By STEVE KRAH
Prep players Max Clark and Andrew Wiggins were not the only ones from Indiana involved in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft Combine June 19-24 at Chase Field in Phoenix.
Dr. Nathan Denning, who founded Integrated Performance LLC in January, was among the professionals who conducted movement screening and performance testing with the athletes.
Denning says knowing the movement patterns of a player can be helpful to a team’s strength and conditioning staff when trying to help that athlete reach their potential.
MLB Draft combine attendees were checked for range of motion and stability and for any limitations with their shoulders, back, hips or ankles.
“It was almost as beneficial for the players as it was for the teams,” says Denning. “We want to see how powerful they are and how they can re-use some energy they may have.
“The main focus was trying find out the different areas a player can improve upon so he can level up his game and a team can use that.”
Denning hails from Saint Meinrad, Ind., and played baseball and football at Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Ind., where he graduated in 2009.
The 2023 MLB Draft Combine was his second. He worked the first one in 2021 and was employed by the Minnesota Twins as a physical therapist and reconditioning specialist in 2022.
Players throughout the organization on the Injured List for extended periods or those in need of mechanical tweaks would come down to Fort Myers, Fla., for sessions with Denning.
Many of the things he did at the MLB Combine he does in his practice. Denning runs Integrated Performance at the Indiana Baseball Academy, 733 E. Main St., Westfield, Ind., where the Indy Titans travel organization trains.
Athletes of all ages come to Denning. The majority of his clients are baseball players, but he also sees recreational athletes.
He works with the injured to help them alleviate their pain and get them to a better level of performance.
Denning also does movement testing and range of motion/stability work for the healthy to see if they have any deficiencies that are hindering performance.
“I work with those guys to clean up some of their movements and body mechanics so they can take that to their game,” says Denning. “I want them to become as efficient as they can when they swing or throw.”
For pitchers, there are typically up to seven things that Denning tracks: shoulder flexion mobility, shoulder internal rotation mobility, shoulder external rotation and motor control with stability, thorax or back rotation, hip rotation, ankle mobility and single-leg stance.
“Each pitcher loses one of those when he steps on the mound,” says Denning. “Sometimes he loses a couple. What I talk about with players is defining what you lose so you can restore that efficiency by the next time you step on the mound.
“You get in a routine to help that and recover a little quicker.”
Denning looks at the kinetic change — for throwers or hitters.
“It is essentially the production of force,” says Denning. “For pitching it’s to release the ball and create high (velocity) and greater command. You create force with your feet and your legs.
“You have to be able to transfer that force from the ground to your foot and up the chain.”
The hips, torso, stomach, upper back, shoulder, elbow and hand are all part of the sequence.
Denning is checking for acceleration and deceleration.
The goal is for the points in the chain to accelerate and decelerate in the same order.
“That’s considered an efficient pitcher,” says Denning. “If they’re limited in (mobility/stability) a lot of times you won’t be able to create that sequence.
“There’s a kink in the system. It can be different on every pitcher. You’re trying to find where the restriction is in body so they can create a proper mechanical format.”
While not every swing looks the same, the kinetic chain for hitters is supposed to begin with the hips followed by the upper back, back shoulder then meeting the ball with acceptation and deceleration.
Denning uses a NASCAR driver as an analogy for what he does to help players/athletes.
“They’re working on their car all the time and making sure they’re getting the best performance,” says Denning. “It’s the same thing with a person. They want to get to their highest potential and highest performance.
“They want to fine-tune the vehicle they’re using everyday.”
YouTube is one of the ways Denning shares with the public. Some of the recent videos on the Integrated Performance page include those Low back pain treatment, pitcher movement and arm care.
Denning earned a Kinesiology/Exercise Science bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington and a Doctor of Physical Therapy/Therapist degree from what is now the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He did his Sports Medicine Physical Therapy Residency at the University of Evansville.
Denning has also been a physical therapist clinic manager at EXOS in Pensacola, Fla., and at ProRehab, PC in Ferdinand, Ind., and holds numerous licenses and certifications.
“I like helping people,” says Denning of one of the reasons he chose his profession. “I also enjoy being around sports.”
After attending PT school in Indianapolis, he became comfortable with central Indiana and decided to locate his business there in a highly-populated area with a strong baseball focus.
“The facilities are super-nice up here,” says Denning.
www.IndianaRBI.com 