Assessing Pelvis Rotation In Pitching
Ok… What is the “Pelvis”? If you aren’t 100% sure then we should probably start here.
Lets ask ChatGPT…
“The pelvis is a complex bony structure located at the base of the spine, which serves as a crucial support structure for the human body. It is composed of several bones that are fused together: the two hip bones (also known as coxal bones or os coxae), the sacrum, and the coccyx (tailbone).The pelvis is essential for many bodily functions, including locomotion, balance, and the protection of vital organs.”
Now that we understand what and where the pelvis is, lets talk about what Pelvis Rotation in pitching is.
At KineticPro we identify and correct mechanical issues in a 3 step process. Below we will dive into each step explaining what to look for when evaluating and correcting issues with trunk rotation…
1. Assess
- To establish what an “open pelvis” might look like we have to first determine what a normal range for pelvis rotation might look like. Here is a video with our good friend Dr. Mike Sonne. Dr. Sonne helps us dive deep into how the pelvis works and gives us a better understanding on how to assess the pelvis.
Now that we are equipped with the understanding of how to Assess the pelvis let’s move to our next category, “Feel” in our mechanics progression. In Feel we will begin to talk about how we would actually go about making a change to someones pelvis rotation.
2. Feel
Feels are movements we specifically have designed to deliver the specific “feeling” of a moment. The goal behind feels should be to help an athlete identify the right movement while allowing them to reinforce cuing to execute the needed movement in the throwing motion. Lets look into what feels can potentially help us understand how to fix the issue of Trunk Rotation…
NOTE: Feels should be the time a coach can teach/ educate or an athlete can wonder. It’s an athletes time to define “good” in movement and start to create “cues” that might possibly help them create the outcome they are looking for in the movement.
Lets look into what feels can potentially help us understand how to fix the issue of Trunk Rotation…
Elevation Feels-
We like Elevation Feels because with the stick they provide stability for controlled movements. The goal of elevation feels is to provide control while exploring the positioning of the pelvis in the initial moves from peak kick. A reminder that this is to simply provide a cue or cues to begin the drill process with.
3. Drill
Drills are where we begin to introduce the feeling or cue into the throwing motion. We move from most constrained to the least constrained of drills in order to transfer the correction of movement to the mound. Our goal is to get comfortable with a new movement and through time in drills we can begin to release the active thought associated with the drill thus transferring it to the movement we will see during competition.
NOTE: Drills do not fix the problem. Drills are created to help an athlete build more conscious corrections to the problem. We simplify the movement and give the athlete a better chance at success by constraining the movement. IF you are not actively evaluating the movement to determine if the cue you are using is working then you are ultimately not getting much from the drill itself. Athletes must develop a quality feedback loop and understand what they are looking for to determine if a movement can be defined as successful. Video, 3MotionAi or other objective tools are a necessity for improvement. The coaches “eyes” are subjective and should not be your only source of correction/ approval.
Elevations-
Hop Back Throw-
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