1
Absolutely superb, sir.
I'm a big fan of promoting our shared Western cultural heritage, and it doesn't have to be at the expense of appreciating the excellence and wonder of other heritages.
The Eastern Concept of Suppleness
And who said that dogs were "supple", anyway
Intro:
sup·ple
adjective, sup·pler, sup·plest
1.
bending readily without breaking or becoming deformed; pliant; flexible: a supple bough.
2.
characterized by ease in bending; limber; lithe: supple movements.
3.
characterized by ease, responsiveness, and adaptability in mental action.
4.
compliant or yielding.
I think "supplest" is a cool word. Bet you that Hisashi Iwakuma agrees.
...
Rick Griffin pointed out -- brilliantly enough so that the TV crew put him on screen -- that the Mariners have had 4 pitchers with major latissimus dorsi problems:
- Stephen Pryor
- James Paxton
- Mystery Meat 1
- Mystery Meat 2
He pointed out that ALL of these Mariners have had:
- Very high release points
- Excellent velocity
And then Griffin noted that these pitchers "stretch their lats" unusually. (Prior's tendon at the bone was his issue, I guess.)
Very acute! And Griffin characterized Paxton as --- > stretching his lat too much.
Whereupon folks responded to this by talking about an overhaul of Paxton's motion this winter.
....
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar flatly stated that power yoga was the key to his later career. He meant it. That is true for Dr. D at age 51 also: when he skips the yoga, he gets hurt. When he does it, he stays in the game.
If Dr. D isn't mistaken, the Eastern Hemisphere would take it as a given that "yoga" -- and not, "abandoning what he does best" -- is Paxton's answer. (Some politically-correct kids yap about "Eurocentrism," mostly as a way to equate "American thought" with "presumptive and wrong." A better course of action might be to actually appreciate, and adopt, the best of what seems strange. While we're at it, we don't have to pretend like Shakespeare, Bach, Michelangelo, Da Vinci & Co. actually had equivalents on all 7 continents, in order to offer authentic respect.)
Our aikido teacher, in his mid-50's, was THE most supple person you've ever met, any age. But then again, he set the specific goal of "supple." As has Ichiro. And Tony Horton, the P90X guy, who at age 56 puts his body through incredible punishment (Heli-ski'ing, chinup contests, box jumping, etc) only because he reserves one day per week for yoga. He'll tell you, that's the magic.
The "fountain of youth," sez Horton, arrives when you put your ligaments and tendons under max, low-impact torsion on a consistent basis. Whole body. Gymnasts perform a variation, and they do okay.
....
Upward dog, lat pushups, there are hundreds of yoga lat moves. They make the muscle both strong and supple.
Upward-facing dog isn't something you're going to do in front of your MLB teammates, unless you're Ichiro. But Aiki-Ichiro talking 15 minutes, twice a week, in your hotel room.
Forever. Ichiro's regimen wasn't arduous; it was persistent.
....
Rickster axed about other Dr. D writing gigs. Here is "Army Rolls Out Yoga for Combat Readiness" - clicking on the author's name gives you an index of Ft. Lewis Ranger articles. Supposing that you're a glutton for punishment.
....
But yoga itself, that would be negotiable (in America, that is). That's a side point. If you KNOW that the problem is --- > that an athlete's motion stretches one particular muscle too much .... how in the world do you have any problems figuring out how to make that one muscle more supple?
.....
Or maybe Paxton does do P90X3, and it's just that the howitzer of his left arm is too much for the rest of his frame. Don't bet on it. But if he did, we guess he'd just have to dial back the drop-and-drive, and ease off to 92 MPH with a hook. Worked for Sabathia.
.....
Cheery finish: this is Paxton's first lat problemo, isn't it? Maybe it's no big deal anyway.
Enjoy,
Dr D
Comments
2
Paxton has bad motion, so therefore we have to change it.
And he'll turn into a pumpkin.
3
What do they do every morning, I hear? Yoga.
4
I wonder how the Seahawks' non-collision injury rates are. Like muscle strains and stuff like that.
Imagine if Saunders didn't screwup his oblique or shoulder or hamstring or something every 3 days.
Also, after writing THAT sentence, it's interesting (anecdotally) that injuries seem to cluster with the 3 major types (muscles, tendons, bones), but not necessarily across types.
I wonder if this sort of injury information is available for analysis...!
5
Or that the NPB expert was going to sound off with three quick Amen's on yoga. Now Dr. D feels like "the circle has been closed" on Supple, Suppler, Supplest.
Thank yer Ice. By the way, ever tried power yoga?
6
A good article here...
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9581925/seattle-seahawks-use-unusual-t...
It was a pretty big revelation at the time and it was before the title run.
Also, they approach it from not just the athletic angle, but also the mental sharpening.
Of note, the Seahawks have a sports psychologist on staff and integral in the program.
Watching some of the boneheaded things that go on on the diamond, you'd think mental sharpening would be helpful.
However, like there are many -dos (judo, kendo, aikido, etc.), there are many ways to this end (as visible in Ichiro).
Myself, I haven't tried. Mostly it's because I'm embarrassingly inflexible.
But after reading this thought stream, I'm definitely interested.
7
The mental sharpening is a very acute observation.
.......
The more inflexible you are, the better a candidate you are to start yoga. Like saying the taller a 15-year-old is, the more the school basketball coach wants him. You start by approximating the poses, and find yourself moving a quarter inch a day. I used to be the most inflexible guy in the world, and now you should see it ...
Studies show that very elderly people -- like 88 years old -- who lose their balance and fall, just walking slowly -- are "cured" by yoga. The impact on body control, the lightness on your feet, etc, just has to be experienced to be believed.
Hop on eBay, buy a single P90X Yoga disk (like $8) and transform yourself, m'man :- )
8
I'm sure there's an app for that, so I'll look around.
Bad thing is my house in Japan is tiny and not very conducive to ground activities, so I resort to the park.
---
And after giving it some more thought on the mental end, I think there's an untapped extra value here in baseball.
I tend to diss the A's a lot because, despite all their success, they are incredibly capable of totally boneheaded lack-of-concentration follies and errors.
They also tend to tailspin during the playoffs.
It reaches all the way back to Jeremy Giambi not sliding and allowing for Jeter's heroic assist in 2001.
The Mariners, for their part, have been capable of strong defensive teams.
But they are incredibly weak on the offensive.
9
Jeff, interesting article. Ice, thank you for the link on the Seahawks. I am no expert but having worked some with pitchers know that many injuries come both directly and indirectly from the lack of being supple. Weight training has found a home in every sport. I believe it has great benefits. But also it must be used properly or the positive could become a negative in time. I would love to hear from those of you much more knowledgeable than myself but when big muscles are worked hard in training and are not supple to match, those same larger muscles will not normally tear but will pull on the smaller muscles/tendons creating the problem. I believe Ulnar Nerve issues or Tommy John can come from genetics, poor mechanics, imbalanced in training or tighter muscles from the back to the shoulder to the bi/triceps that surround the ulnar and tug on that area. Pitching hard that brings a tug, tug will result eventually in tear, tear.
I have no idea what happened to Paxton but was watching MLB Gameday loosely when it happened. I hope he makes a full recovery as I love his potential. Time will tell but I think some Ichiro-supple should be the norm for pitching. My son is 18, can hit 90 now lifts diligently and is getting solid strength to his 6'5" frame. But he also continues with Insanity and running for both cardio and flexible strength. And a lot of bands. I have to assume the M's guard all of that religiously with each pitcher.
A generation ago pitchers did not lift heavy weights normally. In fact, a friend who played QB and shooting guard at a D1 school said they didn't want basketball players near the weight room. Golfers rarely lifted anything but lighter weights. Talk about balance of strength and supple? I wonder how much of Tiger Woods issues might find a root in an imbalance of strength and supple?
Only guessing as usual!!
10
++ those same larger muscles will not normally tear but will pull on the smaller muscles/tendons creating the problem. ++
Precisely...
Which is part of the theory behind yoga (and Insanity, a variant on P90X), that it works the *stabilizer* and smaller muscles and tendons, so that they can support the ever-increasing power...
........
Just curious Jeff ... does your son (at age 18) do the "Recovery" disc much? For me, that's an age-appropriate take on P90X Yoga (since your son no doubt needs a bit less of a "rehab" idea than older folks).
90 MPH at 18. Is your son looking at college pitching, or getting a minors deal? :- ) Congrats!
11
You got it Doc, strength + supple = stable. And you are right for us who are over the hill. If I could go back and do things over again, one item that I would not neglect would be stretching, particularly through my 40's and now much further along (57). Yoga/power yoga/stretching isn't exciting but it is what makes the other more effective.
Jeremy is headed to college in about 10 days. He had a variety of offers but decided to go the JC route in Kansas. He sat out a year because he graduated high school early (his dumb Dad didn't hold him back earlier) and he didn't want to start college at a young 17 when most kids from the south are getting out of HS at 19. We will see how he does now. RHP are a dime a dozen. His strength is not velocity but movement and the ability to throw strikes with 3 pitches (FB, knuckle curve and change). Plus at 6'5" he gets more vertical movement that most. I will remind him about the "Recovery" but he is good about the stretching balance required. If only that dumb Dad were as diligent!!!