COMPARISON OF THE CATCHER’S TRADITIONAL THROW-DOWN VERSUS PITCH-OUT

Abstract

The catcher is often the defensive leader on the field. With a plethora of assignments to manage during a game, one of the many responsibilities a catcher has is catching base runners that attempt to steal. Catchers throwing out base stealers at second base utilize two methodologies: a traditional throw-down or the pitch-out. The purpose of the study was to explore potential differences in joint kinematics between the two motions when throwing to second base and how performance is affected. Vicon cameras recorded the throwing motions of the catcher, providing data for kinematic analysis. The pitch-out showed higher ball velocities than the traditional throw-down, but similar pop times. Furthermore, elbow extension and trunk angular velocities were significantly different. With knowledge of the throwing kinematics of catchers, performance can be potentially improved and injury avoided.