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A pitcher can feel great in the first inning and still be fighting his body by the third. That’s the problem we dig into with Red Sox pitcher Austin Arlocker calling in from spring training, where the goal isn’t just throwing harder, it’s holding velocity, recovering well, and staying healthy across a season. Austin shares what the last few years of arm issues felt like, including nerve-type symptoms running from the neck into the arm, and why “no pain” didn’t mean “no problem” when fatigue kept showing up and the radar gun kept slipping.

We get specific about what changed. We talk upper trap dominance, how a constant shrug can crowd the area under the collarbone and irritate the nerves, and why a simple drill like supine scapular depression can be a game changer when you do it consistently. Austin also breaks down how he blends band work, posture training, plyometrics, and just enough strength work to match his body, plus a surprising tool that keeps his arm feeling athletic: shooting basketball.

Then we zoom out to pitching mechanics and pitch design. We cover why forcing an arm slot can backfire, how correcting early drift can improve timing so the arm isn’t always late, and how those changes show up in real numbers. Austin talks hitting a lifetime PR 97.1 and averaging mid- to upper-90s, plus the process of building a harder sweeper, shaping a high-movement changeup, and using team analytics to understand where each pitch plays best for swings, misses, and weak contact.

If you care about pitching velocity, arm health, reducing arm fatigue, and command that holds up deep into outings, this one is for you. Subscribe, share it with a pitcher who needs it, and leave a review with the biggest change you’ve made to stay healthy on the mound.

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The Velocity Rx podcast mission is to help save one million arms by giving the very best mechanical, health, and arm care information to it's listeners.