increase performance. Most performance can be enhanced by more effectively distributing the stress of the sport through the body effectively, instead of putting it all in the arm.

In my career, if someone would have told me that all you needed is a program that will teach you to pitch with pitching mechanics that will take away your pain and in return will help you increase your velocity, I would have done a back flip. This program exists and it is called 3X Pitching. This program is what I learned and developed when I fought to overcome my career ending injury because I didn’t listen to my body. You arm pain is caused mainly by poor mechanics and overuse. The 3X Pitching Velocity Program will teach you how to use less of your arm and more of your body. This will allow you to pitch pain free, so you can focus on getting better. This program will also develop you as an elite athlete, so your body can handle a lot more stress than what you are currently conditioned to endure.

Steps to Pain Relief

If you are serious about fixing your arm problems and you do not want to go down the road to destruction like I did, then follow these steps to relieving your arm of this abuse.

1. Take a few weeks off from throwing if possible.
2. Ice your arm to start the healing process. Read this article on how to ice your arm.
3. Visit a medical professional who can examine your arm for serious muscle, tendon or bone damage.
4. Start eating better. Eat more protein.
5. Purchase the 3X Pitching Velocity Program and start learning why you are abusing your arm. Start the strength and conditioning program to start building joint integrity.

BONUS TIP: Learn about proper pitching pronation. This mechanical adjustment can have an immediate effect on arm pain. Read this article to learn more, Proper Pronation Pitching.

This will get you on the right track and will definitely save your career. If your pain sounds like the pain I had before I tore my rotator cuff then I suggest you contact me above and tell me about your pain. I will advise you if you need medical help! Best of luck!

To prevent or overcome shoulder surgery starts here with this diagram.

You must learn these small muscle. These muscle are your career. They are here to internally and externally rotate your arm. The most important information to remember about these muscles are that they can only handle around 5 pounds of pressure each. The deltoids take over if the pressure exceeds this amount. So this means, all we need is 3 to 5 pounds to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles. Anything more will prevent you from isolating them properly, for development.

The most important muscle of the rotator cuff, for throwers, is the supraspinatous. This muscle lives under the acromion tip of the clavicle. This is the end of the collar bone. This muscle takes a lot of abuse, when the elbow is above the shoulder. This is because it is being impinged by the acrominon tip. If your arm is internally rotated to far forward, when you pull your arm back to throw, this can cause the supraspinatous to “pop” or “grind” under the acrominon. Over time, this can tear the muscle. To prevent this impingement, you must learn good throwing mechanics and how to build joint integrity. You can not do one without the other, to prevent an injury.

You can learn the correct mechanics to prevent injury from the Ace Pitcher Instructional Videos. To build joint integrity, you need two 3 or 5 pound weights to get started. All of the exercise you will need are listed in the AcePitcher Handbook. You can then stream the instructional videos on how to perform the exercises on this site.

The first sign of poor joint integrity is posture. If you are someone who slouches over when sitting or standing, this could be a sign of poor shoulder joint integrity. Another sign is when the ball of the shoulder socket is protruding forward past the chest and the shoulder blade is sticking out like a wing. This means that the anterior muscles are stronger than the posterior muscles. This is the definition of poor joint integrity. This will lead to a shoulder injury.

Common pain that is a sign of an impingement is usually referred pain from the supraspinatous. Most of the pain from the cuff is referred pain. Referred pain means pain that originates in one part of the body, but is felt in another part of the body. If you feel pain on the outside of your arm, between the bicep and tricep muscles, just below the mid deltoid, then this is an impingement. Don’t be alarmed, it isn’t a tear. The supraspinatous is probably inflamed. This can be remedied with ice. You should only ice your arm for 15-20 minutes on and 15-20 minutes off. You can repeat the process but anymore than 15-20 minutes on, can cause nerve damage. Always finish with ice. Never finish with heat. Heat inflames the muscle tissue, and when the tissue is inflamed, it isn’t healing. It is also not a good idea to ice an arm just after pitching. It is best to flush the system. This is when you do some good sprints, to get your heart beating, so you can get your blood pumping. This will help flush the breakdown of waste from pitching out of your arm. Then you can ice. Also never ice your Ulnar nerve. You can also take anti inflammatories, recommended by your Doctor. This is a symptom you can pitch through, but remember when the supraspinatous is inflamed, this will cause more wear and tear on the cuff. So try hard to take care of it ASAP.

The sign of a rotator cuff tear is very obvious. You have considerable loss in movement in your arm, with serious pain. If the supraspinatous is torn, which is the most common tear for throwers, you will not be able to turn your hand thumb down and raise it straight out in front of your body. This is because this movement requires a lot of work from the supraspinatous. If this is the case I am sure you have already seen a Doctor and unfortunately you need surgery. This was my case. It is a hard reality to face. Especially when you are 18, like I was. There was one moment that got me thinking positive and it was a saying I saw on a wall just after the Doctor diagnosed the tear. “Where there is a Will, there is a Way.” Ever six months the body regenerates itself. This means ever muscle has grown new tissue from the inside out. Like your skin. If you can get yourself on the right track, you can start over again and this is exactly what it will feel like. You are starting over at this point and you may not get another chance. It is a tough road but laced with so many rewards. If you are someone who is post surgery and needs a little boost to get back to the game you love, then please contact me and I will get you on the right track.

In conclusion, your rotator cuff is your life support as a pitcher. It is like a par of tires that you can never change on your race car. It is vital that you learn how to take care of it, if you want to play well into your twenties and beyond. I hope this article gets you going and please contact me with any questions or post them in the discussion board.

Nutrition and supplementation for athletes should be based on whole foods.

“If you put into your body what you where made to eat, then you will get out of your body what you where made to do.”

If you are someone who has no clue about nutrition, you eat fast food all day long and you are considering an illegal supplement, this is crazy. You are playing Russian roulette with your life. If you have the desire to be a high performance Athlete/Pitcher, you need to learn as much as you can about nutrition and your body. This article should help get you started.

After I tore my rotator cuff and Doctors told me I didn’t have enough eligibility in college to recover from this injury, I read something that lifted my spirits. Ever six months your body replenishes itself, just like the rings on a tree your muscles are replenishing themselves from the inside out. The same with your skin. This doesn’t mean that your body will reconnect a tear from bone to muscle but a Doctor can. Basically what this means is you always have the opportunity to get on the path to good health. The edge you are looking for is between your ears. Educate yourself on your body and nutrition and you will put yourself in an elite group of athletes.

Good nutrition starts with an alkaline based diet. It is simple; your body’s health rides on its PH levels. If your PH levels are balanced, your blood is feeding oxygen to its cells. If your body’s PH levels are too acidic, then your body isn’t feeding its cells. We must nurture our body’s on the cellular level. This is the building blocks of our health and career. Most pitchers have no idea how to nurture the body on the cellular level. This is where you can get an edge.

To prevent your body from becoming too acidic you must understand what causes this acidity. It is mainly food and stress. Here is a chart that lists the alkaline and acidic foods. Learn this chart and start eating more foods on the alkaline side. This diet doesn’t mean you should avoid foods on the acid side, it only means you should eat more alkaline foods to prevent your body from becoming acidic. So for every acid food you eat, add 3 alkaline foods. Keep your meals simple and raw if possible. Raw green vegetables are a good foundation to building an alkaline dominate diet.

Ok, so you would like to know why you should eat these green vegetables! This is the deal. Keeping your body more alkaline allows for quicker recovery. Pitching is very stressful to the body. It uses a lot of energy and develops a lot of waste from that energy. The waste is mainly acid. It begins to eat at your muscles, tendons and the rest of your body. If the acid is not flushed out, it is stored in your tissue to continue causing problems. This is why pitchers experience serious soreness after a long game of pitching. The only way of flushing the acidity is by restoring your body’s PH levels to a more neutral balance. This means eating alkaline foods. The quicker you can restore your PH levels after a performance, the quicker you recover. This will increase pitching velocity, because the faster your body rebuilds, the faster your body grows. This is why steroids are so effective. The hormone testosterone heals the body. More of it heals the body faster. When the body heals faster, it has the potential to grow quicker. The problem with testosterone coming from outside of your body is your body will become dependent on the source. This means when you stop giving it steroids, your body could also stop producing testosterone. So let’s do this the natural way with an alkaline diet.

Supplements

There are only four supplements that I recommend for Athletes/Pitchers. This is mainly because all the others are a waste of money. Believe me I have tried most of them. The most important supplement that Athletes/Pitchers cannot do without is a multivitamin. I recommend a whole foods multivitamin. Synthetic vitamins are weak. Whole food vitamins found at health food stores are what you need.

Juice Plus

My next recommendation is Alkaline Water. There is no better way to restore your PH levels post workout or game than with water. Not only this but most good alkaline water machines can produce water that transforms the water into a higher concentration of oxygen micro-clusters. This not only hydrates you many times more but when taken with your supplements you assimilate more of the supplement into your system. If you really want an edge in this game and on life then contact me for more info on the Alkaline water machines.

The next supplement I would recommend is protein based. You can get protein from many sources. The best is white meat. If you feel you are not getting enough protein from your diet then I would recommend an amino acid supplement as well. You need at least 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight. All you need to do is buy an amino acid supplement and take the recommended dosage. Make sure you cycle it on and off. This means, take the recommended dosage for a month or two then take a few weeks off from it. Brewers yeast is also a good amino acid supplement. This is a whole foods product full of vitamins, minerals and all the essential amino acids.

The last supplement I recommend is Omega-3. Our body’s can not produce Omega in our system. A balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 is critical for brain function and reducing inflammation. Inflammation is a problem for most athletes. To prevent anti-inflammatory abuse with drugs like advil, aleve and others, you must have a balanced diet of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids. The average diet has a lot more Omega-6 than Omega-3. Omega-6 comes from animal fats and it promotes inflammation in the body. Omega-3 is found in fish oils, some nuts and vegatables. The easiest way to get this into your system is with a Omega-3 supplement. You can find this in most grocery stores or drug stores. Make sure it is cholesterol free and mercury free.  Take it everyday.

In conclusion, it is important that you learn about what you are putting in your mouth and feeding your body with. Read labels on products and stay away from processed foods. Eat everything that comes from the ground and your body will stay on the path to good health and recovery. If you just learn a basic understand of a good diet and follow it, you will be shock how your athletic performance improves.

Remember you are bound by nothing. You have the ability to throw 90+ mph. Doctors told me I would not be able to and I proved them wrong. These tips will help you do the same.

Tips for Improving Pitching Velocity

1. Change speeds.

This should always be your first step in developing velocity because there is no risk involved. This creates an illusion of velocity. By changing the speed of your pitches this will throw the hitter’s timing off and can make a 70 mph fastball look like a 90 mph fastball. Pitchers like Trevor Hoffman have made long major league careers off of this one tip. He is a master of the fastball change up combination. Use this tip for immediate effect while you work on the other velocity tips.

2. Pitch from the ground up.

We all make the mistake at a very young age, that to throw a baseball only takes the arm to perform the task. Then as we grow bigger and move up levels in the game, we find ourselves continuing to only use our shoulders and arms to throw the ball. This is a major problem. This is why we still have an incredible amount of shoulder injuries in the game. You must change your perspective. You must teach your body to recruit bigger muscle groups when you demand more velocity from your delivery. This begins in learning to pitch from the ground up. Velocity comes from forces added to the ball. These forces come from momentum in your lift leg and your push off the ground. You then must learn to transfer these forces into the ball. This can be learned through the Ace Pitcher 6 Components of Pitching. View the Handbook with these components at the bottom.

This video talks more about the throwing mistakes we make at a young age.

3. Loading your weight back until launch.

Timing and efficiency of weight transfer, during delivery, is the essence of velocity. This is where velocity lives. Most young pitchers do not load at all. Once they lift their leg they fall towards the target. This causes poor velocity and arm injury. Read my article “Lift for Show, Load for Doe” to understand “The Load” position.

4. Building Core Torque.

The most important component of velocity, is building majority torque in the core. The core is the area from just above the knees to just below the chest. This area contains the strongest muscles in your body. So it makes sense that you should use this part of the body to generate velocity. If the core is not mainly used to build torque, then the shoulder and elbow will be forced to hold the torque needed to generate velocity. To learn more about “Separation” or the importance of building core torque, read the article “Pitching Torque and the 3 pivots” and also watch this video.

5. Create more Elastic Energy.

Once you have built core torque and your weight is still back, rotate and thrust your chest forward while your arm externally rotates behind your head. This stretching of the stomach and shoulder is creating elastic energy in your body. The more relaxed you are, the more elastic energy can be created. To learn more about this read the article, “Pitch Velocity = Elastic energy.”

6. Momentum transfer.

What is the benefit of creating momentum when you can not control or transfer the momentum to the ball? The problem with coaching someone on how to generate more momentum when pitching is that they have no idea how to control it and they get worse before they get better. This is why proper momentum transfer is essential for good velocity. If you leave any momentum in your body, then you have left some velocity behind. The Ace Pitcher component of “Stabilization” describes how this momentum transfer must occur.

7. Early elbow extension and Internal Rotation.

Most throwers believe that if they pull their arms down at release then this will generate more velocity. The opposite is true. High velocity pitchers release the ball earlier than low velocity pitchers after external rotation of the throwing arm. Which happens after momentum transfer when their chest is out over their toes and their arms are externally rotated. This means after your body has done its job you must release the ball as quickly as possible by allowing your elbow to extend up and away from your head. You must also begin internally rotating your arm, as soon as your elbow extends, so you can release the pitch with your thumb pronated down. This will protect your arm during the deceleration phase. Read the article “Pulling down is slowing down” to learn more.

8. Refuel your ATP.

ATP is the main source of energy for all muscle contraction. There are several chemical reactions that take place to produce ATP. When a muscle is used, a chemical reaction breaks down ATP to produce energy. There is only enough ATP stored in the muscle cell for two or three slow twitch contractions, or one burst of power from a fast twitch contraction. More ATP must be created.

To understand rest between throwing a pitch, first you must understand what happens during the delivery of the pitch. Initially your muscles use ATP to power the contractions but the levels of ATP available are limited. The cells have a very limited ability to replenish ATP during the activity before having to switch to other methods to fuel the activity.

Fortunately, your body can replenish ATP when you are resting. About 50% or half of the depleted ATP is replaced after one minute of total rest. Almost all of the ATP that the body can replenish (just over 95%) is restored after about three minutes of rest. I know pitchers can not wait that long between pitches, but the longer you can wait, the better opportunity to develope more velocity.

9. Fast Twitch Muscle Fiber.

A proper strength and conditioning regime like the Ace Pitcher Handbook, is based around developing fast twitch muscle fiber. This is important for velocity, because when adding a little more velocity to a pitch, you must recruit more muscle fiber within your muscular system to make this happen. We have already talked about where that muscle fiber should come from, now you need to learn how to develop more muscle fiber in the correct places of your system. Spending most of your time in the weight room sitting on cushioned machines, isn’t the answer. Start with the “Beginner Pitching Workout” and then you can move to the “Fusion System” in the Ace Pitcher Handbook at the bottom.

10. Speed your recovery.

By speeding your recovery time between starts or appearances you are making sure you never enter a game at less than 100% recovery. If your system is completely rebuilt and replenished, this is a better chance you will have the ability to generate top velocity. This is why it is important to keep a strict routine of a good strength training and conditioning program, along with a balanced alkaline based diet. You need to learn about alkaline based foods. These are green vegetables and more, which help restore the PH levels in your system. When your system becomes very acidic, you do not recovery as quickly. Diet is extremely important to recovery. Read this article on “Pitching Nutrition and Supplements” and start eating more alkaline foods from this chart.

Bonus tip: Lay off your arm.

Stop wearing your arm out. It takes enough abuse on the mound. You need to make sure your strength training program isolates the core and legs more than the shoulders and arms. If your arm is constantly sore and tired, it is because you use it to much. Try changing habits, like brushing your teeth with your non-pitching arm and do not arm wrestle your roommates with your pitching arm. Take care of yourself and it will take care of you.

I understand each one of these pitching velocity tips did not go into much detail. The purpose of this article was to give you some guidance for developing efficient and effective velocity, without sacrificing the body in return. If you would like more detail on any one of these tips, then sign up for the FREE newsletter up top and start reading the articles. If you are really serious about pitching then purchase the Ace Pitcher Handbook to take control of your career. Best of luck!

Tips and Articles on Pitching in Baseball

3 Keys to Pitching Velocity

Triple Extension – 3X Pitching

The Phenomenon of Speed Mechanics!

The Pitching Key to Torque is in the “Tilt”

The Secrets behind throwing hard!

Comparison of High Velocity and Low Velocity Pitch Deliveries

I am writing about “Violence,” the way I would write about “Power” in the pitching delivery. I use the word “Violence” to make a point. Before I attempt to make the point let’s look at the definition.

Define Violence: Violence is the exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse.

Now why would I want to use the word “Violence” to make a point about something as delicate as pitching? The same reason companies use the word “Maximum Strength” to describe something as delicate as medicine.  Jerry Sienfeld has some great comedy on this topic.

Some people aren’t satisfied with “extra”, they want “maximum”! “Gimme the maximum strength ! Give me the maximum allowable human dosage ! That’s the kind of pain I’m in!

Figure out what will kill me, and then back it off a little bit”.

Very funny stuff but their is some truth in this joke. This is what makes it a great joke. The truth is, “Figure out what will kill me, and then back it off a little bit”, this actually works in the medical field. This is why morphine is still used today.

So lets take this philosphy and use it with pitching or any sport specific event. As pitchers, let’s learn how to exert as much force to our body WITHOUT causing injury. Now, let’s be careful here because your one body is all you have. So you better educate yourself like a doctor would do in his career, before pushing your body to its limit. To educate yourself you need to use a website like this to learn everything you can about good mechanics and how to develop an athletic physique. Not until you have established an above average understanding of “Physic driven Mechanics,” and have developed optimal strength, should you push your body to the limit.  I am serious. If you push too hard, too soon, you could seriously damage yourself. I did!

The way “Violence” in your delivery will help you, is if you use it at the correct time. Science has shown, that the speed of rotation from hips to shoulders, is in direct correlation to the velocity of the pitch. This means if you have good “Separation” in your hips to shoulders at front foot strike, then adding more violence to the rotation of these two pivots will increase your velocity. This video of Edison Volquez illustrates this point.

You can see the “Violence” in his delivery. He is pushing his body to its limits to achieve his maximum velocity. The longevity of his career rides in his mechanics. Does he have good enough mecahnics to prevent his wear and tear from exceeding his recovery rate between pitching appearances.

This is the name of the game in Pro ball. You may not realize this at the level you are now, so this is why I am giving you this information. If you want to play pro ball one day you need to start learning as much as you can about your body. My advice to you is, you must first train your body to handle this stress before you subject it to this stress. Also, remember drugs will always tempt you because of their healing powers but in the long term your body will last longer if you learn to do it naturally.

Dr. Andrews is Mr. Fixit when it comes to the elite athlete. He has poineered the sports medicine industry. He has worked on the likes of Michael Jordan, Jack Nicklaus, Drew Brees, Roger Clemens, Bo Jackson, and pretty much any other famous athlete you can think of who has been injured. This page is an honor to his amazing impact on sports medicine and a reference to what he has to offer the athlete today. Read his BIO to learn more about him and watch the videos to pick up some helpful tips.

James R. Andrews, M.D. BIO

Doctor James R. Andrews, orthopaedic surgeon, was one of the founding members of the Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. After the dissolution of Alabama Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center he founded the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in August 2007. Dr. Andrews was also one of the founders of American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) a non-profit institute dedicated to injury prevention, education and research for sports related problems. The foundation continues to be one of the world’s leaders in this field. Dr. Andrews continues to serve as Chairman and Medical Director of ASMI.

Doctor Andrews is also a founding partner and Medical Director of the Andrews Institute located in Gulf Breeze, Florida.

Doctor Andrews is internationally known and recognized throughout the world for his scientific and clinic research contributions in knee, shoulder and elbow injuries, and his skill as an orthopaedic surgeon.

Doctor Andrews came to Birmingham in 1986 to help form the Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. He has been the mentor for more than 200 orthopaedic/sports medicine fellows and more than 30 primary care sports medicine fellows who have trained under him through the American Sports Medicine Institute Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. Involved in education and research in sports medicine and orthopaedic surgery, he has made major presentations on every continent, and has authored numerous scientific articles and books.

Doctor Andrews attended from Louisiana State University in 1963, where he was Southeastern Conference indoor and outdoor pole vault champion. He completed LSU School of Medicine in 1967, and completed his orthopaedic residency at Tulane Medical School in 1972. He had surgical fellowships in sports medicine at the University of Virginia Medical School in 1972 with Doctor Frank McCue, III, and at the University of Lyon, Lyon, France in 1972 with the late professor Albert Trillat, M.D., who was known as the Father of European Knee Surgery.

Doctor Andrews is a member of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has served on the Board of Directors of the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine, and served as Secretary of that Board from May 2004 to May 2005. Currently he is the Second Vice President of this prestigious Society. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Knee Society. He is Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Alabama Birmingham Medical School, the University of Virginia School of Medicine, the University of Kentucky Medical Center, and the University of South Carolina Medical School. He has been awarded a Doctor of Laws Degree from Livingston University, Doctor of Science Degree from Troy State University and a Doctor of Science Degree from Louisiana State University.

At present, Doctor Andrews serves as Co-Medical Director for Intercollegiate Sports at Auburn University. He is Senior Orthopaedic Consultant for Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Alabama. He is the orthopaedic consultant for the athletic teams of Troy University, University of West Alabama, Tuskegee University and Grambling University.

He is the Senior Orthopaedic Consultant for the Washington Redskins Professional Football team.

He is the Medical Director for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Professional Baseball Team. He is the team physician for the Birmingham Barons Double A Professional Baseball Team, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

He is Co-Medical Director of the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

He has been a member of the Sports Medicine Committee of the United States Olympic Committee having served during the last two previous quadrenniums.

He has served on the NCAA Competitive Safeguards in Medical Aspects of Sports Committee.

He currently serves on the Medical and Safety Advisory Committee of USA Baseball.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the following companies: FastHealth Corporation, and Robins Morton Construction Company. He is a member of Troy University’s Board of Trustees.

Doctor Andrews has been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and was named recipient of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame 1992 Distinguished Sportsman Award. In 1996, Doctor Andrews was inducted into the LSU Alumni Hall of Distinction. Recently he was awarded the Alumni of the Year for his alma mater LSU.

Doctor Andrews and his wife, Jenelle have six children, Andy, Amy, Archie, Ashley, Amber, Abby and three grandchildren.

Yacht racing is one of Doctor Andrews’ keen interests. His 50-foot racing sloop, Abracadabra III, won the 1990 International 50-Foot Yacht Association World Cup. He has also won many other yacht racing off shore regattas. His offshore racing sloop Abracadabra was recently named one of the best 100 vessels of the twentieth century by Sail Magazine. He served as President and Chairman of the Board of Aloha Racing Foundation, an America’s Cup XXX Syndicate based in Honolulu, Hawaii, which challenged for the 2000 America’s Cup contested in Auckland, New Zealand. His other hobbies include golf and hunting.

More on Dr. Andrews

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3024046

Dr. Andrews on the throwing shoulder

Dr. Andrews on the throwing injuries

Dr. Andrews on the athlete

Dr. Andrews on Roger Clemens

Dr. Andrews on the pro athlete

To prevent or overcome shoulder surgery starts here with this diagram.

You must learn these small muscle. These muscle are your career. They are here to internally and externally rotate your arm. The most important information to remember about these muscles are that they can only handle around 5 pounds of pressure each. The deltoids take over if the pressure exceeds this amount. So this means, all we need is 3 to 5 pounds to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles. Anything more will prevent you from isolating them properly, for development.

The most important muscle of the rotator cuff, for throwers, is the supraspinatous. This muscle lives under the acromion tip of the clavicle. This is the end of the collar bone. This muscle takes a lot of abuse, when the elbow is above the shoulder. This is because it is being impinged by the acrominon tip. If your arm is internally rotated to far forward, when you pull your arm back to throw, this can cause the supraspinatous to “pop” or “grind” under the acrominon. Over time, this can tear the muscle. To prevent this impingement, you must learn good throwing mechanics and how to build joint integrity. You can not do one without the other, to prevent an injury.

You can learn the correct mechanics to prevent injury from the Ace Pitcher Instructional Videos. To build joint integrity, you need two 3 or 5 pound weights to get started. All of the exercise you will need are listed in the AcePitcher Handbook. You can then stream the instructional videos on how to perform the exercises on this site.

The first sign of poor joint integrity is posture. If you are someone who slouches over when sitting or standing, this could be a sign of poor shoulder joint integrity. Another sign is when the ball of the shoulder socket is protruding forward past the chest and the shoulder blade is sticking out like a wing. This means that the anterior muscles are stronger than the posterior muscles. This is the definition of poor joint integrity. This will lead to a shoulder injury.

Common pain that is a sign of an impingement is usually referred pain from the supraspinatous. Most of the pain from the cuff is referred pain. Referred pain means pain that originates in one part of the body, but is felt in another part of the body. If you feel pain on the outside of your arm, between the bicep and tricep muscles, just below the mid deltoid, then this is an impingement. Don’t be alarmed, it isn’t a tear. The supraspinatous is probably inflamed. This can be remedied with ice. You should only ice your arm for 15-20 minutes on and 15-20 minutes off. You can repeat the process but anymore than 15-20 minutes on, can cause nerve damage. Always finish with ice. Never finish with heat. Heat inflames the muscle tissue, and when the tissue is inflamed, it isn’t healing. It is also not a good idea to ice an arm just after pitching. It is best to flush the system. This is when you do some good sprints, to get your heart beating, so you can get your blood pumping. This will help flush the breakdown of waste from pitching out of your arm. Then you can ice. Also never ice your Ulnar nerve. You can also take anti inflammatories, recommended by your Doctor. This is a symptom you can pitch through, but remember when the supraspinatous is inflamed, this will cause more wear and tear on the cuff. So try hard to take care of it ASAP.

The sign of a rotator cuff tear is very obvious. You have considerable loss in movement in your arm, with serious pain. If the supraspinatous is torn, which is the most common tear for throwers, you will not be able to turn your hand thumb down and raise it straight out in front of your body. This is because this movement requires a lot of work from the supraspinatous. If this is the case I am sure you have already seen a Doctor and unfortunately you need surgery. This was my case. It is a hard reality to face. Especially when you are 18, like I was. There was one moment that got me thinking positive and it was a saying I saw on a wall just after the Doctor diagnosed the tear. “Where there is a Will, there is a Way.” Ever six months the body regenerates itself. This means ever muscle has grown new tissue from the inside out. Like your skin. If you can get yourself on the right track, you can start over again and this is exactly what it will feel like. You are starting over at this point and you may not get another chance. It is a tough road but laced with so many rewards. If you are someone who is post surgery and needs a little boost to get back to the game you love, then please contact me and I will get you on the right track.

In conclusion, your rotator cuff is your life support as a pitcher. It is like a par of tires that you can never change on your race car. It is vital that you learn how to take care of it, if you want to play well into your twenties and beyond. I hope this article gets you going and please contact me with any questions or post them in the discussion board.

THE ACE PITCHER HANDBOOK

ADD 5 – 10 MPH TO YOUR FASTBALL IN 16 WEEKS OR LESS . . .

DON’T LISTEN TO THE HATERS. YOU WILL THROW HARDER..A LOT HARDER.

I GUARANTEE IT!

This program is proven to add 5-10 MPH on your Fastball.The Ace Pitcher Handbook is THE training guide to the brand new – cutting edge 3X PITCHING approach to velocity enhancement!

“This handbook includes all of the valuable information that I collected, discovered and used to overcome shoulder surgery, pitch in professional baseball and top out at 94 MPH after doctors told me I would never pitch again.”

The Problem: Conventional Wisdom

Conventional wisdom are beliefs that are widely accepted but may not always produce the desired results. There are pitching coaches all over this country who have different levels of experience, from the pro levels to no experience at all. The problem is not their experience but the information they are teaching you.

Coaches who use conventional wisdom to coach pitching mechanics cause more problems than good. Arm injuries have gone up 700% in the past 10 years. The majority of high school and college pitchers have poor leg and core strength, along with poor mechanics. Here are some common coaching tips of conventional wisdom which may be the reason you are not getting better or staying healthy.

Common Coaching Tips of Conventional Wisdom:

• “Get on Top of the ball.”
• “Finish out front.”
• “Bend your back.”
• “Break your hands later.”
• “Elbows to the sky.”
• “Lift your leg high.”
• “Pull down to release.”
• “Get your elbow up early.”
• “Point your Glove”
• and my favorite, when all else fails, “Just Through Strikes!”

The Truth: The Pitching Mechanics that you have been taught along with your training program is making you WORSE!

If the above conventional wisdom phrases are all too common to you then you have been the victim of conventional wisdom. This is why you have average to below average velocity. This is why you may experience chronic arm soreness or have had an arm injury. This approach to pitching will not make you better. It could most likely end your pitching career short of you reaching your goals.

The Solution: The Ace Pitcher Handbook.

I was in the same position you were in my career. The problem was, I was having arm surgery and doctors where telling me my career was over. What I learned was that conventional wisdom had failed me along with all of my previous coaches. I knew like you that I needed answers and I needed them fast.

This is when I discover and developed 3X Pitching and the Ace Pitcher Handbook. Without this information my career would have ended at this point in my life. With this information and the training programs, my career was saved. It helped me not only reach my velocity goal of 94 MPH but it helped me play minor league baseball.

How would it feel to be above 90MPH?

To get there, you must move away from conventional wisdom and the coaches who teach it and open yourself up to the latest scientific information that has revolutionized sports and sport performance. You also need to be willing to look into other sports for answers and not just baseball. This is the approach I took when I discovered and developed the Ace Pitcher Handbook. This is also a similar approach that the legendary Jim “The Rookie” Morris took when he overcame 9 arm surgeries to throw 99mph and play Major League Baseball. Listen to the interview I had with Jim here:

Jim “The Rookie” Morris Pitching Secrets Interview

Enter The 21st Century Solution to Velocity:

Introducing the Ace Pitcher Handbook

Do you want to throw 90+MPH?

Do you want to intimidate hitters with your fastball?

Do you want to make scouts notice you?

Then the Ace Pitcher Handbook is the velocity training manual that you need!

The Ace Pitcher Handbook has over 10 years of experience and knowledge of what it takes to increase the level of your game to that of a professional athlete. This handbook focuses on Velocity because Velocity is what gets your foot in the door. It is the single component that all scouts use to assess the value of a pitcher.

Why waste your time buying anything else to increase your performance than a handbook that has all of the answers and the programs listed in the manual are what I used to beat all of the odds? If you are someone who loves the game but needs some more juice in your fastball then you must purchase this book.

What is Included in the Ace Pitcher Handbook?

1. 3X Velocity Mechanics.
2. 3X Velocity System developed by Brent Pourciau (This workout is a 16 Week Cycle and trains the pitcher to develop the motor coordination of the 3X Mechanics).
3. Pitching Guidelines.
4. Fusion Strength and Conditioning system developed by Brent Pourciau and Chad Englehart the strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Redskins. (This workout is an 8 Week Cycle and isolates Fast Twitch Muscle fibers for developing a Bigger, Stronger, Faster pitcher).
5. Nutritional Guidelines (What supplements pitchers should be taking).
6. A FREE promo code to all the 3X Velocity System and the Fusion System Instructional Videos for learning the programs at www.BaseballVideoStore.com.

Why should you purchase the Ace Pitcher Handbook?

1. You have a short window in your career to prove yourself and this handbook will give you an edge that your competitors will not have.
2. You will gain 5-10 mph on your fastball if you complete the entire handbook with all of its training programs and drills.
3. You are paying for over ten years of knowledge, developed by a professional pitcher who overcame a career ending shoulder surgery as a freshman in college to play minor league ball and top out at 94 mph, for only $49.99.
4. This handbook will give you an understanding of pitching that most coaches do not have.
5. This handbook will turn you into a pitcher that every coach wants and every hitter hates.

If that isn’t enough to convince you then I will give you my personal phone number here in my home town in Louisiana 985-377-9249. Call me anytime with any question!

You Don’t Have to Take My Word for it!

Supporters of the Ace Pitcher Handbook

Testimonials

What if Daniel would have settled or been satisfied with never making his high school baseball team because of his poor velocity? He would have spent the rest of his life wondering…what if! Instead he committed to 3X Pitching with the Ace Pitcher Handbook and gained an amazing 10mph in 6 months. This is what got him the opportunity to show his skills in Prague, which earned him a very expensive athletic scholarship to a well respected college.

Josh was concerned about his chance to play high school baseball when he first started the program, better yet he never thought he would be playing college baseball one day. When his fastball increased over 10mph with 3X Pitching many doors flew open for him, and he is still reaping the benefits of the velocity gains today. This program gave him the boost that he needed to not only become the Ace Pitcher on his high school team, but it got him a scholarship to play college baseball, even before going into his senior year.

More Testimonials:

“If I would have never found your program, baseball would still be a social event for me. In one year with the Ace Pitcher Handbook my velocity increased over 10mph. I am now signing a full scholarship to play in college.” – Josh Favaloro

“When I started your program I wanted to quiet half way through it but I stuck in there and the benefits have been more than I could ask for. I went from 72-86mph in one year. I was cut from my high school team every year before your program and after your program I was offered a scholarship to play in college. I couldn’t have done it without this program.” -Daniel Pitfield

“Thanks for all you do Brent. I’ve gone from 68-70 MPH to 85-88 MPH in about ten months and I couldn’t have done it without you. I really appreciate it and hope I can repay you someday. Thanks!” – Drew Clement

“Brian hit 90 for the first time in late April. The drills must be working.” - Bob B

“I hit 90! Couldn’t have done it without the fusion system and the velocity drills.” – Bryce Stowell

“90, 91, 92 and still climbing. This program kicked my butt but it works.” - Stephen Labue

“the ace pitcher handbook is a really good guide, IF you already know what yur doing. it shows you the way to use more rotation with your hips and eliminates the all-arm throws that screw up young pitchers arms.i used it, im 14 and my fastball got 23 mph faster withing 8 weeks. it now tops off at 85 mph!” – John @ Yahoo Answers

“But What If the Ace Pitcher Handbook Doesn’t Work For Me?”

Then It’s ALL FREE.

I KNOW that the Ace Pitcher Handbook works – This is because it worked for me in my career and has and currently is working for hundreds today in their careers. I continue to see the results.

But I also understand that buying something on the Internet or not knowing me personally might still leave you skeptical and to be honest, I get it.. I really do.

So, to make this the most no-brainer, risk-free opportunity possible for you, here’s what I’m willing to do: for each and every customer who orders I’m going to extend our Iron-Clad, 60-Day Money Back, Satisfaction Guarantee:

If you follow the Ace Pitcher Handbook exactly as outlined in the materials and components, and don’t find your velocity increasing then just contact us and we’ll refund your money. It’s that simple.

We stand by our program as the most effective, most cutting-edge velocity enhancement program on the planet, and if it doesn’t yield those results for you when followed, you get your money back. No questions asked, no hassle, no hoops to jump through, just a prompt and courteous refund.