Drive Mechanics Training - Run Better, Pitch Better - The Power Line by JavaSource

The Power Line (The Goal)

Teaching student athletes to run is often one of the most overlooked fundamentals in softball. Every year, I find myself dedicating a good portion of the pre-season working on this fundamental with teams; and every pitcher I work with spends a good deal of time developing this skill, too.

In pitching, the power-line is often a reference to an imaginary line extending from the pitchers drive toe, to their target. In running, The Power Line is referred to as a postural line that runs from head to foot (the ankle). It is best summarized as an imaginary straight - but angled - line starting at your ankle and running up your knee, hip, shoulders, and head. This illustration sums it up really well…

As you can see, the body angle forms The Power Line. Notice that ALL the joints (ankle, knee, hip, shoulder) of the body are nearly in-line. The other areas noted in the illustration are the following:

A) High Knee Drive – The best way to enable your hips to move through a full range of motion is to have substantial knee drive; getting your thighs perpendicular to the torso should be a focus.

B) Shin Angle – The forward lower leg should be at, or near the same angle as The Power Line, NOT perpendicular to the ground. The more upright the angle of the shin, the more the ground will absorb your energy… this will slow you down. Many people that teach running limit it to bringing the knee high; it’s also important to encourage a high range of motion of the leg below the knee.

C) Ankle Dorsi-Flexion – By keeping your toes pointing towards your shins as your knee comes up, the Achilles tendon and calf muscles become engaged; helping you transfer energy form your hips and thighs to your feet and into the ground.

Teaching proper running mechanics to your DD, will undoubtedly make her a better softball player. How will it help her with pitching? Take a look at these high-level pitchers… and the positions they reach at the beginning of each pitch they throw…

Good drive mechanics will result in a pitcher reaching this diagonal, straight-line position. Some call it a lean, or simply a rock forward – but this is not enough. Forming this Power Line position is the result of an immediate transfer of energy from stride leg to drive leg, just like we do when running (properly). Simply teaching a backward/forward rocking motion or lean often results in these first two positions (which are not correct); the last one is correct:

I’m terribly satisfied with my stick figures… as they would make a great bumper sticker…

If this becomes a thread that generates a lot of interest, I’ll continue with some drills and further insights on how to help your DD explode off the plate AND down the baselines. If not, I hope this helps you and your DD become a better pitcher and runner!

Wall Sprints

NEVER sacrifice proper form for speed. It’s never the quantity of workout that matters, it’s the quality. Speed is the result of these routines – and must not be the goal in performing them.

Starting Position for all exercises, is on one leg, like this:

Put your hands on a wall in front of your shoulders. Keep your arms straight. Step back until your body is roughly at a 45-degree angle. Lift one leg off the ground as shown above. Posture is paramount; maintain The Power Line. Maintain the shin angle and focus on reaching a high knee drive WITH a dorsi-flexed ankle (See OP for more detailed explanation).

Single Leg March: Slowly raise and lower the same leg. Lower it so that it is side by side with your rear foot – and raise it so that you achieve the position in the picture above. Perform 10 repetitions with each leg.

Slow March – Slowly march, alternating legs. Perform 20 repetitions.

Two-Count March – Perform one march by switching quickly from one leg to the other. Hold the landing for 2 seconds - then switch legs. Continue in alternating fashion. Repetitions = 8-10.

2-Step, Two Count March – Same as the Two Count March, but perform two marches.

3-Step, Two Count March – Same as above, but with three marches.

Rapid Fire March – Assume the starting position and perform as many marches as possible in 10 seconds. DO NOT SACRIFICE FORM FOR SPEED!

I’ll try to continuously evolve this thread each day, introducing new concepts and building on existing ones. My goal is not to just teach beginners – but also help experienced players, parents, and other coaches (if they so desire). Be warned, there will be all types of info on here… boring technical stuff, routines, video, and who knows what else.

Core Training Exercises for Pitchers

‘Behind' the Scenes

Developing a strong core is, IMO, the most effective preventative to all pitching related injuries. A strong core is essential in establishing good drive mechanics, too. A balanced and strong core is the result of positive muscle recruitment, which is the result of developed hip and pelvis stabilizers.

How important is this?

“…lower extremity contributes 50–55% of the total energy generated by the body during performance of an upper extremity task. To transfer energy through the kinetic chain from the lower extremity to the upper extremity, a softball pitcher must have good neuromuscular control of the lower extremity. - Gretchen D. Oliver PhD, ATC, LAT

In a previous post, I listed some Wall Sprint drills. These drills require good postural fundamentals, and specifically isolate ‘lower extremity’ conditioning/programming. Furthermore, these conditioning elements are very specific to motions performed while pitching and running. I find that any conditioning regiment your DD or students implement should closely mimic motions they are training for… and I’ll quote Oliver again…

“…clinicians should incorporate strengthening exercises that mimic the timing of maximal muscle activation most used during the pitching phase…

…there is a need for core strengthening to help properly transfer energy to decrease the stress placed on the shoulder when performing a successful pitch. Core strengthening should focus on gluteal activations and on trunk rotational activities.”                                          

In other words, get you’re a$$ moving!

Rick Pauly recently posted a great rotational conditioning element: Core Stability and Torque

One important note for beginners: Resistance (band) exercise is the safest and most effective way to increase your strength and power, as well as, develop neuromuscular control. All youth athletes should utilize these methods before attempting, or regimenting more advanced routines.

Here are some great routines to help activate the glutes and build hip stability.

Single Leg Bridge w/tennis ball:

On floor, position tennis ball between your right thigh and stomach, focusing on holding it in place.

Left foot should not be flat on ground... keep toes off floor, weight on heel only.

Raise butt off of floor, inhaling and holding for 5 secs.

Lower to ground on exhale. Repeat other side (8-10 reps)

Internal/External Rotations of Hip

Using Minibands just below the knee and above the calf rotate legs inward, then outward.

Reps: 10 together, or 10 each leg

Ankle Band Steps

Wrap Minibands around ankles.

Take small steps to the side, maintaining form.

Reps: 3x5 steps/ each side

Ankle Band Steps Variation

Same as above, but wrap bands around balls of feet.

Reps: 3x5 steps/ each side

There are lots of core exercises out there, but I've found that this one is for everyone and works every core muscle... in one routine, kinda cool...

Turkish Getups

These have received mixed reviews by some... but only because people do them wrong. I debated posting the gif over a video... but it's good enough. These work every core muscle... here are the keys to doing them correctly:

• Don't use a kettlebell until you have the strength and proper coordination this routine requires. Do it without, body weight is fine.

• Make sure you start with your shoulder 'packed' or pushed in to the ground. Don't 'reach' with the shoulder.

• Keep rear knee in-line with your supporting hand

• When going back down... once your supporting hand gets placed on the ground, stick your butt out as shown in the video clip.

• If using a kettlebell, dismount it by rolling onto your side - when laying on your back.

For advanced athletes, the basic band routines aren’t going to cut it by themselves. Your focus should be on, for lack of a better phrase, power training – mixed with speed. Training fast-twitch muscle fibers will become a must… and is the reason many athletes plateau early in speed development, in both drive and pitch mechanics. So… low speed, high-resistance is not what you’re after. High speed, high resistance is the secret. Again… view Rick Pauly’s post above to see a great example.

These routines you may implement aren’t just for drive mechanics either…

“…the large muscles of the hips and trunk help position the thoracic spine to accommodate for effective movement of the scapula, which allows for functional shoulder motion - GRETCHEN D. OLIVER, HILLARY A. PLUMMER, AND DAVID W. KEELEY

Little more about the Gluteal (butt) muscles, and the other main stabilizers located in the hip and pelvic regions. Activating these muscles regularly in conditioning routines should be a major focus, as noted. During the pitching process, the gluteal muscles are the most active muscles – throughout every phase of the pitch. Here’s a graphic of some of the key players in the pelvic region:

The gluteal muscles (maximus, medius, and minimus) stabilize the hip by counteracting gravity’s hip adduction torque and maintain proper leg alignment by eccentrically controlling adduction and internal rotation of the thigh. None of that make sense? Here’s a little primer of key terms often used on this site… this is long overdue…

The Ground Force Reaction

Increasing the ground force reaction of the drive and stride legs will increase your pitching speed, when timed properly. This is not an opinion.

What does this mean? Does it mean that if you push as hard against the ground as you possibly can, and strike the ground with your stride foot as hard as you can, that you’ll pitch faster? It does not.

Going to break out some high school physics… as they apply to drive mechanics and ground force reactions…

Newton’s #2

F= ma

or Force equals Mass times Acceleration

(My immature side can’t help but smirk when I say, “Newton’s #2”…)

Newton’s #3

When one body exerts force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the first.

Far too often, ground force reaction discussions (regarding pitching) only deal with the stride foot contacting the ground. It’s important to note, appreciate, utilize and GAIN from Newton’s 3rd law when pushing from the rubber, too. Here’s a simple illustration of this point…

I actually had to Photoshop the ‘stride’ foot so that it was dorsiflexed…  This illustration shows that as you push off – or into the ground, the ground pushes back. It also shows that it does it at the exact OPPOSITE or opposing direction. The force illustrated is one of three forces called the ‘Vertical’ force.

The three forces worth talking about are: Vertical, Lateral, and Gravitational. Take a look at the illustration below…

The numbers represent the forces:

1)        Vertical – Angled force on vertical plane

2)        Lateral – Horizontal force on horizontal plane

3)        Gravitational – Directionally constant, downward

For the sake of simplicity, the Vertical force is the upward lift and downward fall most people associate the stride with. The Gravitational force is mostly self-descriptive… but you should know that we oppose this force when driving… and the Lateral force is the forward momentum a stride constitutes (towards the target). More on these in a bit…

To take advantage of these forces, we push off with our drive leg and brake with our stride leg, with the goal of creating a catapulting system. Most interestingly, if this sequence – or kinetic chain of events – is not timed properly, we will not be able to apply these forces as an increase in ball speed. When this chain is broken, the result can be a large source of injury – as the shoulder will try and compensate for this broken link – or loss in kinetic energy – by trying to generate the forces the legs could not.

How important is this timing? It’s almost a doubling effect… A 20% decrease in kinetic energy received from the hips and trunk will require a 34-35% increase in the rotational velocity of the shoulder.

If you consider this previous statement – you may only see the positive contribution timing offers… but it is just as important to understand the negative effect of poor drive mechanics… as they WILL require the shoulder to work more than necessary… and they often will put the scapula in a dangerous, destabilized position – which can lead to a condition known as impingement syndrome.

So, although we must work hard on drive mechanics, the emphasis should not be a “spot on the ground” – but instead should be a timed sequence of events with an emphasis on putting the lower extremities in the right positions - to efficiently transfer this energy to the ball.

So, don’t teach or allow your DD to over-push. In addition to injury, the muscle firing sequence will become disrupted – at times causing the antagonist and protagonist muscles to fire at the same time. Doing so, gets the muscles working against each other and limits the pitchers range of motion. It’s a gradual process, and small, properly timed increases in motion/energy should be the goal. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Build a foundation of coordinated and controlled body movements, and then – and only then – build on them.

Touchdown - Part I

It’s an interesting revelation that a few of you assumed the subject of this post would be in reference to the position of the arm on plant…

The arm circle is so dominate in the minds of pitchers and parents – and although arm position is important – it’s not the focus of this post… sorry! (I’ll get to that soon in the Timing posts) This post will deal with the position of the foot on plant. I know… it may not seem nearly as glorious – but how we ‘deal’ with the shock of over 200% of our body weight is just as important – and sets the ‘foundation’ of our whip phase. This is a teachable subject matter, too.

Ever hear someone say to land “toe first”, “heel first”, or “flat-footed”? I’ve heard a pretty steady dose of all three… and sadly they are often incorrectly advocating something they know nothing about. Which is fine - at times… but most of you know that I’m an information junkie… and if you’re reading this entire thread… there’s a chance you are, too.

Before we get into the differences in the foot striking patterns (touchdown) – it’s important to review some key concepts. Remember, our goal is to create a catapulting system from the ground-up…and this is only possible if our body is put into a positive position to harness this collision of energy. Hopefully, you’ve read and understand the importance of conditioning these muscles… and hopefully… you appreciate that trying to support 300 pounds of force on a single leg will require conditioning and controlled striding.

You should also know that our goal is NOT to turn 100% of the 200+% of available energy into ball speed. Our goal is to efficiently transfer as much lateral force as possible to the ball without sacrificing control of our body. This may sound like an odd proposition (not focusing on the vertical forces)… and if you want to continue this conversation… feel free to ask more...

For now, suffice it to say that our pelvic region is a pre-stressed system… and like a spoked bicycle wheel – our tension and support comes from the top of our leg… not the bottom (even though ground forces are imposed into our body from the bottom). So, when our stride foot contacts the ground, it should reduce the tension in the lower leg… and increase the tension support in the upper leg/hip. Excessive vertical forces can do the opposite, and are viewed as negative by many. This was tough to find, but take a look at the illustration:

If you want to feel this support tension, here is a quick primer on the ‘trochanter and iliac bone’ or what some people call the iliac crest - with a simple illustration:

Put your finger where the trochanter meets the iliac crest, and take a few steps. You'll feel this pre-stressed system and the tension... I’ll leave it at that for now… getting into biotensegrity is confusing… and on the surface… too much information (even for junkies, like me).

So, if we have destabilized joints, misalignment, and muscular imbalances – the ground reaction forces – coupled with gravity - will perpetuate what many call a ‘degenerative cycle’. An interesting quote on the matter:

                                                         “However, when a total body clinical assessment is performed in a softball pitcher who has sustained an overuse injury to the upper extremity, it is almost guaranteed that the individual will display a lack of pelvic stability, which will be evident in weakness of the lumbopelvic-hip complex, as well as decreased scapular stability. - Marion J.L. Alexander, PhD”                                          

As mentioned, a key concept is that the 'goal' when you drive off the plate is to transfer weight forward – all of it. Those that over-perpetuate ‘reverse posture’ often do more harm than good. In the last post, we talked about hip adduction torque being a non-weighted move – and retaining weight on the drive foot can, and often will, eliminate it. The hips should close half way and hold this position through release (read: 45 degrees).

Retaining weight on the rear foot will eliminate this ‘controlled release environment’… and will cause a disconnection in the torso AND/OR make it too active… in ways that do not enhance the pitch. We’ll get more into this when we get to the Posture posts – but I introduce the concept… so that you are reminded that we DO want all the weight/momentum to come forward… we just need to learn to control and utilize it.

Okay, some basics have been covered... now it's time to talk about the specific foot striking patterns that can occur on Touchdown.

Touchdown – Part 2

As mentioned in the previous post, there are three striking patterns; heel strike, midfoot strike and forefoot strike. I’m all about putting the body in the right positions – and this post will go in to detail about what happens to your body naturally when you use these three. I could just say - do this, not this (as I’m sure some people would prefer) – but IMO, that doesn’t answer WHY. If I’m going to tell my DD or some other DD to do something, I want to know why it’s best – and not secretly hope everything is going to be ok. Here they are, illustrated... note the directions of the ground reaction forces:

Heel Striking - Simply put, don’t teach it, and don’t encourage it. Doing so results in body articulations that we do not desire - as well as multiplicative trauma to the skeletal and nervous system.

I bring it up first… because some of you may make the connection with achieving a dorsiflexed ankle in the OP… and believe you must maintain this position throughout the stride. You do not. Once the foot passes in front of the stride knee, it’s ok if it doesn’t maintain dorsiflexion; its job of activating the glutes, quads, calf muscles, and Achilles has been accomplished.

Here comes the WHY… With heel strikes - the toes curl inwards and then the midfoot and forefoot are subsequently weighted; a rolling forward motion.

• On impact, the resulting plantarflex (toes down) results in the arch of the foot not loading – and Achilles and calf muscle shortening… we want lengthening… or stretch.

• As the forefoot contacts the ground, the knee and hip will continue to flex (not desired)

• The heel strike does not utilize or gain (as much) from Newton’s # 2, and the momentum of our body continues forward… often resulting in substantial ‘forward lean’…

• The foot and lower leg come to a dead stop, and a large amount of stress is put on the knee – and this impact breaks the kinetic chain… it is absorbed in the lower leg.

• It creates what is known as a ‘high impact transient’… i.e. a car hitting a concrete wall… increasing the risk of injury significantly. We do want to collide with the ground - but the impulse (which, for you science buffs is the Mass times Change in Velocity) cannot be too sudden. We need to lengthen the impulse, instead.

• A high impact transient causes a shock-wave up through the body via the skeletal system.

• The rolling effect of heel to toe that happens - when coupled with the horizontal inertia, is a really poor braking mechanism – and often impacts the timing of the pitch negatively. It will also magnify muscular imbalances in the hip and/or pre-existing weakness in the medial longitudinal arch.

So, in summary – The heel strike breaks the kinetic chain – terminating the upward forces we could gain from - at the knee. The lateral forces do not get absorbed (as much) and our upper body will want to continue forward. Lastly, the muscles and ligaments are not ‘primed’ in this position – and the resulting trauma in our skeletal system will prevent the stabilization of our pelvis from occurring… which prevents the scapula from stabilizing...

Lastly, another great side-effect of reading all of this, is that you just learned one of the largest sources of shin-splints. Sharp heel striking causes most of the impact to be absorbed in the lower leg… and the repetitive magnitude of these strikes lead to this pain… This is why many runners, soccer players, and even some ball players experience these painful side effects of utilizing poor foot strike mechanics.

Forefoot Striking – This is the exact opposite of heel striking – and although we do lose some of the impact force potential – this position allows for control of the vertical and lateral reactions. This is where you start. Here’s the why…

• As you land, the ankle will dorsiflex (toes up, heel down). The arch becomes loaded (or begins to stretch and flatten).

• The heel comes down under the control of the Achilles and the calf muscles (which are on stretch)

• The heel and lower leg will continue to fall under control, keeping the kinetic chain intact.

• The impact transient is nearly ZERO – which your spine thanks you for.

• Believe it or not, the rear foot (drive) momentum can be and is converted into rotational momentum. This is not possible with a heel strike – as the momentum is absorbed by the collision force.

• This ‘gentle’ landing will allow for the body’s center of mass to continue moving downward – allowing the proximal leg muscles the opportunity to do their work (quads and such) – and allowing the catapulting mechanism to take place.

As you can see, the forefoot strike allows for the proper sequence of muscle activations and cushions the high impact forces. There aren’t many downsides to this method – and I firmly believe this is the place to start all beginners. The impact muscle sequence will become ‘trained’ and eventually – you can move more into a midfoot strike…

Some of you may be quick to point out that many – if not the majority of - world-class pitchers utilize more of a midfoot strike. Eventually, I get more of my students to use the midfoot strike, too. But, this is a trained movement – and the body must develop the strength and posturing that enables proper use of a midfoot strike – so that all the negative traits that accompany heel striking are not present. Truthfully, although it may appear to be midfoot, it’s usually just a lesser forefoot angle.

Lastly, when teaching it… the best point of impact is the inside of the ‘ball’ of the foot… that protrusion you see below the big toe…

Midfoot Striking: We’ve already started talking about this one… Many bucket dads and moms are too impatient… Although I’m a firm believer in modeling professional pitchers, we must understand that the movements that they perform are ingrained, trained, and a result of thousands of positive repetitions. Certain movements that they perform are arrived at through a gradual process… and I believe that this is one of those…

Midfoot strikes are – the space in between – or a continuum between heel strikes and forefoot strikes. The key to properly utilizing a midfoot plant is to develop the ‘muscle memory’ involved in forefoot strikes – because this determines where the center of pressure is at impact. It also helps determine how stiff the knee and ankle are at impact.

You can and should utilize a quasi-forefront/midfoot plant – as it is better for timing, but learn to land with forefoot – with a low impact transient first. Almost all that start with a midfoot plant, become encumbered with ALL of the negative heel strike traits, because anatomically – this is the angle the foot will travel to the ground. The larger surface area of a properly utilized midfoot strike also reduces the stress on the foot and ankle.

Stride Angle

When working with student–athletes, you’ll find (if you haven’t already) that no two are built the same… at least I HOPE you do. Therefore, devising a cookie-cutter system that works for everyone is an effort in futility… You have to be willing to ‘think’ about each athlete and take their differences into consideration – and then apply this knowledge to the individual… so that the movement THEY perform is the most efficient for THAT INDIVIDUAL. Stride angles and stride foot orientations are great examples of this… and you’ll encounter some stride specific variances in your travels… I’ll give you a ‘blueprint’… but understand that each instance of that blueprint WILL be unique.

What differences? That’s a subsequent post… but rest assured “Differences” will be covered… as they apply to individual structure as well as the ever-contested male vs. female subject… which (put your seat-belt on) does exist. More on that later…

Many associate the words “Stride Angle” with the orientation of the stride foot at touch down – like “45-degree” or “90-degree” foot plant. Although this will be covered next, stride angle is actually a reference to the angle created between the ankle of the rear foot and front foot at ‘touchdown’. Here’s a handy ‘Birdseye’ illustration that sums up the differences quite well…

One of the more common ‘tools’ in use is the powerline… either hand-crafted or purchased in the form of a pitching mat… and I’m not a huge fan of the predominant usage, as it is often utilized incorrectly. Here is an example, if you're unfamiliar...

Kids are often told to start on the line (drive foot) and land on the line (stride foot). Doing so often creates a ‘positive’ (IMO, not good) stride angle (see next illustration) Green = preferred, Red = not preferred… sorry for the low quality..

This results in a ‘crossing over’ action of the stride foot… which then leads to the drive foot being behind it… and in younger athletes, can result in the hips/shoulders opening too much. As discussed previously, this position often creates what starsnuffer marvelously labeled as a ‘backwards pitcher”.

From this 'crossed over' position… any subsequent move forward with the rear leg, is actually rearward… and the hips continue to open… while the shoulders close. Furthermore, this adds significantly to compressive forces in the shoulder… Sprinkle in high-frequency usage (lots of pitches), maybe a muscle deficiency or two, and some compensatory postural issues and you’ve an injured pitcher.

So… if you’ve a pitcher that steps onto or across to the pitching side of this line, I’d recommend that you ‘fix’ this. Get her to step with her stride foot forward… and the result will be like 90+% of the modeled pitchers out there… or slightly to the left of the line (RHP). See the green feet above... This is known as a negative angle… The benefits are ever-apparent:

• Less weight on the heels (try it before you contest it)

• Better stabilization of the core

• Better on-plane arm circle

• Better pitching lane (ball can see the target)

• Less shoulder compression forces

• Better hip adduction

• A connected torso

• This slightly wider ‘base’ promotes better balance… which also leads to better hip/scapular stability at the top of the circle and through the release zone

Such a small thing… with such significant returns…

So, if you use a powerline (which is perfectly fine) put the drive foot on the line, and encourage the stride foot land slightly to the left of the line (for RHP, opposite for LHP). If your drive foot isn't on the line... just make sure your stride foot lands slightly to the left of where your drive foot started. I am not suggesting that you step to the left… just step forward, not across. Don’t go crazy with attaining the perfect stride angle… just prevent it from ‘crossing over’. Later on, you can work with some minor stride manipulations, if desired… but when training someone – I find this is the best place to start… or a ‘blueprint’ – especially younger or beginning pitchers.

I’m sure some (maybe just one) will read this as a no-brain post… and say… “Why so many words…” My response: Heard it before… go away.

Stride & Drive Orientation – Part 1

There are many goals to discussing these subjects, but at the core, I hope they give you a different and compelling viewpoint regarding drive mechanics… and challenge your beliefs – making you a better bucket-parent, coach, and PC… and I look forward to your insights, as well.

Here are some commonly ‘applied’ stride foot orientations... in 15-degree increments:

Commonly referred to as “stride angle”, stride orientation is the angle the stride foot lands. The importance of stride foot orientation is ever-apparent… in that it helps determine the angle of the torso… which is obviously a large factor in successful pitching. The 'preferred' angle of the stride foot varies greatly in high-level pitchers - and anyone professing to know the magic angle, has obviously not taken the time to see that it varies between every athlete. The visual evidence should absolutely quash on-going arguments… but for whatever reason… they persist. What visual evidence?

Pitchers like Ueno and Abbott have stride orientations MUCH less than 30-degrees… while others like Tincher and Nelson have middle-of-the-road stride orientations (between 30 and 45)… and lastly… there are pitchers like Osterman and Lawrie that use stride orientations greater than 45-degrees. To say any of these is right or wrong is just goofy… Stride orientation is pitcher specific… even pitch specific… and should NOT be a cookie-cutter number.

Why 45?!

If I had to put a number on it – I’d say 80+% of the people I’ve encountered (on the subject) think that this is one of those absolutes… and that the absolute is 45-degrees. I often ask: Why 45? Why not 30? Why not 60? Some will change the subject, some will side-step the question, but most will use the “dangers of too little or too much angle” spiel or… because it “keeps the pitcher from opening too much and too little”.

Does it? Abbott and Osterman must be doing something wrong…

You see, it is pitchers - like these two - that challenge what you think you know. As a PC/student, they challenge your beliefs and rattle your confidence. Years ago – before I tried my hand at being a PC – I made a list of everything I wanted to teach… and how I thought it should be taught. Through trial and lots of error, very few - if any - of those beliefs are ones that I hold today… and stride orientation is no exception. I started out as a staunch 45-degree advocate, moved to more open, back to 45, and then to less than 45 (closer to 30)… only to FINALLY realize that there is no magic angle. Rather than make a girl hit a mark - I let her 'do her own thing' and then make adjustments to manipulate it based on the results.. and finding a good opening (cringe) position often involves more than just stride foot orientation.

If you’ve been following this thread - or are a regular at DFP, you know that stabilizing and opening the torso is paramount to an efficient and safe arm circle. We need to reach an upper body position that effectively allows the humerus to elevate and rotate safely/freely – as the arm travels around the circle. That is it… the angle of your stride foot is contingent on what the rest of your body does... so that you can achieve this goal. There is no need to put a number on it – or a piece of tape on the ground at a preset angle… especially if it’s counter-productive to the ultimate goal. A 45-degree foot orientation is more often the wrong number than the correct one – as evidenced by the sheer number of top level pitchers that do not use it. If the visual evidence and practical application of stride foot orientation is not evidence enough for you… well… all hope isn’t lost… perhaps the next post will help…

End Part 1                                                 

Stride & Drive Orientation – Part 2

Hopefully, you’ve arrived at this post with an open mind... and all you care about is putting your DD or student in positions that allow her to maximize her potential; safely and efficiently. If so, let us take a moment to put YOU in a couple of positions…

The following assumes you are right-handed. If not, ‘flip’ the following instructions…

Exercise 1 – Stride Orientation

1. Stand, feet side-by-side (comfortably spaced), with the right side of your body 6-12 inches from a wall… facing forward. This is also a handy thing to perform in front of a full-length mirror.
2. While keeping your right foot pointed straight ahead, take a decent sized step forward with your left foot; at a 45-degree (inward) orientation/angle on plant.
3. If it helps you keep your right foot pointing forward, feel free to raise the heel up so you’re on the ‘ball of your right foot’.
4. Once you’ve landed… hold your position and look at your hips. You should see that, naturally, your hips responded to the angle of your stride foot. They won’t be at exactly the same angle as your foot… as we are all designed a little different. The wall will serve as a reference to this angle…
5. To drive the point home, after checking out your hip orientation, square them up (forward) while in this position. In doing so, you’ll feel a stretch in your right hamstring and glutes… And you’ll also have a reference as to how much your hips opened… which was about 45-degrees.

Exercise 2 – Drive Orientation

1. Repeat Step 1 from above.
2. While keeping your left foot pointed straight ahead, rotate your right (drive) foot outward 45 degrees. Take a decent sized step forward with your left foot; keeping the left foot pointed straight ahead on plant.
3. If it helps you take a decent step forward, feel free to raise the heel up so you’re on the ‘ball of your right foot’… but be sure to keep the right at a 45-degree angle and left foot at no angle – or straight ahead.
4. Once you’ve landed… hold your position and look at your hips. You should see that, naturally, your hips responded to the angle of your drive foot… Check angle with the wall to your right.
5. Square up the hips… once again… feeling this ‘stretch’. Depending on your flexibility – squaring up will be a resisted feeling… as it’s not natural… hence the reason our hips open.

Exercise 3 – Stride & Drive Orientation

By now… some of you may have just had an epiphany… but do the exercise anyway.

1. Repeat Step 1 from above.
2. With feet side by side, rotate your right foot outward 45-degrees. Take a decent sized step forward with your left foot AND land at a 45-degree angle with the left foot, too. Both feet should be angled (to the right) 45-degrees.
3. Again, feel free to raise up on the ball of the right foot, if it helps you take a larger step.
4. Now… look at your hips… Holy smokes… that’s not a 45-degree hip angle!!!
5. Reference the wall, you should be pretty close to ‘fully’ open… and definitely a lot further than you were in Exercise 2 or 3. Try them all again, and compare if you don’t believe me.

Hopefully, that epiphany has set in… If not… you’re either one-legged, a mutant, or just generally disagreeable… (not that any of those things are bad attributes... I'm keeping it positive this New Year!)

Drive foot turn-out ADDS to the stride angle… and if you really want to put it to the test… try Exercise 2 with the right foot rotated outward 90-degrees with no stride foot angle. Now… let us have a peak at Ueno and Monica… one more time… but through a ‘different pair of lenses’…

This introduces a subject that has led to a couple heated debates on DFP… drive foot turn-out. Drive foot turn-out is completely natural and NOT a negative thing. Every decent sprinter in the world does it… many pitchers do it, and if your DD doesn’t do it… your limiting the amount she can engage the largest muscles in her leg… and they’d like to help her drive forcefully off the plate…so let them! If you still don’t believe it… well… you might be getting in your own way... and hers.

All this said… I often limit drive foot turn-out. Turning the drive foot out much more than 45-degrees (I prefer only what is necessary) is counter-productive… similar to stretching a muscle too far… you’ll negate the directional force if you take it too far… and put the quads at a disadvantage.

So… if I’ve said/say that your DD is opening too much… and that it appears her stride orientation is fine… you need to realize that the additive effect of her drive turn-out and stride orientation… are creating a hip/torso angle that allows her to open beyond 90-degrees.

Couple this with the last main post… Stride Angle… and you’ll see how easy it is… and unbelievably prevalent… that younger/inexperienced pitchers open too much. You might have just checked the stride foot… now you know better… Check the stride angle (across the body adds to the angle, to the left for RHP subtracts)… check the stride foot orientation, and then check the drive foot orientation (as it PUSHES off the rubber).

Lastly, should your goal be 90? IMO, no. I like 70ish… because I know the effect that the upper torso and arm momentum have on adding to the torso angle. Setting 90 with the feet… results in 90+ overhead…

Pitching is never as simple as one thing… it’s a bunch… added up… and with every pitcher - they are never the same.

End Part 2

Differences – Part 1 (of many)

Those that have worked with more than one pitching prospect... immediately discovered that no two are alike. Bucket moms/dads that have more than one daughter know this, too…. and for those of you that have only one DD, you’ve most likely discovered that modeling pitchers “ain’t that easy”. Sure, this isn’t ‘ground-breaking’ news… but believe it or not…  some people get so caught up in perfecting one movement that they seriously stunt their DD’s development… and even worse – they end up putting them in ‘modeled’ positions that can put the student-athlete at risk for injury. Stride and drive foot orientations/angles and body joint flexion angles are only the beginning of a long list of differences.

Far too often, parents develop tunnel-vision towards a ‘finished product’.. or exact representation of a 'model pitcher'. Some handle this better than others - but many end up quitting. I instruct so that student-athletes, and their parents, can recognize their potential and continue playing softball at an optimal level.

This does not mean that you should give up on continually working on a motion … and it definitely does not mean that correcting non-optimal conditions is a bad idea... meaning... your DD is not predisposed to the bench. It simply means that you should identify and recognize differences; adapting your instruction to accommodate and improve upon them… and know the limitations and risks imposed by the condition.

Here are a few illustrative ‘differences’ relating to human anatomy - they are numbered... and a description of each follows:

1. Somatotypes – General body types… these are the three major types. I was going to put a picture of women up… but they all were horribly representative and obviously drawn by male artists...
2. Postural Alignments: Everyone is a little different, but many softball players fall into the second alignment; known as Kyphosis-Lordosis. Posture is influenced by our anatomical make-up, but not sentenced by it; this can be improved. Women typically have more anterior (forward) pelvic tilt. Not shown... but of equal importance would be lateral (side-to-side) variances in the spine... like Scoliosis... creating an 'S' or 'C' shape in the spine.
3. Knee Alignments: Typically referred to as knock-kneed and bowlegged, these differences can really influence our athletic tendencies and injury dispositions. Medically, they are known as vargus and valgus, and many women are pre-disposed to the latter, in various degrees.
4. Foot Alignments: Often related to knee alignments (but not always), these are usually noticed in the shoes we wear. If you wear the treads on the outside of your heel, your foot supinates; if the wear is on the inside, your foot pronates. It’s not uncommon to display one or the other, or both… nor is it uncommon that this condition changes, especially during puberty.
5. Q-Angles: Q-Angles can vary greatly between athletes; influencing knee and foot alignments. Women almost always have a greater Q-Angle than men.
6. Arch Variations of the Foot: Top down… High Arch, Normal Arch, Flat Arch. Our arch-type will greatly influence our natural – and possible trained techniques in dealing with ground reaction forces. Deformities in the arch should be known, as the pronation of a flat-footed person can cause all types of lower extremity and spinal issues. This may be one of the largest ACL-rupture indicators.
7. Intercondylar Notch Widths: The intercondylar notch is the groove that our ACL ligament passes through. Men (left) have noticeably larger notches than women (right). As such, it is believed to be one of the prevailing reasons women suffer more ACL injuries than men.
8. Femoral Angles – Another variable that creates what many call pigeon-toed and duck-foot orientations. I’ve provided three reference angles (red). Anteversion causes pigeon-toe, and retroversion causes duck-foot. This graphic will help you see why stride and drive foot orientation is never a constant between two pitchers.
9. Joint Laxity– Laxity means looseness and is often associated with flexibility… but this is specific to ligaments. Mobility is important – so becoming more flexible should be a goal, but some people are born with loose ligaments… and as athletes, can encounter and suffer through a lot of pain. Joint laxity can occur, too; especially with repetitive trauma to a ligament. In softball, this often appears in the form of patellofemoral or ACL issues. The thumb-to-forearm test is one of two indicators for assessing genetic or pre-disposed laxity. Women exhibit higher levels of laxity than men, in general.
10. Pelvic Structure: The top is a typical male pelvis; the bottom is a typical female pelvis. Women have a typically forward tilted pelvis and – as commonly mentioned on DFP – wider hips. This can often pre-dispose them to many of the aforementioned ‘differences’…

There are many more ‘differences’… but these are a few that I feel compelled to address now… as I do believe that it’s important for you to all see how different each athlete can be. For example... In the post, ‘Touchdown’, I was going to say that the ideal striking area of the forefoot is between the 4th&5th metatarsals (pinky toe is the 5th)… but doing so, cookie-cuts… and as you can now see, increases the risk of injury for athletes with excessive foot supination. Another example is stride and drive foot orientations… forcing someone to plant at a 45-degree angle that has an increased or decreased femoral angle… won’t put them in an optimal position… and on and on and on…

Some of you might feel you don’t need to know this stuff… and that’s fine. Again, my goal is to allow an athlete to optimally perform. Performance happens on the field. Lower-extremity injuries in female athletes are up to 10x more common than men. Having the ability to identify high-risk athletes will help them/you take measures that can prevent serious injury; keeping them on the field… and saving their/your family tens of thousands of dollars in medical costs.

End Part 1

Differences - Part 2: Dominance Patterns in Female Athletes

The structure and general physiology of women is, comparatively speaking, quite unique. Before I get into the Dominance Patterns… I want to comment on something I saw on another thread, recently…

Non-athletic women exhibit less core strength & stability than men. “Core Strength” and “Core Stability” are NOT the same things. We’ll discuss that in another post (Inner & Outer Core), but understand for now… exercises that target stability - will not increase core strength. One of the reasons for reduced core strength & stability - in females - is the anatomical shape and position (or tilt) of the pelvis. This affects the angulation of muscular attachments. These little differences affect the ‘pull’ of the core muscles on the pelvis; limiting stability. For now… suffice it to say, the two are related and REALLY important – but trained separately.

Dominance Patterns

Women exhibit a trait known as ‘Quadriceps Dominance’. In other words, they utilize their quadriceps muscles more than their hamstrings. Men are known to utilize their hamstring muscles (during landings) three times more than women. This utilization of the hamstring and quadriceps is known as the ‘H/Q Ratio’. It’s important, because the hamstrings are known to effectively shield the ligaments in the knee from injury. On the other hand, the quadriceps can generate forces that exceed ligament failure loads… so co-activation (a learned process in females) is of great importance. When the quadriceps contracts, it extends (straightens) the knee; the reason why females usually exhibit less flexion. More interestingly, the quads will ‘pull’ the tibia forward (relative to the femur)… which is exactly the opposite of what the ACL is trying to do… which is hold the tibia ‘back’. This opposing battle causes shear – or stress – on both the tibia and the ACL. The ACL might be the smallest of ligaments... but, it's the stabilizer. Ideally, the posterior musculature of the leg should work with the quads… eliminating the stress, so that all works … more on that later… Here's a picture illustrating the role of the quadriceps and hamstrings:

Women exhibit another trait, medically referred to as ‘Ligament Dominance’. The largest characterizations of ligament dominance are the use of the bone, articular cartilage, and ligaments in absorbing ground reaction forces (GRF). In other words, the muscles don’t adequately absorb the forces… so the joints and ligaments do a lot of the work. As noted, women have a tendency to land with less knee flexion… If you have been reading this thread all along… we talked about ‘impulse loads’ awhile ago. Less flexion leads to higher amounts of force absorbed over a shorter time… and in Ligament Dominant athletes… can lead to ligament rupture. Center of Gravity (COG) is a vital component… something we’ll talk about in other posts (namely, Posture).

In Drive Mechanics, there are symmetric and asymmetric motions… i.e. abduction, adduction, drive & stride foot orientations, muscle recruitment, flexion, etc. Women tend to be more one-leg dominant than men. The difference between the two legs in muscle recruitment patterns, muscle strength, and muscle flexibility is almost always greater in females. This is known as 'Leg Dominance'. Further exacerbating this asymmetry issue is the fact that fastpitch mechanics can worsen this condition… as we post on a single leg… over and over and over… This can worsen, even develop, leg dominance… and if the differences in force and torque profiles of the legs are present, injury becomes much, much more frequent.

Here’s a big word: Proprioception. It means "awareness of body parts and movement". The prefix, ‘propri’ means “one’s own”. Got it? Compared to men… women do not sense the position of their trunk in three-dimensional space as well… meaning they allow for greater movement whenever an outside object or force act upon it (think momentum, GRF, etc.). This inability is called ‘Trunk Dominance’. Due in part to pelvic differences (as noted above), there are many other ‘contributors’. In females, 'Trunk Dominance' becomes more evident during growth spurts. After a boy goes through a physical growth spurt, it is immediately followed by a “neuromuscular growth spurt”. This leads to more muscle AND a proportionate amount of power/control. Women are not nearly as fortunate. Men get a bigger machine… with a bigger engine. Women get a bigger machine, but keep their old engine. They develop significantly more trunk mass… located higher off the ground (picture stilts)… but the engine stays the same. This little engine, or lagging neuromuscular development, cannot control the trunk as well… hence the ‘lack of awareness’. Neuromuscular control gradually increases in females. It can be trained - and should be… but the program should be gender specific. That’s coming soon… in the interim, muscle activation is a huge part of the equation...

Differences – Identification

Knowledge of the four Dominance Patterns in female athletes is one thing… but identifying them in the athlete you’re working with is more important. Clinical analysis is an option, albeit not practical. The costs, time, and impracticality of clinical identification requires that a simple “home screening test” or field identification method be available. Although the huge breakthroughs on the subject arose out of the 1980’s and 90’s (Doug's musical genre...), it wasn’t until 2006 (that I am aware of) that any diagnostic screening test was agreed upon and published in the medical community.

There are four key components that a female athlete should be taught in training neuromuscular control: trunk proprioception - by eliminating excessive motion, preventing knee valgus or hyperextension, activation of the posterior chain musculature (needs to be ‘turned on’), and the balance and equalization of the lower extremities (no left/right deficits). In doing so, injury risk is reduced on average by 50% - and as much as 80%. By utilizing these four concepts, the identification of neuromuscular deficiency is possible through a single exercise. Just think… if a pre-season testing method could identify an athlete at high risk of injury…

The Tuck Jump Assessment

Not only will this handy plyometric exercise help you assess an issue, it will help you track progress, and teach athletes proper neuromuscular sequencing.

Here’s what a proper form Tuck Jump should look like:

In order to perform the assessment properly, you’ll need to perform it in 2 sets of 10 second repeated jumps… three times. This should be done during a full workout. At the beginning of the workout, you do it. In the middle of a workout, you do it… and you guessed it… at the end of the workout.

You’ll need a camera – and each set is filmed at a different angle. The first is with the athlete facing the camera; the second is from the side. In review… 10 second jumps from the front, 10 second jumps from the side… 3 times (pre-workout, mid, and post).

After filming them, here is the assessment checklist, with instructions:

Using video review, tally-up all the deficiencies for each set of jumps you see according to the chart. In doing so, you’ll know where deficits reside, and in the next post, I’ll give you some exercises to perform. If you’re athlete scores 6 or more in one of the tests… they REALLY need to focus on training… as they are in a very high-risk pool.

Remember… performing and ‘passing’ this assessment does not mean you stop doing it!!! Hopefully, by now – you understand that as female athletes mature, they may undergo changes that put them in a higher-risk pool… as their neuromuscular ‘engines’ lag behind their physical development. If you notice your DD growing... this is a handy time to do it...

Lastly, for the deficiencies you do find, here they are as related to the four Dominance Patterns…

Performing a total of 60 seconds of Tuck Jumps is not exciting… and chances are that your DD is going to make all types of faces… as they are not as easy as they may look on paper. They do not require practice before videotaping them – as many of the deficiencies are more easily recognized in the first set. That said… a 60-second evaluation/assessment is a small price to pay for the dividends in can yield.

It's really a wonderful plyo... and the goal is to execute it with perfect form. I would encourage any student that already has a plyometric routine to add this one in... and if they don't have a routine... build one with this in it. The next post will have pattern specific exercises.  So... I'd say as regular as they workout... 3-5 times per week.                                                 

Differences – Intervention Introduction

Although the next series of exercises are under the “Intervention” heading… understand that this Drive Mechanics thread has always had more than one intention… not only do I want to help you all make your DD’s better pitchers… but I also want to enable you all with the proper “tools” you’ll need along the way. If you don’t see the importance in proper conditioning… rest assured someone else will … and while your DD plateau’s… that ‘someone else’ will continue to ascend.

In the next series of Intervention posts… and in previous/subsequent posts – you will see that you’ll be able to build your own conditioning regiment from this thread… and the best part about that is that you’ll actually know what to do and why you are actually doing it. Furthermore, you’ll be able to more easily identify conditioning elements to include and weed out of your existing/future routines. Sure, you can limit it to what you need… but all of these exercises were ‘picked’ to be a part of an entire program. I encourage you and your DD/student to do them all… correctly… and safely.

It is important that you avoid dangerous and biomechanically disadvantageous positions in any exercise (or sport). Doing an exercise incorrectly, defeats (especially in the following examples of intervention) the purpose in performing them. Focus on the quality of your movements - NOT the quantity. Give feedback and make corrections whenever the need arises. Focus on perfecting the technique of the exercise.

Remember this: A comprehensive training protocol should have these three essential components, regardless of the situation:

1. Performance of dynamic and biomechanically correct movements.
2. Neuromuscular patterning; from identified neuromuscular imbalances
3. Constant biomechanical analysis by you… to them… during and after workout.

Fatigue can and will cause imperfections in technique. Stop. Note your progress… and then focus subsequent efforts on meeting and exceeding previous attempts. In other words, chart your progress.

Rather than break all of the exercises up by category, I’m going to list them all, and then follow the illustrations up with a chart that isolates the Dominance Patterns they best address… as this will save on confusion… and eliminate redundant posts of the same exercises… as many address multiple Dominance issues.

Lastly, I’ve neglected to provide a definition of the ‘planes of movement’… and as I’ll reference them in subsequent posts, I figure now is as good of a time as any.

There are three main planes: sagittal, frontal, and transverse.

• The sagittal plane is most easily described as the plane you’d step/jump forward or backward on.
• The frontal (or coronal) plane is the plane you’d step/jump to the left/right on or straight up/down on.
• The transverse plane would be the plane your hips rotate on.

These are basic and intentionally simple definitions… but here are a few pretty pictures that will help drive the point home…

Differences – Athletic Position and Proper Form

As in all conditioning routines, this Dominance Pattern intervention must begin with teaching proper form and technique. Of great importance would be prevention of the valgus knee position... You may recall that this is when the knee is positioned inside the foot.

Many of the following plyometric routines begin with the all important ‘athletic position’ – and it’s important that on push off and landing - that the knee does not collapse inwards. It must stay over the foot and directly under the corresponding hip. By performing it properly, the proprioception of the athlete increases… and I really hope (by now) you realize how important that is… Proper ‘athletic position’ form looks like this:

The knees should be comfortably flexed, shoulders back, eyes up, and feet shoulder-width apart. Body mass should be balanced over the balls of the feet. Knees should be over the balls of the feet and the chest over the knees. Most of the jumping routines below will call on this position… sometimes with a deeper knee flexion… as the greater angle of flexion is what helps 'condition' or... overcome biomechanical deficiencies.

Jojo asked about the regularity of performing the Tuck Jump. Again… teaching the proper form of these exercises and subsequently performing them over and over properly… is what creates the ‘muscle memory’, sequencing patterns, activation, and proprioception in the athlete.

Typically, most view the benefits of exercises backwards… that is they ‘want to see the results' of strength and conditioning... but in this quest, often overlook proper form and technique, which is the true benefit… as it is the form that carries over and benefits the athlete in their physical endeavors the most (hmm... just like pitching...) Exercises performed on all three planes are important in softball, as pitching requires controlled movements in all three planes. Make sure your workouts include a steady dose of each.

Lastly, patellofemoral pain in the knee is one of the most common ailments in athletes. Many of the following exercises require deep knee flexion… and if any pain in the knee is felt in your athlete… reduce knee flexion angles and range of motion so that the motion is pain-free.

Differences – The Exercises - Part 1 of 5

Best place to start is with a plyo that most of you are familiar with – The Wall Jump – as it is a low-to-moderate intensity jump that will allow you to easily identify valgus positioning of the knee and other elements of proper form. As it involves minimal knee flexion, the collapse of the knee is easy to identify and train proper form (see above). Posture, footprints, etc... are other form considerations. Wall Jumps are performed in the frontal plane. I’ll try to include a detailed description above each picture.

Stand tall with arms semi-extended overhead. This vertical jump requires minimal knee flexion. The gastrocnemius muscles create the vertical height, and the arms should extend fully at the top of the jump. Use this jump as a warm-up and a coaching exercise… as this relatively low-intensity exercise can easily reveal abnormal knee motion in girls with poor knee and trunk proprioception. Proper form is easier to coach with lower intensity drills.

The Wall Jump

The Tuck Jump is a much more challenging exercise than the Wall Jump. It should be part of every workout – especially all of the targeted ones we are talking about (Ligament, Quadricep, Leg, and Trunk Dominance). It’s performed - and should be limited to – the frontal plane.

Start in athletic position with feet shoulder-width apart. Initiate jump with a slight crouch downward while extending the arms behind her. She then swings her arms forward as she simultaneously jumps straight up and pulls her knees up as high as possible. At the highest point of the jump, she should have her thighs parallel to the ground. When landing, she should immediately begin the next Tuck Jump. Encourage her to land softly, using a toe-to-midfoot rocker landing. Don’t continue this jump if she can’t control the high landing force… or if she uses a knock-kneed (valgus) landing.

The Tuck Jump

The Broad Jump and Hold is a marvelous exercise - in that it forces the athlete to hold proper form after performing the jump. The resulting improvement to kinesthetic and proprioceptive ability is a great ‘side-effect’. The jump is performed in the sagittal plane.

Start in athletic position. Extend arms behind her at the shoulder. Swing arms forward and jump horizontally and vertically at a 45-degree angle to achieve maximum horizontal distance. She must ‘stick’ the landing with her knees flexed to approx. 90-degrees… or an exaggerated athletic position. If she can’t stick the landing with a maximum effort jump, have her perform a submaximal jump… so that she sticks the landing with toes pointing forward and no inward motion of the knees (valgus), good balance, and a deep knee flexed athletic position. Technique first! As this improves, add distance… but never at the expense of perfect technique.

The Broad Jump and Hold

The 180-Degree Jump is a great dynamic exercise that requires lower extremity control. It creates rotational force, which must be absorbed and immediately redirected in the opposite direction. Think Ken B’s gif of Gascoigne early in this thread… where she is opening then immediately closing… Trunk and lower extremity control is very important in pitching. This exercise is performed in the transverse plane… as well as the frontal plane.

Start with feet shoulder apart and standing tall. Initiate the two-footed jump with a direct vertical motion combined with a 180-degree rotation in midair. Keep arms away from sides to maintain balance. Upon landing, immediately reverse the jump into the opposite direction. Repeat until perfect technique fails. The goal is to achieve maximum height and a full 180-degree rotation during the jump. Encourage her to maintain exact foot position on the floor by jumping and landing in the same footprint.

The 180-Degree Jump

End Part 1 of 5

Differences – The Exercises - Part 2 of 5

The Single-leg Hop and Hold is nearly identical to the Broad Jump and Hold… but as you can see… is performed on one leg. I need not explain that pitching requires posting on a single leg (at least I hope I don’t)… so including single-leg exercises in your routine is important. This said… underlying issues (like dominance patterns) require that you perform this exercise VERY CAREFULLY. As the ‘spotter’, you must ensure that the athlete land with deep knee-flexion, and that the knee has no frontal plane (side-to-side) movements. Start this by jumping only a few inches (into the sagittal plane)… and focusing on maintaining a ‘soft’ landing, deep knee flexion, and no frontal plane knee movement. I tell them to land “light as a feather”… and this is done via ankle, knee, and hip flexion. Start with low-intensity little jumps… and increase the distance gradually… as they exhibit total control. It will eventually become a ‘jump’… but is the reason I refer to it as a ‘hop’.

Start in a semi-crouched position on one leg. Arm should be fully extended behind her at shoulder. Initiate jump by swinging arms forward while simultaneously extending at the hip and knee. The jump should carry her at an angle upward at around 45-degrees, and attain maximal distance for a single leg landing. Land with deep knee flexion and hold for 3 seconds. As noted above START WITH A SMALL HOP. Once she can stick the landing regularly with minimal movement… add distance… a little at a time. Keep her visual focus away from her feet – as this will prevent too much forward lean at the waist.

The Single-leg Hop and Hold

The Squat Jump requires a great deal of knee and hip flexion. In choosing other plyo routines, this concept is known as 90/90… meaning the hip and knee flexion angles will reach or exceed 90-degrees in the activity. This 90/90 flexion is a great way to activate the hamstrings… and when you combine this exercise with ‘holding’ exercises (like the Broad Jump and Hold) the hamstrings will undergo cocontraction, which has been proven an effective way to strengthen the hamstring muscles. As in all of these exercises, posture on landing is paramount. This is a single plane exercise… frontal.

Begin in the athletic position with feet flat on floor, pointing straight ahead. Drop into deep knee, hip, and ankle flexion; touching floor as close to heels as possible. Jump straight up vertically, reaching as high as possible. On landing, immediately return to starting position. This is repeated for allotted time or until technique begins to deteriorate. Encourage her to reach and jump as high as possible – and to land in the same footprint on each jump. Maintain upright posture. Do not allow her to bend forward at the waist to reach the floor… she should keep her eyes up, feet and knees pointed ahead, and arms outside her legs.

The Squat Jump

X-Hops are performed on a single leg, and are similar to Tuck Jumps… in that they also double as a field diagnostic tool for Leg Dominance. Maintaining balance on a single leg… especially while maintaining deep knee flexion between hops makes this exercise more difficult to perform than it may first appear. This exercise has been proven to reduce the occurrence of ankle injuries. Alternate legs when performing this exercise… and all bilateral differences in technique will be easy for the ‘spotter’ to identify. Multi-plane exercise (sagittal and frontal).

Make a quadrant pattern on the floor and have her stand on one leg with the support knee slightly bent. Hop diagonally, landing in opposite quadrant, while maintaining the forward stance. Hold deep knee flexion landing for 3 seconds. Hop laterally into the side quadrant, holding the landing as before. Hop diagonally backwards… hold it. Hop laterally into beginning quadrant and hold. Repeat for required number of sets. Make sure she is maintaining balance during each landing… while keeping her eyes up and maintaining a visual focus away from the feet.

X-Hops

Bounding may look sort of goofy… but it is easily one of the most effective ways to correct imbalances and deficiencies that exist between legs. This multi-plane exercise requires that maximum distance is achieved in both planes. The non-dominant leg will receive coordination and strength benefits. Again… focus should always be on the technique…

Begin this jump by bounding in place. Once she attains proper rhythm and form, encourage her to maintain the vertical component of the bound while adding some horizontal distance to each jump. The progression of jumps advances the athlete across the training area. Encourage her to maintain maximum bounding height.

Bounding

End Part 2 of 5                                                 

Differences – The Exercises - Part 3 of 5

In building a routine, it’s important to incorporate a few ‘endpoint’ routines that “stress” (an intentional duality in meaning…) utilization of perfect technique… and these ‘endpoint’ exercises should be performed in multiple planes. The Jump, Jump, Jump, Vertical Jump exercise is a great example of this… because it requires the execution of three jumps… so any technique issues or imbalances will prevent the final vertical jump from being maximized. Proprioception is enhanced greatly in exercises like this…

Perform 3 successive broad jumps and immediately progress into a maximum effort vertical jump. The 3 broad jumps should be performed as quickly as possible and attain maximal horizontal distance. The third broad jump should be used as a preparatory jump that will allow horizontal momentum to be quickly and efficiently transferred into vertical power. Encourage her to provide maximum braking on the third and final broad jump to ensure maximum energy is transferred to the vertical jump (hope you all see what I'm doing here...). Coach her to jump directly vertical on the fourth jump and not move horizontally. Use full arm extension to achieve maximum vertical height.

The Jump, Jump, Jump, Vertical Jump

So ends the end of the detailed jumping exercises...

Control of body movements requires sequential muscle activation from proximal to distal segments. This kinetic chain allows for coordinated and efficient movements. Synergistic activation of muscles… from proximal to distal… allows for postural awareness.

The lumbopelvic-hip complex (LPHC) is comprised of the pelvis, hip, and trunk segments of our body… this also includes all muscles that originate from or attach to the pelvis, hip and trunk. If the LPHC is unstable, all resultant chained movements are unstable. Point being… if the center to which the kinetic chain passes through is not conditioned… athletic movements will be inefficient and the risk of injury exponentially increases.

The following exercises are designed to enhance neuromuscular stimulation, improve neuromuscular control of lower extremity biomechanics, and condition the LPHC to improve neuromuscular deficiencies (Dominance Patterns). As such, LPHC conditioning has been proven to positively influence muscle recruitment patterns. You’ve probably seen or performed many of these… and think of the word ‘contralateral’ as: opposite of the supporting structure…

The Thirty Second Work-Out

I call this my 30-second work-out. Perform repetitions or hold the position for at least 30-seconds. Technique is everything… Once 30-seconds of proper form can be performed… try a second set, then third, etc… These require much less explanation… as many are fairly static... but do not sacrifice form.

Side Plank:

Hold position. The body must remain in a straight line.

Side Plank

Front Plank:

Hold position. The body must remain in a straight line.

Front Plank

Flying Squirrel:

Externally rotate shoulders, internally rotate hips… Torso and thighs held off of floor. Hold position.

Flying Squirrel

End Part 3 of 5                                                 

Differences – The Exercises - Part 4 of 5

Bird Dog:

Contralateral arm and hip are extended, with body maintaining pelvic neutral. Hold position.

Bird Dog

Hip Abduction:

Hip and knee are in slight flexion. Perform hip abduction repetitions.

Hip Abduction

Clams:

Hips and knees in slight flexion, hip is abducted WHILE feet remain in place. Perform repetitions.

Clams

Advanced Front Plank:

Get in Front Plank position… then extend contralateral arm and legs, while body remains in straight line. Hold position.

Advanced Front Plank

End Part 4 of 5                                                 

Differences – The Exercises - Part 5 of 5

Pelvic Tilt (see my preferred variation: Single Leg Bridge):

Contralateral hip is pulled into hip flexion, while maintaining pelvic neutral position. Hold position.

Pelvic Tilt

Advanced Bird Dog:

Hip is extended as high as possible and then lowered to floor in a slow, controlled manner. Perform repetitions.

Advanced Bird Dog

Russian Hamstring Curls:

With elastic resistance around the trunk, knees on mat, and hands folded over resistance band… have the ‘spotter’ maintain a supportive position. It helps if spotter places his/her foot on both feet of athlete to prevent excessive movement. Athlete lowers (via eccentric contraction of the hamstrings) themself to parallel with the floor and holds 3 seconds. They raise the body up to starting position (via concentric contraction of the hamstrings). Do not allow her to bend at the waist… upright spine posture should be maintained.

Russian Hamstring Curls

Swiss Hamstring Curls:

Assume a plank position with heels on a medium size swiss ball. Maintain a neutral pelvis (flat body position). Pull the knees into flexion, by rolling the heels on the ball. Instruct them to pull the ball towards their butt, by flexing the knees – and maintaining a stable pelvis. If this becomes too easy after awhile, have her perform the same movement using a single leg.

Swiss Hamstring Curls

End Part 5 of 5

I hope you're all putting the pieces together... and see how these are not only Dominance Pattern exercises... but also very intentionally and very carefully selected 'pitching-specific' conditioning elements.

Differences – The Final Chapter

I know I mentioned I would provide a reference chart for which exercises targeted the specific Dominance patterns... but after really reviewing this... every jumping exercise listed targets all four. Furthermore, every LPHC listed (as a combined routine) has been shown to immediately improve Tuck Jump assessment scores. Conditioning the LPHC is absolutely critical to high-level pitching... So, rather than give you a chart that may limit which routines you perform... perform them all. As noted, you'll be able to take all the exercises this thread provides, and make them your routine... and because there are quite a few, split them up into two separate routines that you alternate throughout the week.

The "Differences" posts have come to an end!!!

I know they might not have been what anyone anticipated in a 'Drive Mechanics' thread... but they may just be one of the most important pieces in the whole puzzle. I truly hope those that stumble across this thread... soak it in... and open their eyes to the uniqueness of each athlete. I hope the men that teach the sport... have a better understanding and knowledge of their female audience... and maybe view their instruction through a slightly different pair of lenses. Although I'll never know how many injuries were prevented by the knowledge sharing contained in "Differences"... I take unbelievable comfort in knowing that this will make a 'Difference' in the well-being of those that identify and condition underlying deficiencies.

Lastly... I'm going to throw a bunch of interesting stats out there... as these little blurbs always make interesting reading.

Statistically speaking…

In fours years of collected NCAA softball injury data… it was found that 65% of all injuries were non-contact (not caused by an outside source)… meaning most were the result of a neuromuscular deficiency.

In games, nearly 20% of injuries happened at the knee or lower… and in practices, nearly 40% of injuries were from the waste down.

In those that occurred from the waist up... In almost all throwing-related injuries of the upper extremities, the site of injury was not the source. Nearly all athletes exhibited a core musculature deficiency that was the culprit.

For young female athletes, the odds for a first-time tear of the ACL are just greater than 1-in-50. After tearing the ACL the first time, the risk of the same injury becomes 1-in-4.

Nearly 30% of female athletes have left-right lower extremity imbalances… with one hamstring weaker than the other. These athletes are 260% more likely to sustain a lower-extremity injury.

Strain on the ACL is reduced 36% with knee flexion of 15-degrees. The strain is reduced by 85% when the flexion is 30-degrees…. And learning neuromuscular strategies to deal with Dominance patterns… can reduce ACL-injury incidence by 80%...

Through video analysis, all instances of ACL rupture occurred in athletes who reached the flat-foot position 50% sooner than those that did not sustain injury… stressing the importance of learning proper landing mechanics (forefoot strikes...)

The threshold of the ACL is just over 480 lbs of force (2,160 N). Ground reaction forces range from 2 to 18 times the body weight - when performing one-leg landings.(ex. of my DD... 280-2560 lbs of force... or up to 11,520 N)

A 10-week resistance program has been shown to increase lower extremity proprioception for 9 months… that’s a lasting effect.

In 1000 monitored high school athletes (male and female), 100% of those that suffered an ACL or PCL tear had proportionately narrower intercondylar notches. All women have proportionately narrower intercondylar notches than men.

Most ligament reconstructions of the knee have costs that exceed $60,000.

Hamstring muscles should be 65-75% as strong as the quadriceps (H/Q ratio) to properly sequence and shield against injury. The average woman is between a 25-45%.

Estrogen and Relaxin hormone levels in the female body surge during the menstrual cycle, resulting in laxity of ligaments of 150%...

Thanks for the positive feedback... "Differences" have left the building...

Next up... Posture!

Posture & the Kinetic Chain: An Introduction

In my humble opinion, posture is the most important fundamental in pitching... especially when instructing beginners. Why? Here’s the simple version…

1. Stated simply…putting the body in favorable positions, will yield favorable results.
2. A pitcher will progress through fundamentals in a much more rapid fashion. One of the most daunting tasks as a PC… is overcoming ingrained postural deficiencies with ‘experienced’ pitchers (at least, it is in my experience).
3. It allows the athlete to maximize energy transfer through the kinetic chain.
4. It establishes healthy neuromuscular programming with a movement not familiar to the athlete.
5. It helps identify neuromuscular deficiencies early… which should require immediate correction… because: any movement pattern repeated often enough has the potential to create stress patterns in the muscle and joint structure, that ultimately lead to unhealthy dominance patterns (some of which you all know about)… because our bodies will develop avoidance mechanisms as a response.

That’s the skinny… here’s a bit more detail…

No one is born ‘balanced’, and good posture won’t make you a good pitcher… and my definition of posture is a little different. Truth is, our physiological design makes us all ‘imbalanced’ to some degree... as the structure of muscles as they cross a joint is… and this might sound odd… ‘ideally’ imbalanced (i.e. knee extensors/flexors).

So... my definition of the word “Posture” is… the way that we position our body and limbs when pitching… that allows for quality pitching movements… thus maximizing the transference of energy through the kinetic chain.

The kinetic chain is best described as a movement system comprised of muscles, ligaments, tendons, and neural (motor) components at a joint. Each of these is dependent on the others for optimal performance - in both static and dynamic activities. The quality of movement is determined by the alignment and the mechanics of each joint… and how the joints are recruited. Like a chain, movement at one joint will effect the joints above and below it…both positively AND negatively… depending upon the influence.

Too often, the kinetic chain is summarized incorrectly… it’s not just the joints… it’s everything in between. A common misconception is that if one link ‘breaks’, the chain is broken. The chain is NOT broken; it’s damaged. The extent of the damage will most severely impact the neighboring segments… and some of these segments/links are more important than others. Simply put, a kink in your chain will effect what it touches… and sometimes that will persist throughout the chain… but know that this negative chaining effect can… and is at times… overcome.

Good posture is good balance, in a muscular and skeletal sense... and it allows for the creation of efficient movements. Improper alignment of our body during pitching results in a loss of the efficiency of movements we can perform, and these inefficient movements will consume transferable energy, increase stress on our body, and possibly lead to injury.

This is not to say that we can’t perform the pitching motion in other ways… as you all know better… but realize that our body will always make muscular compensations in order to function. The neuromuscular system will create ‘alternate’ muscle activation patterns in an attempt to maintain stability… which results in less-than-optimal performance. Simply put, our body will always sacrifice quality of movement for quantity.

Quality of pitching movements allows a pitcher to utilize and transfer energy into the ball from the ground upwards. Linear energy is converted into rotational energy through sequential rotations of the pelvis, upper torso, and arm. The kinetic chain of a pitcher is broken up into body segments… with each ‘joint complex’ (all the stuff in-between) representing a link in ‘the chain’. At each link, there is a rotational lag between each segment… that allows for force production as well as ‘point of energy transference’ to the next segment.

In chaining, mass is important…and in the middle of this pitching chain is the largest of the segments; the trunk. Body segments that are greater in mass require greater torque production than their smaller, and subsequently more distal, segments. This passage of energy from link-to-link is marked by ‘moments’… most notably a moment of deceleration of the more proximal segment. The quality of stability during this moment determines the quantity of energy passed between the links. This moment of deceleration is known as proximal stability. The proximal/distal relationship is summed up nicely in this stick figure...

As this is an introduction… it’s probably a good idea to clear the air on all the different types of ‘stability’… as they are commonly referred to incorrectly… and they are a large part of pitching posture and the kinetic chain…

Proximal Stability is the ability within the kinetic chain to stabilize the more proximal segment… in order to pass energy from it… to a more distal segment.

Core Stability is much ‘deeper’ than most think… and is the act of stabilizing the lumbar spine via cocontraction of deep inner core muscles. It is the same thing as… and often referred to as… Spinal or Lumbar Stability… but is NOT the same thing as core strength.

Trunk Stability involves proprioception… or the ability to sense the position of the trunk in three-dimensional space… and subsequently control it. Trunk stability requires core and pelvic stability.

Pelvic Stability is the ability to control pelvic position in order to distribute forces to and from the ground and body (i.e. the extremities, the spine, etc…).

That should suffice as an intro... The next post will most likely be around the sequence of movements from the ground up… then the previously mentioned “Inner/Outer Core” will be addressed, and I guess it makes sense to throw in an ‘antagonistic movements’ post, too. Needless to say… this will be a pretty thorough study for all of you fellow information junkies… and there will be lots of good information discussed!

Posture & the Kinetic Chain: Movin’ On Up

One of the often overlooked aspects of modeling our young DD’s against elite mature pitchers… is the ridiculous disparity in physical development. To expect a 10-15 year old to match physical movements performed by elite pitchers is absurd… yet many are guilty of it (myself included). Model pitchers are an important study… but we would benefit more in understanding what is required to perform the motion… rather than spend too much time trying to mimic it.

This said… one of my favorite model pitchers in ‘Drive Mechanics’ is Sarah Pauly… and you’re all about to get a pretty steady dose of this incredibly talented, efficient, and ‘in-control’ pitcher…

We’ve breached the subject of the kinetic chain... and this post will be directed towards the chaining as it happens at stride foot contact… This is my novice attempt in showing you the flow...

Although we already covered striking patterns of the foot, the importance of ankle flexion and range of motion (dorsiflexion) cannot be overlooked… because the foot is the first link in this kinetic chain.

Biomechanically, a three-segment system is a preferred system for kinetic transfer (ankle, lower leg, and upper leg) . When the foot lands improperly (see the striking patterns post), the lower leg and foot will act as a single segment (as opposed to two segments). We know that the striking pattern is specific to the athlete… but when used incorrectly… a two-column system often creates too much knee flexion, or conversely, the appearance of column buckling on plant (hyperextension).

The goal of the foot strike is not to create energy… but instead… to efficiently absorb it to allow for transference. In the illustration below… you’ll see the preferred biomechanical activation sequence that is necessary to efficiently absorb the ground force collision and limit too much of an impact transient. The gif below shows the two dorsiflexion points that assist in activating the lower leg muscles. Notice that Sarah's heel is still on the ground in the first frame… and this dorsiflexed position is held just prior to lower leg extension.

As discussed previously, these dorsiflexion ‘points’ put the Achilles on stretch and activate the calf muscles – so that they may efficiently ‘do work’. Plantar flexion of the foot is achieved during lower leg extension… and the resultant ball-to-heel striking pattern ensures a 3-column system… transferring the energy to the knee on up…

The importance of not locking out the knee and eliminating excessive knee flexion during stride foot contact allows us to harness the ground reaction forces (GRF) efficiently. The lower leg 'bony' role (tibia and fibula) is to prevent the GRF from being excessive (via a 3-column jointed system), dampening the impact, so that the muscular system can effectively absorb and distribute this energy. Excessive and/or altered force applications will create functional instability in the supporting structures (ligaments and muscles).

On a side note… many have picked up on a rotational moment of the foot immediately prior to contact with the ground…. If not… here it is… It’s a pretty cool find the first time around… Remember, this is a weightless move...

This pre-rotational movement that Sarah performs is not a negative movement… as it marvelously sets up a force coupling of linear and rotational energy... Some do this naturally; others develop it over time… It’s not something you directly teach… but I find it interesting to point out… as many think rotational energy takes place higher up… when in reality, it’s a coupled force reaction with the GRF… and it starts at the ground for many. This unweighted pre-movement, creates torsional 'stress'... and you can watch it progress up the leg. Just as the linear energy is chained… so is rotational energy (torque)… Many assume the hip joint design would break this rotational chain… but remember… it’s the muscles and ligaments that distribute the energy through the chain… and it’s the bone 'POSITIONS' (think posture) that enable this transfer...

Using this new-found understanding - lets get back to the knees. The knees aren’t going to do a lot of work in creating energy, BUT their position and available range of motion greatly facilitate the hips and trunk in creating angular distances to which torque can be applied… or put simply… they allow for useful core body work to be produced.

This leads us to the hips and pelvis... The hips can be viewed as the ‘bridge’ in the kinetic chain. The sequence of muscle activation in this region greatly determines the success in efficiently transferring GRF energy from this proximal segment... to the more distal segments. The hips can be viewed as a generator and mediator of ground reaction forces. The hips work is done in tandem with local muscles that offer spinal stability.

As it pertains to the knee and upper leg… here’s a gif that illustrates some key activation/position moments… You'll notice the 3 labeled 'columns'... and the plantar-to-dorsiflex range of movement occurring in the ankle that make 3 segments possible. A sharp heel strike would eliminate the lowest column. You'll also notice the optimal knee-flexion angle as discussed in a previous, and quite important, post. Furthermore, you can see what the minimal knee flexion (bend) does to absorb energy... as shown in Sarah's quads flexing... as well as the rotation that is now resisted from the ground (as shown in her leg muscles 'flexing').

We’ve already talked about the importance of utilizing an efficient H/Q ratio (hamstring/quadriceps). Quad dominant athletes won’t recruit the hamstrings effectively, and almost always exhibit limited flexibility when performing athletic movements. Getting the knee out first, BEFORE lower leg extension, will activate the hamstrings. Hamstring flexibility and activation is a vital component in ground force chaining, as the hamstring muscles attach (or originate) in the pelvis (called the ischial tuberosity).

The pelvis is also considered the base of the spine… which happens to lead us into a ‘deeper’ subject… the 'Inner and Outer Core'…                                                 

Posture & the Kinetic Chain: The Inner Core

The predominant theme when addressing Posture & the Kinetic Chain is STABILIZATION. The two major stabilizing systems in the human body are the Inner and Outer Core. Let us talk about the Inner Core…

Some of the primary Inner Core muscles are: Transverse Abdominus (TA), Lumbar Multifidus (LM), the Diaphragm, and the posterior fibers of the Internal Obliques. Here's an illustration of a few:

The Inner Core musculature is unique… in that it generates little to no movement during activation. These muscles originate (have insertion points) in the spine… and when they contract… they serve to stabilize the spine (called… segmental stabilization). The TA and LM muscles achieve stabilization (in the lower abdomen) through cocontraction; drawing the abdominal wall inwards. The Diaphragm serves as a spinal stabilizer via contraction; independent of respiration.

“Heathly” activation of these inner muscles precedes distal (arm and leg) movements (by as much as 30-110 milliseconds)… and the ability of these muscles to contract prior to their phasic counterparts… or the outer core muscles… is very important.

Inner Core muscles are referred to as local or ‘deep’ muscles. They are: deeply oriented, predominantly slow-twitch in nature, and get activated at low resistance levels. They respond in an anticipatory nature and are critical for endurance activities. The Inner Core muscles are ‘Core Stability’.

Core Stability is marked by the ability to control the trunk position over the pelvis… thus allowing energy production and transfer to take place through this region. There is a key region in our core that serves as one of the most important ‘links’ in the kinetic chain. This link joins the upper and lower extremities AND the left and right sides of the body. It’s called the thoracolumbar fascia. The thoracolumbar fascia is connected to the internal obliques and the TA… which provides cylindrical stabilization. This is our anatomical back-brace support belt… and should be viewed as a primary proximal link.

Remember the importance of dorsi-flexion in the ankle? Remember the importance of the glutes firing during the drive? Remember the importance of stabilizing the scapular region in the shoulder? The thoracolumbar fascia is the cross-over link between these segments. Put simply… if the LEFT ankle doesn’t dorsiflex… the LEFT glute doesn’t fire. If the Left glute doesn’t fire… the RIGHT scapular stabilizers don’t fire. The cross-over from LEFT glute to RIGHT scapula takes place in the thoracolumbar fascia. Pretty cool, huh? Here’s a combined illustration of the thoraculumbar fascia and its role in joining the upper/lower and left/right extremities:

A common argument - in sports that are not marked as endurance in nature… but comprised more of short power movements (like softball) - is the non-necessity to train the inner core. This notion is foolish and a dangerous one to embrace; if the inner core muscles have functional deficiencies, the outer core muscles will be recruited… making movements inefficient and significantly altering stability.

In MANY high-level pitchers (and other athletes), this balance gets overlooked throughout their career; creating a vicious cycle of degeneration and dysfunction between the spinal vertebrae through compensatory biomechanics. Even worse, the damage they are creating is non-symptomatic. Through years of unintentional abuse, these athletes lose the ability to stabilize the spine with the inner core (the primary stabilizers). As such, their performance starts to suffer… and shortly afterward… a permanent resident moves in; chronic lower back pain. The damage is done… and their career usually ends.

Low intensity movements - like holding a plank position - will target the inner core in an effort to stabilize the lumbar spine; whereas high intensity movements target the larger and outer musculature of the trunk and core. As such, many trainers foolishly abandon isometric training (static exercises) that develop the inner core… in an effort to maximize their athletes' performance in a more efficient manner (by focusing only on the outer ‘strength and power producing’ core).

Although strength and power is not the role of the inner core, spinal integrity and stiffness must be created internally… as the lumbar spine is pliant (comprised of five joined segments) and receives forces from all directions. In response to these forces, proprioceptive neurological signals are sent to the central nervous system; and it immediately responds… sending back signals that create muscle stiffness or relaxation around the lumbar spine; depending on the type of load. Regardless of the task you’re performing, low-levels of muscle activation are necessary to support the lumbar spine, but make no mistake… maintaining these low-level capabilities are paramount to healthy and efficient movement/performance.

Whereas the lumbar vertebrae provide for trunk flexion and extension, the cervical and thoracic segments allow for rotational movement. The stiffness of the lumbar vertebrae allows for tri-axial mobility in the trunk (a pretty dang important pitching requirement)… by managing the loads received and acting as the proximal base for the thoracic and cervical segments of the spine (a chained reaction). This is beyond important… as the ability to manage these forces while providing flexion and rotation in the trunk… is what creates high angular velocities in the distal segments. Here’s a handy little combined illustration of the different spine segments and their corresponding body segment roles:

Lastly, I previously noted that the inner core is comprised predominantly of the slow-twitch muscle fiber type. The majority of the human body is 50/50…. but with the inner core… the average is roughly 60% (Type I, slow-twitch) to 40% (Type II, fast-twitch). Type II anaerobic muscle fibers have nearly three times the contractile velocity of Type I oxidative muscle fibers… and some recent studies have yielded impressive increased throwing velocity returns… with the theory that high-intensity training may stimulate the growth of Type II fibers in the inner core. This research is exciting… but it’s critical that your workouts be balanced… combining isotonic AND isometric exercises. Here’s a handy chart explaining the differences in the skeletal muscle fiber types:

Naturally, in response to this notion, I’ve developed a routine (based on the work of other, much smarter people) that to date, has consistently yielded a 5 to 10 percent increase in pitching velocity. Better yet… it takes less than two months… and is required only 3 days a week. Take that, p90x!!! More on that later! Next up… The Outer Core...                                                 

Posture & the Kinetic Chain: The Outer Core

Part I – From daVinci to ‘da Java’

Leonardo da Vinci was one smart dude - that was way ahead of the curve. Although his work can get quite complicated, he provided a simplistic understanding of our muscle system that should be revisited from time to time. Nowadays, the classifications assigned to the groups and roles of muscles are confusing at best. Here are a few: inner/outer, phasic/postural, slow-twitch/fast-twitch, stabilizer/mobilizer, oxidative/anaerobic, overactive/inhibited, type I/type II, local/global, and on and on…        

Da Vinci kept it simple (relatively speaking)… stressing the importance of the location of muscles as they relate to a joint or attachment point. He believed, that based on their location, the inner muscles have a biomechanical advantage towards stabilization; whereas the location of the outer muscles made movement biomechanically advantageous. Again, the inner (or local) muscles have the primary purpose of stabilization… whereas the outer (or global) muscles are the movement producers. All the other mumbo-jumbo classifications can be made to fit into this simplistic classification system of Inner (Local) and Outer (Global) muscle classification.

Don’t get me wrong, all that other stuff is absolutely important…as it helps us paint a picture of what our physical training ‘masterpieces’ should look like. This said, our approach at training requires efficiency in time management, too. For this reason, it’s advantageous to approach a core training regiment with simple goals in mind, like: train the Inner (local) muscles… train the Outer (global) muscles.

Training is a common theme in my posts… I know… but the advancements in science and technology are ‘raising the bar’ on the requirements of today's athlete. Being born a ‘natural athlete’ is NOT enough. Sure, it may have been a while ago… but it won’t be anymore. You can learn all you want about pitching… but if you don’t get off your duff and physically train CORRECTLY, you will NOT ascend to the top ranks. I guarantee it.

If the Inner Core can be viewed as “Core Stability” … the Outer Core can be viewed as the “proximal stability” that we NEED to efficiently produce movement. It doesn’t take a degree to figure out that the trunk is the largest part of our body… the true “proximal” component. Controlling the trunk during pitching (or any other movement) is a result of learned/conditioned responses… that ultimately create an anticipation, to which our body adapts to.

You can say muscle memory doesn’t exist, but you would be wrong… because even in the most rudimentary levels of science, adaptation to surroundings/stimulus is remarkably present. We constantly adapt strategies… motor, sensory, and biomechanical… based on our previous experiences… and develop ingrained strategies as a result. Some of the most concrete evidence behind ‘muscle memory’ takes place during ‘unexpected’ events... and the only way our body can deal with these surprises is by making an anticipatory postural adjustment… NOT based on what is happening… but instead based upon a neuromuscular strategy developed from our previous ‘happenings’.

As previously noted, pitching combines a linear and rotational series of movements. The ability to control angular motions and joint rotations in each body segment is what determines the success – or failure – of the linear movements we perform. The larger phasic muscles of the Outer (global) core regulate and control movement, so this is an important discussion piece.

Larger masses require greater torque production to create more rotational inertia. As it pertains to our body, our ability to control this rotational inertia properly - via conditioning and positive repetition – will greatly influence our pitching development. For this reason, I spend a good amount of time limiting rotation of the trunk until ‘control’ and strength of the trunk is learned/developed. Again… once there is a foundation of inner strength/control in process, we can add some of that ‘violence’ JJ talked about a couple of months back.

Why limit trunk rotation initially? Well… high-level pitching is also a high-intensity movement… not known for grace and beauty… but instead marked by powerful and rather violent-looking movements. The larger muscles of the trunk and pelvis – or Outer Core – are known for their power/force and speed production. In addition to all the positives that these larger muscles can create for us… we must also remember that the forces generated by these muscles… are not only forces we can propel outwards… they are also forces that our inner core must control and learn to withstand. Remember, the spine is naturally unstable, and very much depends on learned synchronization of the inner and outer core muscles.

This said… if we desire to produce more velocity in the ball… we must ‘program’ our body to perform with higher velocity movements. This ballistic style of training is absolutely critical in high-level pitching... and if your pitching volume only goes to 10... you'll never see the benefits resulting from pitching with the volume at 12, 13, etc... Although many may tell you otherwise, I train ballistic pitching-style movements in the sagittal and frontal planes, primarily… with little to no focus on creating movement in the transverse plane. Planes got you confused? See here … or take a peek at this handy stick-figure summary... a true 'da Java' style masterpiece:

Posture & the Kinetic Chain: The Outer Core

Part II: The Rotational Dilemma

The primary objective of fastpitch pitching is just that; pitch fast. We want high angular velocities of the hand/ball… and to achieve this, many believe that a forced rotation or ‘closing’ of the trunk is the best way to achieve this. I’m not picking on one style of instruction… as this concept is embraced by many more than just the “door slammers”.

The mass of the trunk requires higher torque production than its more distal ‘attachments’ (the arm segments). So… the thought is… that by rotating the trunk forcefully, you’ll add to the speed of the pitch. However, the time available in a pitch, makes for a very small window of trunk torque potential… as we have to transfer energy through each arm segment.

Here’s the abridged process:

First, we NEED to get ‘open’. I hope you all agree that we should open earlier than later… and need to hold this ‘open’ position over the top of the circle. The very moment that our stride foot heel hits the ground… the energy from the ground and drive is flying through our body, up our legs, trunk, and into our shoulder, down our arm. Take a look at this Sarah gif I previously created… although it’s in no way a perfect representation of kinetic transfer… I did attempt to sync the “flow of energy” with her movements.

This means that once our stride foot heel contacts the ground… the window of opportunity to add more torque energy from our torso into our arm has nearly expired. You can argue this point all you want… I don’t think you find a light at the end of that tunnel.

Why? The combination of proximal to distal movement patterns… takes time… because of the deceleration moments required of the larger proximal segments. The changes in segment mass (from proximal to distal) allows the joint moment forces to be conserved and magnified at the smaller distal segments… resulting in high degrees of angular acceleration in the hand/ball.

I’ve posted this gif previously, too… but it’s a pretty handy example of the deceleration you see in proper proximal-distal sequencing… and the higher levels of acceleration that results from a series of jointed segments versus a single segment (i.e. with rotation only at the shoulder).

So… the joints in our arm require that we transfer energy through them (via deceleration of the more proximal segment)… and once we are well into our whip, the energy heading to the ball is already beyond the torso. On the pitching clock, you have around 3 pitching hours (from 11 to 8) to ‘core torque’. Although 3 hours may seem like a long time, Rick Pauly has taken the time to provide the reality. Three ‘pitching hours’ takes his daughter, Sarah, less than 14 hundredths of a second (<.14) to complete… nearly twice as fast as the human eye can complete a blink.

Considering the mass of your torso… do you really think your going to pull of a positive rotational moment of that massive structure in 14 hundredths of a second? In reality, high-level pitchers appear to do just that (see gif below)… but is it a conscious movement of the torso in the transverse plane… or is it a result of ballistic movements in the frontal and sagittal planes?

I choose the latter… as I know that when I tell a girl to power-through her whip from an open position… it’s that sagittal plane drive force… and it’s that frontal plane adduction force… that results in the observed transverse plane rotational movement. Point being… you’re going to get better results learning to power your drive and power-though your whip… than trying to learn to power-through an open-to-closed position, especially with instruction.

As mentioned, while training a kid to power their drive and power-though the whip…the result will be some level of transverse plane movement. The speed of powerful drive mechanics opens the pelvis and shoulders quickly… and the powerful adduction movement creates a feeling of abdominal bracing (or a bearing down feeling). IMO, these help create that quick hip snap you see in high-level pitchers. Again, I’m not saying rotation doesn’t happen… I’m just saying I don’t isolate and train it as a pitching motion. Most of the closing that happens at or after the release of the ball is, IMO, a product of residual energy dissipation from earlier rotation… as well an influence from the movement of the arm adducting into and across the body (being that the arm is attached to the torso…).

If you’re still scratching your head over the matter… take a look at some high-level pitchers… and what the rest of their body is doing the moment that their rotational ‘hip snap’ actually occurs. I think you’ll find that:

1. It’s often a weightless move… meaning the stride heel hasn’t planted.
2. Just prior to the rotational moment of the pelvis… the glove arm is usually at maximum height/extension… and when the ‘hip snap’ occurs… it is almost always at the first moment of ball/glove arm adduction. Watch the orientation of the glove... and how it changes at the first moment of a powerful adduction movement (elbows into side). You'll see the resultant snap... synchronized.

So, you'll have more success trying to keep a student open by getting them open... using the power of the outer core to control excessive rotation. Focus on a powerful drive off the plate to create proper backside timing, and then focus on powerfully adducting the arms into a relatively 'open' torso. The result of these powerful movements will result in a properly timed 'torque' of the torso... that we commonly refer to as 'hip snap'.

Just some food for thought. Coming up, we'll take a closer look at Hello Elbow… as it relates to rotational movement that the outer core is responsible for creating...                                                 

Posture & the Kinetic Chain: The Outer Core

Part III: The Rotational Dilemma & Hello Elbow Conversion

You’ll find that the aforementioned “Rotational Dilemma” is very prevalent in one style of pitching instruction, Hello Elbow (H/E). I’m not going to get too deep into rotational kinematics and angular momentum (or my distaste of H/E)… but if you understand what H/E pitchers are trying to complete… you’ll really see the importance in switching to I/R mechanics (and the absolute absurdity in arguing against this biomechanically correct style).

For anyone that’s ever tried to convert a pitcher from H/E to I/R - you will, at some point - recognize that keeping an H/E pitcher open is one of the more complicated tasks at hand… and often the most critical. Even if their pelvis tries to stay open (most often unsuccessfully)… you’ll see the rear throwing shoulder ‘peeking’ at the target.

Remember, these kids want to pitch fast strikes (aka… ‘down the middle’)… and when at a younger age… the plethora of poor mechanics and practice habits in other kids – coupled with a few physical advantages – allow them their own version of “success”. You must understand that the obstacles you face in converting them to I/R, are far more ingrained than just poor mechanics. The mental breakthrough of… “I/R is better than H/E”… takes them time. “Just throw strikes” is not only the mantra of the people on the sidelines, it has become their own.

Getting their body behind the pitch and throwing it ‘down the middle’ has worked for them all along… and now you’re insisting on teaching them mechanics that will result in much less control initially. ‘Missing to the right’ might be an exciting milestone for an instructor/parent/coach when teaching I/R… but don’t think for a minute that they are loving it. Understanding this mind-frame in a young pitcher is really important.

Many think that a ‘hello elbow’ pitcher is ‘pushing’ the ball… but what they are really doing is attempting to maintain rotational momentum of the torso at the shoulder joint… and even if they use some level of palm-up/palm down… their rotation of the arm is a long-axis rotation – through a single segment (the shoulder). They have to constantly apply force at the rotational joint (shoulder), in a futile effort to maintain a ‘high’ hand/ball speed. At times, they aren’t consciously attempting a rotational move… they are just constantly powering the pitch with their shoulder…. hence the rotation. At other times, they are quite conscious of it... as this method is what they were taught. The following gif absolutely kills me… and not in a good way:

Why the need for constant rotation? Think of a merry-go-round as the arm circle. Pushing the ball around the circle would be similar to trying to push a merry-go-round with all the people positioned around the outer edge… as opposed to the much easier push… if they were all gathered closer to the axis of rotation… or center. However, they cannot apply force to the ball/hand like the merry-go-round… they can only provide force to it from the axis… as they have no way to ‘push’ the hand down the circle from the outside. In physics, much more energy is required… the closer the force is applied to the axis.

As noted, a wheel requires more force to spin it from a spoke closer to the axis of rotation (axle) – than it does from the outside of the wheel. Proper I/R mechanics allow you to lessen rotational torque applied by the shoulder - because energy is passed into each (lesser-mass) distal segment… and each passage creates higher levels of angular acceleration of the hand/ball. So, as you chain the energy down the arm, less rotational torque is needed at each subsequent joint… as opposed to the constant high level of torque you see in H/E.

As noted, good I/R mechanics take advantage of these physics principles… while H/E mechanics will try and ‘do it the hard way’. Long-axis (single segment) H/E requires that you maintain a torque force at the shoulder throughout the backside of the circle – to try and maintain momentum (this requires much more exertion).

It gets better… if you decide to break the mold of long-arming it… and finish with the H/E elbow snap upwards (not alluding to any other threads on DFP), you’ve gained little, as you're terminating any energy that was in the arm. Depending on the ‘elbow snap’ mechanics – a ridiculous amount of energy can be terminated in the elbow… which can be a dangerous predicament.

But… the irony thickens… if you decide to “snap the wrist” (regardless of your mechanics)… the resultant tension in the wrist kills whatever energy the forearm might have had. For this reason, most H/E deliveries tend to be a locked-out, single-segment pitch… as these ‘bowlers’ discover (through adaptation) that this is the speedier version of H/E.

I hope you all see how far removed H/E mechanics are from the goal – which is high hand/ball speeds at release… the result of properly chaining energy through the arm. So, although it’s human nature to fixate on the ball movement in the circle, I’m certain you’ll find it easier to convert an H/E pitcher to I/R mechanics… if you first work on preventing rotational trunk movement in your drill progressions. In other words: get them to throw while staying open, first… and then show them how to whip properly. Teaching them I/R correctly is absolutely critical… but in converting… should come after you teach them to throw underhand across their body (IMO).

Although this open method may lead to visual impairment (DFP inside joke)… it makes for much smoother sailing and less back-tracking... because… if you stay open, a H/E (palm behind, elbow up) finish is a forced movement, especially across the body. This is another reason why all H/E pitchers have a lot of ‘rotational closing’… it makes what they are trying to a little less forced. This is one of those ‘stand up and try it’ moments.

If you train them first to stay open, semblances of I/R often start to ‘just happen’. This is where you’ll start to see a ‘finish across the belly’ movement. Once you tackle this important milestone, this ingenious description of proper pitching mechanics is much easier to accomplish.

Another note… Many H/E pitchers that are learning I/R mechanics can easily fool the novice eye (and more experienced people) into believing they are whipping effectively – as the motion happens very fast. Embrace technology and review video of your DD/students mechanics along the way. The tell-tale sign - is usually in the rear shoulder needing to see the target.

Lastly, when I use the expression “keep them open”, it is NOT a reference to their shoulder line at release. To me, keeping them open is a reference to a pitchers shoulder line when the upper arm contacts the side. At this point, they must be more ‘open’ than ‘closed’ (less than 45-degrees). Failing to do so will negatively impact their ability to fully decelerate and chain energy from the upper arm segment… and you’ll see the upper arm blast (or roll through) by their side. The degree of elbow flexion between pitchers makes the moment of side contact a large variable, so there is no magic time on the pitching clock. Here's the Jennie we love... and I view her as much more 'open' than 'closed':

I hope I’ve shed some light on… or at least made you think some… about the non-necessity to train transverse plane movement - or trunk rotation - in pitching. As such, I’m not a fan of the toe-to-toe drag… or the knee-to-knee pinch. Problems with the back foot ‘anchoring’ are not resolved by closing… they are resolved by ‘unpinning’ the drive foot… by teaching a momentum based drive and incorporating a negative movement (rearward shift) prior to the forward push. I will go into this in more detail very soon - with a drill I created that is one of the most helpful to students I work with… what I call the “2-Step”.

Although I might not see great value in training rotational trunk movements in pitching… make no mistake… there are huge benefits in proximal stability workouts that combine high-speed/high-resistance (but low repetition) rotational movements. As mentioned a couple of posts ago… we’ll cover that subject later, too.

Let’s wrap up the Outer Core posts with a look ‘under the hood’… which is probably what most of you expected, initially…                                                 

Drive Mechanics – Problems/Solutions & Flaws/Fixes

Problem: The ‘Pivot Foot’ and the ‘Twisty-Turn’

Problem(s)/Flaw(s): Sequencing, ‘Plowing’/’Anchoring’/’Pinning’ of drive leg, Weak Drive, Posture, Extreme Forward Lean, 'Sitting' into the pitch, Leaping, Crow-hop (newly established), Excessive Pivot, and on and on…

Here's a great example of an improperly sequenced drive:

This pitcher gets open.. COMPLETELY... without pushing off the plate.

At the end of this little gif... The ball is overhead at 12:00...

Now... she pushes... sending the body forward into a significant lean:

Solution(s): The 2-Step, Walk-throughs… then Run-Throughs. You don't need a link for that one... figure it out.

You must expend the drive leg energy in an immediate push, not gradual! Push… then open. Get OUT, then DOWN!

Background/Description: Many young pitchers spend countless hours in stationary ‘open’ drills… and get in the habit of pivoting on the rear (drive) foot to open them into ‘drill position’.

Furthermore, the drive foot is often mistakenly referred to as the ‘pivot foot’. In order for a pivot to occur in the drive foot, it must be anchored to the ground… to create the pivot point. This point is always the ball of the foot. Call it the Drive foot... not the pivot foot.

The body must open… but understanding and implementing the correct opening sequence… is where many young pitchers fail to connect the pieces. Do not confuse a slightly toe-out push with a pivot... they are NOT the same thing.

Here’s the correct drive sequence, IMO... an expended linear force... then rotation:

1. An unweighted drive foot receives 100% of the body weight as the stride leg knee shoots out.
2. The drive foot RESPONDS by digging INTO and forcefully pushing OFF OF the pitching plate. This is an immediate push, not gradual.
3. The resultant FORCEFUL push propels the body forward, UNWEIGHTING the drive foot.
4. The stride leg reaches maximum extension AFTER the drive leg is done pushing. The pelvic region is extended and mostly open.
5. On maximum extension, the stride leg should INTERNALLY ROTATE. This movement DOWNWARD and INWARD of the stride leg facilitates the rest of the body in OPENING.
6. Simply put, the STRIDE LEG opens the body, NOT the drive foot.
7. The drive foot will then open in response… NOT pivot…because an unweighted drive foot has no ‘point’ to pivot around.

Here are two pitchers... using the correct sequence:

As opposed to a fairly common incorrect sequence... purely rotation... and no linear energy exhausted. That sequence (like the girl above) is as such:

1. There is NO immediate transfer of weight. The drive leg is bearing weight, and she’s up on the balls of her feet. Her pivot point is set.
2. Instead of pushing, she pivots… swinging the stride leg out...
3. The rear leg STILL bears ALL the body weight.
4. Her pelvic region pivots open off the rear leg… and then the stride leg swings forward into extension.
5. Once her body is open... she pushes... far too late.

Sometimes... the sequence is harder to catch with 'the naked eye'... but a telltale sign that's much easier to notice is what I call, "Sitting into the pitch". Take a look at how much she 'sits' during the pivot:

The important thing that I want you all to walk away with is that whether it's an obvious twisty-turn or a less obvious delayed push... SO MANY of the issues we read about on DFP are the result of a retarded (pun NOT-intended) push off of the plate.

Anchoring, plowing, leaping, 'backwards pitching', leaning, timing issues, arm locking out in backside of circle, closing too early, etc... all exhibit this trait. So... fix it. Teach an EXPLOSIVE drive as a vital component of the pitching process.

Make the 2-step and Walk-throughs part of EVERY throwing routine.

Remember:

DON'T PITCH FROM THE PLATE, PUSH FROM IT!

Lastly... don't waste time making pitching blocks... or 'foot prisons' as I call them. Heel over toe is a NO TEACH. Teach them to run off the plate (walk-throughs)... They will throw harder/faster than they ever have. Radar them... and then CHALLENGE them to match that speed with a regular pitch. They'll wonder how... the secret is in the legs...

Posture & the Kinetic Chain: The Outer Core

Part IV: Under the Hood & Quality Tune-Ups

In this final 'Outer Core' post, we'll cover the muscles that comprise the outer core and review information that will help you further maximize the quality of your core workout routines.

What are the Outer (Global) muscles? Rather than name them... here’s a handy illustration of a few:

There are four main systems that comprise the outer core: the deep longitudinal, posterior oblique, anterior oblique, and the lateral.

The anterior oblique system is made up of the hip adductors, oblique abdominal muscles, the abductor-abdominal fascia, and the Rectus abdominus (what we call the ‘abs’). Our ability to open and close efficiently during the pitch is a result of this 'rotational' system.

The deep longitudinal system is comprised of the biceps femoris, spinal erectors, sacrotuberous ligament, and the sacroiliac joint. Picture the stride leg extension that occurs prior to ground contact... as this phase of the pitch takes place, hip flexion and knee extension angles are determined by the contraction of the hamstrings. As the biceps femoris contracts, it puts a strain on the sacrotuberous ligament, stabilizing the sacroiliac joint. This stability enables kinetic transfer of energy through the Erector spinae… via rotary action on the spine.

The hip region plays a vital role in pitching. This large cross-sectional area is involved in stabilizing the trunk over the stride foot, handling high ground reaction forces, and subsequently converting this energy (via stability) into high velocity movements at our extremities. Flexibility in this region should not be overlooked, as it has been noted in many sports – not just softball – that stiffness and lack of hip mobility is a trait of lesser-skilled athletes.

Pitching requires a great deal of strength to overcome the inertia of the multi-planar positioning of the pelvis and trunk segments. On stride contact, the lateral system counters the ground forces, preventing pelvic tilt – which causes the spine to flex laterally. The hip abductors/adductors work together with the opposite Quadratus lumborum in an effort to stabilize the pelvis. A strong lateral system will prevent many leg, lower back, and sacroiliac joint injuries - as well as greatly improve athletic performance.

The posterior oblique system - As science has proven, maximum adduction force happens between 12 and 9 o’clock in softball pitching. Why? The thoracolumbar fascia attaches the gluteus maximus in our stride leg to the Latissimus dorsi on the opposite side. As we know, the stride foot plants between 12 and 9… and at this very moment, the stride side gluteus maximus contracts… which causes the latissimus dorsi on the throwing side to simultaneously contract. Considering that this is a result of a stride leg plant, it seems foolish to turn our attention towards a rotational move… when the adduction is naturally occurring. Pretty fascinating stuff, huh?

Core routines often focus on the abdominals as flexors and rotators -which they can definitely be - but the role of the core is to stabilize the spine, maintain its alignment, and prevent excessive motions of it - especially when our extremities are in motion. So, we should train it to allow it to ‘do what it does’, focusing on movement patterns (and preventing excessive movements), not focusing on individual muscles.

A good way to categorize core exercises is into “Anti” groups: Anti-extension, anti-rotation, anti-lateral flexion, and anti-flexion.

A main function of the core muscles is co-contraction and prevention of movement. For this reason, I'm not a big fan of crunches and sit-ups. When performing these exercises, the abs are highly activated but the obliques are not. Performing crunches and sit-ups isolates a single muscle (rectus abdominus)... actually reducing the abdominal muscles stability capacity. Why? The rectus abdominus cannot produce or prevent rotation -which happens to be one of the primary functions of the obliques. Focusing on core routine movements that trigger both groups of muscles –equally - will prevent inhibition of the obliques, making co-contraction and stability possible. So rather than perform rapid sit-ups… perform anti-extension routines like rollouts, knee tucks, pikes and planks. These exercises prevent the spine from hyper-extension through co-contraction of the abdominal muscles (namely, the anterior obliques).

Trunk rotational movements should be a focus when training for pitching… as velocity of movement in this region is proven to increase power outputs in pitchers. Don’t confuse this ‘velocity of movement’ with excessive rotational movements (rotational distance); it’s the quality of the movements (as they relate to the regions of our spine) and our ability to control (stabilize) these movements – that make trunk rotations powerful.

Many do not realize the rotational limitations of the spine… specifically the lower (lumbar) spine. Despite loads of evidence, a large amount of bad rotational exercises are still being performed… just like the over-emphasis on rotation in pitching instruction. In a standing position, the lumbar spine is limited to about 13-degrees of rotation (about 2-degrees per disc). If you bump that number to 3.5-degrees, you’ll risk disc damage. In a seated position, increased rotational angles become possible… at or well over the 3.5-degree threshold (so be careful!).

Truth is,an increase in lumbar spine range of motion is rarely needed, as the thoracic area of the spine is and should be where the greatest amount of rotation occurs. In pitching, a limited hip range of motion will cause excessive lumbar rotation… and this stiffness trait is very common in girls that complain of lower back pain. Gains in pitching performance enhancement can be made by controlling and stabilizing lumbar rotation. Pitching-specific anti-rotation routines should include a steady dose of exercises that force the core to stabilize against rotary forces (a role of the anterior/posterior obliques).

On a side note, get rid of any and every routine/stretch that involves lumbar flexion that is combined with rotation. Passive lumbar stretches involving rotation are quite common… and quite dangerous. Rotational movements need to be controlled by muscles in an activated, not passive state.

Many ankle sprains, anterior knee pain, and ACL injuries are a result of excessive lateral flexion. Anti-lateral flexion is the ability to stabilize the body in the frontal plane, as the stabilizers in the pelvic region work with the core in an effort to prevent side-bending motions. A strong lateral system is critical in preventing excessive lateral flexion. As we’ve already talked about this, I’ll simply point out that single & double leg squats and bridges are great anti-lateral flexion exercises.

Anti-flexion routines help prevent the 1B/3B-lean at the waist. The multifidus and erector spinae play important roles, but focus should be turned to developing the deep longitudinal system… and especially the gluteus complex. The hamstrings and glutes take the pressure of the lumbar spine, as they create tension in the sacroiliac joint, which in turn tenses the erector spinae… helping stabilize. As a reference, this posterior chain is strengthened marvelously by exercises like Romanian deadlifts.

A few more notes about training…

Softball is more of a strength and power sport, and as such, requires more strength and power-type training. The biomechanical contributions of this region are obvious. Strengthening through higher loads can actually decrease trunk angular velocity… so although strength building is absolutely important, your training should include lighter resistance loads, too - so that the proximal stabilizers can be trained to move at higher speeds. Training at faster velocities allows for quicker muscle activation, increasing Type-II muscle development and output. Exercises should be designed to increase strength and stability - as neuromuscular control in multiple planes will positively impact your pitching speed.

Pitching exercises should be performed with the intent of utilizing the stretch-shortening cycle and maximizing your plyometric abilities. Activation of the glutes is paramount to better performance - as they play an important role in pelvic and spinal stabilization. This hip extensor - and largest muscle in the body - requires higher levels of activation. Many hamstring strains are the result of inhibited glute activity, allowing a compensatory dominance in the hamstring muscle, which leads to repeated strains.

Lastly… although each area of muscle should be trained in workouts, over-training the muscles of the chest is not advisable in softball pitching. Too much focus on this area can limit control of scapular movement, increasing risk of injury. Athletes should maintain a 4:1 back-to-chest training ratio - which will also improve posture.

This wraps up the Outer Core posts! Later on, we'll talk ballistic movements - but for now - we’ll turn our focus towards addressing negative pitching movements, with a series of Problem/Solution posts. Next up: The 2-Step.

The 2-Step Drill

Problem(s)/Flaw(s): Weak Drive, Timing, Opening Late, Posture, Stride Resistance, Leaping, Crow-hop (newly established), Anchoring/Pinning of Rear Leg, Excessive Pivot, and on and on…

Solution(s): The 2-Step (further details below, PLEASE read the DETAILS!!!)

Background/Description: The 2-Step is a drill I created… and I’m pretty passionate about it. For starters, we’ll refer to this drill to help overcome a weak drive – BUT – you will see that this drill will be referenced in subsequent posts for much more than a weak drive.

I used to lean exclusively on Walkthroughs to assist those with weak/or limited drive off the plate – but it became evident that many pitchers could not duplicate this type of linear aggression off the plate in games. Why? Well, let’s face it…you can’t run up from behind the plate in a game… so we need to teach pitchers how to create what I call “stationary momentum”, teaching them immediate weight transfer, and establishing momentum through a rearward (or negative) move.

As my students advanced, I needed a drill that taught and enforced overlapping ballistic movements – as you can’t progress into advanced pitching (effectively) without them. We’ll cover that subject later… but realize that I’m really selling this drill, cause it has more value than any other drill I know of. Furthermore... it’s not just a DRILL. IMO, the movements it teaches are how high-level pitchers pitch… and as such, should become part of every pitch your DD/student throws from here on out.

Example/How To:  Drive Mechanics & The 2-Step Drill Video

Details: Use the following points as an addendum to the video. Also, feel free to use any Youtube downloader (Keepvid is great), download it, and do it along with your daughter on a laptop or tablet. This may be the most effective way if you're struggling with some of the concepts.

• It’s imperative that you maximize the ‘staggered start’. A pitching plate is 6” x 24”. Use ALL 6-inches, no exceptions!!! Neither foot should be on the plate… instead, start with the drive heel barely (less than an inch) in contact with the front of the plate, and the stride toe barely touching the back of the plate (less than an inch). Maximizing the distance she can travel rearward will maximize her momentum potential. Scroll to the bottom of this post for an illustration.
• Yes, the lifting of the feet is ‘illegal’. Get over it. As I state in the video, if you can’t get over this, DO NOT perform this drill. In over a decade as PC, none of my students have ever illegally pitched in a game because of this drill - and none of them practice a ‘legal version’ of this as a drill. Teach them the recommended “lethal” version, not the “legal” version.
• The drill is designed to teach a pitcher how to maximize weight transfer and linear momentum… and this is BEST TAUGHT by lifting the feet. As a drill, this should ALWAYS be performed ‘illegally’. Making it legal is absurdly simple and ANY focus on keeping it or teaching it ‘legal’, will severely limit her potential.
• At no time in this drill… will both feet bare weight at the same time. You MUST teach this concept correctly. It’s either 100% of her weight or 0%. No exceptions.
• The rearward slide and center of the drive foot is absolutely critical. It shows you that she transferred ALL her weight backwards onto the stride foot and MOVED backwards. As they progress with this drill, most pitchers need to be reminded not to rush or skip this super important rearward move. This rearward move creates more distance to travel through prior to the drive foot ‘pushing’… which is what creates momentum (like a walkthrough). As these mechanics become her regular pitch, be sure this move happens.
• To start, it’s ok to step ‘backward’ and step ‘forward’… but, as they progress, the distance between the feet when the drive foot pushes should be minimized. Don’t encourage minimal distance at first… just take your time. When you do start making the adjustment, focus on the drive foot… it should not step outward, but instead gradually become an inward (dig) step. Minimizing the distance between the feet when the drive foot ‘digs in’ and pushes will significantly improve her timing.
• Once you turn your focus to getting the stride knee out, make sure the ‘shin angle’ puts the foot behind the knee. Show her how to do the Wall Sprints so that she understands how to ‘shoot’ the knee out correctly.
• Building your own tempo does not mean to simply do it faster. Each move must happen; don’t increase the tempo so much that the moves are eliminated, instead, focus on increasing the effort.
• At no time should we reach with the stride foot as we leap. Lead and reach with the knee… and then get the foot down quickly. Poor timing and extension of the drive and stride leg knees are the most common causes of leaping.
• The Backswing is BEST performed AFTER the slide rearward. This is an important timing mechanism, and I highly recommend that you separate it from the rearward transfer, slide and centering.

Here is one of many students I am absolutely privileged to work with... just turned 10 and learned basics of the 2-step in less than 15 minutes (this video is of her learning the drill at clinic). I find this graphic helpful… as it really highlights the incredible linear energy she establishes... she had zero established momentum prior to this drill. I also believe that seeing a student 'model pitcher' is quite motivating for all the other future stars out there. Many thanks to her parents for giving me permission to post this snippet of her!

This is a comparison of her full pitch at the start of the clinic versus her 'new' full pitch by the end of the clinic. As you can see, she incorporated the 2-step into her regular pitch. And in about an hour... the difference is awesome.

Lastly, I’d like to thank my DD, Chloé, for her willingness to do this video with me. She was always a catcher - but decided to give pitching a try last summer (to which I am still celebrating)… and we haven’t looked back since. I am incredibly proud of her and the progress she has made in such a short amount of time.

Here's the staggered start illustration I alluded to in the 'Details' section:

OK... here's a video of Monica... for comparison.

Notice how her 'angles' lessen... she loads in her back motion and quickly drives. There is no loading of the drive leg once the stride leg passes it. This is an important piece... because her ability to extend her leg earlier... allows her to weightlessly flex the knee over the top... preventing the drive foot from turning towards 2nd base. Notice that once she gets over top... the flexion angle of the drive knee is increasing... because her 'push' is completely done... EARLY. Make sense?

Again... the 2-step teaches immediate transfer of weight and this forceful/quick push... as opposed to the slow building push that often creates this hoedown position you refer to. So... if this is what you are seeing... get her to transfer weight immediately between the stride and drive feet. Get her to learn and utilize the principles of the 2-Step in her games.

To me there are three types of whip:

1) Nowhere Near - Although it may seem a contradiction... this 'whip' does exist... in circles. This is the fictional 'get-your-hand-behind-the-ball, slam-the-door style (i.e. H/E).

2) Almost There - The arm often straightens in the back half of the circle. This adds significant energy - into the ball, through long-axis rotation of the entire arm (origination of primary axis is the shoulder... or glenohumeral). This is I/R. Picture the bicep rotating inwards, toward the body.

3) Whipper-Snapper - Real whip (IMO) is the result of Internal rotaton, AND elbow articulation, AND forearm articulation. What does that mean?

In other words, at 9:00 (meaning the BALL is at 9:00):

1. The bicep is pointed AWAY from the body (towards 2nd) - for Internal Rotation
2. The elbow has flexion (is bent). Elbow Articulation (flexion)
3. The forearm is in a supinated position, NOT neutral, and definitely not pronated. Forearm Articulation This might help (It's in Dutch, but I'm sure you can figure it out):

How is this done? Chaining backward and forward. Just like the I/R sticky says. Here's a checklist:

In Lock-it-in position:

• Is the bicep pointed to 2nd base? Try it! In this pitching position, if you are too closed with the torso... it's not. How do you fix that? OPEN.
• Is the elbow bent so that the forearm is NOT in contact with the side... but the tricep IS?
• Is the palm-up... in a supinated position? To third, is NOT up.

If you answered yes TO ALL... slowly start with hands at your side... and back-chain the movement... then toss the ball... forward chaining.

In 9:00 position:

• Is the bicep pointed to 2nd base? Try it! In this position pitching position, if you are too closed with the torso... it's not. How do you fix that? OPEN.
• Is the elbow bent? Are both the elbow and tricep off the body?
• Is the palm-up... in a supinated position? To third, is NOT up.

If you answered yes TO ALL... slowly start with hands at your side... and back-chain the movement... BUT BEFORE TOSSING THE BALL... do you back-chain into Lock-it-in properly? Did you reach Lock-it-in position going back... AND going forward? If yes... then toss the ball...

Many miss the importance of REACHING THE PREVIOUS PROGRESSION STARTING POINT in BM's progressions. From Show-It... do they reach Liberty, and 9, AND lock-it-in as they throw? If not... identify what position they are missing... and start from there. Go to where it's broken... and fix it. Sounds simple, but I know of many that are guilty of skipping the lesser motions... mainly because of impatience. Those progressions start with the whip... so do them correctly and learn to feel what a good whip is.

One thing that I find REALLY helpful... is mimicking the feel of the same release in the progressions. With students, I make this a priority. Finish low (below belly button). Finish to the target with a pronated forearm.

A few things to consider:

The arm is SO MUCH easier to control... the CLOSER it is to the body. Maintaining a consistent release will become increasingly difficult... the further 'UP' you get in the progressions (Lock, 9, Liberty, Show, 3/4). In a relatively recent conversation with Monica Abbott... she said that she consciously keeps her arm as close to her body as possible... not in an attempt to hit her side... but to brush it... keeping her arm circle as fast as possible. Rick P has been preaching this for years... and he's definitely not alone.

Also... once you get some flexion in your elbow... is it extending into release, or simply internally rotating through it? I see a lot of younger pitchers muscling through release... locking the angle into the elbow.

If you want better flexion in the backside of your FULL circle, get it at 12, not at 9. Form an early hook before 12... and as long as your hand isn't rotating over the top (outwards)... it should be MORE persistent.

Don't "miss the whip". Where is your release point? Although there are many forces adding to the speed of the ball... where to you think they culminate into the highest speed? Take a look at these gifs - they show the speed (in pixels) as the ball works through the whip:

Although this is not exactly what is happening... it's helpful to see when trying to understand the best place to release the ball:

A and V are the acceleration and velocity vectors...

Velocity is greatest when at a VERTICAL position. Now... if you look at those pitchers again (above)... when is the best time to release the ball? When it's vertical. Where is that in relation to our body? On the back leg... where your arm is VERTICAL to its attachment point (the shoulder). Not in the slot... or off the front leg. Sure... many release 'in the slot'... but their fingers are usually releasing at vertical. Don't miss this opportunity to maximize your whip... you can see how much the arm slows down once it gets beyond vertical.

Flaws & Fixes: Pseudo I/R Supplement

Intro to Articulations of the Forearm, Elbow, & Shoulder

Although the main focus of this thread has been Drive Mechanics, a huge influx of recent PM’s has me typing similar responses over and over again… so I figured this is as good as a place as any to post some thoughts… but beware… these will be another series of my “over the top” posts (literally and figuratively).

Most of what we'll discuss involves finite adjustments to an existing understanding and utilization of proper I/R mechanics. BM knows his shiznit… get it from him directly on these threads FIRST (Internal Rotation and I/R in the Classroom). Learn it properly… and then use my input in this thread as a way to fine tune that engine, if necessary. These posts are intended to address common issues I see as a PC for EXISTING I/R mechanics… not to teach the fundamentals.

Good PC’s aren’t at everyone’s fingertips… and for many, good PC’s aren’t affordable. Yes, these posts will be very ‘detailed’… as I choose not to insult or limit those that desire more. You can run away from these details if you choose, but understanding them will go a long way in helping your DD get the most out of her pitch… regardless of her PC or lack thereof.

A Basic Understanding

Before we get started, it’s important that you realize a couple things first… and as such, this will need to be a multi-post.

IMO, a powerful drive, great arm-whip, and great timing… are the three absolutes that all pitchers should master. Mastering these elements can be more easily attained if you turn your focus to what the joints are doing… or articulations.

Good timing - something I will discuss in subsequent posts - is a requisite for much of what we will be discussing. If your DD has difficulty opening her shoulder line BEFORE passing over-top… I recommend you fix that now. Aggressively driving out is a requirement… because it opens the hips and then the shoulders… ALLOWING for the shoulder complex to be in a good position for the arm to elevate and pass over-top. Again, we’ll cover that in more detail… later.

Here is a preview… and some baseline points… of things these next series of posts will discuss:

• Extension (straightening) of the arm occurs at the elbow. The opposite is flexion (bend).
• Pronation and Supination are articulations (movements) that occur in the forearm.
• Medial (or Internal) rotation and lateral (or external) rotation are articulations (movements) that occur in the shoulder (humerus).
• The forearm and shoulder can - and often do - act independently of one another (i.e. I/R of the humerus does not force pronation of the forearm).
• In forearm articulations… Neutral means the forearm is oriented so that the hand is in handshaking position (think palm-to-third at 9), Supinated means that the forearm is oriented so that the palm is UP, Pronated means that the forearm is oriented so the palm is DOWN. For an illustration of this... SEE THE LAST POST (Post 141).

Here are a few other, super important things to know, and the true subject of the following ‘lessons’:

• The biceps is an ELBOW FLEXOR and SUPINATOR.
• The triceps is an ELBOW EXTENDOR and PRONATOR.
• The bones of the forearm are the Ulna and the Radius.
• The Ulna has NO movement in Pronation and Supination… so the muscles attached to it (like the brachialis) play no role in those articulations.
• The Radius is the mover in forearm articulations… so DESIRED forearm positions (pronation and supination) are best attained when the muscles attached are highly activated or deactivated (like the biceps brachii, etc.).
• The triceps is attached to the Ulna.
• The humerus should slightly ELEVATE and EXTERNALLY rotate over the top of the arm circle.
• Differences in joint laxity and general body composition prevent absolutes. Elbow flexion will vary between athletes. Although it’s NOT an absolute, I’ve found that tall/thin girls have a little less ‘natural’ angle (elbow) in the backside of the circle than those of different body-types. Don’t get caught up on a magical number… but work towards attaining some level of flexion, as the resulting ‘lag’ it creates… is HIGHLY desirable.

Why is knowing this important? Couple of things to consider as you digest this info… here are some of the most commonly asked questions I receive (in no particular order):

1. My daughters hand is rotating (palm-to-3rd or palm-down) over top. How do I fix it?
2. My daughters arm circle appears to have a slight pause (or hitch) over top? How do I fix it?
3. My daughters arm straightens after it passes over the top. How do I help her keep it bent some?
4. My daughter has a little pain in her shoulder. What might cause this?
5. My daughter releases the ball too late. How do I help her with this?
6. How do I improve my daughters speed and spin?
7. My PC says bringing the ball up the circle with palm-up will help create bend… so why does the bend go away after she goes over top?

Truth is… the answers to each of these questions are contained above… but I’m a detail-junkie, and I won’t assume you know (hence my level of ‘detail’). I'll be sure to step through each of the points above... and hopefully you'll all walk away from these posts with a deeper knowledge of 'why'... and use this to help others pitch with better results. This time of year is my busy time... so hang in there... I'll try to get through these posts over the next few weeks. Best, ~JS