Supporting the Black Sox and White Sox with recovery and rehab tech for their international competitions.

December has been a busy month for professional softball in New Zealand with the country hosting the 2022 WBSC Men's Softball World Cup. At Myovolt we've been getting in on the action too helping to support the strength and conditioning efforts of the Men's Black Sox team in Auckland and the Women's White Sox team competing in Australia.  

In the men's game, the Softball World Cup brought together twelve international teams to play a fifty game tournament over nine days. Argentina came to Auckland as defending champions having defeated Japan in 2019. Hopes were high in the Black Sox camp having the advantage of being on home turf together with a track record as the most successful nation in the Men's sport to date. The competition has a 57-year history with New Zealand claiming seven world titles and thirteen medals over this period. However, Australia won the 2022 title beating Canada into second place with the USA taking home the bronze medal.

Whilst the men were fighting it out in Auckland, the Women's White Sox squad headed overseas for a nine day tour of Australia as part of their preparations for the World Cup Qualifiers in Europe in 2023. The Women’s World Cup started in 1965 with the NZ team being the 4th most successful nation to date winning one gold in 1982, one silver and two bronze.

The history of softball goes back to Chicago in 1887, when a group of university graduates from Yale and Harvard began an impromptu game that involved hitting a rolled-up boxing glove with a broom handle. Watching the fun was George Hancock, a reporter for the Chicago Board of Trade, who went away and developed a 16” ball, an undersized bat and is now credited with inventing 'indoor baseball' as it was initially called.

The game moved outside in 1888 going by several names including kitten ball, diamond ball and mush ball until it became known as softball in the 1920's. The Men’s game was organised in 1933 with the formation of the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) after which it also became popular with women.

Softball is similar to baseball in terms of batting and fielding strategies but softball is played on a much smaller field with a game being up to seven innings long compared to nine in baseball. Softball pitching is carried out with an underhand motion, whereas in baseball the pitch is overhand or sidearm. While base stealing is permitted in both games, in softball a runner has to maintain contact with the base until the pitcher releases the ball to the batter. Due to the smaller field and closer proximity of the bases and fielders, the game moves at a faster pace than baseball and this adds to its popular appeal as a participation sport.

There are three disciplines in softball, fast pitch, slow pitch, and modified fast pitch. Fast pitch is the main game played internationally and at college level. It traditionally uses an underhand pitching delivery called 'the windmill'. Beginning with the arm at the hip the ball is then raised in a circular motion over the head, completes the circle back down at the hip and snaps the hand. Men's pitching speeds can reach up to 85 miles per hour and women up to 70 mph. This is slower than the 100 mph speeds achieved in men’s baseball but with the shorter pitching distance it means that softball batters have less time to react to the ball compared with baseball.

In slow pitch softball the ball is pitched in a slower underhand arc where the ball must be between 1.8 metres and 3.6 metres from the ground with the pitcher keeping one foot on the plate until the ball is released. The slower ball results in a greater number of hits and lots of action for the teams on the field which makes it more popular at recreational level. In the US 8.1 million people played softball at least once in 2021 with 75% of them playing the slow pitch game.

There is a general misconception that the motion of underarm softball pitching is more natural and places less stress on the throwing arm compared to the overhand pitching delivery of baseball. A research study in the Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy compared the biomechanics of overhand and underhand 'windmill' pitching. The study showed that high torques are exerted at the shoulder and elbow during the delivery phase of fast-pitch softball and are in fact similar to those found in baseball overhand pitching.

The accumulated stress of repetitive throwing means that overuse is the most common injury for softball pitchers leading to tendinitis of the shoulder rotator cuff, tendinitis of the elbow and biceps tendon strain. Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendons caused by small tears in the tissues from repeated use. Intensive throwing practise with poor mechanical technique or without sufficient rest and recovery exacerbates this problem.

Since overuse injury is the main issue affecting pitching performance one of the key protocols to prevent injury is to place a daily limit on pitch count which is a common practise in baseball. But this is not widely adopted in softball where players may pitch several games in one day and on consequtive days. Warming-up shoulders, elbows and wrists prior to training is important to reduce any tightness in muscles that can add to the strain placed on these areas by pitching. A disciplined approach to muscle recovery after intensive exercise is particularly important for injury prevention in repetitive action sports.

The Black Sox and White Sox are using Myovolt Shoulder and Arm products as part of their daily recovery protocols to increase localized circulation, remove metabolic waste and promote healing of muscle damage.

There is a general misconception that the motion of underarm softball pitching is more natural and places less stress on the throwing arm compared to the overhand pitching delivery of baseball. A research study in the Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy compared the biomechanics of overhand and underhand 'windmill' pitching. The study showed that high torques are exerted at the shoulder and elbow during the delivery phase of fast-pitch softball and are in fact similar to those found in baseball overhand pitching.

The accumulated stress of repetitive throwing means that overuse is the most common injury for softball pitchers leading to tendinitis of the shoulder rotator cuff, tendinitis of the elbow and biceps tendon strain. Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendons caused by small tears in the tissues from repeated use. Intensive throwing practise with poor mechanical technique or without sufficient rest and recovery exacerbates this problem.

Since overuse injury is the main issue affecting pitching performance one of the key protocols to prevent injury is to place a daily limit on pitch count which is a common practise in baseball. But this is not widely adopted in softball where players may pitch several games in one day and on consequtive days. Warming-up shoulders, elbows and wrists prior to training is important to reduce any tightness in muscles that can add to the strain placed on these areas by pitching. A disciplined approach to muscle recovery after intensive exercise is particularly important for injury prevention in repetitive action sports.

The Black Sox and White Sox are using Myovolt Shoulder and Arm products as part of their recovery protocols to increase localized circulation, remove metabolic waste and promote healing of muscle damage.

Myovolt Shoulder fits comfortably around the left or right shoulder and upper arm area to deliver a 10-minute focal vibration treatment. The Neoprene strap has adjustable fit for most body sizes.

Ease tension and relieve overuse strain in the wrist, forearm and elbow.