Drive Mechanics

[javasource]

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…

 

[javasource]

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.


Here come the conditioning elements...

 

[javasource]

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

(I'm limited to 4 pictures a post... hence the necessity for multiple parts...)

 

[javasource]

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

 

[javasource]

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

 

[javasource]

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

 

[javasource]

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... I'll wrap this up tomorrow...

 

[javasource]

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! ~JS

 

[Rick Pauly]

JS
It is nice to know that while we are sleeping someone is looking out for the good of our kids........holy mackerel, 3:16 am post. No wonder the nickname JavaSource......you must be drinking way to much coffee.....

Thanks again for the great info.

 

[3DD'sDAD]

Thanks Javasource for an exceptionally well laid out and easy to understand thread. The information you have shared coupled with Board member's now famous IR thread will guide many parents/coaches/players for a long time. Given this kind of information being shared so freely for so many, the next crop (not curve drop ) of top level pitchers in this great game will be something to behold. I can't wait.