This is an arm care/shoulder health drill we use, both during the in-season and off-season period, to help drive more scapular upward rotation.

Scapular upward rotation is extremely important for any athlete but even more so for an overhead athlete like a volleyball player. The importance of getting the shoulder blade (scap) to rotate upward when the arm goes over head to hit a volleyball cant be overstated. Proper scap upward rotation essentially allows the shoulder to maintain good congruency between the ball and the socket. Without this congruency we increase the likelihood of shoulder related injuries like rotator cuff or labral tears.

Programming Advice: We typically perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps, either in our warm up or prior to going overhead in the weight room. Though we haven’t done so yet, adding diaphragmatic breathing to the movement seems like a great idea, by performing a deep belly breath (through the nose) when the arms are bent at 90* in the bottom of the movement and then exhaling (through the mouth) for 5-8 seconds while extending overhead.