Since the systematic review\u2019s publication in July, it has been viewed nearly 1,500 times and has attracted potential partnerships from several Major League Baseball (MLB) teams and baseball development facilities.<\/p>\n
In addition to the systematic review, Birfer\u2019s thesis focused on the development of a pitching mechanics tool.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe provided coaches and scouts with photos of pitchers at a certain part of the throw that we know causes the most stress at the elbow,\u201d said Holmes, Canada Research Chair in Neuromuscular Mechanics and Ergonomics.\u00a0\u201cThe coaches evaluated a pitcher’s posture and we compare the coach\u2019s ability to determine joint angles to our gold standard motion capture system.\u201d<\/p>\n
The result was an easy-to-use, low-cost approach to assessing pitching mechanics.<\/p>\n
The team created a mound in the Neuromechanics and Ergonomics Lab at Brock and put reflective markers on a pitcher\u2019s body, allowing them to track the three-dimensional motion of the markers to accurately capture movements, postures and joint angles.<\/p>\n
They created a system where the coaches would categorize a pitcher\u2019s posture into a range of joint angles. The end goal is to develop a scoring system to suggest optimal pitching mechanics to maximize performance and minimize injury risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you do the same physical thing multiple times a day with minimal rest, eventually the tolerance level of our tissues get reduced, putting us at an increased risk for cumulative loading and injury,\u201d said Holmes. \u201cPitchers throw hundreds of pitches a day and injuries can develop as a result of that. We\u2019ve been applying a lot of what we know about ergonomics to baseball, which hasn\u2019t really been done before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sonne said Birfer\u2019s connections to the baseball industry and general love for the game made him an invaluable addition to the project, which was sparked by an ergonomics-based model for understanding injury<\/a> he created in 2016.<\/p>\n Birfer, who now works as a pitch design engineer for the Baseball Development Group in Toronto, said their findings allowed them to understand pitcher fatigue in a new light.<\/p>\n \u201cWith each pitch thrown, fatigue continues to accumulate,\u201d said Birfer. \u201cOur research has shown that pitchers are willing to sacrifice optimal movement for maintaining performance, ultimately increasing the likelihood of injury.\u201d<\/p>\n With Birfer now graduated and additional research needed, Ryan Bench, a master\u2019s student in Kinesiology and varsity baseball player at Brock, is continuing the work under Holmes and Sonne.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been incredibly rewarding to see the interest surrounding our pitching research at Brock University grow around the game of\u00a0baseball,\u201d said Birfer. \u201cThe attention we\u2019ve been receiving from individuals within MLB organizations and\u00a0baseball developmental facilities has been awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
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