ONBASEU PITCHING SEMINAR

P’ing Eval

-History/Efficiency (Net power/min effort, repeatable/command) & style/P eval/Equip eval/Mental eval/Physical cond.
Eval/Interpretation of data/Priroitization of data/Development of treatment plan/Report of findings/Prescription

If you do not test it – YOU ARE GUESSING

Mobility – Move in all 3 planes; stability – only needs to move in 1 plane, but can move in all 3

Efficiency w/ 3D & Style w/ 2D

Kinematic sequence – Efficiency of transferring speed to ball – LB/thorax/elbow extension/shoulder IR; each segment of
chain slows down as next segment accelerates

Energy transfer/decel is key to power

Best pitchers leave volcanoes, not molehills

4 Key Positions – Max leg lift; foot strike/plant; layback (max ER), ball release

Faults

Max Leg Lift – Sway/Hanging Back

Cocking – Closing Front/Backside; Flying Open

Foot Plant – Fwd Lunge/Early Extension/Short Stride/Late Riser/Collapsing Front Knee

Layback – High Hand/Early Bowing

Release – Early Release

Entire Pitch – Head shift

Motor Patterns created around physical limitations Back hip cannot IR, Sway may be introduced

13 Faults

Sway – Excessive lateral tilt/posture change during leg lift; typical is sway away from hitter; straight line from inside of
back knee at max leg lift; back leg is straight up vs loading hip

Backside hip IR/Backside ankle mobility/Limited spinal dissoc/Limited LB stability/Frontside hip flexion

Hanging Back – Remain vertical for longer time, front side hip line, move across line at max leg lift

Hip mob/Stability/Limited Spine Dissoc/Backside ankle mob/Limited SL Strength/power/Frontside hip flexion

Closing Front/Back – Trunk/pelvis become misaligned towards/back/front; moment prior to foot strike/plant

Limited spine/hip mobility/Limited spine dissoc/Limited hip/core stability/Backside ankle PF/Limited shoulder mobility

Flying Open (drone/back/down line view) – P torso rotates too early and arm is late; foot plant – largest dissoc of torso
pelvis at 40-60 degrees, rotate upper body/torso too soon and reduce separation; line parallel to P shoulders at top of
windup, stop video as soon as UB rotates off shoulder line; prior to 70% of stride length is flying open

Limited spine dissoc/Limited thorax mobility/Hip mobility/stability/Limited shldr mob/stability/Limited leg

strength/power/Short stride
Forward Lunge

Trunk/head gets ahead of body too early; poor loading into back hip or poor dissoc btw trunk/pelvis

Vertical line from center of head to belt buckle at foot strike; fwd of this line = fwd lunge

Limited spine dissoc; poor thorax mobility/extension; hip mob/stability/poor leg strength/power

Early Extension

Hips thrust fwd too early in windup/cocking phases; upper body lifts up w/ loss of posture; landing closed w/ slinging
arm action across body (body in way of elbow/arm

View from 2b – Vertical line over back ankle, foot strike – back hip sits deep into line during wind-up/stride; P moves in
front = early extension

Backside ankle mob/backside hip mob/stability/poor spine dissoc/poor leg strength/power/front side hip flexion

Short Stride

Less than 6 steps (top shoulder to ground); 1 foot of distance = 3.49 mph perceived velo; best in game stride equal/over
own height, normal is 85%; measure distance at foot strike

Poor hip mob/poor spine extension/Ankle PF/Ankle eversion/LL reciprocal pattern (flex/extend hips oppo)/poor
balance/poor leg strength/power/limited core/LB stability

Late Riser

Throwing hand down at foot plant, need hand above elbow at foot plant, horizontal line thru elbow at foot strike

Poor ER/poor spine dissoc/poor spine extension/poor scap stability

Front Knee Collapse

Flexion after foot plant/reduce stability, need knee extension into ball release

Poor frontside hip IR/poor LB stability/tibial rotation/front side ankle mob/poor balance

High Hand

Throwing hand always above elbow during cocking/accel phases, hand should drop down below elbow in max ER,

End of cocking phase horiz line bisects elbow, hand must be entirely above line for High hand action

Poor shoulder mob/ER; poor spine ext, poor leg strength/power, poor elbow mob/stab, poor shldr/scap stability

Early Bowing

Trunk flexion too soon during late cocking phase; max ER – tall and upright with arch in lower back, remains so until
hand gets to ear, early lower back flexion/trunk tilt forward is mech

Poor spine ext, poor front hip flex mob, poor LL reciprocal pattern, poor spine dissoc

Early Release

Desired release point – 8-12 in front of landing foot/0.25-0.35 after foot plant

Vertical line up from big toe

Short stride, high hand, early extension (see above), by-product of other inhibitors
Head Shift – Any change in position of head during movement, 1 inch of head movement directly prop. To 1 1inch of
release point, head before foot plant is mech, post-foot strike is strength

Poor cervical spine mobility/poor spine dissoc/poor spine ext, poor balance/poor core & LB stability

Face On Camera Angle – Hip high focused on center of body, shutter speed at 1/2000 second, perp to target line

-Sway/Hang Back/Closing Front/Back/Fwd Lunge/Short Stride/Late Riser/High Hand/Head Shift/Collapse Front

Knee/Early Bowing/Early Release

Down the Line – Parallel to target line and focused on belt buckle; Early Extension/Flying Open/Head Shift

Drone/Above – Flying Open/Head Shift/Early Extension/Early Release

Coaching players into patterns not physically attainable is impossible

Foot/stable; ankle/mobile; Knee/stable; Hip/mobile; Pelvis/Sacrum/Lumbar/Stable; T-Spine/mobile; scapula-

thoracic/stable; GH/shldr/mobile; Elbow/stable; Wrist/mobile; C-spine/stable

Poor t-spine/hip mobility common findings; all stress pushed to low back

Mobility = Elastic energy + efficient power production

SFMA Assessments

Multi-Segmental Extension – Spine ext, hip ext, shldr flexion

Multi-Segmental Rotation – Spine/LQ rotational ability

Deep Squat – Load back hip & weight shift in stride/delivery

FMS

In-Line Lunge – Flex/extend either hip for stride/delivery

Hurdle Step – Stabilize on one leg/maintain posture while moving other leg

Core Rotary Screens

Pelvic Tilt – Control core/pelvic orientation

Pelvic Rotation – Dissoc LQ/UQ

Seated Trunk Rot – Mobility in thorax

Multi-Segmental Extension – Normal extension of hips/spine while maintaining full shoulder flexion

Bat between hands, push hips fwd and bend backward as far as possible at same time, look up towards hands during
movement

Passing Score – Front of belt clears toes/player’s shoulder remains flexed/shoulder blade clears heels/

Compensation – Greater than 5 degrees of knee flexion

Observe from front/side; foot position should remain unchanged, do not coach movement

Limitations – Hip joint/Muscular/capsular/myofascial restrictions in hip/pelvis/T-Spine Mobility/Musc/Myofascial in

thorax and spinal muscles/Shldr mobility/Musc & myofascial restrictions in shoulder girdle

Weight bearing hip extension dysfunction/Weight bearing thorax extension dysfunction/Weight bearing shldr flexion
dysfunction//Postural stability issue
Multi-Segmental Rotation – Normal rotational ability in trunk/pelvis/hips/feet

Bat on upper traps/Rotate entire body to right/Return to starting position/Rotate entire body to left

Rotation past 90 degrees of total rotation (AC joint)/Tall upright posture/Foot position

Compensations – Hip/knee flexion; spine/pelvis deviation/loss of foot/ankle position

Observe from back

Hip joint restrictions; Musc/Cap/Myofasc restrictions in hip/pelvic musculature; T-spine mobility/Musc & myofascial –
Thorax and spinal muscles

WB hip rotation dysfunction/WB Thorax rotation dys

Deep Squat – SFMA

Arms out on front w/ heels together; break parallel = touch fist on floor within blueprint,remain stable throughout
movement

Thighs break parallel, touch fists to floor within blueprint, maintain sagittal plane

Compensations – Ankles externally rotate/Heels lift off ground/Fall over backwards

Observe from front/side

In-Line Lunge from FMS

Reciprocal pattern in hips (flexed/extended)

Mobility Restrictions – Hip joint/Musc/Capsular/Myofasc in hip/pelvis/Rib cage/t-spine/Thorax & spinal

muscles/Shoulder girdle/Shoulder girdle muscles

Stability – Hip flexion/Hip extension/Thorax extension/Shoulder girdle

FMS Hurdle Step

Mobility – Hip flexion/extension/ankle mobility/hip/pelvis

Stability – WB hip stability/WB thorax stability/WB ankle stability/Postural stability

Pelvic Tilt – Mobility of hips/lumbar spine & ability to control for position of pelvic posture; move & control position of
pelvis critical for optimal power transfer from LB to UB during motion

Cross hands at chest and lean over to hinge; anteriorly rotate pelvis then posteriorly rotate pelvis; if shaking with PTT –
not a lot of involvement in glutes during pitching motion

Lumbar spine mobility/Lower crossed syndrome/Poor coordination

Pelvic Rotation – Rotate LB separate from UB; sequence stride and gain separation btw upper/lower body; needs
mobility of spine, hips/pelvis, thorax stabilityCross arms over chest, rotate pelvis without moving thorax/shoulders, need
no motion above waistline with only pelvis rotating; hold UB stable – if they cannot separate, then mobility problem, if
they can, then stability problem

Bilateral hip mobility/pelvis to thorax separation needed, look for rotary motion of pelvis, not lateral movement, keep
legs quiet, stabilize upper body and freely move pelvis

Thoracic/Lumbar spine mobility, anterior tilt limits spinal mobility, restrictions in thorax/spinal muscles, hip mobility

Thorax stability; lateral shifting vs rotary motion

Toe Tap – IR of hips, coil and load into hips, hip& tibial Ir important for P/ankle mobility, hip, tibia, and ankle all coil in
windup and rotate and post in lead leg from foot strike to finish, lack of IR creates compensations

Keep heel down and rotate toe towards bat

Hip joint mobility + tightness/restrictions intrinsic hip rotators, joint capsule, glutes, piriformis, TFL/IT band/hip flexors

Keep pelvis aligned

Hip 45 – ER ability of lower quarter

Place hands on hips w/ all weight on R leg, rotate pelvis as far as possible to unloaded foot (left, which is angled 45 away
from R foot)

Side-Step Walkout – Evaluate hip/groin mobility for stride/separate feet

Lay supine on ground, place on at heel and other outside shldr on same side; stand up and place one foot at ball and
inch other foot towards other ball; short of other ball = issues

Porr ankle mobility/hip joint/hip and pelvis musc

Push-Off