Drive Mechanics

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Dec 16, 2010
172
18
Eventually... I'll end up dumping a bunch of posts that I've bookmarked on this site... in here, too. All-in-all, I was hoping to make this thread a one-stop shopping place... ;).

Whatever you decide will work for me. I really appreciate you doing this.
 

javasource

6-4-3 = 2
May 6, 2013
1,347
48
Western NY
Performance Training for Softball

Part II - One Step Back: A Disclaimer


I feel I need to constantly provide disclaimers on here... because there are some people that will skip all the details... and jump right into the program. If any of you send me video of your 6 year old performing this training... know that I will not respond to you, but I may forward it to CPS. Knowing WHEN to start is as important as knowing WHAT to do...

When to Start?

As parents, safety is priority. I have three kids, so I get this. However, there are times when our blanket of protection can be quite detrimental to our children’s development. In my experiences over the years, I’m amazed as to the perceptions regarding training… and the appropriate ages to begin. There seems to be two extremes:

My kid is made of glass. They can participate in sports programs (sigh), but I’ll wait until they are teenagers to get serious about training.

My kid is made of steel. At age three, they were benching 100, squatting 200.​

They turn out like this:

15exqpg.gif


Alternatively… your kid is made up of bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. In other words, they are human. Coordination is learned… a result of neuromuscular adaption to their environment. If you’re expecting Suzy to learn to pitch, you should realize that this motion requires a harmonious arrangement of coordinated movements that she should learn to perform earlier in life. Summer soccer or winter basketball isn’t going to make her a better pitcher. Neuromuscular training will. Those of you that have experienced those frustrating 'uncoordinated' obstacles know what I mean.

The Details

Understanding at what age kids should start training is easier discussed with an understanding of developmental stages and cognitive development. The Tanner system is a pretty good standard. I’ll leave out the stuff many are uncomfortable speaking of… but here is the gist needed for this discussion. These are specific to GIRLS.

  • Stage 1 – Height increases at a minimum rate (2” per year). No true visible signs of puberty.
  • Stage 2 – Height increase accelerates to 2.5 to 3 inches per year. Typically this stage occurs between 10 and 11 years. A few beginning signs of puberty present.
  • Stage 3 - Height increase is at maximum rate of 3+ inches per year. Puberty signs are clear - body development, acne, etc. Again, no age is exact here… but this is usually around the age of 12.
  • Stage 4 – Still growing, 2.5 to 3 inches per year. Adult body shape starts to really take place. Ages 13-15.
  • Stage 5 – No further height increases after the age of 16. For the most part, they are no longer kids in appearance… but adults.
Note that in Stage 2, accelerated growth occurs. Peak height velocity (maximum growth rate) occurs in Stage 3.

33js83o.jpg


Cognitively speaking, coaching kids that are busy catching butterflies ^^^ can really get in the way. This said… the inability to cognitively handle instruction and the attention demands of a training program - are not the same thing as your inability to deliver the instruction.

For this reason, I find that the appropriate age to start integrative neuromuscular training is 7-8 years of age. This is pre-adolescence – and MOST IMPORTANTLY, prior to accelerated growth rates.

This is NOT the age to start Perfomance Training. For those of you that this applies to...

In softball speak:

  • 10U and under players should NOT do the Performance Training routine that will follow. They should do an INT program (see below). Ages 7+
  • 12U players can do the Performance Training routine that will follow - but you MUST assess their motor control - and determine if INT (see below) is a better starting step.
  • 14U+ players are more than ready. In fact, you probably should've started them earlier.

INT - Integrative Neuromuscular Training

So, what is Integrative Neuromuscular Training (INT) and why is it necessary? Well… musculoskeletal growth BEFORE and DURING puberty can increase/create abnormal mechanics and altered biomechanics. The quality of mechanics of movement is everything that is important to pitching, IMO. In fact, pubertal girls will demonstrate an increase in abnormal landing mechanics as they age. INT will reduce abnormal biomechanics and has been linked to triggering the neuromuscular growth spurt. One important note – in many trials conducted on children in Stage 1 and Stage 2, girls benefited significantly more than boys.

Mastering fundamental movement skills (like locomotor, object control, and stability skills) is the basis of INT. Combining exercises that enhance muscular power, lower body strength, and core strength WITH fundamental movement skill exercises like single-leg balancing and jump landing exercises… completes a well-rounded program. This training should be performed 2-3 days a week, until the athlete masters the techniques and strategies required to perform the exercises correctly.

What exercises should you do? Already provided these… here are some quick links:


Other INT Exercises –


In summary, these exercises are actually quite difficult. You should do them 2-3 days a week... and ALWAYS keep a day of rest between. They were posted as a PROGRAM... not... 'select what she enjoys'. Do them all. They are very specific. YOUR GOAL IS TECHNIQUE PERFECTION. Your secondary goal... is to perform the appropriate amount of sets/reps for your athlete. There is no magic number - but there is athlete fatigue. Reach that point. Rest a minute, move on to the next one.

Divergence

14tx15t.jpg


Divergence? Not the book (or movie). I mean boys/girls.

Yeah… girls are different than boys. I said it. Get over it. In fact, embrace it and use this understanding to your advantage. That’s what I do.

If you've read about Dominance Patterns, you already know some of this.

What you might not realize:

  • Relative posterior chain strength, postural control, and neuromuscular power is often reduced as young female athletes mature.
  • As noted above, pubertal females have an increased change in abnormal landing mechanics over time.
  • Musculoskeletal growth during puberty, in the absence of sufficient corresponding neuromuscular adaptation, may facilitate the development of abnormal mechanics during certain activities. These risk factors, if not addressed at the proper time, may continue through adolescence into maturity and predispose female athletes to increased risk of a variety of musculoskeletal injuries.
  • Vertical jump height (a measure of whole-body power) increases steadily in males during puberty, but not in females.
  • Hip abduction strength - relative to body mass in males - improves with each subsequent age group (11 to 17 years). In contrast, hip abduction strength does not change in females across the same age range. So, INT's must include hip abduction strengthening exercises (clams, side planks with hip abduction, etc) and should be implemented for young females prior to age 11 when the gender-specific reduction in relative hip strength diverges.
  • Males demonstrate power, strength and coordination increases with increasing chronological age that correlate to maturational stage; while females show significantly smaller changes throughout puberty.

And here's a snippet from a journal:

Pubertal female athletes (12 years old) who self-reported previous participation in resistance training demonstrated a 13.4% improved lower extremity control from the first to second year of testing, compared to an average decrease of 21.7% in the other groups of pubertal and post-pubertal (14 years) females who did not report participation in resistance training in the previous year. In addition, hamstring strength was significantly greater in both the pubertal and post-pubertal groups who participated in resistance training exercises. Ultimately, the athletes who participated in resistance training during earlier stages of development (early maturation, prior to 12 years old) demonstrated the greatest benefits from participation in resistance training as evidence by reduced lower extremity deficits.

All training should be supervised!!! Be safe. Don't do this:

23lfgvp.gif
 
Dec 4, 2013
865
18
There is absolutely no need to make males the ideal and females the other. I work with young ladies, many more than you all will ever see. And they perform much better than that sexist crap, which has remained the same since I read stuff my mom had and stuff that was given to me. It is slightly better as they used to tell us we would gain nothing from even PE...

Scientists can be biased like all heck and underestimating the young ladies gets you nowhere. We don't need to be "saved" by this stuff, but you can all go pat yourselves on the back. The baseball players come and watch our ladies and we work out with them, and we ain't buying what you are selling.

You can have an exercise program without quoting all the bias against females an their so called weaknesses.

Well if OILF and her mom say the male and female anatomy are identical that is good enough for me. I guess that settles that.......
 
Jul 10, 2011
77
6
There is absolutely no need to make males the ideal and females the other. I work with young ladies, many more than you all will ever see. And they perform much better than that sexist crap, which has remained the same since I read stuff my mom had and stuff that was given to me. It is slightly better as they used to tell us we would gain nothing from even PE...

Scientists can be biased like all heck and underestimating the young ladies gets you nowhere. We don't need to be "saved" by this stuff, but you can all go pat yourselves on the back. The baseball players come and watch our ladies and we work out with them, and
we ain't buying what you are selling.
You can have an exercise program without quoting all the bias against females an their so called weaknesses.

No need to buy it. Java shares his knowledge with us for free. Thx Java!.....you da' man!
 

javasource

6-4-3 = 2
May 6, 2013
1,347
48
Western NY
There is absolutely no need to make males the ideal and females the other.
So don't bring it up, I didn't.
I work with young ladies, many more than you all will ever see.
This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. Everyone here works with young ladies. This is a softball site.
And they perform much better than that sexist crap, which has remained the same since I read stuff my mom had and stuff that was given to me.
Many of the contributing authors to the work I referenced were female.
The baseball players come and watch our ladies and we work out with them, and we ain't buying what you are selling.
Yeah... this statement has absolutely nothing to do with anything I wrote.
You can have an exercise program without quoting all the bias against females an their so called weaknesses.
Yep.
 
Apr 5, 2013
2,130
83
Back on the dirt...
There is absolutely no need to make males the ideal and females the other. I work with young ladies, many more than you all will ever see. And they perform much better than that sexist crap, which has remained the same since I read stuff my mom had and stuff that was given to me. It is slightly better as they used to tell us we would gain nothing from even PE...

Scientists can be biased like all heck and underestimating the young ladies gets you nowhere. We don't need to be "saved" by this stuff, but you can all go pat yourselves on the back. The baseball players come and watch our ladies and we work out with them, and we ain't buying what you are selling.

You can have an exercise program without quoting all the bias against females an their so called weaknesses.

I hate to muck up this thread by replying to this IGNORANT TROLL..... So I won't.


Wish something could be done about trolls...
 

JJsqueeze

Dad, Husband....legend
Jul 5, 2013
5,436
38
safe in an undisclosed location
Sluggers and Amy, please delete the OILF post and the subsequent related posts to it including this one, I hate seeing this thread mucked up by nonsense. If you could also please let her know that the ENTIRE BOARD gets her point. If anyone ever mentions any differences between men and women in any way it is sexist, we get it, no need to constantly repeat it, I promise you EVERYONE who read Java's post immediately knew OILFs would follow at some point. If she wants to rant about sexism let her create a softball sexism thread in the discussions forum or something. and of course as always, can we please trade her for Hal?
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
I would actually prefer you wait until java is done or close to done before you start deleting posts. If he replies to a post with additional information than that post can stay.

All other posts can be deleted.

Close the thread and then pin it.
 

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