Someone asked as to whether or not swing quickness is trainable. It can and it is certainly a large part of what/how why/ I teach what I teach. One aspect of quickness that I do not think is well understood is the STABILITY component.
Stated simply,all dynamic movement is a function of a series of rapid joint interactions in which some joints are mobile and others are very stable [or should be!].
The stability component is critical in that if certain joints are unstable, this can vastly effect the ability to quickly change direction, accelerate the body mass,etc.
An example I have used many times is Allen Iverson and has tremendous crossover capability. Underlying this ability to crossover was his ability to start left --STOP INSTANTANEOUSLY !!!---then accelerate in the opposite direction.
Here's trainer Buchenholz explaining this:
"All plyometric work actually consists of isometric work. Movement cannot turn around and switch directions unless it first stops in the direction it was going."
"All plyometric work actually consists of isometric work. Movement cannot turn around and switch directions unless it first stops in the direction it was going."
This means that every "reactive" contraction will have an isometric contraction at the point where movement is reversed." Thus it should be understood that quickly moving is a function of "static strength."
Static strength essentially meaning that rapid and well coordinated movement HAS to have within it, bursts of strong and well timed isometric tension. If one lacks this critical component, the results will be sluggish, "sloppy","misdirected",disconnected movement.
And who tends to have insufficient static strength? Well, a wholatta young hitters who have spent WAY too much time texting and playing video games !!
More importantly perhaps, what coaches/parents need to understand is that this kind of basic functional flaw will NOT be addressed by trying to get them to "emulate" a complex kind of load/unload pattern like a Harper, Donaldson, Williams,etc.
Simply put, trying to emulate this kind of complexity without the underlying static strength, will almost inevitably yield very sloppy, uncoordinated,slow movement.
Bottom line: There is a damn good reason as to why I have quite a few drills/exercises/movement patterns,etc., under the heading of "static loading."
