Below are some great clips of Outfielder Bryce Harper and his HLT Patterns thanks to Noontimebaseball @noontimegifs! Let’s dig deeper!
Bryce Harper Long Arm Action
Crow Hop Movement
The footwork for this specific crow hop throw is Right/Left, Step Behind (using Right/Left technique), Throw! Notice his lead hip closes in order to re-open them before throwing. During this time he is gathering momentum and direction towards his target!
Creating Resistance Between Structures
Creating resistance between structures really means how much separation or distraction can occur between the pelvis and the torso in the opposite directions. In other words, as the pelvis turns towards the target during stride, the torso is turning or pulling away in the opposite direction. This creates resistance between the two structures!
Arm Pattern
I love his arm action. Super clean. Tons of disconnect from the body as the stride occurs. The arm drops down by the back hip/back leg area and then the pattern is initiated by the elbow driving back, retracting the scaps.
The arm moves into the SagFrontal Plane (remember planes of movement from my HLT eBook), then as the pelvis turns towards the target and the torso turns back, the arm starts to move into ER. When this happens, the ball will drop down, as the elbow elevates above the shoulder. Once the torso reaches its end range motion, it will release towards the target as well, bringing the arm forward like a whip, meaning the elbow will move through extension and pronation when ball release occurs!
Bryce Harper Short Arm Action
Since he is moving in on a base hit, he may be trying to get rid of the ball faster, hence the reason for the shorter arm action. You can see compared to the videos above, the elbow stays flexed as the arm is moving back to throw before it moves into and through external rotation.
As the lead leg starts to externally rotate, this is when the arm starts to move into and through external rotation. As the pelvis opens and turns towards the target, the ball will then drop down slightly, allowing the elbow to lead the throw (max external rotation). The elbow will extend and pronate at ball release in line with the rest of the body or slightly out in front (depending on trunk forward flexion).
Back Leg Movement
There is back leg femoral movement. This means that the femur is internally rotating in the hip joint, not the knee actively driving down!
The hips are opening or rotating towards the target while the trunk/torso turns back against the opening hips. This creates resistance between the two structures! You can call it “separation” if you want. Regardless, the pelvis is rotating in the transverse plane before changing its orientation to the sagittal plane. At the same time, the trunk/torso will turn back against the opening hips in the transverse plane!
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