Mobility Screen

George has a neutral spine position in his athletic stance.  George created anterior and posterior pelvic tilt but had some vibration as he went into anterior.  This is generally a sign of lower back or lower abdominal control or strength issues.  George passed both pelvic and torso disassociation.  George was limited in his primary squat screen and passed the secondary screen.  George is loose in his thoracic rotation and hip mobility.  Of note George showed core instability in his glute bridge screen.

Force Plate Swings

George produced 103% BW into the ground and loaded into his toes. We would like to see him use the heel or whole foot. Loading into the toe causes back-leg force to significantly decrease as he advances forward; meaning he pushes away from the catcher and rather than pushing directly into the ground. Ideally, we would like to see him maintain BW as long as possible in his back leg.  His front leg metric is low at 165% and he should be around 200%. This metric can be improved by maintaining his back-leg load longer and turn into the ground. In order to produce a faster spike in his lead leg, we would like to see George interact with the ground more powerfully and forcefully. He slightly strides across his body which will cause torque numbers to be high. On his back-leg George produced 66 Newtons and 213 on the front. His x-axis timing, a metric used for adjustability, well within expectation at near 90%. George falls into his front leg while gaining ground. Instead we would like him to gain ground, while remaining actively anchored.

KVEST Sequencing & Rotational Speeds

George demonstrated good swing sequencing for the majority of his swings. His hips, torso, lead arm and bat were all in order. As you can see in his graph (brown line) spikes twice, which indicates he likely loses posture early (roll over). George can correct this by learning to hinge and loading into his heel. Once achieved, he will be able to be stay on plane longer and avoid side spun (hooked) balls. His hip speeds meet our expectation at 700 deg/sec and his torso gains at 882 deg/sec. The lead arm gets good gain at 1173 deg/sec and the overall rotational speed is 1924 deg/sec.

Bat Sensor Data

George’s bat speeds are above average for his age, ranging from 69-74mph. His attack angles were higher than we prefer, ranging from 27-30 degrees. Ideally, we want this around 8-12 degrees. Again, this is caused by losing posture early forcing George to attack the ball higher.

His rotational acceleration numbers were within expectation at 16-19 G’s which indicates a “tight turn”.  His time to contact was average at 160ms. Vertical bat angle varies on pitch location; George ranged from -26 to -29 in the middle of the zone.

Movement Prep

1. 2 knee anchored hip hinge – start on two knees. Keep spine in neutral position. Hinge from hips as the hip goes rearward towards heels.
2. 1 knee anchored (rear knee) lead leg extended hip hinge – start on rear knee w/lead leg extended sideways. Keep spine in neutral position. Hinge from hips as the hip goes rearward towards heel.
3. Banded rear hip 1 knee hip hinge – start on rear knee w/lead leg extended (banded rear hip -belt). Keep spine in neutral position. Hinge from hips as the hip goes rearward towards heel.
4. Standing kettlebell half squats – front rack a kettlebell and squat from a neutral spine position.
5. Standing kettlebell one leg half squat w/slide disc – front rack a kettle bell and squat on rear leg from a neutral spine position. Front foot should slide away from body to the side.
6. One leg kettlebell jump – start with kettlebell front racked. Starting on back leg, jump off one leg, land and support weight with a neutral spine position.
7. Standing hinge/counter – from hitting position hinge & counter turn hips. Match shoulder counter turn to hip counter turn. Use a PVC on shoulders if necessary.
8. Standing advance hinge/counter w/slide disc – from stance (lead foot on slide disc) slide front foot out as the hips hinge and counter turn. Can use PVC on shoulders if necessary.
9. Standing advance hinge/counter – from stance advance into stride as the hips hinge and counter turn. Can use PVC on shoulders if necessary.

1. Sit-up position posterior tilt – start in sit-up position with your hand under your lower back. There will be a natural tilt of the pelvis into anterior position. From here begin the sit-up while trying to feel your lumbar spine press firmly into your hand. Once you feel this sensation you will return to original position. Next try to create the same sensation without raising your shoulders or hips off the ground.
2. Hands and knees anterior/posterior tilt – start on hands and knees (knees under hips). Create anterior and posterior tilt using as little thoracic movement as possible.
3. Hands and knees single arm anterior/posterior tilt – start on hands and knees (knees under hips) and bring one hand to your chest. Create anterior and posterior tilt using as little thoracic movement as possible. Repeat with the opposite hand on chest.
4. Standing hands on knees anterior/posterior tilt – start with hands on knees (athletic position). Create anterior and posterior tilt with as little thoracic movement as possible.
5. Standing single arm anterior/posterior tilt – start with one hand on a knee and the other on your chest (athletic position). Create anterior and posterior tilt with as little thoracic movement as possible. Repeat with opposite hand placement.
6. Dead bug progression – start on back with knees and hips bent at 90 degrees (you should feel your entire spine connected to the ground – if not bend slightly more from the hips). Elevate arms so the wrists and elbows are directly above the shoulder (towards the sky). Extend one leg away without the spine coming off the ground (the pelvis will want to go anterior and lift the lumbar spine). Reset and repeat with the other leg.

1. Push-up position single shoulder touches – start in push-up position, use one hand to touch opposite shoulder. Make sure spine stays flat in a neutral position. Repeat with the opposite hand.
2. Push up position since arm pull throughs – start in push up position with a weight just outside body frame (even with rib cage). Grab the weight with the opposite hand and pull under the body to the opposite side. Keep spine flat and neutral (can put a ball or PVC on back to ensure no movement). Repeat pulling back the opposite direction.
3. Standing sideways band resisted isometric holds – start with band anchored off to the side of the body. Take bands and hold them even with the chest, press away from chest, hold for 15 seconds. You can vary resistance of bands and add band interference as needed. Repeat opposite direction. Repeat from multiple postures.
4. Standing offset band resisted isometric holds – start with band anchored off to the side of the body. Disassociate the torso at least 30 degrees from the pelvis/hips. Hold bands even with the chest, press away from chest, hold for 15 seconds. You can vary resistance and add band interference as needed. Repeat opposite direction.
5. Standing eccentric/concentric band resisted turns – start with band anchored off to the side of the body. Hold band even with the chest, press away from chest, rotate away from anchor point (quickly), return back to center (slowly – 10 count). Repeat opposite direction. Repeat from multiple postures (ball heights).
6. Partner assisted counter move resistance – start from launch position. Have partner rotate shoulders in the counter turn direction, resist the turn (5 second holds). Repeat from multiple postures.
7. Partner assisted finish resistance – start at the follow through portion of the swing. Have partner rotate shoulders in the direction of the finish, resist the turn (5 second holds). Repeat from multiple finishing postures.
8. Counter turn medicine ball catches – start in counter turn position. Have a partner throw a medicine ball off the backside of the counter turn position. Catch the ball and stabilize without continuing into counter turn. The ball weight, speed, or distance away from the body can be adjusted as needed. Repeat in multiple postures.
9. Swing finish medicine ball catches – start at finish of swing. Have a partner throw a medicine ball off your finish side, catch and stabilize the ball without continuing further into finish. The ball weight, speed, and distance away from the body can be adjusted as needed. Repeat in multiple finishing postures.
10. Counter turn medicine ball catch and throw – start in stance, catch ball going into counter turn, and throw back in swing posture. Throw from multiple swing postures and throw in different direction of follow through (opposite field, center field, pull side). Hold finish in the direction of the throw for deceleration work.
11. Finish medicine ball catch and throw – start at finish of swing, catch ball going into the finish of the swing and reverse the throw back. Throw from multiple swing postures, trying to stabilize after the throw as well.
12. PVC check progression

Swing Prep

1. Movement prep work based off screening and video assessment.
2. PVC full swing (hear the most amount of wind off the PVC)
3. PVC 180 degree swing – use a split grip on PVC (about two fist lengths). Create as much wind as possible while not going past 180 degrees of a turn. There will be rear elbow disconnect from the body line, but not across the belly button. Repeat from different postures (different pitch heights). Repeat to different layouts (opposite field, center, pull side).
4. PVC 90 degree swing – use a split grip on the PVC (about two fist lengths). Create as much wind as possible without disconnecting rear elbow from rear hip. Repeat from different postures (different pitch heights). Repeat to different layouts (opposite field, center, pull side).
5. Full bat swings (fastest bat speed)
6. Bat 180 degrees swings on a tee – use split grip (about one fist length). Create as much much speed as possible without going past 180 degrees of a turn. There should be no wrist roll on the finish. There will be rear elbow disconnect from the rear hip (but not across belly button). Repeat from different postures (different pitch heights). Repeat to different layouts (opposite field, center, pull side).
7. Bat 90 degree swings on a tee – use split grip (about one fist length). Create as much speed as possible without disconnecting rear elbow from rear hip. Repeat from different postures (different pitch heights). Repeat to different layouts (opposite field, center, pull side).
8. Bat 180 degree swing on a flip or short overhand – use split grip (about one fist length). Create as much much speed as possible without going past 180 degrees of a turn. There should be no wrist roll on the finish. There will be rear elbow disconnect from the rear hip (but not across belly button). Repeat from different postures (different pitch heights). Repeat to different layouts (opposite field, center, pull side).
9. Bat 90 degree swing on a flip or short overhand – use split grip (about one fist length). Create as much speed as possible without disconnecting rear elbow from rear hip. Repeat from different postures (different pitch heights). Repeat to different layouts (opposite field, center, pull side).

1. One leg kettlebell squat w/slide disc – start on back foot with kettle bell front racked. Front foot will have a slide disc under it. Squat with normal pattern with emphasis on feeling heel centric load, while allowing lead foot to slide out.
2. One leg kettlebell jump squat – start on back foot with kettle bell front racked. Squat with normal pattern and then jump off the ground. Stabilize with a soft landing as you go back into squatting position. Feel the heel impact and create pressure against the ground.
3. Back foot disc anchors – start with a disc under the ball of the foot of the rear shoe. Heel of the rear shoe should be anchored to the ground. Stride away from the back foot while keeping it anchored in the ground.
4. Both feet disc anchors – start with both balls of feet on the slide disc. The heel of both feet should be off the discs. Stride forward by sliding the lead slide disc forward (you should be on the ball of foot only. The rear shoe will stay anchored in the heel and the lead side will slide free. As you get to end of stride length begin to turn the pelvis/hips. The lead foot should now anchor the heel which will stop the slide forward. Back side will likely spin or kickback off of disc.
5. No feet neutral stance full swing – start in neutral launch position. No additional stride, slight counter turn and then swing. Feet stay anchored throughout the swing (back foot may slide rearward but stay flat on ground). Repeat to different postures (pitch heights) and directionality (opposite field, center, pull side).
6. Normal stance/stride no feet full swing – start in normal stance and take normal stride. Go right into swing without the feet coming off the ground (back foot may slide rearward, but stays on the ground). Repeat to different postures (pitch heights) and directionality (opposite field, center, pull side).
7. Banded resistance swings – banded resistance to the lead hip (belt). Normal swings with thought of resisting the band from pulling you forward in the turn. Band resistance can be altered as necessary. Repeat to different postures (pitch heights) and directionality (opposite field, center, pull side).