The “Hip Hinge” Position Doesn’t Exist

You might disagree with me at first.

That’s okay.

But stay with me.

The “hip hinge” position…

doesn’t actually exist.

At least not the way most players are being taught.

The Freeze-Frame Problem

Scroll social media and you’ll see it everywhere:

• “Get into your hinge.”

• “Hold this position.”

• “Freeze here.”

• “Maintain this angle.”

Still images.

Slow motion clips.

Drawn lines and circles.

We’ve trained an entire generation to chase positions.

But baseball isn’t played in freeze-frames.

It’s played in transitions.

The Hip Hinge Is a Flow — Not a Pose

The hinge isn’t a static posture.

It’s a moment in motion.

It’s the body flowing:

Feet → pelvis → trunk → arms

It’s the middle of a sequence.

Not the goal of one.

When you teach a player to hold a hinge, they often:

• lose rhythm

• lose elasticity

• stiffen the trunk

• disconnect the arms

• overuse the front side

And then parents say:

“He used to look athletic… now he looks robotic.”

That’s not a strength issue.

That’s a movement coordination issue.

Why Players “Lose” Their Hinge in Games

Here’s what usually happens:

In training, the player learns to “get into position.”

In games, the body speeds up.

Now the brain has to solve a real problem:

• Timing is late

• Pitch location changes

• The ground ball hops weird

• The runner is faster than expected

Under pressure, the body won’t search for a picture.

It will default to what it can coordinate.

If the athlete was trained to hold positions,

they freeze.

If they were trained to move through transitions,

they adapt.

The Real Reason the Front Side Flies Open

When a hitter’s front shoulder flies open…

When a pitcher can’t stabilize the lead leg…

When a fielder loses posture through the throw…

It’s rarely because they “don’t know the hinge.”

It’s because they can’t decelerate and reorganize through it.

They’re trying to create force with tension

instead of transferring force with flow.

Acceleration without deceleration control

always looks like chaos.

This Is Why We Train Flow, Not Positions

At Baseball Flows, we don’t train athletes to pose in a hinge.

We train:

• transitions

• deceleration control

• rotational sequencing

• balance under movement

• global coordination

So the hinge becomes something the body passes through naturally.

Not something it tries to hold onto.

For Parents: This Matters More Than You Think

If your child:

• looks great in slow-motion drills

• understands every cue

• but tightens up in games

It’s not a motivation problem.

It’s not a “try harder” problem.

It’s a movement capacity problem.

They don’t need a better hinge cue.

They need better movement options.

A Different Question to Ask

Instead of:

“Is he getting into his hinge?”

Try asking:

“Can he flow through it under pressure?”

That’s a completely different development path.

The goal isn’t a prettier position.

It’s a more adaptable athlete.

Move Better.

Play Better.

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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.

Best Regards,

Dr. Ismael Gallo DPT, MBA

Founder, Baseball Flows

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