Focus of Project Goal:
Is there an oral systemic component to changing a softball players performance as it relates to grip strength, foot to ground platform, balance at the plate, hitting the ball harder and farther, fielding and throwing.
1. We can demonstrate between "pre" and "post" mouth device an improvement in strength, breathing, flexibility, and balance by whatever muscle recruitment and/or muscle repattterning ocurrs to this end.
2. The question is, "once we've demonstrated point #1 as a baseline", will it also result "in specific to this project" a) better grip of the bat b) more stable foot to ground platform stance at the plate, c) hitting the ball harder and farther d) throwing the ball with any significance beyond the players current softball strength, conditioning and practice skills programs athlete is already doing.
This information gathering is for a future basketball talk which currently has no softball data components related to athletic performance.
A big roadblock issue for this project will be if we can get some players from a team (but not necessarily all participants from a single team) to actually just to wear a mouthguard during the game considering they have the choice not too. On a positive note, watching MLB, you are undoubtable seing athletes not required to wear mouthpieces actually wearing them. Why would that be?
The goal is to see if by changing the maxillo-mandubular jaw relationship of the athlete resulting in a change in her skeletal and muscle physiology along with his airway space can you player better that she did not have before playing with no mouthguard at all ( which probably 99.9% of high school softball players do not use due to fact that it doesn't fit properly, it is bulky, you can't breathe properly with it in, it dislodges upon impact, and you chew it up til the mouthguard is so distorted it actually makes you play worse etc etc).
SEE VIDEOS UNDER TAB:
ORAL SYSTEMIC COMPONENT: MOUTHGUARDS-PERFORMACE?
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