Comments on: More Surprising Findings from the World of Biomechanical Analysis!

By: MelissaWitmer

MelissaWitmer — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 01:16:45 +0000

Ben,
Yea this lab had quite an impressive experimental setup. Really nice graphs of all of the joint angles over time and everything. After reading this paper I actually taught myself to throw a very nice high release forehand by changing my grip slightly to allow more palmer flexion to occur. It’s not quite game ready and not a throw I’d recommend spending a lot of time on, but it is definitely interesting that I got an almost immediately usable new throw after reading this paper.

Unfortunately, I have not seen similar research for the backhand.

Thanks for reading!

By: BenSupnik

BenSupnik — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 00:26:55 +0000

I just found this post and am floored that there’s been actual research into forehand motion. Until now it had never occurred to me that palmer flexion might be a legitimate or good way to put spin on a forehand.

Is there similar research for the backhand?

By: ultimaterob

ultimaterob — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:28:11 +0000

Something I've been thinking of for a while (and discussed with you Melissa last week) was how golf pros teach golfers using a swing motion program that helps analyze their swing in real time. I've thought it would be something cool to use for teaching people to throw as well because you could much more easily breakdown the throw and teach people the mechanics of the throw.

By: melissawitmer

melissawitmer — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 08:28:32 +0000

Thanks Jesse,
I like the idea of using props (or your hands) to guide the thrower's motion and provide instant feedback. You'll see from my next post (coming soon!) that you've got the right idea as far as teaching strategy. It is better to have the players focus on something external (like avoiding your hands) rather than internal (like trying to control their own swoop. : )

By: Jesse

Jesse — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:55:33 +0000

Hey Melissa, great follow up on your previous research. From your story I would deduce that for the hand motion it would be best to not teach it, since people will learn automatically. It is such a tiny difference time-wise that it would be hard to explain anyway, since you can't really show someone or see them doing it wrong (if I envision it correctly).

As for the swoop, that is one to focus on. It is something I did when I was just starting because I was used to tennis motions. I see many junior players doing this in their throws. Usually I will told my hands out and let them keep the disc above it throughout the throw to make them see what they are doing.

Thanks for sharing your findings and keep up the good work!