Tommy John Setbacks Explained, and Attack from Olecranon

Over the weekend, I interviewed sport kinesiologist and pitching mechanics expert Angel Borrelli. We discussed the following topics:

– Chad Billingsley‘s recent major setback from Tommy John surgery

– Flexor tendon: what it is, its role in the pitching motion, how it relates to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), and what it had to do with Chad Billingsley’s return from TJ surgery

– How Chad Billingley could have avoided this setback

– Planet Olecranon, and if we need to be worried about aliens from there attacking Earth

– Just kidding. What exactly is the olecranon, and how/why it can be fractured by a pitcher

– How to avoid an olecranon fracture

– How an olecranon fracture is related to Tommy John surgery

– Why Noah Syndergaard‘s forearm tightness should NOT be described as “minor”

– Should stride length be a specific percentage of a pitcher’s height?

– Is velocity directly related to stride length?

– What is the ideal stride?

Listen below:

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I realize that many of you aren’t “into” podcasts, and that there isn’t much directly related to the Mets in this interview. However, the Mets have three pitchers coming back from Tommy John surgery right now — Jeremy Hefner, Bobby Parnell, and Matt Harvey — so the information is relevant in regard to them. Beyond Mets pitchers, if you happen to be a pitcher, the parent of a pitcher, or a coach of pitchers, you should absolutely listen to this podcast, as you will learn how to keep pitchers safe and effective. For those who prefer to read, I get it, and I apologize — I’m not much into listening to podcasts myself. At some point I hope to have the time to create blog posts detailing the information in these interviews, but until then, here’s my question: would you rather listen to Mike Francesa or me?

Hmm … maybe I’d rather you didn’t answer that.

If you have a question for Angel, either related to this podcast or any question you have regarding pitching mechanics, post it in the comments and we’ll address it in the next podcast.