The effects of contralateral baseball throwing practice on dominant arm throwing performance: a pilot study

Baseball throwing is typically done with one dominant arm, and after years of throwing, the skills becomes autonomous and improvement is slowed. Incorporating training of the non-dominant arm could induce a cross-education effect and assist in improving the dominant throwing arm. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of contralateral (CL) throwing practice on dominant arm throwing accuracy and other parameters in experienced baseball players. Sixteen in-season male baseball players were randomly assigned to either contralateral (CL) or control (CON) following a pre-test. Both groups participated in a baseball specific practice schedule whereas only the CL group underwent additional throwing practice. The additional throwing practice sessions consisted of 30 non-dominant arm throws from a randomized location to a standard catch net, twice a week for 4 weeks. Following the 4 weeks of training, participants were post-tested to determine the effects of the contralateral throwing program. Throwing accuracy percentage, throwing velocity, Accuracy:Velocity ratio (Acc:Velo), and other non-throwing specific parameters were collected in the dominant limb to determine the effect of the contralateral throwing program. A significant condition by time interaction was detected for throwing accuracy (p = 0.032) favoring a significant improvement in the CL group (CL: +16%, ES = 0.76, p 0.05). Contralateral throwing practice improved accuracy and Acc:Velo ratio in the CL group. Use of a contralateral training can be used to improve performance in a well-learned, complex, open skill such as baseball throwing drills.