Stodden DF, Fleisig GS, McLean SP, Lyman SL, Andrews JR. Relationship of pelvis and upper torso kinematics to pitched baseball velocity. Journal of Applied Biomechanics 17(2):164-172, 2001.

Matsuo T, Escamilla RF, Fleisig GS, Barrentine SW, Andrews JF. Comparison of kinematic and temporal parameters between different pitch velocity groups. Journal of Applied Biomechanics 17(1): 1-13, 2001.

Stodden, DF, Fleisig, GS, McLean, SP, Andrews, JR. Relationship of Biomechanical Factors to Basebal Pitching Velocity: Within Pitcher Variation. Journal of Applied Biomechanics 21(1): 44-56, 2005

Methods

In three published studies, Dr. Glenn Fleisig and Dr. James R. Andrews from ASMI worked with other researchers in studying many of the parameters that affect baseball pitch velocity. Two of the studies looked between different pitchers and one study looked at variations within each pitcher. Motions during delivery were analyzed using a high speed (200 frames per second) infrared three-dimensional motion analysis system.

Results

In the study by Matsuo and others, pitchers with higher ball velocity were compared with pitchers with lower ball velocity. Four significant differences were found between these two groups. Compared to the low ball velocity group, the higher ball velocity pitchers demonstrated less lead knee flexion velocity after front foot contact and greater lead knee extension velocity at the time of ball release. Extending the lead knee in this manner may provide stabilization allowing better energy transfer from the trunk to the throwing arm, and could be a critical factor in pitch velocity. Maximum shoulder external rotation and forward trunk tilt at ball release were also greater in the higher velocity group. Greater shoulder external rotation causes a stretch of the internal rotators allowing energy to be stored in these muscles, and creating greater internal rotation during the arm acceleration phase.

Two variations were found in the timing of events. Maximum elbow extension angular velocity and maximum shoulder internal rotation angular velocity occurred earlier in the motion of higher velocity pitchers. The maximum shoulder internal rotation angular velocity also occurred closer to the moment of ball release in the higher velocity pitchers. This optimal timing may aid in generating higher velocity pitches.

Another finding of interest is that early in the pitching motion, the two groups were dissimilar in the timing of their movements, while their later movement timing was much more similar. This implies that early trunk and torso movements are more varied among pitchers than late arm movements.

In the first study by Stodden and others (2001), pelvis and upper torso variables were studied in 19 elite baseball pitchers. The study found that when the arm was completely cocked back (that is, maximum shoulder external rotation, or “MER”), more “open” pelvis and upper torso orientation correlated with increased ball velocity. More open pelvis angle at the time of ball release (REL) also correlated with increased pitch velocity increased. Additionally, pelvis angular velocity from front foot contact to MER, and upper torso angular velocity from MER to REL increased with increased velocity.

The data indicate that a pitcher who is able to position himself properly, and rotate his pelvis and upper torso more quickly is able to generate greater momentum. Theoretically, this increase in momentum leads to greater velocity of the throwing arm and thus greater pitch velocity.

The most recent study by Stodden and others (2005) showed that for a given pitcher, increased elbow flexion torque, shoulder proximal force and elbow proximal force produced greater ball velocity. In addition, the maximum shoulder horizontal adduction occurred later and maximum shoulder internal rotation occurred earlier at greater ball velocities. Higher ball velocity also resulted in decreased shoulder horizontal adduction at foot contact, decreased shoulder abduction during acceleration, and increased trunk tilt forward at ball release.

Conclusion

A pitcher with increased shoulder external rotation, faster pelvis and upper trunk rotation, and greater front knee stabilization and extension will throw with greater ball velocity. Improved timing to maximize arm velocity closer to the time of ball release will also help ball velocity. Increased torque and force produced at both the shoulder and elbow will also lead to greater ball velocity.

Copyright © 2000, American Sports Medicine Institute
December 18, 2007

http://www.asmi.org/asmiweb/research/usedarticles/highlowpitches.htm

What makes a BAD pitching Coach?

Someone who has no experience in playing the position at the top levels of the game, or someone who has no certified education of how to coach the position.

How can a BAD pitching Coach effect a pitcher?

Pitching takes a tremendous amount of muscle coordination. The body must naturally understand how to build maximum momentum and torque, to deliver an above average fastball to a specific location. It is a pitching Coaches job to guide the pitcher to reaching his athletic potential. This takes an expert understanding of the position and the athlete. If the pitching Coach is far from an expert then the chances of him being a guide to the pitchers athletic potential, is very poor. This could be detrimental to a young pitchers career because promoting bad mechanics, due to the lack of experience or education, will decrease velocity and cause injury. It happened to Me.

What are the signs of a BAD pitching Coach?

1) No experience in the top levels of the game.

2) No certified education in the world of pitching and athletic training.

3) A poor understanding of Physics Driven Pitching Mechanics.

4) A poor understanding of the physiology and psychology of his pitchers.

5) Over throwing his staff of pitchers.

6) Discouraging his pitchers from using a strength and conditioning program.

7) Forcing his pitchers to throw more breaking balls than fastballs.

8 ) Using Long Distance running to build endurance in his pitchers.

9) Excessive amounts of long toss.

10) A poor warm-up and dynamic stretching routine.

11) Not educating his pitchers on proper athletic nutrition and rehabilitation.

12) Not educating his pitchers on the mental game.

13) Uses a lot of poor conventional wisdom to coach his pitchers.

What are the signs of POOR conventional wisdom of pitching mechanics?

These are old techniques of pitching, that have been proven throw science, to decrease velocity or cause injury.

This would be Coaching the pitcher to:

1) Take the ball out of the glove and reach it to the sky.

2) Get into the T position. Glove hand to target and ball to center field.

3) Pull the glove hand in hard to your body, while pulling the throwing arm down to throw.

4) Kick the back leg up high after release. He may even use a chair for the pitcher to kick his leg over, after release, to force this bad pitching mechanic.

5) Keep your landing leg bent at release. Do not let it straighten!

6) Pull your head down hard during pitch.

7) Wipe your arm.

8 ) Slam your chest into your landing leg.

9) Move your arm faster.

10) Drive your glove hand to the target.

How to PLEASE a BAD Pitching Coach?

I will be the first to tell you that this isn’t easy. Due to the high percentage of BAD pitching Coaches in all levels of the game, ever pitcher will deal with a BAD pitching Coach a few times to many in their career. The best way to deal with a BAD pitching Coach, without him having an effect on your career, is not to avoid him but to please him. Here is some TIPS that will help.

1) Do whatever he says when he is looking and then do what you think is best when he isn’t looking.

2) Study the game, the position, physics driven mechanics and strength and conditioning. Become your Coach.

3) Do not let him catch you educating the other pitchers. Especially if he is a HOT HEAD.

4) Do not screw around when he is around you.

5) Do not talk bad about him to other players.

This is the MOST IMPORTANT TIP:

6) You must IMPROVE.

The hardest thing that any pitcher or athlete must learn, is that it is a rare case for you to find a Coach that will propel your career to the top levels of the game. This is because, they are just as concerned about their job, as you are about your job. So if you want to make it as a professional one day, you are going to have to knock down a lot of doors. You will always find support but the only person that is going to help you get their is yourself. I will leave you with this quote from Nolan Ryan.

“Pitching in the big leagues is a dream. Preparing to pitch in the big leagues is a nightmare.”

Scap Loading Issues

The problem with coaching Scap Loading is that it can promote the infamous inverted W.  The inverted W is the mechanical flaw linked to many rotator cuff and UCL injuries in professional baseball. This is when the elbows fly above the shoulders during the stride and before the shoulders fire towards the target. Scap Loading can lead to this issue because Scap Loading is the throwing of the elbows behind the back during the stride. Throwing the elbows behind the back or above the shoulders is both considered putting the shoulders and elbows in what the Physical Therapy world calls the “Red Zone.” This is a vulnerable position for the arms to be in during an explosive movement like pitching.

If you have ever watched a Major League Pitcher in slow motion you will most always find the pitcher putting his elbows behind his back or maybe even above his shoulders. It would be impossible for a Major League Pitcher to throw a 90+mph fastball without Scap Loading. This is almost proof that Scap Loading is a reaction to the stride. In my experience coaching myself and coaching pitchers is that slower strides create more Scap Loading. This is why I do not coach Scap Loading. The only time I coach a voluntary action to load the scapular is when a pitcher has such a quick stride that he is having a hard time preventing the shoulders from opening early. This is when I coach the pitcher to only load the scapular of the throwing shoulder. This will sometimes help the pitcher hold the throwing shoulder back into front foot strike to promote more hip to shoulder separation.

I really believe most pitcher coaches fail when they coach velocity through the upper kinetic chain like when coaching Scap Loading. Velocity comes from the body movements through force production of the lower half first and then the conversion of these body movements and power into the upper kinetic chain. This means you will benefit more from coaching the force production in the lower half. This means Scap Loading is a failed approach to coaching hip to shoulder separation because hip to shoulder separation is a product of an action of an explosive lower half movement creating a reaction in the inactive upper half at front foot strike. Voluntarily Scap Loading the shoulders during the stride to promote hip to shoulder separation will take the focus away from the lower half speed and also activate the shoulders before hip to shoulder separation occurs at front foot strike.

3X Pitching

This approach, I have defined here, is the 3X approach to pitching. If you are a bit confused then start with this video to learn the entire 3X approach to pitching. This is the approach to pitching velocity that is behind the ever popular 3X Pitching Velocity program.

I have written about this component in just about every article on pitch velocity. I will once again define this into more detail. I am doing this because of how important it is to master the pitching component of “Separation.”

The picture here of Felix Hernandez pretty much says it all. You can see the “Separation” from his hips to shoulders. It is like he is a towel being rung out to dry. Tim Lincecum calls this tightening his “Rubber Band.” The “Rubber Band” being his core. To understand core torque and its effectiveness, you must understand how torque is generated in a 90 MPH pitcher.

When throwing a pitch, we rely on the rotation of three pivots. The hip pivot, collar pivot and the shoulder pivot. If we remove torque in one of these pivots then the other two are forced to handle more torque to keep the same velocity, which leads to poor velocity and injury. The most common loss of torque in young pitchers is because of poor “Separation.” To understand why this happens, let’s take a look at each pivot.

The Hip pivot builds torque just when the front foot lands and the back leg “Triple Extends.” View animation. This is the first pivot to build torque and it is important to achieve full range of motion in this pivot. If the hip pivot does not open completely to the target when the front foot lands, then you are not building maximum torque. The most effective way to build torque is with momentum. Without momentum, the torque is created with only a rotational force. A good example would be the old saying, “Squish the bug.” This would be turning the hip pivot instead of using the driving force from the legs and the fall, to build the torque. Using momentum to build torque is much more effective for generating top velocity.

In between the hip pivot and the next pivot I will discuss, this is the moment “Separation” must occur. If  “Separation” of the hips and shoulders DO NOT occur then the pivots are moving together. This combines the pivots into one pivot and the pitcher losses the opportunity to build core torque. This is because, when “Separation” occurs, the hip pivot and the collar pivot stay separate. The core is now stuck in the middle and forced to tighten or stretch like a towel or rubber band. Once again notice the picture of Felix Hernandez above with hip to shoulder  “Separation.”

The next pivot in the chain of building maximum torque would be the Collar pivot. The collar pivot occurs after “Separation,” or “Scap Loading.” If the collarbone or shoulders would have traveled with the hips, then this pivot would have built zero torque. This is like removing the back two tires from a race car. This is so important to velocity and longevity that it is surprising how very few young pitchers know about its importance. If the collarbone or shoulders stay back, while the hips open to the target, then the spine or core builds torque. Every vertebra of the spine begins to tighten like a towel being rung out. This is just like those little model race cars you had as a kid. The ones that you press to the floor and role back slowly on its wheels to wind the engine. There is a little rubber band like engine within the car that is building torque and when you let it go, BAM, it takes off. This is the same concept behind the pitching component “Separation.” This is why this component is so effective in generating top velocity. Adding more torque here means adding less torque to the last pivot. Which is the Shoulder Pivot.

The shoulder pivot is the most common and most familiar pivot. It is the pivot of the shoulder joint. When the arm externally rotates backwards this is building torque. The reason this pivot is so familiar to the average pitcher is because it is the easiest to use. This is only because it is used all of the time. It opens bottles, doors, used with a screw driver and any other house hold tools. It is very important to a persons quality of life. The problem is the shoulder pivot or joint is designed with a very delicate and intricate system of muscles. This is because it is the only multidirectional joint in the body. The key to top velocity and a long career is preventing this pivot from handling most of the torque. This pivot should mainly be used to guide the pitch to the target.

To visually understand how to  build torque in all three pivots is a lot easier than actually performing the task. The reason is because we are dealing with three pivots. For each pivot to build torque and then to use that torque to generate velocity, takes as much timing as physical strength and coordination. Learning this timing can take an entire career. This is why it is important to continuously analyze your pitching mechaincs to make sure you are building maximum torque within the first two pivots and using that torque to generate top velocity in the 3rd and final pivot.

It is very important to remember the keystone to this entire system of pivots is “Separation.” Master this component and the rest will come naturally. Best of luck!

“Loading” is when the pitcher holds his weight back over his back leg, while his front side continues building momentum towards the target. This is why strong legs and core, produce powerful pitching. Look at Eric Gagne in this picture. He is squatting on his back leg, waiting for the perfect time to fire his hips and then his shoulders.

A component of velocity is produced when torque is generated in the two rotational pivots. The rotation of the hips, to the rotation of the shoulders. Tim Lincecum calls this the “Rubber Band.” Think of your core as the “Rubber Band.” Rotating the shoulder and hip pivot separate from each other would tighten the “Rubber Band.” This sounds a lot easier than it actually is to perform. This is why a small amount of athletes can throw a baseball over 90 mph.

The importance of the “Load” is that it holds the weight back until the first pivot, the hips, are ready to build maximum torque. Triple extension in the back leg drives the momentum into front foot strike, forcing the hips to pivot. Then “Separation,” or “Scap Loading” must occur to build torque in the core. There is that word again “Loading”. Notice the pitcher here in this position. His hip rotation is now complete. It has built maximum torque. You can see this in the tightening of his “Rubber Band.” Notice his shirt is stretching like a rubber band would. Now, all that is left to do, is to fire the last pivot, the shoulders forward and then stabilize. Stabilization allows the momentum generated from the body to transfer to the ball.

If the pitcher didn’t “Load” his weight back, as his front side continued to build momentum and set the first pivot of the hips, then top velocity could never be achieved. It would also put more stress on the rotator cuff, because the torque would build more in the shoulders than the core.

The “Load” is also just as important for hitters to develop power. Notice this picture of A-Rod in the “Load” position. The difference is hitters are more compact because they have to defend the strike zone. Therefore, a hitter cannot have a long stride like a pitcher. This brings up another good point. A good stride is considered to be the length of your body height. The “Load” position also increases your stride. So when you here a Coach yell out that you need to stride out more, then you will understand that this means you are not “Loading.” The importance of the “Stride” is that it moves you closer to the plate, shortening the distance the ball must travel, which increases velocity and a good “Stride” gives you more time to build momentum.

In conclusion, a good “Load” position is more valuable for a pitcher than a high lift leg. It generates as much or more momentum but is critical in generating optimal hip to shoulder separation. Here is a gallery of more pitchers in the “Load” position. View gallery here.

I am writing about “Violence,” the way I would write about “Power” in the pitching delivery. I use the word “Violence” to make a point. Before I attempt to make the point let’s look at the definition.

Define Violence: Violence is the exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse.

Now why would I want to use the word “Violence” to make a point about something as delicate as pitching? The same reason companies use the word “Maximum Strength” to describe something as delicate as medicine.  Jerry Sienfeld has some great comedy on this topic.

Some people aren’t satisfied with “extra”, they want “maximum”! “Gimme the maximum strength ! Give me the maximum allowable human dosage ! That’s the kind of pain I’m in!

Figure out what will kill me, and then back it off a little bit”.

Very funny stuff but their is some truth in this joke. This is what makes it a great joke. The truth is, “Figure out what will kill me, and then back it off a little bit”, this actually works in the medical field. This is why morphine is still used today.

So lets take this philosphy and use it with pitching or any sport specific event. As pitchers, let’s learn how to exert as much force to our body WITHOUT causing injury. Now, let’s be careful here because your one body is all you have. So you better educate yourself like a doctor would do in his career, before pushing your body to its limit. To educate yourself you need to use a website like this to learn everything you can about good mechanics and how to develop an athletic physique. Not until you have established an above average understanding of “Physic driven Mechanics,” and have developed optimal strength, should you push your body to the limit.  I am serious. If you push too hard, too soon, you could seriously damage yourself. I did!

The way “Violence” in your delivery will help you, is if you use it at the correct time. Science has shown, that the speed of rotation from hips to shoulders, is in direct correlation to the velocity of the pitch. This means if you have good “Separation” in your hips to shoulders at front foot strike, then adding more violence to the rotation of these two pivots will increase your velocity. This video of Edison Volquez illustrates this point.

You can see the “Violence” in his delivery. He is pushing his body to its limits to achieve his maximum velocity. The longevity of his career rides in his mechanics. Does he have good enough mecahnics to prevent his wear and tear from exceeding his recovery rate between pitching appearances.

This is the name of the game in Pro ball. You may not realize this at the level you are now, so this is why I am giving you this information. If you want to play pro ball one day you need to start learning as much as you can about your body. My advice to you is, you must first train your body to handle this stress before you subject it to this stress. Also, remember drugs will always tempt you because of their healing powers but in the long term your body will last longer if you learn to do it naturally.

Salsa definition:

A mixture of up tempo Latin styles of music. The salsa is not an actual style of Latin music; it is a style of dance. One that has become increasingly popular over time. Up beat Latin patterns and beats played together create a salsa style groove.

When you take a lesson or watch it on the hit show “Dancing with the Stars,” you will see that “Salsa” is all about the hips moving the body. Observe the video.

So how can this help you as a pitcher? Well, pitching velocity we know comes from momentum and the proper use of the hips. Up to this point in my articles, I have not talked much about the hips, except for the purpose of “Separation.” Which is the most important component. This is separation in the back hip and the back shoulder. The reason for this is to develop majority torque in the core. Read my article on “How to Develop Top Velcotiy?” to learn more about “Separation.”

The other purpose of the hips is what Tim Lincecum’s father calls, “Tightening the rubber band.” This means to build maximum torque in the hips, we must tighten them up just before the shoulders fire. This is where “Salsa” comes in. In “Salsa” the dancer kicks his feet with a kind of scissor step. It is like a gymnast on a balance beam. The feet are extended out, but if they were together, the feet would be touching each other. This makes it easier for the dancers body to swivel the hips back and forth; giving the dancer that groovy style of “Salsa.” So apply this to pitching. When your front foot lands make sure it is landing on the balance beam or a little across the body. This way it will allow the hips to close completely and tighten. If the leg lands open and off the balance beam, then it will be harder for the hips to close and it will decrease the hips range of motion.

I recommend that you stand up from the computer now, try out what I am telling you and see for yourself. When your landing foot is NOT landing on the balance beam and it is in an open stance, your hips do not have a lot of freedom or range of motion. Get in this position and try to swivel your hips. Now, if the front leg lands closed perfectly on the balance beam, then this will give your hips all of their potential range of motion and the ability to completely close off. Try this as well and feel how your hips have more range of motion to swivel and it is easier to close them off. In return, this is increasing our velocity because we are building more torque in the core when we can completely tighten our hips closed, after “Separation.”

So this is my theory. Maybe these Latin Pitchers have better hip action because of their Latin culture. Look at these hard throwing Latin Pitcher’s hips and you will see that they have a lot of “Salsa” in their delivery.

This is a video of Felix Hernandez pitching. You will see in his first pitch how closed his landing leg lands and how tight his hips get. Could this be his secret to his 100 MPH fastball? I will leave that up to you to answer.

Introduction

Specificity of Training principle is one of the most utilized training principles used by exercise professionals today. (Kramer et al., 2002) discussed the principle of training specificity and explained that the training responses elicited by a given exercise mode are directly related to the physiological elements involved with coping with the specific exercise stress. What this means is that if an athlete wants to perform better at a particular event or skill they must train specifically for that particular skill. For example, if an athlete wants to become stronger one must lift heavy weights and if an athlete wants to jump higher one must jump. As a strength and conditioning professional one must know if the movement patterns as well as the methods of the training will lead to neuromuscular or metabolic training adaptations to their specific sport. This goes back to an important rule of coaching which is, “Know your athletes.” This is important because if a strength and speed coach wants to work on a vertical jump for a 15 year old female volleyball player and she does not have the lower body strength to handle the eccentric load of landing or she does not know how to land she could injure herself. Therefore, before training specifically to enhance particular sports movements always evaluate the athlete first.

The principle of specificity is also important for Strength and Speed coaches when designing strength and speed programs to their particular sport. The coach must know the type neuromuscular adaptations the athletes need during the particular time of the year whether; it is off-season, pre-season or in-season this is important because as a coach, one does not want to stress the neuromuscular system. Ronnie McKeefey Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for The University of South Florida believes that sport specificity goes too far when exercises that are prescribed place undue orthopedic stress on the body and are not principled based. He goes on to explain that there must be more exercise than just trying to mimic sport movements while under load (2). Specificity is important principle in all of these training modules because the exercise or training protocol must be specific to the type of action required so that the body is neuromuscular adapted to the particular demands of the type of training.

Research Finding and Specificity

As professionals coaches understand that explosive Olympic lifting and other forms of weight training will help athletes on the field however, many coaches feel that a sprint training program should also include strength specific exercises like sled sprints or weighted sprints. Young, W., Grant, D., and Pryor, J., (2001) did a study on resistance training for short sprints and maximum-speed sprints and found that the quadriceps muscles were important for short sprints and the hamstrings were more important for maximum sprinting. They go on to explain some specificity exercises for sprinting, for the short sprints 10 meter or less the exercises are sled sprints and inclined sprints both from static standing starts. The maximum speed exercise were speed bounding and weighted vest sprinting. As strength and conditioning professional these are great specific exercises to help become a faster athlete. The short sprint exercises really target the quadriceps and glutes, helps with stride frequency and helps increase the force on the motor units. The max speed exercises target the hamstrings, helps with stride length and helps increase the rate of the motor units. This is a great specificity example for speed because through this specificity training an athlete has increased the size and force of the motor unit as well as the rate at which the motor unit fires which in turn with proper mechanics should make the athlete a faster runner. Alcaraz, P., Palao, J., Elvira, J., and Linthorne, N., (2008) also did a study on resistance sprinting but they wanted to find out more specifically the effects of three different types of resisted sprint training on the kinematics of sprinting at maximum velocity. They used three types of resisted sprint training devices which were a sled, parachute, and weighted belt to compare sprinting kinematics during maximum velocity. What they found was that all three types were appropriate training for the maximum velocity phase of sprinting and only induced minor changes in the athletes running technique. These two studies are great examples on the specificity principle they show if an athlete’s wants to get faster than the athlete must sprint to become faster.

Another athletic movement that we train specifically is the vertical jump. Although as professionals one knows that resistance training and explosive training can get you stronger but if an athlete wants to jump higher than they must train using plyometrics. McClenton, L., Brown, J., Coburn, J., and Kersey, R., (2008) did a short term study on the Verti-max vs. Depth jump training and its effect on vertical performance. The verti-max is a training apparatus that uses rubber bands and a pulley system that fully loads the athlete in the low squat position, and then maintains this same level of resistance all the way to the top of the jump. The depth jump is a plyometric exercise that rapidly utilizes the stretch shortening cycle. This exercise consists on stepping off a box landing with both feet, then jumping off the ground as fast and as high as possible. During this six week study they found that the verti-max had no improvement on the vertical jump and the depth jump had significant improvement. Both are very good specific exercises but the verti-max costs nearly $2,000.00 and for the depth jump all an athlete needs is a box. The depth jump also in my opinion is a better exercise if strong enough because of the rapid eccentric movements which in turn causes a rapid concentric movement. Wagner, DR and Kocak, MS (1997) explains that the faster a muscle is stretched the greater the force production and the more powerful the muscle action; which, explains why the depth jump is a more efficient exercise when coached and performed properly.

Resistance training is one of the most important aspects to the specificity principle. There are many types of possible outcomes in resistance training; which include endurance, hypertrophy, strength, and power. As strength and conditioning professionals one must know what to train for and at what time of the year to train for the particular outcome. Behm, D. (1995) did a study on the neuromuscular implications and applications of resistance training specifically on strength and power training. This study explained that the high rate of force development achieved with ballistic contractions should serve as a template for power training; and that muscle hypertrophy is dependent upon protein degradation and synthesis, which may be enhanced through high intensity, high volume eccentric work and concentric contractions. One of the most interesting parts of this research was the part on power training. Behm believes that the high-speed training may increase the rate of force development through an increase in the firing frequency or the motor units. He goes on to explain that to guarantee high-specific adaptations in a power training program the speed of the contraction must be high and that the movement speed is not essential as long as the intent of the contraction is explosive. Saltin and Gollnick (1983) showed through their research that with endurance training, muscle fibers shift towards a slow profile thus allowing those muscles fibers to increase their endurance capacity. Staron, Malickly, Leonardi, Falkel, Hagerman, and Dudley (1990) did a study on muscle hypertrophy and fast fiber types in heavy resistance-trained women and found that heavy resistance training results in a shifting of the rarely used fast twitch B fibers to heavily used fast twitch A fibers; which, allow more fibers to be called upon to produce force for faster and more forceful explosive movements. This type of research on resistance training shows that if an athlete requires muscular endurance, strength, size or explosiveness there are specific training patterns. The strength and conditioning professional must follow the specific training protocols to ensure that the neuromuscular system is adapting to the training properly so that the athletes body can perform better in his or her sport.

Conclusion

In closing, Zatsiorsky (1995) explains that the training principle on specificity is well accepted and suggests that for training to be effective, it should be similar to the demands of the sport. Usually, the more specific the training, the better the transfer to sports performance. All though that last statement may be true, many strength and conditioning professionals including myself believe non-specific training should also take place in a training program not only to achieve a higher level of ability but for also injury prevention. Keep in mind, training first started to prevent injury and later professionals discovered that training can also improve performance. Finally, as a strength and conditioning professional one must know the performance goals of the sport which will help the professional dictate the type of training for the athlete or team; and while every possible type of sports movement cannot be simulated in the weight room, there are other non-specific sports movements and exercises that will stimulate the neuromuscular system which will help athletes when they go into competition.

References

1. Behm, D.G. Neuromuscular Implications and Applications of Resistance Training. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 9(4): 264-274. 1995.
2. Bennett, Scott. Sport Specificity: How far Do you take it? Strength and Conditioning Journal. 28(4): 29-30. 2006.
3. Eduardo Sáez Sáez, González-Badillo, Juan Jose, Izquierdo, Mike .Low and Moderate Plyometric Training Frequency Produces Greater Jumping and Sprinting Gains Compared with High Frequency. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 22(3): 715-725. 2008.
4. Kramer, JF, Morrow, A, and Leger, A. Changes in rowing ergometer, weight lighting, vertical jump and isokinetic performance in response to standard and standard plus plyometric training programs. Int J Sports Med 14: 449-454, 1983.
5. McClenton, L., Brown, Lee, Coburn, J., Kersey, R., The Effect of Short-Term VertiMax vs. Depth Jump Training on Vertical Jump Performance. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 22(2): 321-325. 2008.
6. Saltin B and Gollnic PD. Skeletal muscle adaptability: Significance for metabolism and performance. In Handbook of Physiology (eds. L. Peachy, R. Adrian, and SR Gerzer). American Physiological Society: Bethesda, MD, 555-631, 1983.
7. Staron RS, Malicky ES, Leonardi MJ, Falkel JE, Hagerman FC, and Dudley GA. Muscle hypertrophy and fast fiber type conversions in heavy resistance –trained women. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology 60, 71-79, 1990
8. Wagner, DR and Kocak, MS. A multivariate approach to assessing anaerobic power following a plyometric training program. Journal of Strength & ConditioningResearch.11: 251-255, 1997.
9. Young, Warren PhD, Benton, Dean, Pryor, John,. Resistance Training for Short Sprints and Maximum-speed Sprints. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 23(2): 7-13. 2001.
10. Zatsiorsky, V.M. Science and Practice of Strength Training. Champaign. IL: Human Kinetics, 1995.

The start of a 40 yard dash is first based on the athlete’s explosive power to help get them from a static position out into the drive phase of the sprint. Many coaches today have their athletes start in a 3 point stance athlete stands with front foot 2-6 inches from line depending on the athletes size and back foot 2-4 inches from front foot with toes facing forward. The athletes front knee should be bent nearly at 90 degrees and back leg around 120 degrees with hips slightly above knees, back flat and chin tucked. The left arm is bent at 90 degrees at the hip if the left leg is in front, and the right arm is on the line with thumb pointing towards your left foot and index finger point to the right. The athlete’s right shoulder is directly over the right hand with the athlete’s weight leaning forward.

Once the athlete has left the static position the athlete is now in the acceleration or drive phase. Michael Gough (2006), defines the acceleration phase from the initial movement of ground contact until the athlete reaches top end speed. A powerful triple extension of the hip, knee, and ankle joints is important for maximum power development off the start. Forward body lean is critical during the acceleration phase with the shoulders always over the hips. Most coaches want the athlete driving out in a 35 to 45 degree angle with elbows at 90 degrees and driving their heel over their knee with foot dorsiflexed and foot striking under hips. In fact, research by Weyand, Sternlight, Bellizzi and Wright (2000) indicated that the force applied at ground contact is the most important determinant of running speed. Ken Jakalski (2008) states in his article that the dorsiflexion of the ankle is the “magic bullet” of the sprint cycle. He explains this of the dorsiflexed ankle because it puts a stretch on the gastrocnemius, soleus and achilles complex which contributes to knee flexion and hip flexion. He goes on to explain that if the athletes does not dorsiflex the ankle, the gastrocnemius soleus and achilles complex cannot help out as a leg flexor. If the gastrocnemius cannot assist in this process, another muscle group will, which are the hamstrings. Hamstrings should not serve a primary role as knee flexors they are hip extenders, not knee flexors. If the hamstrings are called upon to assist in knee flexion, they will be less effective in carrying out their primary responsibility.

The next phase of the forty yard dash is maximal velocity. This takes place for the last 12.66 yards. Michael Young (2007) of the USA Military Academy and Human Performace Consulting explains there are three primary goals of maximal velocity sprinting: preservation of stability, minimizing braking forces and maximization of vertical propulsive forces. Preservation of stability is the body’s ability to stay in perfect posture for the sprint because when stability is disrupted the loss of elasticity occurs. This stability relates to the athletes core for the most part, think of a squat an athlete holds their breath on the way down to support their back and keep their spine protected. The next goal is to minimize braking forcing which is any force that act in the opposite direction of the desired movement. The primary cause of excessive braking forces is making ground contact too far out in front of the athlete’s center of mass. This can go back to the stability goal because if an athlete has good stability the athlete is less likely to lean back or stand strait up which tends to disrupt the foot strike under the hips. The last goal is maximization of vertical propulsive forces which is the distance traveled in the air before ground contact. Vertical propulsive forces help the athlete with a more effective ground contact position and an increase in negative foot speed which when the foot is moving backwards at ground contact with respect with body moving forward; which, in turn helps the athlete accelerate through the line. Another benefit to the maximization of vertical propulsive is an increase in leg stiffness which is the ability of the legs to act like a spring during contact. Actually, Bret, Dufour, Messonnier and Lacour did study on leg strength and stiffness as ability factors in 100 meter sprints and found that leg stiffness is critically important to maximal velocity sprinting and the maintenance of momentum developed during the acceleration period of a sprint.

Throughout this paper one can see that there are many detailed mechanics through a 40 yard sprint. In a recap we know how to start, we know during the drive phase the athletes elbows are firing past the hips to the shoulders at 90 degrees, the heels are driving up over the knee, the shoulders are in advance of the hips and the athlete is making ground contact beneath the athletes hips which helps drive the athlete forward. During max velocity phase the athlete is doing everything that is in the drive phase except now we are trying to aim for more of a vertical propulsive movement. There is many other factors that go into sprinting for instance breathing, power and strength but for the purpose of this paper I am just explaining the mechanics of a sprint.

Now, that sprint mechanics are understood, what are some improper mechanics that athletes usually do and how can they be fixed. For starters many young athletes have problems with mechanics and it starts with their posture. Most young athletes have tight hips, glutes, hamstrings and gastrocnemius, soleus and achilles complex, internally rotated shoulders and an everted foot due to sitting in class all day. Think about if these kids are in flexion all day and that is what their body knows. So, how can these athletes improve their posture and the answer is through corrective exercises. Pete Egoscue suggests in his book Pain Free to do arm circles for internally rotated shoulders, and many other great corrective exercises for the hips, glutes, hamstrings and gastrocnemius, soleus and achilles complex. But, the most important corrective exercise when it comes to sprinting is foot circles. If an athlete has a foot that is everting and supinating the athlete may lose up to 2/3 or more of surface area and all important assistance of the knee and hip and their associated musculature (48). Once foot circle are performed the athlete feels an increase on surface area as well as more strength because of the assistance of the knee and hip so, if an athlete increases surface area, the athlete then increases force and if the athlete increase force the athlete in turn increase speed with proper sprint mechanics. The next error most athletes are with their elbows many athletes kick their arm back to 180 degrees past their hip which turns their arm into a long slow pendulum. Some athletes cross their bodies with their arms and many do not lock their wrist out which can inhibit the stretch reflex mechanism in the athletes shoulder if the hand supinates past the hip. These improper elbow mechanics can be improved by seated arm swings drills and arm circles. Brown and Ferrigno (2005) explain seated arm drills Starting Position: Seated on the floor with the legs straight out in front of you. Swing arms in a sprinting motion. Elbows should be kept at 90 degrees and keep hands relaxed. Your hands should come up to about shoulder height and should go past your hips in the back. Be careful to not bounce off of the floor as you swing your arms faster. Other problems athletes have is driving heel over knee, driving off of their power pads, heel contacting ground and shoulders not over hips. To help improve these faults there are the Mach Drills invented by Gerard Mach. A cornerstone of his system was the A B & C drill series. Mach (1977) broke the stride into its components parts, knee lift, foreleg action and the push off through the drills. The A Drills were designed to work the knee lift component. The B Drills were designed to work on foreleg reach or pawing action. According to Mach All exercises with leg extension and active down are special exercises to strengthen the hamstrings (6). Mach (1977) also explained The marching and skipping exercises were designed to develop the technique required for body lean, arm action, high knee lift, leg extension, and keeping the center of gravity high, but did not emphasize the strong driving forward or push forward action and the C Drills were designed to work on push off and extension (6). Brent McFarlane uses similar drill for improving speed and technique as does Tom Shaw. Other ways to enhance performance is by doing explosive Olympic lifting and plyometrics. In fact, Eduardo S¡ez, Gonz¡lez-Badillo, Juan Jose, Izquierdo did a study on Low and Moderate Plyometric Training and found that the lower training frequency produced a greater jumping and sprinting gain compared to high frequency. Therefore, sometimes as a coach remember less is more.

In closing, one can see how complex and how much detail goes into sprint work. Again, there is much more that goes into sprinting besides mechanics for instance strength, muscle fibers, breathing and etc. Finally, remember that the start and the finish of a sprint are equally important and if you want to run a good 40 yard dash there is much more than just genetics that come into play. In the words Vern Gambetta used in his article about speed drills there are many roads to Rome and another famous idiom there are many ways to skin a cat. What this mean is coach the drills and training that work for your athletes.

References

1. Bret, C., Rahmani, A., Dufour, A.B., Messonnier, L., and Lacour, J.R. (2002). Leg strength and stiffness as ability factors in 100m sprint running. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 42(3): 274:281.
2. Brown, Lee and Ferrigno, V. (2005). Training for Speed agility and Quickness: Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
3. Eduardo S¡ez, Gonz¡lez-Badillo, Juan Jose, Izquierdo, Mike .Low and Moderate Plyometric Training Frequency Produces Greater Jumping and Sprinting Gains Compared with High Frequency. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 22(3): 715-725. 2008.
4. Gough, Michael. The Forty-Yard Dash for the High School Athlete. National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal. 28( 2): 24-25. 2006.
5. Jakalski, Ken. Sprint Technique and Speed Training. 2008. Enhanced Fitness and Performance.http://www.enhancedfp.com/sport-specific/track-and-field/400-meter-training-ken-jakalski
6. Mach, Gerard. Sprinting & Hurdling School. CTFA 1977: Page 6
7. McFarlane, Brent. A Basic and Advanced Technical Model for Speed. National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal. 15(5): 57- 61. 1993.
8. McFarlane, Brent. A Look Inside the Biomechanics and Dynamics of Speed. National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal. 9(5): 35-41. 1987.
9. Pete Egoscue (Author), Roger Gittines (Contributor) (1998). Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain: New York: Bantom.
10. Weyand, P., Sternlight, D., Bellizzi, M. and Wright, S. (2000). Faster top running speeds are achieved with greater ground forces not more rapid leg movements. Journal of Applied Physiology, 89, 1991-2000.
11. Young, Michael. Maximal Velocity Sprint Mechanics. Track Coach. No. 179. Spring 2007.

What I learned of the mechanics of throwing is that we put too much torque on the arm when we are growing up in the game (watch my 5 components of pitching for more on this). It takes the best ball players in the game less time to learn how to develop torque in the core of the body and we average to below average ball players an injury to develop this understanding of Top Velocity.

“Top Velocity in all sports comes from momentum in the lower half leading to separation of back hip to back shoulder.”

Notice the three pictures here. These are the best throwers in their sport and what do they have in common besides the fact that they are throwing something? They all have separation of the hips and shoulders, which is giving them majority torque in the core instead of in the shoulder. This is why throwing upper 90′s in baseball looks effortless in guys like John Smoltz. When you can develop maximum torque in the core, instead of the shoulder, you will reach your Top Velocity.

This is why I have developed this site because most of you reading this are saying, “Wow, I never looked at these three sports this way and the similarities of these top athletes.”

So Why is this important?
This is important because throwing in these individual sports has been seen as a separate and unique event and not seen, until now, as something as common to all sports as running.

So what does this mean?
It means that we should be looking at what these top athletes are doing in all these sports, to help gain an edge in our sport. As I always say to my young pitchers, “First train as an athlete, then as a baseball player and finally as a pitcher.” This is the only way to reach your Top Velocity and I am here to help you. So read more of this site and post your questions on the forum. It is FREE!