Softball: Pitching

Evaluate windmill pitching mechanics to improve consistency, maximize energy transfer to the ball, and reduce risk for injury. Uplift offers dozens of events and metrics to track softball pitching across movement flags, arm circle kinematics, and more.

Dimensions

Required Inputs for processing:

handedness: the handedness of the pitcher [‘left’, ‘right’]

Variables

Output variables from pitching analysis.

Generic Outputs

Every capture includes session metadata, standard joint angle/velocity time series, and 3D keypoint positions common to all movements. See Generic Outputs for the full list.

Events

Automated events break down the pitch into phases or periods of interest. Many metrics occur at specific events.

Event	Short Description	Column Name
Initiation	Start of the pitch, marked by max trunk forward flexion before the drive leg extends.	`initiation_frame`
High Hand	Highest point of the throwing hand during the windup.	`high_hand_frame`
Max Knee Raise	Maximum lead knee height.	`max_knee_raise_frame`
Low Hand	Lowest point of the throwing hand after high hand.	`low_hand_frame`
Power K Position	Throwing wrist drops below the shoulder after high hand.	`power_k_position_frame`
Drive Start	Stepping (lead) ankle passes the pushing (drive) ankle.	`drive_start_frame`
Foot Contact	Front foot contacts the ground.	`foot_contact_frame`
Release	Estimated timing of ball release.	`ball_release_frame`
Finish	Peak wrist height after release, marking the follow-through.	`finish_frame`

Movement Flag Metrics

Movement flags identify poor or suboptimal mechanics for timing and body positioning during the pitch.

Metric	Short Description	Column Name
Pre-Tracking	Shoulders or hips rotate more than 40° away from the target before the drive phase begins.	`pre_tracking_flag`
Lack of Knee Drive	Loading (dominant-side) knee fails to drive past the toe before the drive phase begins.	`lack_of_knee_drive_flag`
Trunk Not Stacked	Trunk flexion, tilt, or twist exceeds 30° between high hand and release.	`trunk_not_stacked_flag`
Knee Collapse	Front knee flexes more than 20° between foot contact and release.	`knee_collapse_flag`

Linear Metrics & Time

Show distances, positions, and speeds relevant to pitching.

Metric	Units	Short Description	Column Name
Stride Length	% of height	Distance between the dominant ankle at initiation and the lead ankle at foot contact, normalized by height.	`stride_length`
Wrist Height at Release	% of height	Wrist height above ground level at release.	`wrist_height_at_release`
Wrist Position vs. Pelvis at Release	% of height	Wrist forward, up, and side position relative to the pelvis at release.	`wrist_forward_position_vs_pelvis`, `wrist_up_position_vs_pelvis`, `wrist_side_position_vs_pelvis`
Handedness	N/A	Pitcher handedness [‘right’ or ‘left’].	`handedness`
Time to Release	s	Duration from initiation to ball release.	`time_to_release`

Angular Metrics

These metrics describe joint angles and segment angles relative to global orientation.

Metric	Units	Short Description	Column Name
Shin Angle at Loading	deg	Max forward shin angle during the loading phase (initiation to high hand).	`shin_angle_at_loading`
Max Trunk Flexion	deg	Max forward trunk flexion angle near initiation.	`max_trunk_flexion`
Max X Factor	deg	Max hip-shoulder separation between drive start and release.	`max_x_factor`
Average Arm Circle Radius	ratio	Average shoulder-to-wrist distance during the arm circle, normalized by arm length.	`average_arm_circle_radius`
Average Elbow Angle During Rotation	deg	Average elbow flexion angle during the arm circle (drive start to release).	`average_elbow_angle_during_rotation`
Foot Plant Angle	deg	Lead foot angle relative to the pitch direction at foot contact.	`foot_plant_angle`
Trunk Global Flexion, Tilt & Twist	deg	Trunk flexion, lateral tilt, and rotation relative to global at foot contact and ball release.	`trunk_global_flexion_at_foot_contact`, `trunk_global_flexion_at_ball_release`, `trunk_global_tilt_at_foot_contact`, `trunk_global_tilt_at_ball_release`, `trunk_global_twist_at_foot_contact`, `trunk_global_twist_at_ball_release`

Notes

All movement flags (true/false = 1/0) return -1 if metric unable to be calculated.

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Resources

Biomechanics

Softball: Pitching

Dimensions

Variables

Generic Outputs

Events

Movement Flag Metrics

Linear Metrics & Time

Angular Metrics

Notes

​Dimensions

​Variables

​Generic Outputs

​Events

​Movement Flag Metrics

​Linear Metrics & Time

​Angular Metrics

​Notes

Dimensions

Variables

Generic Outputs

Events

Movement Flag Metrics

Linear Metrics & Time

Angular Metrics

Notes