I thought many of you Dads and young pitchers might find this article from ex-MLB player Dick Mills who is now a Pitching Instructor on what stretching can do to a Pitcher before he pitches. The Q&A is from his website, www.pitching.com in the articles section. ( Questions & Answers About Baseball Pitching Mechanics, Pitching Velocity, Pitching Control, Pitching Arm Injuries, Pitching Faults, Pitching Drills & Conditioining The Pitcher For Strength & Power)

Q: You say that stretching actually leads to injury and reduces velocity. Can you explain?

Mills: In early 2005, a study came out that proved that stretching actually increases joint mobility which for pitchers can lead to joint injury. There is a fine line between too much flexibility and not enough stability. The pitcher's shoulder is already the most loose joint in the body. Stretching causes laxity or looseness which is a leading cause of pitching arm injuries. A pitcher or baseball player will normally reach his full range of motion by doing the specific activity such as pitching.

Also stretching reduces the muscles' and connective tissues' ability to store elastic energy which is a leading cause of ball velocity. If stretching is done, it should never be done prior to a game, despite what major league players do. Lower body stretching should also not be done because it can lead to more groin, hip or hamstring injuries.

I would have to see the study to buy into Mills' opinion.

You forgot to add naive Dads and Parents.

It is Mills trying to set himself apart from all the other guys trying to sell their programs.
Ranks right up there with exploding hipd.

Do be so naive.

There is a difference between stretching and warming up. Too many teams/players stand around doing static stretching and fail to get properly warmed up. Warm up before your performance and save the static stretching for afterwards.

Google "dynamic warmup" and check out the hits.

Frankly Dick Mills is just out to create some noise so someone will pay attention to him.

Some of what he says is probably OK, but it is mixed in with so much BS that it is hard to separate. So most people that know anything about pitching ignore him.