What do you do with all this data – mostly from high speed video and optical data from marker-less tracking systems (KINATRAX for example)?
- Can you input ”motion” from joints by using inverse dynamics to calculate the force and torque within the body?
- Can you calculate the muscle optimization methods to calculate the forces in the muscles and joints?
- Do you know the SWING ATTRACTORS?
- Can you extract the most from the optical C3D data with your resources?
- Are you precise, efficient, repeatable & consistent in player development with your hitters?
- Can you use the findings to build cleaner, functional movement patterns with your hitters?
STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE! Everyone has the same technology.
The NEW COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO FIND NEW METHODS OF EXTRACTING THE MOST FROM THE DATA WITH THEIR RESOURCES.
Extracting the most value from the data EXPANDS THE NUMBER OF INSIGHTS AVAILABLE FOR PLAYER DEVELOPMENT by enhancing performance of your hitters.
WHY USE BIOMECHANICS MOTION ANALYSIS?
- To solve the degrees of freedom choices in hitting;
- To help with motor learning;
- To apply & measure the SWING ATTRACTORS;
- Motor synergies are the answer to degrees of freedom.
- Attract hitters to MOTOR PROGRAMS that will enhance their game performances;
- Looking at muscle synergies and coordinative movement for instance instead of saying ”torso”, our analysis looks at the coordinative interaction of the rhomboids, scapula, lats, serratus, obliques, etc.
- Skill acquisition in baseball involves ”couplings” especially as the different phases of the swing intersect.
- Build cleaner, functional movement patterns that ultimately enhances game performances;
- How the problem of movement coordination can be solved during training by the introduction of constraints and structure drills at practice that teach the feel of the relevant motor synergies.
MOTION ANALYSIS IS NOT:
- it’s not Kinematic sequence;
- it’s not hip-shoulder separation;
- it’s not just bat speed, exit velocity & launch angle;
- it’s not a long litany of flaws;
- it’s not comparative analysis;
- it’s not coming up with averages.
It’s understanding the ”under the hood” stuff that enhances performance. It’s testing the athlete beforehand, then during and after intervention, and finally quantifying the effects.
WHY BIOMECHANICS MOTION ANALYSIS?
- Create benchmarks;
- Judges the efficacy of developing players;
- Builds a trusted process that is precise, measurable & repeatable.
- With the proliferation of motion capture analysis, player development can become more precise;
- For instance, if torso acceleration is an issue with your hitter – look at the coordinative interactions of the torso mentioned above, then coaching that ”up” is confirming the problem with torso acceleration then using the proven drills/protocols within the organization to fix that particular issue.
- THE IMPLICATIONS ARE MASSIVE in both assessment/diagnosis AND supplying the FIX/solution.
THE PROCESS
Figure out what is IMPORTANT; that’s Step 1. Then figure out and find the metrics to test, tabulate, plot, illustrate them.
Data driven development looks different for everyone.
Most technology available for baseball provides an ”insane” amount of information. Figuring out what is IMPORTANT i.e. the SWING ATTRACTORS IS STEP 1.
After you identify SWING ATTRACTORS, then STEP 2 is writing a ”code” (algorithm) that measures, plots, tabulates, illustrates the metrics. This “code” provides the most value from the data based on what the organization deems most important in STEP 1.
Every hitter is different; but the TASK IS THE SAME FOR ALL HITTERS. PLAYER DEVELOPMENT involves figuring out the commonalities and making sure the player is being taught ”those”.
It’s understanding the ”under the hood” stuff that enhances performance. It’s testing the athlete beforehand, then during and after intervention, and finally quantifying the effects. The biomechanics motion analysis provides clear and convincing proof and evidence of the efficacy of developing players.
These ”commonalities” or ”universal” patterns happen at a deeper than surface level – but not so deep as to be forever mysterious.
Coaches and players are often risk-averse to biomechanics motion analysis; instead relying exclusively on favorite drills & cues and swearing that any new training program will not work.
It scares hitters away from a GROWTH MINDSET and into a mindset of accepting status quo & mediocrity.
There is a ”COST” to status quo.
The COST is all of these players who get drafted and the organization commits all of their resources, yet the PLAYER NEVER MAKES IT.
The game of baseball is “passing by” too many HITTERS while the data “sits on the shelf“ because there is not a way to do quality biomechanics motion analysis ON HITTING that is a DIFFERENCE MAKER.
The CODE HAS BEEN CRACKED for PITCHING; WHY NOT HITTING? It is NOT the “same analysis” for pitchers & hitters – it’s not the same analysis as used in golf. The analysis is SPECIFIC TO HITTING AT THE MAJOR LEAGUE LEVEL.
SWING ATTRACTORS has cracked the code for HITTERS! It’s time to close the gap again and provide meaningful solutions to the best generation of hitters/athletes ever to play our game!
PURSUE EXCELLENCE & WIN THIS PITCH!