Mobility Screen

Ian sets up with a neutral posture. He had good range of motion arching his back, but showed vibration during anterior tilt. This indicates there is an imbalance between his lower back and abdominal muscles. This should be a primary focus on his functional strength plan. For example, implementing a dead bug variation and/or superman series in his movement prep will help improve his range of motion. In turn, this will help with maintaining athletic posture in his swing. Ian passed the pelvic and torso disassociation screen. This shows he is capable of separating his lower body from his upper body, which is imperative to swing from the ground up. 

Ian was limited in both squat screens by externally rotating his feet and not reaching the desired depth. In his ankle screen, Ian was 2” short of expected range of motion. This will impact his ability to support his body throughout the swing. Ankle mobility exercises need to be highlighted in his weight room routine. Ideally, we want athletes to start the loading process slow and early. However, with limited ankle mobility it will be challenging to maintain a back-leg load and front leg interaction. Ian’s hamstrings were within expectation as he was able to touch his toes without bending his knees. 

During our thoracic mobility test, Ian actively turned 65 degrees to his right and 75 degrees to his left. He is on the looser end of thoracic mobility; this indicates it will take longer for Ian to take the slack out of his body. Ian created 70 degrees of thoracic side bend to both sides. This screen shows he is capable of having adequate side bend at contact. In the scapular retraction test he pulled rearward 2 inches. This test shows he will won’t need a big loading mechanism. During the scapular palpation test, we were able get fingertips underneath his scapula. This indicates the muscle underneath his shoulder blade are underdeveloped, which is completely normal for his age. In order to maintain a scap load, Ian will have to strengthen this area. Scapular strength is delicate and should be consistently targeted in his workout routine. 

Ian is considered “neutral” in the lower quarter rotation test. He generated 45 degrees of left internal hip rotation and 40 degrees externally. He produced 55 degrees of right internal hip rotation and 50 externally.  Ian was able to balance on his right leg for 7 seconds and 4 seconds on his left which is lower than we would prefer. Both ankles showed instability (shaking), which circles back to limited dorsiflexion. Ankle mobility needs to be targeted in the weight room in order to for them to support his forward advance. Ian was limited in the glute bridge test and his core showed instability. Abdominals are the leading energy transfer in the body. We need to strengthen this area to efficiently transfer the energy to other areas of the body. 

Ian had adequate range of motion externally in both shoulders. He was limited in the internal shoulder screen on both sides by a few inches. This will impact his ability to pronate during the swing and throwing. Ian was limited in the lat-length/shoulder flexion test. Near his end range he arched his back in attempt to increase his range of motion.  During the reach, roll, and lift test, Ian was able to lift and hold both arm for the desired time frame. However, both arms showed signs of instability (shaking) and limited rotation. Once he stabilizes the muscles underneath his shoulder blade he will be able to control his load which will help with consistency. This circles back to getting fingers underneath his scapula. Again, this should be a primary focus in his routine. He passed all cervical, and wrists screens. 

Force Plate Swings

Ian produced 105% 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 rather than pushing directly into the ground. Ideally, we would like to see him maintain BW (98%-100%) as long as possible in his back leg. His front leg metric is low at 148% and he should be around 200%. This metric can be improved by maintaining his back-leg load longer and turning into the ground. In order to produce a faster spike in his lead leg, we would like to see Ian interact with the ground more powerfully and forcefully. Additionally, his lead leg rate of force is slower than preferred, and once he corrects his back leg we will likely see an improvement here. On his back-leg Ian produced 19 Newtons and 50 on the front. His x-axis timing, a metric used for adjustability, is lower than expectation at 50%. Ian falls into his front leg while gaining ground. Instead we would like him to gain ground, while remaining actively anchored. 

KVEST Sequencing & Rotational Speeds

Ian demonstrated good swing sequencing for the majority of his swings. His hips, torso, lead arm and bat were all in order, demonstrating an in-sequence swing. His hips (red line), torso (green line), and arm (blue line), are nearly turning at the same time showing little separation. This makes it difficult to adjusts to off speed pitches and will force Ian to make an early swing decision. Ian’s hip speeds meet our expectation at 666deg/sec and his torso gets little gain at 883 deg/sec. The lead arm turns at 888 deg/sec and the overall rotational speed is 1568 deg/sec. This circles back to Ian’s limitation in the pelvic disassociation. In order to send energy up the chain efficiently, body segments must rotate independently. Once achieved he will create a bigger stretch across his body (rubber band effect) and will likely see faster turn speeds. Additionally, scapular strength needs to be targeted in his workout routine. This will allow him to create resistance as he begins rotation. Ian will significantly benefit from movement/ swing prep.

Bat Sensor Data

Ian’s exit velocity ranged from 74-77mph. Ian’s bat speeds are slightly above average for his age, ranging from 61-64pmh. His attack angles were higher than we prefer, ranging from 10-12 degree, which is within expectation. His rotational acceleration numbers were average at 10-11 G’s. This number will increase with better rotary stability. His time to contact was average at 160ms. Vertical bat angle varies on pitch location; Ian’s were in a good range from -24 to -31. 

Movement Prep

Disassociation

1. Rack or Open doorway assisted pelvic disassociation – place hands/forearms against anchored frame (keep shoulder line inside of frame). Rotate pelvis/hips w/out moving shoulders.

2. Push-up position with forearms on the ground. Rotate hips while keeping upper body stabile. 

3. Partner assisted pelvic disassociation – have a partner support your shoulders. Rotate pelvis/hips w/out moving shoulders. Repeat from multiple postures (from high pitch to low pitch).

4. Partner assisted counter turn pelvic disassociation – have a partner turn your shoulders into counter rotation. Resist the rotation and rotate pelvis/hips while resisting the counter turn. Repeat from multiple postures.

5. Self resisted pelvic disassociation – start with a PVC on the shoulders for reference. Keep the PVC stabile while rotating pelvis/hips. Repeat from multiple postures.

Rotary Instability – Anti-Rotation/Deceleration

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

Scapular Resistance

1. J-band reverse fly’s – attach j-bands to both wrists. Start with anchor point facing the chest. Pull arms rearward by retracting the scapulas together. Maintain a neutral spine position. Hold at the retracted position for a 5 count and then return to the front (5 count coming forward as well – as the scapulas slowly move away from the spine and work off the rib cage.  

2. J-band bent arm pulls – attach j-bands to both wrists. Start with anchor point facing chest. Arms start bent at 90 degrees. Pull the elbows rearward as you retract the scapulas towards the spine. Maintain a neutral spine position. Return back to 90 degree position. Repeat as you change anchor point height and adjust posture accordingly.

3. Single arm j-band arm pull – attach j-band to the back side wrist. Start with anchor point facing chest. Arm starts at 90 degrees. Pull elbow rearward while lead arm stays relaxed. Keep rib cage as stabile as possible. Return back to starting point. Repeat as you change anchor point and adjust posture accordingly.

4. Single arm j-band body turn – attach j-band to the back side wrist. Hold arm at 90 degrees. Rotate body in the normal swing direction. Make sure the wrist doesn’t move as the scapula is retracted by the turn of the torso.  Return back to starting point. Repeat as you change anchor point and adjust posture accordingly.

5. Single arm, j-band back resisted turn – attach j-band to wrist. Anchor point will be off the side of the body (back shoulder).  Start with arm at 90 degrees. Turn torso away from anchor while resisting wrist movement away from body (supination is fine). You may feel external shoulder rotation. Repeat as you change anchor point and adjust posture accordingly.

Swing Prep

Time To Impact

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).

Deceleration

1. Rotational medicine ball throws – start in stance with medicine ball around rear ribcage/abdomen. Stride and throw medicine ball with focus on staying in posture. Repeat from multiple hitting postures (different pitch heights) and different directionality (opposite field, center, pull side).

2. Cross body medicine ball throws – start in a cross body stance (lead leg stride across the direction of the throw).  Full speed throw trying to maintain feet spacing. Repeat to different postures (pitch heights) and directionality (opposite field, center, pull side)

3. Rotational medicine ball throws with constraint – start in stance with medicine ball around the rear ribcage/abdomen. Stride and throw medicine ball with focus on staying in posture. Block lead leg from opening while thinking lead pocket should turn as little as possible. Repeat from multiple hitting postures (different pitch heights) and different directionality (opposite field, center, pull side).

4. Cross stride start full swing – start with rear foot two feet behind front foot in normal launch position.  No additional stride, slight counter turn and then swing. Try to maintain spacing between feet. Repeat to different postures (pitch heights) and directionality (opposite field, center, pull side).

5. Normal stance cross stride full swing – start in normal stance, stride closed (about two feet). Full swing trying to maintain feet spacing. Repeat to different postures (pitch heights) and directionality (opposite field, center, pull side).

6. 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).

7. 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).

8. Full swing limited hip turn – normal stance and stride. Normal swing trying to have the least amount of hip turn to get to full speed and best ball strike. Repeat to different postures (pitch heights) and directionality (opposite field, center, pull side).

9. Full swing limited torso turn – normal stance and stride. Normal swing trying to have the least amount of torso turn needed to get to full speed and best ball strike. Repeat to different postures (pitch heights) and directionality (opposite field, center, pull side).