Fixing sprinters posture using the foot hyperarch mechanic

jryan15 · Jan 19, 2018

shaker1 said:
Why is 3 o'clock an absolute? I understand it's a good goal to shoot for, and keep shooting for as they get older, but I don't think it's a deal breaker.

One could make the same statement about using IR mechanics. BTW in the clip you attached, Abbott's meets the checkpoint.

Take a look at the model pitcher database (link), and you'll see that it is one of a couple primary checkpoints for elite pitchers.

1. Drive foot separation from rubber at or before arm is @ 3 o'clock (doesn't have to be completely off rubber, but should be released)
2. Stride foot plant at or before the arm is @ 9 o'clock (not just toe touch, but physically planting)

I agree that some can be different and be successful, but we should not be in the business of hoping for anomalies to work out. The checkpoints are indicators that something is out of sequence, something isn't strong enough, or something else is wrong. The hard part is figuring out which it is. The first two are correctable with time and practice, but the last one can take years (if they last that long).

jryan15 · Jan 20, 2018

shaker1 said:
And it may be stride orientated. I'm just looking at different kids. You may have more info?

Some taller pitchers can test the limits of the checkpoints, but Sara definitely releases from the rubber by 3 o'clock when in game mode.

jryan15 · Jan 20, 2018

The problem with not being off the rubber by 3 o'clock can be much bigger than it might seem.

1. Not meeting the checkpoint means that your drive and arm circle are out of sequence (in the case below I explain as the arms being early, but technically the legs were late)
2. If your arm circle is effectively two frames earlier than your drive, it can lead to your release being early
3. If your release early, your rear hip may not have had time to close back up
4. If you rear hip hasn't closed back enough, it isn't in place for brush interference so no brush
5. If you are not brushing, you lose accuracy and speed
6. If you are not brushing, your release will be late (out front)
7. If your release is out front, your fingers will drag on the ball and produce cork screw spin

Each of these breakdowns are not particularly overwhelming however in aggregate can be career ending. You might waste several months trying to fix a cork screw spin problem before you figure out lack of brush was the culprit. Now you spend several months working on fixing brush before you finally figure out that you can't brush if your arm is always ahead of your hip... Now you start jacking with your basic motions... Change to single arm arm back, change to no back swing, delayed back swing, early push, no back step... It goes on and on and next thing you know, your kid wants to quit pitching because shes tired of being a #4 because she can't throw straight...

Now most people on here won't ever suffer this kind of pain, but a few will. I hope to save them a few years of troubleshooting

.

jryan15 · Jan 20, 2018

Corleone said:
I'm honestly trying to understand, so I apologize for the questions, but can you explain this part just a bit further so I can understand what you mean by bent and straightening hips? When I think of hip issues in pitching, I think of clearing the hips, I don't see that in your daughter so it's difficult for me to see what you're describing (I hope I'm not frustrating you, it's not my intention).

**Edit - I do see a significant difference in what the stride foot is doing. Her toe is almost pointed upwards, am I wrong in thinking that her stride leg is doing more work (in getting to the landing spot), then the elite pitcher who has stronger push and doesn't need to reach to cover that distance?

Nailed it.

jryan15 · Jan 20, 2018

jryan15 said:
HA is bigger than just toes and involves activating the arch under the foot in a way that doesn't just arch the whole foot . It's like pulling the ball and the heel together while keeping the foot flat on the ground.

To practice with HA the arch activation must remain engaged. You will find that a locked ankle is a byproduct. Once activated, you'll notice the ankle is locked. There once was a video, but it was pulled... Technically this is still a secret (link).

A sign that you are activating is that the tibial anterior tendon will noticeably pop out. For quad dominant people, watch for this when they squat. It probably won't fire at all. For moderate quad/glute it might flicker on/off. For glute dominant people, it will fire up instantly and remain during the squat (down and up).

Here is an example of a natural athlete doing a 1/4 squat (she had no idea what HA was or how to do it). Feel the tension that builds in her foot/shin complex as she squats (it is a rigid lever). Her glutes have activated automatically. She does not feel "all quads" when she squats. She would have a good glute driven drive mechanic if she pitched. She does have excellent sprinting form.

This is what a 1/4 squat looks like for quad dominant folks. There is no tension forming in the foot/shin combo until the very end at the range of motion limit. This is called "forced dorsiflextion". This person (me) does not engage the glutes naturally and would result in the late push pattern when driving off the mound. This person has terrible sprinting form and feels "all quads" whenever squatting or "getting down and ready" in the infield.

jryan15 · Jan 20, 2018

This video has more info from Chong. He actually discussed the tibial tendon in more detail.

FastPitchCat · Jan 20, 2018

jryan15 said:
The problem with not being off the rubber by 3 o'clock can be much bigger than it might seem.

1. Not meeting the checkpoint means that your drive and arm circle are out of sequence (in the case below I explain as the arms being early, but technically the legs were late)
2. If your arm circle is effectively two frames earlier than your drive, it can lead to your release being early
3. If your release early, your rear hip may not have had time to close back up
4. If you rear hip hasn't closed back enough, it isn't in place for brush interference so no brush
5. If you are not brushing, you lose accuracy and speed
6. If you are not brushing, your release will be late (out front)
7. If your release is out front, your fingers will drag on the ball and produce cork screw spin

Each of these breakdowns are not particularly overwhelming however in aggregate can be career ending. You might waste several months trying to fix a cork screw spin problem before you figure out lack of brush was the culprit. Now you spend several months working on fixing brush before you finally figure out that you can't brush if your arm is always ahead of your hip... Now you start jacking with your basic motions... Change to single arm arm back, change to no back swing, delayed back swing, early push, no back step... It goes on and on and next thing you know, your kid wants to quit pitching because shes tired of being a #4 because she can't throw straight...

Now most people on here won't ever suffer this kind of pain, but a few will. I hope to save them a few years of troubleshooting .

you hit the nail right on the head! for DD, 2 absolute checkpoints:

1. drive foot detach on or slightly before 3 o'clock
2. arm angle between 10 and 11 on stride foot plant

when DD does these 2, she lands tall, arms are not way in front of the legs, has good front-side resistance and brush occurs auto-magically and the pitch is almost always good.

SBFL68 · Jan 21, 2018

Noticed pitcher on left has no backswing and your DD on right does. My question is does that make a difference with thrusting of hips? Great thread by the way!!!

D Up · Jan 22, 2018

great work jryan

jryan15 · Jan 22, 2018

SBFL68 said:
Noticed pitcher on left has no backswing and your DD on right does. My question is does that make a difference with thrusting of hips? Great thread by the way!!!

No, changes to back swing does not have an influence. Trust me, we tried them all multiple times. Once we bought "Building the House", we went no back swing for a while, but ultimately left it behind. Once we started to realize that her arms were ahead of her legs, we experimented even more trying to find any way to delay her arm swing. Nothing worked. I'm 99% convinced that there is no method of arms swing or forward/back movements that would increase hip thrust in the drive.

Fixing sprinters posture using the foot hyperarch mechanic

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