Stride Leg Ground Reaction Forces Predict Throwing Velocity in Adult Recreational Baseball Pitchers

Ground reaction forces produced during baseball pitching have a significant impact in the development of ball velocity. However, the measurement of only one leg and small sample sizes in these studies curb the understanding of ground reaction forces as they relate to pitching. This study aimed to further clarify the role ground reaction forces play in developing pitching velocity. Eighteen former competitive baseball players with previous high school or collegiate pitching experience threw 15 fastballs from a pitcher's mound instrumented to measure ground reaction forces under both the drive and stride legs. Peak ground reaction forces were recorded during each phase of the pitching cycle, between peak knee height and ball release, in the medial/lateral, anterior/posterior, and vertical directions, and the peak resultant ground reaction force. Stride leg ground reaction forces during the arm-cocking and arm-acceleration phases were strongly correlated with ball velocity (r2 = 0.45-0.61), whereas drive leg ground reaction forces showed no significant correlations. Stepwise linear regression analysis found that peak stride leg ground reaction force during the arm-cocking phase was the best predictor of ball velocity (r2 = 0.61) among drive and stride leg ground reaction forces. This study demonstrates the importance of ground reaction force development in pitching, with stride leg forces being strongly predictive of ball velocity. Further research is needed to further clarify the role of ground reaction forces in pitching and to develop training programs designed to improve upper extremity mechanics and pitching performance through effective force development.