Motor Preferences Experts recently completed the first of two scheduled visits with the USA Softball Women's National Team. MPE will return in December for the second phase of the project.
During the first visit, MPE staff worked directly with USA Softball athletes and coaches, providing individual athlete assessments and supporting the organization's High Performance staff with additional insight into how each athlete naturally organizes movement.
The visit combined individual assessments, player conversations, practice observation, scrimmage observation, and communication with the High Performance staff. The goal was to better understand each athlete within the environment in which they train and compete.
The objective is not to prescribe one way for every athlete to move. It is to provide another layer of information that can help athletes and coaches better understand the individual.
Supporting USA Softball High Performance
As part of the first visit, MPE met with USA Softball High Performance staff to review findings, discuss athlete trends, answer questions, and support the practical application of assessment results.
Rather than replacing existing coaching systems, the objective is to provide coaches with another lens through which to understand the athletes they work with.
For MPE, the opportunity reflects a central idea behind its approach to athlete development: understand the athlete before deciding on the solution.
Every athlete brings different movement tendencies, strategies, and solutions to the field. Identifying those differences can provide coaches with additional context when making decisions around skill development, training, and communication
UNDERSTAND THE ATHLETE BEFORE DECIDING ON THE SOLUTION.
Understanding the Athlete
Participating athletes completed an individual assessment conducted by Motor Preferences Experts staff to evaluate natural movement organization.
Following the assessment, MPE prepared an individual written athlete report summarizing the findings and providing practical recommendations that can help inform coaching and athlete development.
The process extended beyond the assessment itself. By observing athletes during practice, scrimmages, and skill work, the MPE team could connect assessment findings with how athletes actually organize movement within their sport.
That context can help turn information from an assessment into something more practical for coaches and athletes.
Returning in December
MPE will return in December for the second scheduled visit with the USA Softball Women's National Team.
The second phase will build on the information gathered during the initial visit, giving MPE and USA Softball High Performance staff another opportunity to connect individual assessment findings with the athletes' development and performance environment.
The continued work allows the process to move beyond a single snapshot. By revisiting the athletes and continuing the conversation with coaches and High Performance staff, MPE can provide additional context as the project progresses.
SEE ATHLETES DIFFERENTLY. DEVELOP THEM INDIVIDUALLY.
Working with the USA Softball Women's National Team provides another opportunity for MPE to apply individualized athlete development within an elite performance environment.
Motor Preferences Experts is not an official partner of USA Softball.