Breathing is a Global Movement Pattern!

Athletic Development 101: Baseball Flows™ Newsletter

Good Morning Flow Masters,

At Baseball Flows, we focus on optimizing your global movement patterns for better performance and injury prevention. One of the most overlooked, yet powerful, aspects of movement is Breathing. Yes, breathing! How you breathe plays a key role in stabilizing your core , creating efficient movement flow and arresting energy leaks.

Let’s dive into why a clean breathing pattern is so critical to athletic performance, and how issues like rib flare can lead to poor core stabilization and energy leaks throughout the body.

Breathing is a Movement Pattern

Just like throwing or hitting, breathing is a movement pattern that must be trained for optimal performance. If your breathing is off, it can throw off everything else, from core stability to distal mobility. At Baseball Flows, we take a simple but highly effective approach to cleaning up this foundational movement.

Here’s a quick 3-step guide:

  1. Start by assessing rib flare and low back arching


    When players experience rib flare—where the ribs poke out during breathing—it indicates poor core stabilization. This often leads to compensations in other global movement patterns, increasing the risk of injury. A similar issue arises when the low back arches excessively, which is another sign of instability and energy leaks in the system.

  2. Use a balloon to correct the breathing pattern


    Something as simple as a balloon 🎈 can help you reset your breathing. When you breathe into a balloon, it helps re-train your body to engage the diaphragm and deep core muscles, allowing for a more stable and efficient movement pattern.

  3. Re-test and notice the difference


    After completing a few sets of balloon breathing, reassess your rib flare and low back arching. You should notice an immediate improvement in core stabilization, which will flow through to better movement efficiency and control.

The Power of Core Stabilization

Abdominal stabilization and coordinated breathing provide an anchor for movement flow. When your breathing pattern is clean, it sets up a stable foundation for every athletic movement you perform—whether it’s throwing, swinging, or sprinting.

At Baseball Flows, our goal is to affect as many movement patterns as possible with the smallest tweaks. Working from the middle of your body—the core—creates a closed-loop system. This system reinforces movement patterns, creating a ripple effect. When you stabilize your core, it positively influences the rest of your body, from your hips to your arms and legs. Each small improvement in your core affects pattern after pattern, giving you exponential gains in athletic performance.

Why Rib Flare Leads to Energy Leaks

The body is a complex web of patterns, and when one is off, it can disrupt the entire system. Rib flare is a key indicator of a pattern breakdown in the core, causing decreased stabilization. When your core is unstable, energy leaks occur from proximal (close to your body’s center) to distal (farther away, like your limbs). This means that when you try to generate power—whether it’s for throwing, swinging, or sprinting—you lose some of that energy along the way.

Imagine trying to shoot a powerful water hose, but there are holes all along the hose, leaking water before it reaches the end. That’s what happens when your core isn’t properly stabilized—it creates energy leaks that reduce your power and efficiency on the field.

Proximal Stability, Distal Mobility

At Baseball Flows, we emphasize the principle of proximal stability leading to distal mobility. When your core is stable, your limbs can move more freely and powerfully. It’s like the base of a tree—if the roots are strong, the branches can grow tall and reach farther.

In contrast, we often see the opposite in physical therapy settings, where athletes are trained with a “distal to proximal” approach. This is referred to as the “tail wagging the dog”—focusing on limb movement without addressing core stability first. This is the wrong approach. You need to work from the inside out, not the outside in.

Why Flow Matters

Think of flow like the circulation of water in a fish tank. When the system is set up correctly, the water flows smoothly without you having to do anything. The system runs itself. That’s what we aim for at Baseball Flows—retraining, rewiring, and restoring your movement patterns so that your body moves fluidly and efficiently without strain or effort.

By improving your core stabilization and breathing patterns, you create the foundation for long-term success. Your movements become more powerful, more controlled, and more efficient—all while reducing the risk of injury.

Ready to Optimize Your Flow?

If you’re ready to enhance your athleticism and build a solid foundation through improved breathing patterns and core stability, Baseball Flows is here to support you. Start with us, and you’ll see how the smallest changes can have the biggest impact on your game.

Let’s get your flow moving in the right direction! Sign up today for expert-guided movement training that will take your game to the next level. As we continue to explore the wonders of movement, remember that your journey begins with honing your movement habits. Just as nature crafts its masterpieces with precision, you too can refine your movement skills within the Goldilocks Zone.

At Baseball Flows, we're committed to helping you discover this sweet spot where challenge meets refinement. Join us on this adventure as we delve deeper into the art of movement and the science of habit stacking. Together, we'll unlock the true potential of your athletic performance.

Start training your optimal movement habits today!

Share your experiences and insights with your friends! If you enjoy our newsletter and feel that a coach, parent, or player will benefit from reading our content, hit the “forward” button and toss it over to them. Let's learn from each other and embrace the power of Baseball Flows together!

Let's train smarter, move better, and flow in the game.

Dr. Ismael Gallo

Founder, Baseball Flows

Check out Marcus Stroman on the importance of Breathing and stability!

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