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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:
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... (just waiting on the next Boston album...)
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... (just waiting on the next Boston album...)
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