Assessment Process For the Low-Budget Program
"The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique" -- Walt Disney
Every person, athlete, and pitcher are as unique as a fingerprint. Their motivations, physical anatomy, goals, movement capabilities, and needs are all their own. So we need to train our athletes with that in mind. I believe that an assessment process can help identify how a pitcher moves, as well as problem areas that need a little extra attention. Not every program has the budget to have their own physical therapist or biomechanics lab, but there are ways assessments can be done with little to no technology. These simple tests allow for customization in their strength and throwing programs that will be more beneficial for each unique pitcher. This blog is about the process that will be implemented for the fall season at Montana State University during the 2019/20 season. Since the budget is nonexistent here at MSU, let this be a guide to help a coach get started designing their own assessment process.
The Interview: Get to Know the Athlete
This first part of the assessment process is the interview. Here we discuss goals, motivations, past/current injuries, schedule, and other aspects that could affect how the athlete is trained. Don't forget to ask your athletes about their personal views of themselves as a pitcher. What are their weaknesses? Strengths? Best pitches? Worst pitches? What is stopping them from competing at the level they want? What level do they want to compete at? What do THEY want to get better at? Make these questions all your own. If you are with a college program, this may actually be similar to the outline of questions used during the recruiting process. It is important to know the pitcher along with what they think of themselves. Only then can we truly move on to designing specific solutions to their individual problems, obstacles, and limiting factors.
The Table: Range of Motion
Once we get a better understanding of who the pitcher is, the next step is to test the range of motion of a few important joints: Shoulders, hips, and back. We look at internal/external rotation in both shoulders and hips, ROM in T-spine and hip flexors, and do a squat test. Ideally a coach or staff member would have a certification from TPI or On-Base U, but I believe a coach willing to put in the studying can do most of these exams on their own, if they are careful. Although, if there are any extreme red flags, always refer to a licensed doctor or physical therapist. Anyways, these exams will show if there are any limitations to the way the pitcher moves. If there are any limitations in the mobility of the pitcher, we can add in customized exercises. These mobility exercises are added in as "fillers" which are done between sets of a main lift/exercise. Fillers also pace our sets to allow the body to recover in the proper fashion for the next set.
It is important to note that some pitchers may fail (scoring 0 or 1 on a 3 point scale) more than one ROM exam, so they may have more fillers than exercises to fill. In that case, we add the fillers to the cool down process.
Mobility can be fluid and ever changing, so the assessment should be tested and retested over and over again to make sure progress (or lack of) is being made. We can then adjust the program accordingly. At MSU, we plan on reassessing every four weeks.
The Weight Room: Strength
Now it's time to see what kind of force an athlete can generate. We look at the "Big Three" lifts: Barbell Bench, Back Squat, and Deadlift. For now, we load the athlete up with enough weight to perform about 3 reps. We do not do one rep maxes, as that is just asking for injury. So much can go wrong there, such as muscle strains and tears, that we stay away from them. Three to five reps will allow us to have an educated estimation of what the 1 Rep Max (1RM) is.
A better way to test max output is with Velocity-Based Training (VBT). Unfortunately, we do not have the budget for such equipment, but this would be the next step for those who can spend a little more. With a VBT system, you can test for max output more accurately, which then allows you to prescribe weight more precisely for the development we are trying to achieve. This would obviously lead to a revised strength assessment process, but for now we'll use the best estimated rep range to train for the part of the strength continuum we are aiming for.
After fall games end, we are training for development towards the Maximal (Absolute) Strength end of the strength continuum. This is in an attempt to acquire strength. To do that, we prescribe about 80% of 1RM for 3-5 reps, but allow for adjustments based on how the pitcher is feeling each day. Our fall focus is getting stronger, so we will use different areas of the spectrum during preseason and in-season. This means we will have a different prescription of the weight and rep range during those times so we can turn that maximal strength into force production. We can still rely on this old school method of rep estimation to help us function in situations, like this, where equipment for the VBT is not an option.
The Power Generation: Horsepower
The "Horsepower" exam is generally pretty easy and less complicated than it sounds. This evaluation is new to me, but the thought is that it should help us see where the pitcher is generating their power from. This is done with three simple tests and then comparing them with a ratio. The first test is the vertical jump, which is something most are familiar with. This is measured in inches and measures lower half power generation. The next two, the sit up throw and chest pass, are done with medicine balls and measured in feet. The med ball weight is based on the ratio of 1 lb per 20 lbs of pitcher body weight. So a 160 lb pitcher should be using an 8 lb med ball for these tests. The sit up throw is just as it sounds: the pitcher performs a sit up while simultaneously throwing the med ball. This measurement is related to power generation from the core. The final test, the chest pass, is just that, the same chest pass that basketball players throw. This test and measurement represents power generation from the upper body. Together, those numbers give us a ratio. The ratio in the form jump:sit up throw:chest pass should correlate to the power generation from lower body:core:upper body. If the numbers are highly tilted in one area, then that is where most of their force and power generation comes from. For example, an assessment of 20:20:40 shows that the pitcher generates most of his power from the upper body.
This Horsepower Assessment is from TPI. We aren't using this as actionable data, but just monitoring it. Since this is used in another rotational sport (golf), I am interested in seeing how these numbers correlate with others within the assessment and how we can make the information actionable in the future. I will write a future blog post highlighting what we discover this fall.
The Wii Balance Board: Force
This is another new assessment that we will implement. With the Wii Balance Board (WBB), we take eight measurements and will monitor the changes with each subsequent retest. Three of these measurements are for the lower half: back leg force, lead leg force, and standing jumps. Back leg force is tested by having the pitcher throw with their back foot planted on the WBB. Lead leg force is measured with the pitcher landing with their lead foot and leg on the WBB. It takes some getting used to, so let the pitcher get comfortable before taking any measurements. Standing jumps are more natural as we have the pitcher stand on the WBB and jump as high as possible, just like when measuring the vertical.
The upper body measurements are much easier to take. Here, we measure the force the shoulder generates from a laying T and Y position along with internal and external rotation. The latter is also done with the athlete laying down, but with the elbow bent at 90 degrees, done similar to the GIRD test. We measure both the throwing and non-throwing shoulders for comparison. The measurement of internal/external shoulder rotation can help us evaluate the strength of shoulder rotation in the ROM exams. The last measurement is a simple standing force measurement where the pitcher stands on the WBB as if it were a weight scale.
The computer program used to take these measurements comes from RehabTools. Shout out to Harold Mozingo for pointing me to this computer application that connects to the WBB. I'm excited to keep track of these numbers because of the possibility to see new correlations that can help us better train in the future.
The Video: Mechanical Analysis
This is where we dive into the most subjective part of the exam. By using multiple synced cameras recording a bullpen, we can evaluate the pitcher's mechanics. For this I use multiple PSEye cameras with the iPi Recorder program that allows us to use these $2 cameras with a computer. Gathering these videos will allow us to see where the pitcher is generating their force from (and see if it correlates with the Horsepower Assessment), get an idea of their kinetic sequencing, and see if there are any adjustments to the arm action that is necessary. Then we can make decisions about what arm care drill variations will make the pitcher more efficient. The hope is that velocity will increase with efficiency. Not having a way to make bio-mechanical measurements is a disadvantage, but using the video and training our eyes to watch for certain key performance indicators (KPIs) is how we make up for it. It isn't a perfect situation, but we make do with what we have.
When we are gathering this video data, we can also gather baseline velocity readings. This is the prime opportunity because we already have the pitchers loose and ready to throw for the day. So to kill two birds with one stone, we record velocities from the mound, on flatground, and with a pulldown technique (Run & Gun, Crow hop). This gives us some objective data to couple with the subjective data in the video.
As for using this data to create a custom throwing program, this spreadsheet is still a work in progress. For now, we score KPIs like we do the ROM exams (0-3) and order the pitchers kinematic sequencing. Then we can add a little twist to the drills outlined in Driveline's 8 week On-Ramp program. The Pivot Pickoffs, Roll-Ins, and Rocker drills all have variations that can be used based on what is determined in the video assessment. This is a little more complex as this isn't just a simple numbers evaluation, but based off of what a coach can see in the video. If we monitor progress though (i.e. radar gun, continuing video analysis), we can determine what is and isn't working.
The Spreadsheets: Putting It Together
In order to simplify individualizing the workout, I created a spreadsheet. Just run the assessments, enter the outcomes, and it will fill out the filler exercises and prescribe weight for the Big 3 lifts. Even more can be customized within the workout exercises, but these general ones should provide a good base to get started with. We re-test at four weeks and have an exit assessment at the end of the 8 weeks. We will then compare the exit assessment to the beginning and see what has improved or gone backwards. This will allow us to truly self evaluate this fall training program to see what worked, what didn't, and how to improve it for our pitchers.
In the end, the results of the assessment drive what is programmed for the pitcher. Customizing the fillers and the throwing program allows us to focus on the pitchers' unique needs. We then can train them better for their movement goals and to become a more efficient thrower.