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Drive Mechanics: The Lean - Part II: Memoirs, Fear, Context, and a Faceplanting Drill
Odd title for a post... however it's important that I cover the concept of: putting an instruction into a context the athlete can replicate. Mothgirl had me thinking about this on my way to get my son from his job... anyway...
When we give instruction to an athlete... we can do so in a thousand ways. We can say, "Do this"... and then show them. We can break the movements down into little pieces, we can teach them to chain motions backwards, we can simply say, "No, try it again", we can video them and show them, etc... Although I definitely have a preference for a few of the aforementioned, the lightbulb of an athlete typically doesn't come on until you help them overcome a fear (something new, failure, etc.) by providing them a similar movement that they can successfully perform... as this provides them context for the move/position you want them to feel/replicate.
Driving off the plate is a relatively static start. Granted, we've talked about incorporating weight transfer and slide into the routine... but you're pretty much asked to explode off the plate from a stand-still position. In recalling the years of mistakes I've made as a coach... I can honestly say that I would waste time by constantly having a kid try the same move over and over again... my frustration growing as theirs did... through constant failure in what we were both trying to accomplish. We both KNEW what it was we wanted to do... and we would both WANT to do it... but we would just sit there and repeat the same poor mechanics over and over.
I didn't start to improve as a coach - or person, for that matter - until i realized that I, too... was once a kid. There was much more to coaching... than simply knowing what to do, trying to do it, and/or being able to do it yourself.
Example: I was a horrible swimmer as a kid... but oddly, wanted to be a marine biologist. Wtf... I know.
Anyway, I was terrified of swallowing water and subsequently, drowning. I'd chill out in the shallow end of the pool, king of the doggy-paddle... while all the brave kids ran down to the deep end and dove off of the diving board. That was all good for awhile... until one day... we were required to dive head-first off the ledge (as part of the class requirement). The other kids were oblivious to my fears, they just went about doing what they were good at... while I internally pined over what lie ahead. I took my place at the back of the line, as the kids lined up on the side of the pool... systematically diving head first like it was nobody's business. My end-of-the-line theory backfired... they all loved the exercise so much they ran to the back of the line. So... now EVERYONE was behind me... and I approached the ledge all shaky-legged, scared out of my mind.... and proceeded to perform a world-class belly/face flop. As my face hit the water, I swallowed a gallon of that junk... all the while hearing 20+ kids laughing through the water. I wanted to swim to the bottom and hide forever... however I was stuck on top of the water struggling to breathe. I recovered in time to save a little grace... and I guess they didn't know if my red face was a result of blushing or smacking my face on the water. Tragic confession over...
The gym coach was cool enough to recognize MY dilemma. He took me aside and we talked about what it was I was supposed to do. Everyone else went back to diving... while I gave his description of what a dive was... a go. Similar results... still wasn't happening. His lightbulb came on... he took me to the edge of the pool once again... staggered my feet, bent my knees... and I kid you not, grabbed me by the back of my shorts while pushing down on the back of my head as I 'dove' into the water. He didn't just throw me around... he told me that my head needed to be lower and LEAD THE MOTION... and maintain being tucked to my chest, etc. Man... the feeling of diving into that water successfully was the greatest feeling in the world... because he recognized a fear of mine and provided me context for the position I needed to be in to dive. Once I felt that and successfully DID it... I now had context for what I was supposed to do on my own. It wasn't long, and I was king of the pool-edge diving.
Last story...
One day... as a team coach... I asked the 10U team to come to the next practice with a list of fears. I told them that I would not read their lists out loud; I just wanted to know what I could help them overcome. A few of them returned with Mom and Dad lists... you know... "Fear of Failure", "Fear of Not Being the Best I can Be", etc.. Most interestingly, our shortstop at the time (and one of the better all around perceived players) wrote 2 things: "The other team hitting the ball hard to me", "disappointing Coach Mike". I got a kick out of the second one... but that first one totally blew my socks off. Here was a kid that we cherished for her defensive skills... but all the while she was terrified that the other team would hit the ball to her. Talk about a wake up call... Rather than tell you the whole story... the lesson is this: sometimes we get so caught up in what we are trying to do... that we miss what they need to overcome to be successful.
Some kids just do stuff... other kids process it internally... at times, too much. The Lean in pitching is something that I've recognized that many fear... that is, getting deep into a lean, as they believe they will faceplant, or be 'out of control'. Might not be a fear like I had about diving... but it's enough of an impediment to prevent them from performing it better. Once we know this, we need not even acknowledge it to them (people don't like being called out)... but instead, provide them context with an exercise that 1) requires force production, and 2) is at or beyond the 'position' you want them at (like exaggeration). With that... here's a great drill that provides CONTEXT for the lean:
Mike's Faceplant Drill
Here it is:
No, seriously... I've actually seen two kids spill on this. The good news is that they are ok and still with us today. I got them up and said, "Good... now do it again." I didn't wait... and they immediately had success.
Let's take a look at why these lean drills work well for many:
Step-by-step Instructions:
Quite simply... keep the trailing foot toe dragging on the ground as you bring the leg forward. Do this for the first two steps of your sprint.
BTW... no need to go more than 10-20 meters when performing these drills...as we are only concerned with the form of the first two steps.
More later!
Odd title for a post... however it's important that I cover the concept of: putting an instruction into a context the athlete can replicate. Mothgirl had me thinking about this on my way to get my son from his job... anyway...
When we give instruction to an athlete... we can do so in a thousand ways. We can say, "Do this"... and then show them. We can break the movements down into little pieces, we can teach them to chain motions backwards, we can simply say, "No, try it again", we can video them and show them, etc... Although I definitely have a preference for a few of the aforementioned, the lightbulb of an athlete typically doesn't come on until you help them overcome a fear (something new, failure, etc.) by providing them a similar movement that they can successfully perform... as this provides them context for the move/position you want them to feel/replicate.
Driving off the plate is a relatively static start. Granted, we've talked about incorporating weight transfer and slide into the routine... but you're pretty much asked to explode off the plate from a stand-still position. In recalling the years of mistakes I've made as a coach... I can honestly say that I would waste time by constantly having a kid try the same move over and over again... my frustration growing as theirs did... through constant failure in what we were both trying to accomplish. We both KNEW what it was we wanted to do... and we would both WANT to do it... but we would just sit there and repeat the same poor mechanics over and over.
I didn't start to improve as a coach - or person, for that matter - until i realized that I, too... was once a kid. There was much more to coaching... than simply knowing what to do, trying to do it, and/or being able to do it yourself.
Example: I was a horrible swimmer as a kid... but oddly, wanted to be a marine biologist. Wtf... I know.
Anyway, I was terrified of swallowing water and subsequently, drowning. I'd chill out in the shallow end of the pool, king of the doggy-paddle... while all the brave kids ran down to the deep end and dove off of the diving board. That was all good for awhile... until one day... we were required to dive head-first off the ledge (as part of the class requirement). The other kids were oblivious to my fears, they just went about doing what they were good at... while I internally pined over what lie ahead. I took my place at the back of the line, as the kids lined up on the side of the pool... systematically diving head first like it was nobody's business. My end-of-the-line theory backfired... they all loved the exercise so much they ran to the back of the line. So... now EVERYONE was behind me... and I approached the ledge all shaky-legged, scared out of my mind.... and proceeded to perform a world-class belly/face flop. As my face hit the water, I swallowed a gallon of that junk... all the while hearing 20+ kids laughing through the water. I wanted to swim to the bottom and hide forever... however I was stuck on top of the water struggling to breathe. I recovered in time to save a little grace... and I guess they didn't know if my red face was a result of blushing or smacking my face on the water. Tragic confession over...The gym coach was cool enough to recognize MY dilemma. He took me aside and we talked about what it was I was supposed to do. Everyone else went back to diving... while I gave his description of what a dive was... a go. Similar results... still wasn't happening. His lightbulb came on... he took me to the edge of the pool once again... staggered my feet, bent my knees... and I kid you not, grabbed me by the back of my shorts while pushing down on the back of my head as I 'dove' into the water. He didn't just throw me around... he told me that my head needed to be lower and LEAD THE MOTION... and maintain being tucked to my chest, etc. Man... the feeling of diving into that water successfully was the greatest feeling in the world... because he recognized a fear of mine and provided me context for the position I needed to be in to dive. Once I felt that and successfully DID it... I now had context for what I was supposed to do on my own. It wasn't long, and I was king of the pool-edge diving.
Last story...
One day... as a team coach... I asked the 10U team to come to the next practice with a list of fears. I told them that I would not read their lists out loud; I just wanted to know what I could help them overcome. A few of them returned with Mom and Dad lists... you know... "Fear of Failure", "Fear of Not Being the Best I can Be", etc.. Most interestingly, our shortstop at the time (and one of the better all around perceived players) wrote 2 things: "The other team hitting the ball hard to me", "disappointing Coach Mike". I got a kick out of the second one... but that first one totally blew my socks off. Here was a kid that we cherished for her defensive skills... but all the while she was terrified that the other team would hit the ball to her. Talk about a wake up call... Rather than tell you the whole story... the lesson is this: sometimes we get so caught up in what we are trying to do... that we miss what they need to overcome to be successful.
Some kids just do stuff... other kids process it internally... at times, too much. The Lean in pitching is something that I've recognized that many fear... that is, getting deep into a lean, as they believe they will faceplant, or be 'out of control'. Might not be a fear like I had about diving... but it's enough of an impediment to prevent them from performing it better. Once we know this, we need not even acknowledge it to them (people don't like being called out)... but instead, provide them context with an exercise that 1) requires force production, and 2) is at or beyond the 'position' you want them at (like exaggeration). With that... here's a great drill that provides CONTEXT for the lean:
Mike's Faceplant Drill
Here it is:
No, seriously... I've actually seen two kids spill on this. The good news is that they are ok and still with us today.
I got them up and said, "Good... now do it again." I didn't wait... and they immediately had success.Let's take a look at why these lean drills work well for many:
- During an upright pitch lacking a lean, we exert forces vertically into the ground; which are mostly absorbed. With a large lean forward, the force is projected forward which is called braking force... and once the COM passes over the foot, the force is projected rearward; which is called propulsive force.
- These drills require a greater RFD (rate of force development)... because without it... you meet the ground, quickly.
- The body is displaced, resulting in a great isointertial exercise.
- In this drill, as we are very low to the ground... the glutes contract over a longer period of time allowing you to achieve maximum force application.
Step-by-step Instructions:
- Start relaxed on the floor... or for the first time... on grass.
- Take push-up position, elbows fully extended, BUTT DOWN.
- Bring the right foot forward, to the LEFT KNEE. Don't go further. Keep the left knee straightened.
- Explode out... into a sprint.
- Stay relaxed the first few times. "Ready, set, go" creates tension... which can lead to stumbling early on.
- Keep your butt down. You may think butt up will help you not fall, but you are wrong. Your hips will need to drop to overcome their position relative to the head.
- Push with the balls of your feet, up and over the big toe.
- Variation: Add a Jamaican Toe Drag (see below). The toe drag is only for the first two steps, and works as a great way to increase each leg's pushing effort against the ground.
Quite simply... keep the trailing foot toe dragging on the ground as you bring the leg forward. Do this for the first two steps of your sprint.
BTW... no need to go more than 10-20 meters when performing these drills...as we are only concerned with the form of the first two steps.
More later!
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