Pitch And Run Faster By Stretching?

It might sound crazy that by just stretching you could run faster, pitch faster, swing harder, etc– but it makes sense if you think about some basic physics:

Can you hit a golfball farther with a golf club, or with a ping-pong paddle? Can you jump higher with your knees locked, or your knees bent? How about a softball specific example: does the ball go further when you bunt or when you swing?

These examples are all related to range of motion. The greater motion that you have access to, the more powerful you will be.

One of our clients came to us so frustrated because no matter how hard she worked on her throw, she couldn’t fix it. Her throws would always come up short. Guess what? It was a range of motion at the root and I’ll lay out the full story later in this post.

So should we just stretch out all of our muscles as long as they will go?

No. Stretching every muscle without intention and purpose isn’t what we want. Stretching is not the answer to all mobility problems. Here are some indications when stretching may not be the solution:

1. You Aren’t Gaining Motion

You faithfully stretch a muscle for 90 seconds, 1–2 times a day, but there is no improvement over two weeks. Instead of stretching more, you might not be targeting the muscle correctly.

2. You Are Quickly Losing the Motion You Gain

After stretching, you notice that the gained motion disappears within 10 or 20 minutes. This could be due to muscular tone or positional stiffness that needs to be addressed to effectively maintain that motion.

3. You Aren’t Maintaining the Motion You Gain

You stretch and notice a difference, but over time, you find that the motion doesn’t stay. Chronic stretching to maintain that motion indicates the root of the problem is something else.

While stretching isn’t the solution to all mobility problems, there are specific muscles in softball that we tend to shorten chronically. Stretching these muscles through their full length can enhance your power on the field. Here are three muscles to include in your regular routine:

Muscles Every Softballer Should Stretch

Hamstrings

• Perform eccentric strengthening exercises like 90/90 hamstring with ankle pumps and single-leg Romanian deadlift (SL RDL).
• Check out these favorite hamstring stretches: Hamstring stretch with Ankle pumps and Full squat with Hamstring Stretch.
• Add hamstring mobility exercises to your workout, such as eccentric stretching and strengthening in a lengthened position. Watch this example: SL RDL.

Lats

• Try this favorite lat stretch: lat stretch demo.
• To stretch effectively, you have to fight internal rotation of the lat muscle. Use a bat or a something similar to maintain external rotation.
• Another way to improve lat mobility and strength simultaneously is through eccentric strengthening. Control the band on the way down to get the most benefit from this exercise: Single arm wall slide.

Pecs

• Stretch your pecs using the doorway stretch, and to target the pec minor, raise your elbow higher: Softball pec stretch.
• Softball players often experience rounded, hunched postures due to tight lats and pecs affecting shoulder positioning.

To identify other individual muscles that require attention, use the softball movement screen to diagnose where you’re lacking range of motion. Address the areas where you feel a mobility deficit— stretching can be a great starting point.

Some athletes may need ankle or hip work, while others may need to focus on t-spine rotation or overhead mobility. If you know something doesn’t feel right, don’t ignore it.

When To Stretch For Maximum Effect

Now that we have a better understanding of what to stretch, let’s consider when to stretch for maximum effectiveness. Before starting any stretching routine, warm up your tissues with dynamic exercises. Elevate your heart rate to 135–145 beats per minute with dynamic warm-ups. This helps increase tissue temperature and makes your muscles more pliable, enhancing the effectiveness of your stretching.

Remember, static hold stretching may not be necessary for everyone, but dynamic stretching is essential. Dynamic stretching tells your brain where your end motion is at, and adds precision to your movements. When you’re rotating your shoulder at a high speed, precision is vital. Bonus: dynamic stretching is a great way to get your heart rate up and warm up your muscles.

How Stretching Fixed My Technique When Nothing Else Worked

Imagine this scenario I see all the time: you’ve been grinding for months to perfect a technique, but it just isn’t clicking. Let me introduce you to Lynley, a dedicated athlete who spent years trying to improve her throwing technique without success. No matter how hard she worked on it, the problem persisted. It turned out that her hip mobility was a major limitation holding her back.

It wasn’t practice. It wasn’t technique. It wasn’t effort.

It was her movement. She couldn’t physically move her body in the right way to throw.

But guess what? As soon as we identified the root problem and started fixing it, all of her practice and technique kicked in and now she has a beautiful throw.

Stretching For Fast-Changing Bodies

Now, let’s paint a vivid picture: Over the winter, you’ve grown taller. But hey, here’s the thing—your hammies are still catching up. Your bones stretched out, but your muscles didn’t quite keep up because you didn’t take the time to stretch ’em out. Maybe you’ve been dealing with annoying aches and pains, or perhaps you finally decided it’s time to fix things up. So, you start stretching those hammies to the right length.

Imagine when you’re rocking that pitch off the rubber. You're not just more powerful (increased range of motion)— you also land way closer to the batter. Your pitch doesn’t have to travel as far, making it lightning-fast.

How about running? Stretch those hammies to the right length, and suddenly, you’re covering way less ground to reach first base. How many times have you been tagged out by just a step? Stretching can make all the difference, trust me!

Finding the Perfect Balance: Length and Strength

Before you dive all-in, let’s remember one key: long muscles doesn’t automatically mean they’re strong muscles. It’s all about finding that sweet spot—the right length. Who wants to be out by a fraction of a second over and over again, right? Start with this plan: 90 seconds of stretching, twice a day, for two weeks to see if you gain (and keep) your full motion.

Stretching can be that missing piece that unlocks your true potential. Don’t underestimate its power in leveling up your technique, speed, and overall performance on the softball field. Take the time to stretch, invest in your mobility, and watch how it transforms your game.

Which Muscles Should YOU Stretch?

There are stretches that we recommend like the ones above because of general patterns we see in softball athletes. But everyone has unique mobility challenges. Like we've said, you don't want to stretch out a muscle that doesn't need stretching. But how can you know which muscles you specifically need to stretch? That's why we made the Softball Movement Screen. It's the 5 critical movements every softball player should be able to do easily.

If you can do all of them easily, you know you're operating at max performance and your risk of injury is very small. But in all likelihood it will show you some areas of limitation that you have and provide a starting place to work on your mobility and overall movement.

Get the movement screen

Click here to get the Softball Movement Screen