JJsqueeze
Dad, Husband....legend
didn't he just do what he said not to do?
Drive Mechanics
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javasource
6-4-3 = 2
Differences – Part 1: An Introduction
Those that have worked with more than one pitching prospect... immediately discovered that no two are alike. Bucket moms/dads that have more than one daughter know this, too…. and for those of you that have only one DD, you’ve most likely discovered that modeling pitchers “ain’t that easy”. Sure, this isn’t ‘ground-breaking’ news… but believe it or not…
some people get so caught up in perfecting one movement that they seriously stunt their DD’s development… and even worse – they end up putting them in ‘modeled’ positions that can put the student-athlete at risk for injury. Stride and drive foot orientations/angles and body joint flexion angles are only the beginning of a long list of differences.
Far too often, parents develop tunnel-vision towards a ‘finished product’.. or exact representation of a 'model pitcher'. Some handle this better than others - but many end up quitting. I instruct so that student-athletes, and their parents, can recognize their potential and continue playing softball at an optimal level.
This does not mean that you should give up on continually working on a motion … and it definitely does not mean that correcting non-optimal conditions is a bad idea... meaning... your DD is not predisposed to the bench. It simply means that you should identify and recognize differences; adapting your instruction to accommodate and improve upon them… and know the limitations and risks imposed by the condition.
Here are a few illustrative ‘differences’ relating to human anatomy - they are numbered... and a description of each follows:
There are many more ‘differences’… but these are a few that I feel compelled to address now… as I do believe that it’s important for you to all see how different each athlete can be. For example... In the post, ‘Touchdown’, I was going to say that the ideal striking area of the forefoot is between the 4th&5th metatarsals (pinky toe is the 5th)… but doing so, cookie-cuts… and as you can now see, increases the risk of injury for athletes with excessive foot supination. Another example is stride and drive foot orientations… forcing someone to plant at a 45-degree angle that has an increased or decreased femoral angle… won’t put them in an optimal position… and on and on and on…
Some of you might feel you don’t need to know this stuff… and that’s fine. Again, my goal is to allow an athlete to optimally perform. Performance happens on the field. Lower-extremity injuries in female athletes are up to 10x more common than men. Having the ability to identify high-risk athletes will help them/you take measures that can prevent serious injury; keeping them on the field… and saving their/your family tens of thousands of dollars in medical costs.
End Part 1
Those that have worked with more than one pitching prospect... immediately discovered that no two are alike. Bucket moms/dads that have more than one daughter know this, too…. and for those of you that have only one DD, you’ve most likely discovered that modeling pitchers “ain’t that easy”. Sure, this isn’t ‘ground-breaking’ news… but believe it or not…
some people get so caught up in perfecting one movement that they seriously stunt their DD’s development… and even worse – they end up putting them in ‘modeled’ positions that can put the student-athlete at risk for injury. Stride and drive foot orientations/angles and body joint flexion angles are only the beginning of a long list of differences. Far too often, parents develop tunnel-vision towards a ‘finished product’.. or exact representation of a 'model pitcher'. Some handle this better than others - but many end up quitting. I instruct so that student-athletes, and their parents, can recognize their potential and continue playing softball at an optimal level.
This does not mean that you should give up on continually working on a motion … and it definitely does not mean that correcting non-optimal conditions is a bad idea... meaning... your DD is not predisposed to the bench. It simply means that you should identify and recognize differences; adapting your instruction to accommodate and improve upon them… and know the limitations and risks imposed by the condition.
Here are a few illustrative ‘differences’ relating to human anatomy - they are numbered... and a description of each follows:
- Somatotypes – General body types… these are the three major types. I was going to put a picture of women up… but they all were horribly representative and obviously drawn by male artists...
- Postural Alignments: Everyone is a little different, but many softball players fall into the second alignment; known as Kyphosis-Lordosis. Posture is influenced by our anatomical make-up, but not sentenced by it; this can be improved. Women typically have more anterior (forward) pelvic tilt. Not shown... but of equal importance would be lateral (side-to-side) variances in the spine... like Scoliosis... creating an 'S' or 'C' shape in the spine.
- Knee Alignments: Typically referred to as knock-kneed and bowlegged, these differences can really influence our athletic tendencies and injury dispositions. Medically, they are known as vargus and valgus, and many women are pre-disposed to the latter, in various degrees.
- Foot Alignments: Often related to knee alignments (but not always), these are usually noticed in the shoes we wear. If you wear the treads on the outside of your heel, your foot supinates; if the wear is on the inside, your foot pronates. It’s not uncommon to display one or the other, or both… nor is it uncommon that this condition changes, especially during puberty.
- Q-Angles: Q-Angles can vary greatly between athletes; influencing knee and foot alignments. Women almost always have a greater Q-Angle than men.
- Arch Variations of the Foot: Top down… High Arch, Normal Arch, Flat Arch. Our arch-type will greatly influence our natural – and possible trained techniques in dealing with ground reaction forces. Deformities in the arch should be known, as the pronation of a flat-footed person can cause all types of lower extremity and spinal issues. This may be one of the largest ACL-rupture indicators.
- Intercondylar Notch Widths: The intercondylar notch is the groove that our ACL ligament passes through. Men (left) have noticeably larger notches than women (right). As such, it is believed to be one of the prevailing reasons women suffer more ACL injuries than men.
- Femoral Angles – Another variable that creates what many call pigeon-toed and duck-foot orientations. I’ve provided three reference angles (red). Anteversion causes pigeon-toe, and retroversion causes duck-foot. This graphic will help you see why stride and drive foot orientation is never a constant between two pitchers.
- Joint Laxity– Laxity means looseness and is often associated with flexibility… but this is specific to ligaments. Mobility is important – so becoming more flexible should be a goal, but some people are born with loose ligaments… and as athletes, can encounter and suffer through a lot of pain. Joint laxity can occur, too; especially with repetitive trauma to a ligament. In softball, this often appears in the form of patellofemoral or ACL issues. The thumb-to-forearm test is one of two indicators for assessing genetic or pre-disposed laxity. Women exhibit higher levels of laxity than men, in general.
- Pelvic Structure: The top is a typical male pelvis; the bottom is a typical female pelvis. Women have a typically forward tilted pelvis and – as commonly mentioned on DFP – wider hips. This can often pre-dispose them to many of the aforementioned ‘differences’…
There are many more ‘differences’… but these are a few that I feel compelled to address now… as I do believe that it’s important for you to all see how different each athlete can be. For example... In the post, ‘Touchdown’, I was going to say that the ideal striking area of the forefoot is between the 4th&5th metatarsals (pinky toe is the 5th)… but doing so, cookie-cuts… and as you can now see, increases the risk of injury for athletes with excessive foot supination. Another example is stride and drive foot orientations… forcing someone to plant at a 45-degree angle that has an increased or decreased femoral angle… won’t put them in an optimal position… and on and on and on…
Some of you might feel you don’t need to know this stuff… and that’s fine. Again, my goal is to allow an athlete to optimally perform. Performance happens on the field. Lower-extremity injuries in female athletes are up to 10x more common than men. Having the ability to identify high-risk athletes will help them/you take measures that can prevent serious injury; keeping them on the field… and saving their/your family tens of thousands of dollars in medical costs.
End Part 1
Last edited:
- Sep 10, 2013
- 601
- 0
Blame Oracle. Java 7 update 51 just came out. more stuff to work on.
back on topic, this is great stuff JS.
JJsqueeze
Dad, Husband....legend
Differences – Part 1 (of many)
Those that have worked with more than one pitching prospect... immediately discovered that no two are alike. Bucket moms/dads that have more than one daughter know this, too…. and for those of you that have only one DD, you’ve most likely discovered that modeling pitchers “ain’t that easy”. Sure, this isn’t ‘ground-breaking’ news… but believe it or not…
Far too often, parents develop tunnel-vision towards a ‘finished product’.. or exact representation of a 'model pitcher'. Some handle this better than others - but many end up quitting. I instruct so that student-athletes, and their parents, can recognize their potential and continue playing softball at an optimal level.
This does not mean that you should give up on continually working on a motion … and it definitely does not mean that correcting non-optimal conditions is a bad idea... meaning... your DD is not predisposed to the bench. It simply means that you should identify and recognize differences; adapting your instruction to accommodate and improve upon them… and know the limitations and risks imposed by the condition.
Here are a few illustrative ‘differences’ relating to human anatomy - they are numbered... and a description of each follows:
- Somatotypes – General body types… these are the three major types. I was going to put a picture of women up… but they all were horribly representative and obviously drawn by male artists...
- Postural Alignments: Everyone is a little different, but many softball players fall into the second alignment; known as Kyphosis-Lordosis. Posture is influenced by our anatomical make-up, but not sentenced by it; this can be improved. Women typically have more anterior (forward) pelvic tilt. Not shown... but of equal importance would be lateral (side-to-side) variances in the spine... like Scoliosis... creating an 'S' or 'C' shape in the spine.
- Knee Alignments: Typically referred to as knock-kneed and bowlegged, these differences can really influence our athletic tendencies and injury dispositions. Medically, they are known as vargus and valgus, and many women are pre-disposed to the latter, in various degrees.
- Foot Alignments: Often related to knee alignments (but not always), these are usually noticed in the shoes we wear. If you wear the treads on the outside of your heel, your foot supinates; if the wear is on the inside, your foot pronates. It’s not uncommon to display one or the other, or both… nor is it uncommon that this condition changes, especially during puberty.
- Q-Angles: Q-Angles can vary greatly between athletes; influencing knee and foot alignments. Women almost always have a greater Q-Angle than men.
- Arch Variations of the Foot: Top down… High Arch, Normal Arch, Flat Arch. Our arch-type will greatly influence our natural – and possible trained techniques in dealing with ground reaction forces. Deformities in the arch should be known, as the pronation of a flat-footed person can cause all types of lower extremity and spinal issues. This may be one of the largest ACL-rupture indicators.
- Intercondylar Notch Widths: The intercondylar notch is the groove that our ACL ligament passes through. Men (left) have noticeably larger notches than women (right). As such, it is believed to be one of the prevailing reasons women suffer more ACL injuries than men.
- Femoral Angles – Another variable that creates what many call pigeon-toed and duck-foot orientations. I’ve provided three reference angles (red). Anteversion causes pigeon-toe, and retroversion causes duck-foot. This graphic will help you see why stride and drive foot orientation is never a constant between two pitchers.
- Joint Laxity– Laxity means looseness and is often associated with flexibility… but this is specific to ligaments. Mobility is important – so becoming more flexible should be a goal, but some people are born with loose ligaments… and as athletes, can encounter and suffer through a lot of pain. Joint laxity can occur, too; especially with repetitive trauma to a ligament. In softball, this often appears in the form of patellofemoral or ACL issues. The thumb-to-forearm test is one of two indicators for assessing genetic or pre-disposed laxity. Women exhibit higher levels of laxity than men, in general.
- Pelvic Structure: The top is a typical male pelvis; the bottom is a typical female pelvis. Women have a typically forward tilted pelvis and – as commonly mentioned on DFP – wider hips. This can often pre-dispose them to many of the aforementioned ‘differences’…
There are many more ‘differences’… but these are a few that I feel compelled to address now… as I do believe that it’s important for you to all see how different each athlete can be. For example... In the post, ‘Touchdown’, I was going to say that the ideal striking area of the forefoot is between the 4th&5th metatarsals (pinky toe is the 5th)… but doing so, cookie-cuts… and as you can now see, increases the risk of injury for athletes with excessive foot supination. Another example is stride and drive foot orientations… forcing someone to plant at a 45-degree angle that has an increased or decreased femoral angle… won’t put them in an optimal position… and on and on and on…
Some of you might feel you don’t need to know this stuff… and that’s fine. Again, my goal is to allow an athlete to optimally perform. Performance happens on the field. Lower-extremity injuries in female athletes are up to 10x more common than men. Having the ability to identify high-risk athletes will help them/you take measures that can prevent serious injury; keeping them on the field… and saving their/your family tens of thousands of dollars in medical costs.
End Part 1
OK professor I had some freshman Biology flashbacks and it took me three readings to digest and I confess to nodding off several times since there were no good looking women to keep me awake like there were in college, but I made it through and studied well so I am looking forward to differences 2.
(txnick-"dude.... can I copy your notes?")
ps- I noticed my little DD is a little bow legged.
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JJsqueeze,
If you need my notes your are in serious trouble LOL. Lets hope JS has a major curve and I am not talking about his pitch
If you need my notes your are in serious trouble LOL. Lets hope JS has a major curve and I am not talking about his pitch
javasource
6-4-3 = 2
Differences - Part 2: Dominance Patterns in Female Athletes
The structure and general physiology of women is, comparatively speaking, quite unique. Before I get into the Dominance Patterns… I want to comment on something I saw on another thread, recently…
Non-athletic women exhibit less core strength & stability than men. “Core Strength” and “Core Stability” are NOT the same things. We’ll discuss that in another post (Inner & Outer Core), but understand for now… exercises that target stability - will not increase core strength. One of the reasons for reduced core strength & stability - in females - is the anatomical shape and position (or tilt) of the pelvis. This affects the angulation of muscular attachments. These little differences affect the ‘pull’ of the core muscles on the pelvis; limiting stability. For now… suffice it to say, the two are related and REALLY important – but trained separately.
Dominance Patterns
Women exhibit a trait known as ‘Quadriceps Dominance’. In other words, they utilize their quadriceps muscles more than their hamstrings. Men are known to utilize their hamstring muscles (during landings) three times more than women. This utilization of the hamstring and quadriceps is known as the ‘H/Q Ratio’. It’s important, because the hamstrings are known to effectively shield the ligaments in the knee from injury. On the other hand, the quadriceps can generate forces that exceed ligament failure loads… so co-activation (a learned process in females) is of great importance. When the quadriceps contracts, it extends (straightens) the knee; the reason why females usually exhibit less flexion. More interestingly, the quads will ‘pull’ the tibia forward (relative to the femur)… which is exactly the opposite of what the ACL is trying to do… which is hold the tibia ‘back’. This opposing battle causes shear – or stress – on both the tibia and the ACL. The ACL might be the smallest of ligaments... but, it's the stabilizer. Ideally, the posterior musculature of the leg should work with the quads… eliminating the stress, so that all works … more on that later… Here's a picture illustrating the role of the quadriceps and hamstrings:
Women exhibit another trait, medically referred to as ‘Ligament Dominance’. The largest characterizations of ligament dominance are the use of the bone, articular cartilage, and ligaments in absorbing ground reaction forces (GRF). In other words, the muscles don’t adequately absorb the forces… so the joints and ligaments do a lot of the work. As noted, women have a tendency to land with less knee flexion… If you have been reading this thread all along… we talked about ‘impulse loads’ awhile ago. Less flexion leads to higher amounts of force absorbed over a shorter time… and in Ligament Dominant athletes… can lead to ligament rupture. Center of Gravity (COG) is a vital component… something we’ll talk about in other posts (namely, Posture).
In Drive Mechanics, there are symmetric and asymmetric motions… i.e. abduction, adduction, drive & stride foot orientations, muscle recruitment, flexion, etc. Women tend to be more one-leg dominant than men. The difference between the two legs in muscle recruitment patterns, muscle strength, and muscle flexibility is almost always greater in females. This is known as 'Leg Dominance'. Further exacerbating this asymmetry issue is the fact that fastpitch mechanics can worsen this condition… as we post on a single leg… over and over and over… This can worsen, even develop, leg dominance… and if the differences in force and torque profiles of the legs are present, injury becomes much, much more frequent.
Here’s a big word: Proprioception. It means "awareness of body parts and movement". The prefix, ‘propri’ means “one’s own”. Got it? Compared to men… women do not sense the position of their trunk in three-dimensional space as well… meaning they allow for greater movement whenever an outside object or force act upon it (think momentum, GRF, etc.). This inability is called ‘Trunk Dominance’. Due in part to pelvic differences (as noted above), there are many other ‘contributors’. In females, 'Trunk Dominance' becomes more evident during growth spurts. After a boy goes through a physical growth spurt, it is immediately followed by a “neuromuscular growth spurt”. This leads to more muscle AND a proportionate amount of power/control. Women are not nearly as fortunate. Men get a bigger machine… with a bigger engine. Women get a bigger machine, but keep their old engine. They develop significantly more trunk mass… located higher off the ground (picture stilts)… but the engine stays the same. This little engine, or lagging neuromuscular development, cannot control the trunk as well… hence the ‘lack of awareness’. Neuromuscular control gradually increases in females. It can be trained - and should be… but the program should be gender specific. That’s coming soon… in the interim, muscle activation is a huge part of the equation...
See how this all ties in to the original post… ?
The structure and general physiology of women is, comparatively speaking, quite unique. Before I get into the Dominance Patterns… I want to comment on something I saw on another thread, recently…
Non-athletic women exhibit less core strength & stability than men. “Core Strength” and “Core Stability” are NOT the same things. We’ll discuss that in another post (Inner & Outer Core), but understand for now… exercises that target stability - will not increase core strength. One of the reasons for reduced core strength & stability - in females - is the anatomical shape and position (or tilt) of the pelvis. This affects the angulation of muscular attachments. These little differences affect the ‘pull’ of the core muscles on the pelvis; limiting stability. For now… suffice it to say, the two are related and REALLY important – but trained separately.
Dominance Patterns
Women exhibit a trait known as ‘Quadriceps Dominance’. In other words, they utilize their quadriceps muscles more than their hamstrings. Men are known to utilize their hamstring muscles (during landings) three times more than women. This utilization of the hamstring and quadriceps is known as the ‘H/Q Ratio’. It’s important, because the hamstrings are known to effectively shield the ligaments in the knee from injury. On the other hand, the quadriceps can generate forces that exceed ligament failure loads… so co-activation (a learned process in females) is of great importance. When the quadriceps contracts, it extends (straightens) the knee; the reason why females usually exhibit less flexion. More interestingly, the quads will ‘pull’ the tibia forward (relative to the femur)… which is exactly the opposite of what the ACL is trying to do… which is hold the tibia ‘back’. This opposing battle causes shear – or stress – on both the tibia and the ACL. The ACL might be the smallest of ligaments... but, it's the stabilizer. Ideally, the posterior musculature of the leg should work with the quads… eliminating the stress, so that all works … more on that later… Here's a picture illustrating the role of the quadriceps and hamstrings:
Women exhibit another trait, medically referred to as ‘Ligament Dominance’. The largest characterizations of ligament dominance are the use of the bone, articular cartilage, and ligaments in absorbing ground reaction forces (GRF). In other words, the muscles don’t adequately absorb the forces… so the joints and ligaments do a lot of the work. As noted, women have a tendency to land with less knee flexion… If you have been reading this thread all along… we talked about ‘impulse loads’ awhile ago. Less flexion leads to higher amounts of force absorbed over a shorter time… and in Ligament Dominant athletes… can lead to ligament rupture. Center of Gravity (COG) is a vital component… something we’ll talk about in other posts (namely, Posture).
In Drive Mechanics, there are symmetric and asymmetric motions… i.e. abduction, adduction, drive & stride foot orientations, muscle recruitment, flexion, etc. Women tend to be more one-leg dominant than men. The difference between the two legs in muscle recruitment patterns, muscle strength, and muscle flexibility is almost always greater in females. This is known as 'Leg Dominance'. Further exacerbating this asymmetry issue is the fact that fastpitch mechanics can worsen this condition… as we post on a single leg… over and over and over… This can worsen, even develop, leg dominance… and if the differences in force and torque profiles of the legs are present, injury becomes much, much more frequent.
Here’s a big word: Proprioception. It means "awareness of body parts and movement". The prefix, ‘propri’ means “one’s own”. Got it? Compared to men… women do not sense the position of their trunk in three-dimensional space as well… meaning they allow for greater movement whenever an outside object or force act upon it (think momentum, GRF, etc.). This inability is called ‘Trunk Dominance’. Due in part to pelvic differences (as noted above), there are many other ‘contributors’. In females, 'Trunk Dominance' becomes more evident during growth spurts. After a boy goes through a physical growth spurt, it is immediately followed by a “neuromuscular growth spurt”. This leads to more muscle AND a proportionate amount of power/control. Women are not nearly as fortunate. Men get a bigger machine… with a bigger engine. Women get a bigger machine, but keep their old engine. They develop significantly more trunk mass… located higher off the ground (picture stilts)… but the engine stays the same. This little engine, or lagging neuromuscular development, cannot control the trunk as well… hence the ‘lack of awareness’. Neuromuscular control gradually increases in females. It can be trained - and should be… but the program should be gender specific. That’s coming soon… in the interim, muscle activation is a huge part of the equation...
See how this all ties in to the original post… ?
- Jul 31, 2011
- 75
- 8
Java
I've read about 1/10th of your information and I've got a severe headache. I'm thinking of the John Wooden line about what you do after you think you know everything. This is absolutely amazing stuff! I never knew I knew so little! I think I'm complimenting you!
I've read about 1/10th of your information and I've got a severe headache. I'm thinking of the John Wooden line about what you do after you think you know everything. This is absolutely amazing stuff! I never knew I knew so little! I think I'm complimenting you!
javasource
6-4-3 = 2
Rich,
If you think you're complimenting me... then I think I'm absolutely honored!
Thank you so much for the information you share, Rich. So many of us look up to you and look forward to your insights, experiences, and expertise in this great sport.
If you think you're complimenting me... then I think I'm absolutely honored!
Thank you so much for the information you share, Rich. So many of us look up to you and look forward to your insights, experiences, and expertise in this great sport.
Looks like he turned his foot then pushed off.
Which I'm ok with cause BM told me a little turn is ok.
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I've found in my limited experience that "a little turn" is okay, but only if it doesn't cause them to open too much in the initial stage of their drive out. For my pitcher "M," who wants to really open up in the initial stage of her drive, she does so much better when she keeps that foot straight as she pushes off.
