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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…
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! ~JS
In my humble opinion, posture is the most important fundamental in pitching... especially when instructing beginners. Why? Here’s the simple version…
- Stated simply…putting the body in favorable positions, will yield favorable results.
- 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).
- It allows the athlete to maximize energy transfer through the kinetic chain.
- It establishes healthy neuromuscular programming with a movement not familiar to the athlete.
- 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! ~JS
