What do sports like baseball, golf, and tennis have in common? All three of those sports involve either hitting or throwing a ball, and require athletes to shift their weight in order to do so.
From a sports performance perspective, the act of hitting or throwing requires various body segments (typically hips and shoulders) to be perfectly timed and sequenced in order to produce the force and power required to hit the ball.
What is weight shifting?
Weight shifting (or weight transfering) in sport is a fundamental movement where the weight of the body moves from one foot to the other.
It’s crucial in the sports mentioned above. Let’s dig into those a bit more:
- In baseball, the transfer of weight is one of the most important aspects of both hitting and pitching mechanics;
- In golf, the whole sequence of the swing is characterized by a properly timed transfer of the weight;
- In tennis, shifting weight while swinging the racquet and hitting the ball in the serve provides a tremendous advantage in performance output.
From a biomechanical point of view, it’s important to note that rotation — whether it’s hips, trunk, or the entire body — is not the same as shifting one’s weight. Rotation can only redistribute the same amount of weight supported by different parts of the feet, while actually shifting one’s weight adds up to 30% more force to the movement.
Biomechanics of Weight Shifting
The complex action of throwing a ball or hitting one with a piece of equipment like a racquet requires a powerful movement of the pelvis — together with hip and shoulder rotation — to produce a great amount of force and power output.
The two most important biomechanical aspects to consider for an effective transfer of weight are the shift of the center of mass (not body mass) and the range of motion, both necessary to increase the amount of force and rate of mechanical energy (power) produced.
The center of mass (CoM) can be defined as the point that represents the total weight (or mass) distribution of a body and it is located around the pelvis. To effectively transfer weight from one foot to the other, the pelvis should move forward in order to shift the center of mass. Rotating the hip alone would not cause any shift in weight, rather just a redistribution of the total weight.
Range of motion (ROM), which is the overall motion used in a movement (Knudson, 2007), is also necessary as the increase in ROM can produce an increase in force and speed of movement.
As shown on the right, a baseball pitcher with a longer stride is going to have an increased range of motion for their weight transfer, thus increasing the force that can be produced.
Evaluating Weight Shift with Plantar Pressure Mapping
With plantar pressure mapping technology like the Intelligent Insoles | Pro, coaches and athletes can easily evaluate and quantify the amount of weight being transferred and the load on each foot in real time. They can also see the timing of movement thanks to the center of pressure trail visualization.
Because of the real-time biofeedback feature, coaches can more efficiently train athlete’s on their movement patterns while monitoring their overall progress.
To learn more about weight transfer evaluation with plantar pressure mapping, watch our webinar, 'Evaluating Weight Shift Movements in Sport'.
FAQs
The additional body fat can limit endurance, balance, coordination, and movement capacity. Joint range of motion can be negatively affected by excessive body mass and fat as well, and mass can form a physical barrier to joint movement in a complete range of motion.
What are the benefits of weight shifting exercise? ›
Weight-shift training improves trunk control, proprioception, and balance in patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke.
What is the biomechanics of weight shifting? ›
Biomechanics of Weight Shifting
To effectively transfer weight from one foot to the other, the pelvis should move forward in order to shift the center of mass. Rotating the hip alone would not cause any shift in weight, rather just a redistribution of the total weight.
Why is weight transfer important in sports? ›
Weight shift is a very distinct action and contributes additional force. When sequenced with hip and shoulder rotation, it produces much greater force — up to 20-30%!
How does weight affect physical activity? ›
Individuals with Overweight and Obesity Are More Prone to Workout Injuries. This can be true depending on the extent of excess weight and the types of physical activity. Increased torque on weight-bearing joints, especially the knees and ankles, can increase the risk of injuries for individuals carrying excess weight.
Will losing weight make me more athletic? ›
Summary. It is possible to lose weight without sacrificing athletic performance, as gradual weight loss may even lead to improvements in both strength and endurance.
How often should you weight shift? ›
This guideline recommends weight shifting "every 30 minutes for 30 seconds or every 60 minutes for 1 minute to allow reoxygenation of the cutaneous tissues" (Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine, 2000, p. 59).
What are the different types of weight shifting? ›
- Weight Shifts. ...
- Tilting Weight Shifts. Tilting weight shifts relieve pressure on both sitting bones at the same time. ...
- Side-to-Side Weight Shift. ...
- Push-Up Weight Shift (Depression Weight Shift) ...
- Weight Shifts. ...
- Forward Lean Weight Shift. ...
- Standing Weight Shift. ...
- Please remember:
Weight-shift training with progressively greater challenges (sitting on a stable surface progressing to standing on an unstable surface) will retrain balance reactions to help the body stay upright and steady.
Is weight shifting static or dynamic? ›
The ability to sustain an upright posture and retain the centre of attraction within the limitations of the base of support (i.e., quiet standing) is referred to as static balance [2]. They are the ability to retain balance when shifting weight frequently when moving the base of support is known as dynamic balancing.
By way of example, when a vehicle accelerates, a weight transfer toward the rear wheels can occur. An outside observer might witness this as the vehicle visibly leans to the back, or squats. Conversely, under braking, weight transfer toward the front of the car can occur.
How do you shift weight properly? ›
In a nutshell, we want our weight to stay generally centered in our stance while our pressure moves to at least 60% to our trail foot in our backswing and then at the beginning of our transition 70% or more to our lead foot. This should happen before our hands have gotten back down to waist high.
Why is weight shifting important? ›
Weight-shifting constitutes an important component of dynamic postural control, which refers to the ability to keep one's bodyweight within the base of support1.
Is weight transfer good or bad? ›
A well-balanced car is easier to control, especially when cornering. Weight transfer can disrupt this balance, making the car more challenging to handle. Grip: Grip is the amount of traction your tires have on the road. More weight on a tire generally means more grip, but there's a limit.
What athlete would benefit from weight training? ›
Generally speaking, weight training improves the performances of endurance athletes such as cyclists and runners. It won't cause runners to bulk up, but does improve their anaerobic capacity, stride efficiency and performance.
Does weight affect running performance? ›
Body Composition as a Limiting Factor
Clearly, excess body fat weight will slow down a distance runner. The runner would need to transport the extra weight and, unlike muscle, excess body fat does not contribute to the runner's forward motion.
How does weight lifting affect athletic performance? ›
Strength training is great for athletes; it improves endurance, boosts power and trains your brain. It should come as no surprise, however, that strength training is beneficial to your overall, long term health.
How does weight affect you physically? ›
Being overweight or obese can have a serious impact on health. Carrying extra fat leads to serious health consequences such as cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis, and some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon).
Why does weight matter in sports? ›
Body composition and body weight are two of the many factors that contribute to optimal exercise performance. Body weight can influence an athlete's speed, endurance, and power, whereas body composition can affect an athlete's strength, agility, and appearance.
Range of motion (ROM), which is the overall motion used in a movement (Knudson, 2007), is also necessary as the increase in ROM can produce an increase in force and speed of movement.
With plantar pressure mapping technology like the Intelligent Insoles | Pro, coaches and athletes can easily evaluate and quantify the amount of weight being transferred and the load on each foot in real time. They can also see the timing of movement thanks to the center of pressure trail visualization.
