Changing throwing pattern: instruction and control parameter

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of instruction and scaling up a control parameter (velocity of throw) on changes in throwing pattern. Sixty adult female throwers (ages 20-26 years) were randomly placed into one offour practice conditions: (a) scale up on velocity with no instruction, (b) maintain constant velocity with no instruction, (c) maintain constant velocity with instruction, and (d) scale up on velocity with instruction. Participants in each condition were required to practice throwing with the nondominant arm twice per week for 5 weeks (10 sessions). Practice consisted of 20 throws per session. Participants in conditions including instruction were encouraged to rotate the trunk in an attempt to take advantage of the order parameter. Analysis indicated that each condition improved relative to use of the open kinetic chain. However, participants who increased velocity were more likely to attain maximum use of the order parameter with less practice. Additionally, throwers who increased velocity without instruction attained an optimal pattern of complete distal lag one session earlier than those who increased velocity with instruction. Data indicated that for those conditions without instruction, hand to forearm lag (H-F lag) occurred before humeral lag. It was concluded that emphasizing proximal movement (trunk rotation) without increasing velocity does not result in a final pattern that uses H-F lag.