LESSON 2 OF 24 • FOUNDATION & ARM CARE
Lesson 2: Your Daily Arm Care
From the AHD Athletic Development Masterclass with BK, for baseball and fastpitch softball hitters.
Today's Lesson
“Ten minutes a day buys you a season.”
Four small rotator cuff muscles keep the ball of the shoulder centered in the socket. The shoulder blade is the moving platform they work from, and the serratus and lower traps are usually its weak links. Below the shoulder, the forearm and grip muscles soak up a big share of throwing stress. Above the belt, the mid-back is built to rotate; when it is stiff, the low back and the front of the shoulder pay for it.
Arm care trains all four: cuff, blade, forearm and mid-back. Light, slow, controlled, in the same order every time so no piece gets skipped.
Why It Matters
Throwing slows the arm down violently, and tissue adapts to what you do often, not what you do hard once. Daily low-dose work is what keeps you available in April.
Coaching Cue
Elbow quiet. Ribs down. Slow on the way back.
Today's Work
The routine (10 minutes, same order every time, even on off days):
• Cuff: band external rotation 2x12 and internal rotation 2x12 each arm, elbow pinned to your side.
• Blade: band pull-apart 2x15, wall slides with band 2x10, prone Y-T-W 1x8 each. No shrugging.
• Forearm: wrist curls and reverse wrist curls 2x15, 3 seconds on the lowering; band pronation-supination 1x12 each.
• Mid-back: open book 2x8 each side, quadruped thoracic rotation 1x8 each. Rotate above the belt, hips square.
• Weight room: same routine as your upper-body warm-up, plus cable external rotation 2x12 and landmine press 3x8 each arm.
• Scaling: Youth start with two exercises and add one at a time, lightest band, no rice bucket if grip is already sore. High school add a 2-second hold on each external rotation. College and up add 90/90 external rotation holds 3x20 seconds.
Track It
Write the routine where you will see it tomorrow. Log: can you do 12 external rotations without the elbow drifting? Can you lift your arm overhead without ribs flaring or an early shrug? Can you turn your shoulders 45 degrees with your hips still facing forward? Do your forearms tire before your shoulder when you throw?
Next: Lesson 3 connects your hips, ankles and core to the arm and builds a warm-up that actually prepares you.
Routine From Memory
You need: Band, light dumbbell or water bottle, a partner to watch
How to play: Run all 8 exercises from memory, in order, without looking at notes. Partner watches for a quiet elbow, no shrug and ribs down.
Scoring: 1 point per exercise done in order with clean control, out of 8. Single 4, Double 6, Triple 7, Home run 8.
0 TB1️⃣ SINGLE
1 TB2️⃣ DOUBLE
2 TB3️⃣ TRIPLE
3 TB💥 HR
4 TB
Grade it: Below 4 = out. 4+ = single. 6+ = double. 7+ = triple. A perfect 8 = home run.
LOG YOUR AT-BAT