Why unorthodox athletes can still be incredibly effective

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 6. 04. 2024
  • Hunter Pence was one of the most productive outfielders of his generation, but nothing about what he did was conventional. Why do fundamentals (and possibly the laws of physics) seem to not matter to certain successful athletes?
    Video courtesy of:
    MLB
    San Francisco Giants
    Arizona Diamondbacks
    Los Angeles Chargers
    Fox Sports
    Bally Sports
    NBC Sports Bay Area
    PATREON: / student_ofthegame
  • Sport

Komentáře • 77

  • @THATREISGUY14
    @THATREISGUY14 Před měsícem +72

    Hunter Pence and Tim Lincecum are, in my opinion, 2 of the most forgotten stars in all of sports history. I appreciate this video.

    • @qwuzzy
      @qwuzzy Před měsícem +7

      Tim Lincecum is definitely not forgotten at all lol. Most ball knowers recognize him as having one of the most dominant peaks in modern baseball.

    • @suntower4379
      @suntower4379 Před 27 dny +1

      Are you a giants fan?

  • @lazycatchphrase8148
    @lazycatchphrase8148 Před měsícem +38

    Not including clips of Pence's warm-up swings is criminal, lol. You see just one and you'd swear this man had never held a bat before.

    • @teeheebrah6584
      @teeheebrah6584 Před 16 dny +1

      God I just watched his on deck swings and never held a bat before is definitely the best description of those swings, but unless you surprise the shit out of me and drop your baseball reference page, I'd say he did better than both of us ever have

  • @oboemadness1995
    @oboemadness1995 Před měsícem +7

    Studied music in college. Interesting to compare. Working outside of opponent's expectations gives an athlete a competitive edge, but there are no opponents you're working against in music. If you break the mold as a musician it makes it more difficult for your teamates, your fellow musicians to follow.
    There were a handful of professors who also emphasized "Alexander Technique" where you use your body as efficiently as possible. Don't lift your fingers too high so they can return to the keys easier; eliminate muscle strain; sit w your legs under the chair to maximize lung space... It seems like this would apply to sports. Ugly ducklings aren't discouraged because they don't fit our species mold or psychological expectations, they're discouraged because the expected posture is the most efficient and mechanically sensible because it's least prone to injury and most effective toward results.

  • @nedludd7622
    @nedludd7622 Před měsícem +17

    It brings back memories of watching the 2014 Giants' run to win the Series. My late mother, a knowledgeable baseball fan, loved Hunter Pence. We laughed often in watching Pence.

  • @Rockhound6165
    @Rockhound6165 Před měsícem +14

    I was so pissed when the Phillies traded him. He played with such boyish enthusiasm and his line of "Good game, let's eat" became a mantra of the 2011 Phillies. Then they traded him to the Giants for a bag of used baseballs.

  • @evantiesman4165
    @evantiesman4165 Před měsícem +21

    Another great vid. You’re physically incapable of missing.

  • @pauld7704
    @pauld7704 Před měsícem +13

    This basic concept explains how Nikola Jokic is able to dominate the NBA while not “passing the eye test” for a lot of people who don’t know what they’re looking at

    • @nofurtherwest3474
      @nofurtherwest3474 Před 27 dny

      Tom Brady did poorly in the combine and was like the 7th overall QB taken in the draft

    • @timboslice8559
      @timboslice8559 Před 27 dny

      No in the 7th round he was more like 20th overall QB

    • @nofurtherwest3474
      @nofurtherwest3474 Před 27 dny

      @@timboslice8559 ohhh dang

  • @alexkoffman4274
    @alexkoffman4274 Před měsícem +16

    I’ve met Hunter pence - one of the nicest guys ever

    • @winosandbar5077
      @winosandbar5077 Před měsícem +1

      Bay area boy. Got the privilege to meet Hunter a few times... Just a warm, personable, good dude.

    • @alexjones6190
      @alexjones6190 Před měsícem +2

      I bottomed for Hunter at fisherman's wharf a few times

  • @TyranoTortoise
    @TyranoTortoise Před měsícem +9

    I feel like the message of this video is trying to convince me that Charles Barkley is a great golfer

  • @Hexon66
    @Hexon66 Před měsícem +7

    I once saw Pence hit a home run off Jordan Zimmermann, pitching for the Nats, which I swear was above his shoulders. I have no idea how he got it, much less hit out of the park.

  • @SamuraiSam
    @SamuraiSam Před měsícem +6

    Cool vid. I definitely like me some unorthodox athletes. Bring back funky batting stances!

  • @brendan9868
    @brendan9868 Před měsícem +2

    I am actually so glad you brought up Lincecum. When I was a kid I studied the man, I saw a similarly undersized and skinny pitcher. I ended up taking a lot of inspiration from him in how I threw and it made me throw much harder, more accurate and with more break.
    I even had a former big leaguer as an instructor at the time and he noticed the massive improvement from the change and gave me the full green light to keep doing it and actually thought it was pretty brilliant.
    Coaches for teams I’d play for of course would always try to shoot it down despite the results simply because it looked weird and in sports the common opinion is if it looks weird, it can’t be correct, even if the movement in question is designed specifically for that person through understanding of how their own body works.

  • @Cricket_Mania_India
    @Cricket_Mania_India Před měsícem +8

    Look at Jasprit Bumrah bowling or Lasith Malinga maybe. they might fit this criteria. Both legends
    sport: cricket

  • @Eric-hr1gq
    @Eric-hr1gq Před měsícem +1

    Giants fan living in Colorado. I remember the first time I saw him life at Coor's, was in the second deck in right. Even though I had seen him plenty on TV, watching him in person was actually inspiring. I had better fundamental mechanics than him in highschool, yet he made it work. What a fun player to watch.

  • @michaelmartz8426
    @michaelmartz8426 Před měsícem +2

    To me, Pence was reminiscent of the old school players from the 1960s and before. From a technical standpoint, he did things the way coaches wanted, but it doesn't look the same as others.

  • @julehansmeier5688
    @julehansmeier5688 Před měsícem +2

    seeing you posted a new video makes me happy already and after looking it I know why again

  • @Supadupa335
    @Supadupa335 Před měsícem +3

    When hunter pence gets hot he can carry your team in October

  • @trealville23
    @trealville23 Před 27 dny

    Awesome video. Subscribed

  • @fatbeanzoop
    @fatbeanzoop Před měsícem +1

    Really nice video. Thanks for making it kind sir. I am subscrib

  • @BillyBob-wh4sq
    @BillyBob-wh4sq Před měsícem +2

    I know you're talking about team sports in this video, but I couldn't help being reminded of track athletes like Joseph Fahnbulleh and Nick Symmonds who had successful careers despite running form that could hardly be described as graceful.

  • @countrycorner9337
    @countrycorner9337 Před 25 dny

    good video, not sure how long your channel has been around but if you keep this up you’re going to have a lot more subscribers

  • @erfling1
    @erfling1 Před 29 dny

    It's not that "some more recent studies have played down this effect..." it's that the strong Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is total bunk. The weak version of the hypothesis is supported by some evidence, and there are some effects with regard to the processing speed with which colors can be distinguished as you said, and there are some other examples. That said, language DOES NOT inhibit or enable the ability to do math, or to distinguish the past and present, etc, and Sapir and Whorf first hypothesized. It's a small effect, and the language itself, as opposed to broader enculturation and experience, isn't responsible for forming schemas or prototypes

  • @cnking27
    @cnking27 Před měsícem +1

    The true anti-Pence paradox would be Todd Marinovich, a human experiment in drilling in absolutely perfect mechanics from before birth…who did not have great results.

  • @senorpepper3405
    @senorpepper3405 Před měsícem +1

    Devils advocate: the only knock about doing something not the 'standard' way would be that in certain instances it could be unsustainable in the long term, more prone to injury. Hunter pence for sure had a successful mlb career. If he had been more orthodox would he of lasted longer? Would he of even had a successful career without being unorthodox? Guess we'll never know. Nice video.

    • @jeffrey.a.hanson
      @jeffrey.a.hanson Před měsícem +1

      Two things- 1. He has a spinal disease that causes that slight curvature and compression. So he had no choice. 2. He had a relatively healthy career and played until he was 37! His injuries were mostly bad luck like a hbp or running into walls.
      This sort of proves this theory. We assume the awkward player to have injury issues, but he limped to the finish line like every player after year 32.

  • @justingil27
    @justingil27 Před měsícem

    I was a hunter pence. I played internationally after college in Europe and Australia, but I was definitely a hunter pence. My brother who played D1 used to tell me I was ichiro from the right side lol my nickname in college was Gooch

  • @sun6262-
    @sun6262- Před měsícem +1

    let me throw sidearmahhhh

  • @agrofindastation
    @agrofindastation Před měsícem

    I always just felt like Hunter Pence was about to start singing about Two Princes.

  • @Brousarded
    @Brousarded Před měsícem

    This guy is still the most interesting player I’ve ever seen in my life

  • @lokeijak
    @lokeijak Před měsícem

    I loved watching Pence play. Such a funky player but so damn good. Do a video on Youk next

  • @owencyrulik146
    @owencyrulik146 Před měsícem

    Look at Usain Bolt, it is a slightly different case where it is not just ineffective but also just a worse method; he bobs side to side as he runs.

  • @teeheebrah6584
    @teeheebrah6584 Před 16 dny

    Hunter pence has the weirdest anything motions on a baseball field. Has a awkward swing, weird throwing motion especially for an outfielder, and runs kinda goofy. Yet despite all this he was an above average bat giving you a solid .280 hitter with about 20 homers a year out of it and about average defense to complement it. Despite his unorthodox play he played in 14 seasons and has a couple rings to show so id say he had a good career

  • @yudhistira9453
    @yudhistira9453 Před měsícem

    Come for the baseball player discussion, stay for learning how human works 😮

  • @CC-rb1yf
    @CC-rb1yf Před měsícem

    As someone disappointed Royals lost in '14 I try to forget about Pence/Sandoval/Bumgarner. But good KC won following year

  • @user-eo3gz7ve3y
    @user-eo3gz7ve3y Před měsícem +1

    Are there modern mlb players that fit this description?

  • @imdoodoovr3503
    @imdoodoovr3503 Před měsícem

    What song is this

  • @brendonwallace6640
    @brendonwallace6640 Před měsícem

    Can someone inform who number 47 from the giants is with the dreads who threw the funky pitch please someone help me

    • @studentofthegame
      @studentofthegame  Před měsícem

      Johhny Cueto!

    • @brendonwallace6640
      @brendonwallace6640 Před měsícem

      @@studentofthegame thanx bro first time here content is 🔥🔥🔥keep up the grind gotta sub from me ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾

  • @smoceany9478
    @smoceany9478 Před 25 dny

    i abused the fact that people couldnt hit things theyve never seen before, wasnt a very good pitcher but i had like 10 seperate deliveries

  • @lorimeyers3839
    @lorimeyers3839 Před 24 dny

    Oh, Pence was the epitome of unorthodox, but he was a hell of a player.

  • @nicholassergeant3041
    @nicholassergeant3041 Před měsícem

    Saw him hit a cycle in aaa it was so cool.

  • @paulsega2066
    @paulsega2066 Před měsícem

    Loved the video and I'm a BIG Hunter Pence fan, he played with grit, heart, dedication and RESPECT for the game!!!!!..........but in my opinion alot less SCIENCE and alot more showing of the player in question!!!!!!!.......... SHOWCASE THE PLAYER AND WAT HE HAS DONE OR CONTINUE TO DO!!!!!

  • @carlwilliams9642
    @carlwilliams9642 Před měsícem

    Pence would definitely get overlooked in today's MLB with it's hyper focus on swing mechanics with analytics.

  • @jeffrey.a.hanson
    @jeffrey.a.hanson Před měsícem +1

    The 🐘- Hunter Pence had a spine disease. Tim Tebow had Percey Harvin.

  • @BendyDH
    @BendyDH Před měsícem

    maybe I'm just dumb but I'm struggling to figure out what was unusual about Hunter Pence's swing, it looks like a pretty normal swing to me...?

  • @thelos08
    @thelos08 Před měsícem

    This is what Monyball presented right? Players who were overlooked for one reason or another. Not fitting the mold of an athlete, being older, personality flaws.

  • @DARKBRANDON-2024
    @DARKBRANDON-2024 Před měsícem

    If a guy or girl is successful with their own style, coaches should shut it and let them play.

  • @donnymcjonny6531
    @donnymcjonny6531 Před měsícem

    Just wish you would've included more clips of his "weird" movements

  • @winosandbar5077
    @winosandbar5077 Před měsícem

    Hunter pence saves dolphins.

  • @letsssgooo4618
    @letsssgooo4618 Před 28 dny

    Headlines wrong. He was a GREAT athlete. Just had terrible form in damn near everything baseball. He was just good enough to make it work for him.

  • @chrislewis5069
    @chrislewis5069 Před měsícem

    There really isn’t much normal, there are things that are sone similarly by a good amount of people but everyone is different in their movements

  • @alexjones6190
    @alexjones6190 Před měsícem

    I bottomed for Hunter

  • @elgaucho3759
    @elgaucho3759 Před 18 dny

    There is nothing fundamentally sound about Pence at all. He makes everything work

  • @rickparadise3186
    @rickparadise3186 Před měsícem

    I don’t think you understand what a paradox is.

  • @edwardramos9666
    @edwardramos9666 Před měsícem

    People are too simple to Not try and "coach it out of them."
    they want "Reversion to the NORM"
    I have seen bad players with pretty swings get more chances than good players with Ugly Mechanics.

  • @doaftheloaf
    @doaftheloaf Před 27 dny

    i wonder how ichiro wasn't mentioned here. he was incredibly unorthodox.
    tony batista got a 40 HR season out of the ugliest batting stance in the history of baseball.
    football and basketball got mentioned, but no hockey. may i present dominik hasek.

  • @jaybingham3711
    @jaybingham3711 Před měsícem +1

    Quirky is one thing. Pence, however, wasn't close to being quirky. He was an absolute hot mess. So far beyond quirky it truly was unfathomable. How you gonna hit when your dancing a jig in the box? Yet he did. Way above average. With power. Why you gotta throw like a T-ball rookie? My god...that throwing motion. And yet it was a rocket. And deadly accurate. How!? And that running "style"? The first time I saw it, I literally thought the network was making use of "old timers" video software to spoof viewers. To be talented enough to overcome one of those things and still be good enough to play professionally (say Single A) is a heck of a story. But to overcome each and every one of his idiosyncrasies and make it all the way to the Bigs...and have a way-above-average career...that takes scary talent.

  • @matthewehrlich5157
    @matthewehrlich5157 Před měsícem

    Ran harder than anyone in the game.

  • @laserbeard328
    @laserbeard328 Před měsícem

    lol trying to make baseball seem interesting in 2024 is a losing game...we've already moved on to sports that don't have a seventh ining stretch because everyone is sleeping

  • @basedanddadpilled959
    @basedanddadpilled959 Před měsícem

    I’m really curious to see if there’s a connection between unorthodox athletes and autism. Asperger’s runs in one side of my family (diagnosed in two generations, obvious yet undiagnosed in the previous few) and that side of my family tends to be really good at sports, especially baseball. We’re not even a large family and we’ve had multiple MLB pros and even a Hall of Fame unorthodox pitcher in the family tree.

  • @Crunkboy415
    @Crunkboy415 Před měsícem

    Whereas most NBA players start their jump shot by jumping , stopping, then flicking their wrist over their head Steph Curry starts his trademark 3 point shot from around his waist and then draws the ball over his head and then shoots all in one motion.

  • @PencilDlCK
    @PencilDlCK Před měsícem

    Its was a good video but you barely talked about hunter pence