How Technology Is Changing How We Treat Development: S2 Breakthrough Pitching & Hitting

Two weeks ago, we delved into the philosophy and gadgets of Rita Lynn Gilman, a renowned youth pitching coach from Virginia. This week I want to take you through the second of three pitching presentations worth writing about from this year’s 2022 NFCA convention in San Antonio, Texas.

Ashley Sunshine, one of the founding members of Chicago-based S2 Breakthrough Pitching and Hitting Development, was the presenter on the big stage. I was so glad to get the opportunity to learn more about this data driven pitching development program that I’ve been hearing so much about over the last year. And one of the main reasons for my excitement was to be able to share the key components of their success with you, my students. I thrive on learning new information and growing the game with and for you, as I believe an open and curious mind is one of the most key ingredients to elite success.

Ashley Sunshine, a former pitcher at Emory University (a prominent rival of Ithaca College, where I played my collegiate ball), feels the same way. This growth-minded curiosity is much of the reason for S2 Breakthrough’s creation and subsequent popularity.

Ashley had planned to be a medical student when she and her friend Krista (a practicing lawyer at the time) decided to instead shake up the softball world. They challenged some of the existing structure of lessons and training by taking a deep dive into biomechanics, strength training, mobility, and video analysis in the most comprehensive approach to both pitching and hitting in the sport of softball.

S2 Breakthrough has certainly taken the pitching world by storm over the last few years, gaining quick popularity and interest from youth learners to top collegiate hurlers and their coaches alike due to their comprehensive approach and accessibility.

At convention, I was able to learn a few of the pieces of their puzzle that make S2 Breakthrough unique. For those of you who are high school age and above that are striving for bigger improvement gains in the new year, I believe there are pieces that S2 Breakthrough can do to help. With their “threshold assessment” that they offer, you can learn about your personal movement patterns as well as your body’s strength and mobility limitations through video and sensor technology that will evaluate your individual biomechanics. Understanding how your body moves within the motion will help you and me take you to new heights at Practice-Pro Pitching School this year.

How, you might ask, will we be able to take what is learned through this assessment and apply it to your motion for greater success? One - I can help you to create a plan for increased mobility and strength in the areas you may be deficient. Two - we can understand some of your mechanical nuances in a new way, as your body adjusts to personal movement and strength patterns. This will allow us to focus on areas within the motion with greater understanding of how your body can resist more efficiently or gain greater arm action and whip at the release (for example). The sky is the limit to what we can do with this personalized information and I would be elated to help you utilize what you learn in our future lessons.

Even if this “threshold assessment” isn’t your cup of tea at the moment, there was something else that S2 Breakthrough presented that I’m very excited to incorporate into pitching school this year. Ashley and her staff use different weights of plyo balls made of sand. These balls help the body to naturally adjust through time and space to create proper movement patterns needed to throw straight and fast.

Even though Ashley’s presentation at convention was the most technical (and may have overwhelmed some non-pitching junkies) - I believe S2 Breakthrough’s method of incorporating an individual assessment to understand each pitcher’s personal “story” is genius. For those of us looking to make quick strides - getting the fullest picture of who we are as individual movers within our unique bodies is definitely a fast and efficient way to greater understanding of our personal pitching motion. And as a woman from the Chicago area myself who loves pitching and has made it my life’s passion and career, kudos to you S2 Breakthrough for propelling our game of softball to new levels of understanding.