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Ever feel like pitching advice doesn't quite click? You're not alone. At Premier Pitching Performance (PPP), we believe that every pitcher is unique, and one-size-fits-all coaching advice rarely works. This is why we assess movement pattern preferences, along with many other things in our assessment process. By taking a player’s natural abilities and strengths into account, we can help pitchers optimize their performance.
>> Get your movement pattern assessment here.
So what exactly are movement pattern preferences?
In simple terms, they're the way your body naturally generates and transfers energy during any athletic movement, including your pitching motion. Think of it like your personal pitching language, a signature way of loading, unloading and delivering the ball. Understanding your preferences is key to maximizing your performance and even minimizing injury risk.
Cody Fick, coach at Premier Pitching Performance, shed more light on the idea of movement patterns:
“It’s all about body control– getting in and out of positions whether it be the lower half, trunk or arm. We are trying to understand how a player’s body is meant to move. When we talk about teaching movement patterns, we are talking about how we can help the individual move the best they can.”
Bottom line: Your movement patterns matter in how you go about your training. They are essential for helping you understand the pitching style that works best for you.
Height, arm length, range of motion, force production - all of these physical attributes influence your preferred movement patterns. Fick gave an example to illustrate this concept:
“When we talk about loading into the back knee and hip, if we got a guy that prefers to create energy in short bursts and they are lengthier athlete, we wouldn’t recommend them getting as deep in those loading patterns.”
Alternatively, Fick said that shorter athletes and those that derive power from endurance, need to get deeper. Understanding your unique biomechanics is crucial for tailored training plans.
In terms of assessment tools, we use a variety of methods at the PPP lab to determine your capabilities. Motion capture, movement screenings, force plate testing, weight room and physical assessments paint a holistic picture of your movement preferences.
Fick mentioned the power of PPP’s advanced motion capture technology in particular,
“We can see things that the human eye can’t see at high velocities like a player’s pitch shapes and the positions they get into and out of during the delivery.”
These diagnostics, combined with expert coaching, reveal your individual story and pave the way for personalized training.
After your assessment, coaches will set up a discussion with you to help you understand their findings and your unique preferences. Fick remarked that oftentimes, because of the internet and social media, players are inundated with pitching tips and tricks.
However, Fick urges pitchers to understand that what may work for certain populations may not be the best fit for them–
“That’s why players lean on organizations like us. Through our coaching and assessment tools we can help them understand how they can individually become the best.”
Cues, drills and weight room exercises can then be adapted to your individual needs. Your training regimen then becomes an extension of your natural movement language.
Fick explains how this data helps coaches,
“We may use different cues depending on the athlete and different weight room approaches. From a mechanical pitching standpoint, we can make sure that we’re asking them to do things they are actually capable of doing.”
Movement pattern data can also be used for injury prevention.
Pushing your body beyond its natural capabilities is a recipe for disaster, so understanding your movement patterns helps build a sustainable pitching foundation.
Fick explained how understanding movement patterns can help reduce the risk of overuse injuries,
“We have to be mindful as coaches not to put unnecessary and disproportionately applied stress on players…
To make an analogy, if you’ve got an engine that’s built to race 80mph and we constantly push it to 100mph, it's going to break down overtime. We have to make sure athletes are built up to handle the things we ask of them.”
Trying to fit into a mold can lead to frustration and injuries. By embracing your individual movement preferences, you learn to work with your body, not against it.
Ready to unleash your full potential?
If you’d like to understand your movement patterns and embrace your strengths as a pitcher, fill out the form here to get your assessment.
Coaches like Cody Fick and the Premier Pitching Performance team can help you understand the power of movement preferences. Together, you can build a training program that's tailor-made for your body, your story and your success.
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