Another Study I have found.
(1) Baseball pitchers who trained with the Bodyblade
(2) ‘Control’ pitchers who did not use the Bodyblade
(3) Position players who worked with the Bodyblade
(4) ‘Control’ position players without Bodyblades
The control players continued with their regular training and seasonal competition, while the Bodyblade players combined their normal training and play with four Bodyblade exercises. These exercises included side-to-side, overhead movements using a two-hand grip, frontward motion with the Bodyblade employing a two-hand grip (something like chopping wood with an axe), a routine throwing motion (like throwing a baseball) while holding the Bodyblade in one hand, and a side-to-side arm motion (not overhead) with a one-hand hold. Each exercise consisted of two repetitions of each of the four exercises, with the duration of each repetition progressively increasing from 30 to 60 seconds over the 10-week study period. The Bodyblade subjects worked with their blades three times per week during the investigation.
At the end of the 10-week period, athletes who trained with the Bodyblade were able to throw a baseball at a significantly higher velocity, compared with the no-Bodyblade players. The Armstrong Atlantic State University researchers found no improvement in shoulder-muscle strength in the Bodyblade trainees, but this is probably because they measured shoulder strength in a non-sport-specific way. The fact that the Bodyblade players could throw a baseball harder is a sign that they actually were functionally stronger, that is, stronger during an activity that was relevant to their sport. It is likely that the one-hand throwing motions utilised with the Bodyblade, with the blade providing excellent resistance to motion, improved throwing strength enough to cause the observed upgrades in speed.
Since rehab exercises following injury should provide little trauma to injured tissues, strengthen the neuromuscular system in a sport-specific way, and
prepare an athlete for a return to activity, the Bodyblade appears to be an excellent rehabilitation-training device. It does not involve impact forces or large stresses on joints, and it appears to be able to provide sport-specific strengthening. In addition, the Bodyblade does appear to be a time-efficient training implement, as its marketers claim. The athletes in this study improving throwing velocity with just 10 minutes of Bodyblade exercise, carried out three times per week.
Could the body blade be better then tubing and dumbell shoulder exercises?