The following list of exercises (novice) go hand-in-hand with the article published by Inside Pitch Magazine in the January / February 2022 issue… Continue reading “Exercise Videos for Off-season Training (Novice)”
Putting on the Brakes to Throw Gas… What is Lead Leg Block?
The lead leg block is the act of slowing down your body’s momentum with your lead leg at landing. In biomechanics, deceleration and the lead leg block can be represented by peak changes in angular velocity. Think about your car. The gas pedal represents your drive leg at the start of the pitching delivery (power output) and the brakes represent your lead leg’s role at foot contact (power absorption and transfer of force). Let’s cover this in three parts:
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- Why is it Important to be Good at Decelerating?
- What We Look For?
- How We Address Lead Leg Block Issues?
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How to Increase Athleticism… Develop Efficient Movement
On any given day you can log into your daily feed on Twitter and scroll through a plethora of verbal grudge matches between strength coaches, pitching/hitting coaches and movement gurus arguing. Yes, arguing and criticizing each other’s ideology about athletic performance and how to improve it. These verbal assaults are usually fueled by the fact that one individual’s concept, theory, protocol or whatever you choose to call it may not line up with another’s. In other words, “it’s different”. For those of you that have the insight to be able to “discuss” and not argue, this blog is not targeting you, however you may want to come along for the ride. Continue reading “How to Increase Athleticism… Develop Efficient Movement”
4 Adjustments for the Next-Generation of Catchers
As we discussed in a prior article titled “4 Ways the RoboUmps Will Affect the Catcher Position“, with the introduction of all the new tech, Major League Baseball is in a constant state of fluidity. Although such changes may not directly impact younger ball players immediately, it’s only a matter of time before they trickle down, and the catching position is no exception. Below are 4 major topics and adjustments that the next generation of catchers will need to prepare for, in this new world of tech-driven baseball. Continue reading “4 Adjustments for the Next-Generation of Catchers”
Pitching Biomechanics: 3 Factors in Kinematic Sequence
In conducting a pitching biomechanics evaluation and assessing a motion capture session, one of the most important things to examine is the kinematic sequence. This consists of the angular velocities and corresponding timing of the pelvis, torso, shoulder, and hand. These angular velocities can reach speeds upwards of 5000 º/s, and as such cannot be measured through standard 2-D video analysis thus requiring a 3-D motion capture system. This simple graph below off our Qualisys Motion Capture system is key to determining how efficiently an athlete is transferring energy from the ground up, through their body, and into the ball.
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2 Reasons Why Baseball Band Workouts Can Get Ugly!
Let’s face it, everyone loves to throw hard, but we have to make sure we’re going about it the best and safest way possible. For pitchers and ball players, learning the correct way to perform baseball band workouts and take care of the arm, shoulder and body should be a top priority, not only during the season but year-round as well. Continue reading “2 Reasons Why Baseball Band Workouts Can Get Ugly!”
3 Hitting Drills to Pattern an Efficient Baseball Swing
There are many ways to skin a cat, however, often one is the most efficient. Although each player’s swing looks different, great hitters achieve the same goal by putting their body in the best position to hit. Given the complex nature of hitting and its many co-dependent variables, hitting drills that help create efficient movements will make it easier to recreate a consistent motor pattern. Continue reading “3 Hitting Drills to Pattern an Efficient Baseball Swing”
Why the Baseball Spin Axis Is Important for Pitchers
The Rapsodo Pitching camera provides an incredible amount of information by pitch type. Just as relevant, however, is how each individual pitch behaves versus the others. In evaluating our pitcher’s ball movement charts, we generally work with them to develop what we refer to as “clusters”. They form when a pitcher can consistently repeat the baseball spin axis and direction by pitch type. Continue reading “Why the Baseball Spin Axis Is Important for Pitchers”
K-Vest Baseball is a Game Changer for Training Ball Players
The world of hitting is changing and it’s changing fast. As new technology is working its way into the world of baseball at break-neck speed, the information becoming available is opening the eyes of both baseball coaches and strength coaches alike and across multiple avenues as well. But once again as in pitching, this extremely explosive sport, leads us back to anatomy and the body’s ability to move through space quickly. So explosive in fact, that we are looking at microsecond movements only measurable by K-vest Baseball motion capture technology. Continue reading “K-Vest Baseball is a Game Changer for Training Ball Players”
4 Ways the Automated Strike Zone Will Affect the Catcher Position
This past year, technology came to the strike zone, as MLB began to experiment with an automated strike zone with the “RoboUmp” in the Atlantic League. Although this process is still a work in progress, I begin to wonder how this may change the game from the vantage point of a catcher. Continue reading “4 Ways the Automated Strike Zone Will Affect the Catcher Position”