Across The Aisle: Learning From Coaches In Other Sports

Frans Bosch, a renowned Dutch sports professor, has done extensive work in the area of biomechanics and motor learning in track & field.

Here are some of his teachings that resonated with me and our coaching methods with our facility and remote athletes:

1. Variability in Training: Bosch emphasizes the value of introducing variability in training routines to improve motor learning. In the context of baseball, this could mean varying the type, speed, or angle of pitches during batting practice, or altering fielding drills to present different scenarios.

2. Dynamic Systems Theory: Bosch applies this theory to human movement, viewing it as a complex, adaptive system. This might mean examining how the whole body contributes to throwing or hitting, rather than focusing on isolated elements like arm or wrist motion.

3. Constraints-Led Approach: Bosch's teachings encourage manipulation of constraints to guide athletes towards efficient solutions. For instance, adjusting the placement or angle of a front toss to create opportunities to discover new swing mechanics

4. Strength Training with a Purpose: Bosch advocates for functional strength training, where exercises should mimic and enhance the actual movements used in the sport. For baseball, this would include activities that focus on rotational power for batting or explosive strength for throwing.

5. Implicit Learning: Bosch encourages guiding athletes towards discovering effective movement solutions on their own, rather than providing explicit instructions.

6. Interference in Practice: Bosch suggests mixing different skills in a single practice session, rather than mastering one skill at a time. This could involve switching between batting, fielding, and base-running drills within the same session.

Incorporating these ideas into your coaching can provide a fresh perspective and potentially lead to new breakthroughs in player performance.