There is a reason a player doesn’t release full power in a swing, pops up, grounds out, loses the strike zone on the bump (pitching rubber), commits an error or goes home post playing with a sore elbow or shoulder. It typically comes down to the following question:
Did the muscles move the bones correctly? It really is that simple and it is the foundation of the Diamond Sticks workshop.
Process Based Performance
This unique bodyweight softball and baseball specific strength workshop will introduce players and parents to a revolutionary training system called Stick Mobility to help them throw harder, generate more power at the plate and get the ball from one glove to another more accurately. Not too mention with a reduced chance of sustaining an injury.
The Diamond Sticks workshop focus isn't concerned with where the ball goes when it leaves the hand or jumps off the bat. It focuses on improving the movements that get it there.
The video below is the rotating lunge motion, or one of the most common, not too mention critical, movements a player makes. It is also the foundation for throwing velocity and power at the plate. This is where most performance breaks down if a player leaks power anywhere along this sequence in their movement chain.
You can't "fire a canoe" from a canoe. Movement stabilization starts in our core, then works its way out to our limbs (1). Think the bat head at the point of contact and the ball when it is released as the trunk rotates. This is why developing more strength standing still allows you to move with explosive power.
Strength Up The Middle
My dad taught me at a very young age, successful teams are only as good as they are strong "up the middle" (P, C, SS, 2B, CF). The body is no different.
In movement, when the arms and legs (corner fielders) are absolutely anchored to our core muscles (middle fielders), performance increases and the chances of sustaining an injury decreases. This is why it is critical to dial in the diagonal connections of the hips and opposite shoulder (2).
Do that, and cutting a square into triangles throwing and hitting gets a lot better elevating performance levels. More importantly, it means reducing the chances of sustaining an injury from the asymmetric repetitive rotational stress created by hitting and throwing.
Stick Mobility: More Muscular Assists In The Box Scores
When a muscle contracts with enough force, it can recruit nearby muscles to do work as well. This simultaneous contraction of multiple muscles at once in a movement chain can amplify your total strength levels. This is Sherrington's Law of Irradiation, and the foundation of Stick Mobility (3).
This method just plain works. So much so that players in the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA, on the PGA Tour and pro surfers are using it to build stronger movement platforms allowing them to unleash more power.
The video below demonstrates a standing rotating plank, or the way a hitter moves in the batter's box. The stick is already set up to cut a square into triangles to train the movement that much more.
Notice the static "plank position" that begins to generate static force in the trunk. From here, a "loaded core" begins moving the hips through the swing. The back foot then "squishes the bug" as the trunk brings the hands through the ball.
If there is a movement the body makes on the field, Stick Mobility will make it stronger.
Diamond Sticks Workshop
When: Saturday August 5, 2017
Time: 11:45am-1:15pm
Where: Bay Area Fitness and Nutrition, 298 San Antonio Rd, Suite 300, Mountain View
Cost: $0
Please come prepared to move because their will be audience participation when we cover all of the movement elements in the fundamentals of throwing and swinging!
To get more information about this workshop, or to sign up, please contact IPF. Space is limited to RSVP ASAP to be sure to get your spot.
References
1)"How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy! Your Personalized 4-Step Guide to Looking Good and Feeling Great From The Inside Out," Paul Check
2) “The Essence of Band and Pulley Training Companion Guide,” Juan Carlos Santana MeD, CSCS
3) "The Concept of Irradiation," Rodney McBride B.S., CSCS, CPT, LMT
==============================================================================
Al Painter founded INTEGRATE Performance Fitness in 2008 and brings a total of 16 years of an award winning proven approach to observing the body move, then getting it to do it better. In addition to industry honors earned, Al was named “Top Community Dad” by Building Peaceful Families.
His baseball experience includes:
Current T-Ball Director, Mountain View Little League (MVLL)
Coaching my daughter's MVLL T-Ball Team in 2017 (best coaching position yet!)
Instructing Clinics for both players and coaches, as well as assisting with practice instruction, Mountain View Little League
Varsity baseball coach: Los Altos High, Sacred Heart Prep and Mountain View High (two seasons)
Former Los Altos Hills Little League Juniors Coach
Individual Hitting and Pitching Skills Instruction
Fitness training for players at the Minor League Baseball, Collegiate, High School and Youth League Levels
Getting his first glove at the age of seven and a having lifelong love for the game ever since!