Chris Young. Baseball Player Mechanics Analysis - Oakland A’s


The analysis of some aspects of the technique can help to explain the athlete’s performance, injuries and his/her future possibilities. With the information that we present in this blog I’m not intended to replace a scientifically organized evaluation process, but just to play with the available information.

Mr. Young has history of right groin and thigh injuries since 2007. Even though it is difficult to uncover the reason without a complete evaluation, we can estimate that his running technique is partially involve in the recurrence of those injuries.
During running we can observe extension of the knee before landing with the heel in front of the hip. His upper body position is in a forward angle with the perpendicular to the ground. This inclination, together with the kicking before landing, creates an overload in the hip area (groin?).

Complete leg extension.
Landing with heel in front of the body. Upper body leaning forward.
Almost complete knee and ankle extension.
Landing with heel in front of the body. Upper body leaning forward.
Lateral view landing in front of the hip, and upper body leaning forward.

While batting, he shows a coordinated hip and left foot rotation, what decreases most of the load in the left knee and ankle. He finishes with a bending of the left knee what creates a safety effect for that joint too.
Initial position.
Left foot rotation.
Left foot rotation
.
Left foot rotation and knee bending


Conclusion. High risk of hip and lower leg injuries mainly related to the running technique.

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