Lower Body Drive and Pitch Velocity
The purpose of Jump et al. (2026) Impact of the Lower Body on Softball Pitching Velocity was to find which lower body and pelvis movements and forces are tied to fastball velocity. Researchers at Auburn University’s Sports Medicine and Movement Laboratory tested 90 female high school and college pitchers (average age 18 ± 3 years; […]
Fatigue Compensations: Keeping Velocity at Pitch 125
The purpose of the Janes et al. (2017) Fast-Pitch Softball Players Use Biomechanical Compensations to Maintain Pitch Speed When Fatigued was to determine how fatigue affects pitching mechanics, strength, and pitch performance in fast-pitch softball pitchers. Eight healthy high school pitchers between the ages of 15 and 18 completed a simulated game consisting of 125 […]
How Softball Pitchers Are Assessed: A Systematic Review
Sloma et al. (2025) published a systematic review to summarize the existing research on clinical and performance outcome measures used to evaluate softball pitchers and identify gaps in the literature. The authors followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and searched four databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus) for studies […]
Biceps Tendon Changes After One Game
Oliver et al. (2021) published a study to determine whether pitching a simulated softball game causes changes in the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT) and whether those changes are related to pitching mechanics. Twenty-three female youth softball pitchers (average age 12 years) participated in the study. Before and immediately after throwing a simulated […]
Injuries and Medical Issues in Softball
This article is a clinical review that summarizes research on the most common injuries in softball and how they can be prevented. Briskin (2012) reviewed previous studies on softball biomechanics, injury surveillance, and sports medicine to describe both overuse injuries (especially in pitchers) and acute injuries that occur during games. The review includes information from […]
Hip Changes in Asymptomatic Softball Pitchers
The Warden et al. (2025) Asymptomatic Female Softball Pitchers Have Altered Hip Morphology and Cartilage Composition study was to see whether softball pitchers develop changes in their hip bones and hip cartilage from years of pitching. The researchers studied female college softball pitchers and compared them to cross-country runners and non-athletic females. The study had […]
Preseason Arm Function Scores and Injury Risk in Youth Pitchers
The Holtz & O’Connor (2018) article Upper Extremity Functional Status of Female Youth Softball Pitchers Using the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic Questionnaire was proposed to measure upper-body function and injury risk in youth softball pitchers using a questionnaire called the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) score. The researchers studied 53 female pitchers between the ages of 12 […]
When Youth Softball Injuries Happen
The purpose of Smith et al. (2015). Prospective Player-Reported Injuries in Female Youth Fast-Pitch Softball Players was to track and describe injuries in youth fast-pitch softball players over the course of a competitive season. A total of 98 female athletes (ages 9–18) were followed during one select-level softball season. Players included both pitchers (48) and […]
Lower-Body Power Sequencing and Pitch Velocity
Ogasawara (2025) Lower Extremity Sequence and Joint Power Analysis in Softball Pitching is a new study that examined how lower-extremity joints generate and sequence power during the windmill softball pitch and how those patterns relate to ball velocity. Eighteen competitive female pitchers (ages 13–24) threw 20–25 fastballs while full-body motion capture (250 Hz) and ground […]
Arm Segment Sequencing by Skill Level
Today we are going back to the first article published by Gretchen Oliver in what has now become a career of softball research. Oliver, Dwelly and Kwon (2010), Kinematic Motion of the Windmill Softball Pitch examined how the segments of the body move during the windmill softball pitch and to determine whether pitching mechanics differ […]