Functional Path Training

Pitching Biomechanics - A Perspective

The following piece from yesterdays NY Times sports page made me decide to write this. Someone needs to set the record straight. The former Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson, who for 20 years has pioneered biomechanic analysis of pitching motions, said that he shielded athletes from the physics behind what they do.“You can’t build a car and drive one at the same time,” Peterson said. “When you talk about how the brain affects athletic performance, that’s mostly right-brain activity. The physics is left-brain. If you get too analytical, you’re going to interfere with that process. I show my guys the film, but not the measurements.” I have no tolerance for gurus and shameless self promoters. This guy is both. I had to work this guy, both with the White Sox and the Mets. He is not what he claims to be. He is such a pioneer that twenty years ago with the White Sox he stated to me, my boss and the other pitching coaches that he did not believe in biomechanical analysis. He refused to take his pitchers to the ASMI lab when he was our AA pitching coach in Birmingham.

We had started a comprehensive project of biomechanical analysis in 1989 with Dr. Chuck Dillman director of the ASMI lab and a real pioneer in the biomechanics field. We had the support of out General Manger Larry Himes and our Farm and Scouting Director Al Goldis. All our monor league pitching coaches were fully on board except for Rick Peterson. Dewey Robinson, out pitching coordinator at the time and now major league pitching coach for the Houston Astros worked hard to facilitate the project. Since our AA team was in Birmingham and ASMI was located there it was a natural to get this done. We realized that one off filming and analysis was not as productive as continual ongoing analysis, so we tried to get our prospects filmed early and them we filmed them as often as possible after that. Since AA is the point of make or break it a players career we would arrange to have the pitchers analyzed during the season by throwing their bullpen day in the lab. From all of these we were able to refine our conditioning and clarify the key point s in a pitchers mechanics that the coaches could focus on. It was a guide, not an absolute process. We were not trying to develop a model as Tom House had done several years before with his biomechanical analysis with the Texas Rangers. The project was fully funded by ASMI because they needed high level subjects for their projects to understand the causes of elbow and shoulder injury.  We continued with this analysis throughout the remainder of my tenure with the White Sox.

When I went to work for the Mets Peterson had promoted himself into the job as major league pitching coach after his success as pitching coach with the Oakland A’s using biomechanical analysis. I found this very ironic. Now everything was based on biomechanics. In addition he was focused on certain measures completely out of context. His big emphasis was hip rotational velocity, one of the many measures in the pitchers analysis. I kept telling him you can’t shot a cannon from a canoe, there are several very large body segments before the hips are involved that contribute to hip rotational velocity. This fell on deaf ears. I made him very uncomfortable because I knew he was misrepresenting what he had done with the White Sox. I was a living skeleton in his closet. Well now he is the biomechanics guru. All of you pitching coaching out there take what he says with a huge block of salt.

There is a large body of data of good data on pitching biomechanics going back to Dr. Betty Attwaters (University of Arizona) work in the late seventies. Her article in Exercise and Sport Reviews in 1979 -Biomechanics of overarm throwing movements and of throwing injuries,is a classic. Once again I implore all of you to seek knowledge not information. I also want to emphasize that our work with Dr Dillman and later Dr. Fleisig was invaluable. We did mini studies on throwing over and underweight balls and throwing a football that were very helpful. Lastly I think it is important that biomechanical analysis is one tool in a large toolbox the coach has available.

Perception Versus Reality

We see what we chose to notice. Five years ago when I decided I was interested in a Honda Element all of a sudden I started seeing more Honda Elements on the road. Were there really more Honda Elements? No of course not, but I was now choosing to notice them. We do the same thing in rehab and training. A few years ago I attended a convincing presentation on foot biomechanics, so for the next several weeks it seemed everyone had poor foot biomechanics. The moral of this story is to remember that we see what we chose to notice unless trained otherwise. That is why it is so important to have another set of eyes look at your athletes’ and to always keep the big picture in mind. Another set of eyes will see things you miss. Remember that the next time you see a Honda Element; there actually are more of them than there were five years ago. Perception or reality?

2009 GAIN Apprentorship

 

GAIN 09 Awesome!!!!

We finished the second GAIN Apprentorship on Wednesday midday. It is hard to find words to describe this year’s experience. A great group of professionals coupled with a great group of faculty made for an unforgettable experience. It was an intense five days of learning and sharing of ideas. It was neat to see everyone grasp the athletic development concepts and begin to run with them. This is the start of the Athletic Development revolution. I can’t wait for next year!

Peter Callahan

You may recall sometime last winter I posted about Peter Callahan. Actually put up a picture of “Burn with Vern” that he and his teammates had drawn on the whiteboard in their weight room. Peter just graduated from Northshore Country Day School in Winnetka, Illinois and will attend Princeton University next year. That is an accomplishment in itself. The real story is that Peter is now the number four ranked prep miler in the US with a time of 4:05.2 run at the Midwest Distance Gala this past weekend. That was an 11 second PR – not a misprint an 11 second PR! This accomplishment is a real testament to the Athletic Development model that his coach Patrick McHugh used to develop this young man. He trained as an athlete. In his freshman and sophomore year he player both soccer and basketball, in his Junior and Senior year he just played soccer in the fall for his school, did run not cross country. This spring he ran his first 30 mile week! A testament that to run fast does not require mega miles, remember that guy named Seb Coe?  In the Illinois State meet he ran and won the Mile, 800 Meters (Division State record) and anchored his schools 4 x 800 team so he certainly has the stamina to run a series of races. Most of all this kid competes and  follows a race plan. Patrick instilled in him that the key to running fast is to compete and follow the race plan. The better the competition the faster he runs. It should be pointed out that Northshore does not have a track.  He runs the 800 meters this weekend at the Nike Nationals – Good luck Peter!

Confused

Jonathan Hewitt wrote the following in response to yesterday post ( My response is in bold): Please correct me if I'm wrong (and I often am) but I think I heard you say one time that you have your volleyball players and throwers throw with their non-dominant hand. Why is this? Perhaps I heard this somewhere else, Not Sure. Throwing with non-dominant arm has nothing to do with symmetry, I do that for the cross transfer effect, essentially improve coordination.

Is there a difference between physical (aesthetic) symmetry and movement symetry? Instead of movement symmetry a better way of stating it may be biomotor symmetry? Cyclic movements like sprinting appear symmetrical but with biomechanical analysis we have learned that there are subtle differences right to left. Aesthetic symmetry, what the naked eye can see is good for me.

Two Days and Counting

The second GAIN Apprentorship will start on Friday. I can’t wait. We have twenty three new students and five returning from last year plus a great faculty with years of experience. This is a real highpoint of my year. For me it is a great opportunity to learn and be energized, a time to share and make new friends. If time permits I will post several times during the Apprentorship.

Symmetry

This past weekend when I was on a panel at the Perform Better Summit in Chicago several of the presenters referred to symmetry in the body. I left with the impression that when they detected asymmetries then they would then correct those. (Please keep in mind this is my interpretation and recollection of what was said) I have been down that path and it ended up in a very frustrating dead end. I think we need to remember that the body is fundamentally asymmetrical. We have the heart on one side body, both lobes of the brain are not equal size, in females one breast is lower than the other, in males one testicle is lower than the other. Even in elite sprinters step length is not even. There is a slight difference left to right and right to left. All of that being said, then should we try to make the body symmetrical and balanced? I really don’t think so. We need to look at proportional development and decide what is acceptable for the person relative to the task they are performing. A right handed tennis player who has played for a number of years will have a significantly bigger right wrist and forearm than the left. The body will adapt to the task demanded. As professionals we have to observe how it adapts and make sure all the parts are timed up and working in harmony. In my opinion the goal should be proportional development, otherwise we may be seeking an unattainable goal. Remember we want to create fully adaptable athletes not robots.

Seth Godin’s Post Today

Seth Godin always seems to start my day out on a up note either by challenging my thinking or inspiring me. http://sethgodin.typepad.com Each of us does matter. We can change, inspire and lead and any number of ways. I hope this post from Seth Godin touches you like it did me:

When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.

When you are so gracious and generous and aware that you think of other people before yourself, you matter.

When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter.

When you continue to raise the bar on what you do and how you do it, you matter.

When you teach and forgive and teach more before you rush to judge and demean, you matter.

When you touch the people in your life through your actions (and your words), you matter.

When kids grow up wanting to be you, you matter.

When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter.

When you inspire a Nobel prize winner or a slum dweller, you matter.

When the room brightens when you walk in, you matter.

And when the legacy you leave behind lasts for hours, days or a lifetime, you matter.

Good or Great

“Good is the enemy of great” said Jim Collins author of Good to Great. It is easy to be good, which to me is average; it is not easy to be great. Greatness takes a deeper commitment, a narrower focus, a willingness to be uncomfortable all the time. Many are called and few are chosen. We all have the opportunity to be great, it is not about talent, it is about mindset. A growth mindset gives you the opportunity to be great. I find it especially interesting that the great ones are always looking for way to be better, to grow. The good ones are satisfied. Take a chance; be great at what you do!