This week:

• The stride: how it starts.
• Biceps soreness and tendinitis
• High School pitch count restrictions: some help for coaches
• Why the placement of the thumb is so important for the pitch-grip

How exactly does the pitcher's stride begin? Which leg is more important? How does that initial movement affect the rest of a pitcher's delivery? Baseball pitching motion troubleshooter Angel Borrelli explains the pitcher's downhill movement, dispelling myths and inaccuracies that have been shared around the internet.

Also, using Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler as an example, Angel talks about bicep soreness and biceps tendinitis, including the risks and possible injuries involved. You may be surprised to learn that a sore bicep is just as concerning as soreness in the forearm, elbow, or shoulder - listen for the reason.

Are you a coach struggling with the new pitch count and recovery restrictions? Then this is the episode for you. Angel and Joe go into detail on why the recovery rules are important, and how you can use them to your advantage.

Finally, in the "Getting It Done" segment, Angel shares a tip involving the thumb's role in a pitch grip, including how and why placement of the thumb on the baseball can affect ball movement on various pitches.

Using Matt Harvey’s most recent scapula injury, the shoulder joint and shoulder girdle as they apply to pitching is explained.

The arm angles of pitching: the problem with the ball-too-close-to-the-ear…a current trend in velocity-production programs.

Matt Harvey has been plagued with so many injuries. In this episode I talk about his most recent stress fracture of the shoulder blade and the role the shoulder girdle plays in pitching.

The arm angles in pitching need to be precise in order to avoid injury and pitch optimally. Unfortunately, with no malice intended, the latest trend is a “ball-close-to-the ear” style which encourages leading with the elbow, both of which are problematic and inefficient and incorrect movements. Arm mechanics and these two issues are discussed in this episode.

This week’s topics include:

• “hooking”: a mechanical flaw of the wrist. What it is, how to troubleshoot it, and suggestions for how to make the adjustment are discussed.
• “neuritis” of the elbow (ulnar nerve inflammation) is also discussed with some recommendations for how to avoid the problem.
• Why some pitchers seem to constantly be injured. Listen to Angel’s opinion on why this isn’t bad luck, genes, or fragility. Her take on the problem offers a timeless solution.

What the MLB can do to fill the missing piece in preventing and managing injuries.

How to make important decisions about summer ball: to play or not to play?

Troubleshooting the pitching motion: unwanted head/neck tilt toward the pitching arm

So many injuries, and unusual ones, continue to plague the MLB. Angel makes an interesting point about what the MLB is not yet doing for management and prevention. And for all pitchers who finishing up their Spring Season and are wondering how to proceed, Angel gives some guidelines for making decisions for not just now, but the rest of the year. And in keeping with teaching coaches about mechanics, Angel talks about the problems with a head tilt in the direction of the pitching arm.

Signs and symptoms of problems with your pitching arm

Pitching injuries to the obliques

Pitching injuries to the lat muscle

Products advertised to improve velocity: how to evaluate

Wei-Yin Chen - dead arm, tired arm, or elbow injury? Angel explains why there may have been confusion about Chen's injury, as well as the warning signs to heed in pitchers with similar symptoms.

Referencing Cole Hamels’ oblique injury, Angel talks about how a pitcher injures the oblique as well as the associated risks involved. She also explains how the obliques work in trunk rotation, acceleration, and deceleration.

Using Noah Syndergaard as a talking point: how and why do pitchers injure their lat muscle? Angel goes into detail explaining what the lat muscle is, where it is located, what it is connected to, and its role in the pitching motion. Further, she explains how pitchers can strain and injure the lat -- as well as, how to prevent injury to it and what to do when it does get injured.

And are you a baseball pitcher looking for an edge through a velocity program or product? There are dozens, if not hundreds, of programs, devices, gadgets, contraptions, and other products that are designed with the intention to improve baseball pitching velocity and performance. Which, if any, should you invest in, and why or why not?

Bumgarner, Syndergaard, and Hernandez: the injuries of these three aces are discussed

“Dead arm”: what it is, early signs and detection, and who is most vulnerable

Bullpens: how to create a philosophy, a calendar and a system that will never let you down

Madison Bumgarner's dirt bike accident left him with an injured AC joint. Angel explains what that means and why she's just as, if not more, concerned about his ribs. Noah Syndergaard: we recorded this episode before "Thor" tore his lat muscle, so in this show we discuss his biceps tendinitis / "tired arm" issue, and how it is related to the elbow bone spur that he suffered last season. And with the news of King Felix's "dead arm," Angel explains what, exactly, "dead arm" is, how it happens, what pitchers need to do when it happens, and further risks involved with that type of injury. Angel answers a listener's question about bullpen sessions for starting pitchers. Specifically, when they should happen in between starts, how many pitches should be thrown, and how many days before a start they should occur.